Compass Podcast: Finding the spirituality in the day-to-day

By United Methodist Communications

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Faith and spirituality sometimes leave us with more questions than answers. The Compass podcast shares stories about deconstructing faith, finding meaning, seeking justice, and deepening spiritual connection through contemplative practices and worship. Join fellow spiritual seekers Michelle Maldonado and Ryan Dunn as they seek orientation to the Divine presence in the day-to-day through a Christian perspective. A production of United Methodist Communications.

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110: Linking love and justi...

06.02.2023

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III reflects on his upbringing with parents involved in the civil rights movement and his journey towards identifying with the black prophetic and spiritual tradition within the black church. He also dives into everyday disruptions by ...

Compass Podcast: Finding the spirituality in the day-to-day episodes:

06.02.2023 110: Linking love and justice with Otis Moss III Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III reflects on his upbringing with parents involved in the civil rights movement and his journey towards identifying with the black prophetic and spiritual tradition within the black church. He also dives into everyday disruptions by ...
05.17.2023 109: From heroes to villains: The role of iconoclasm with Diana Butler Bass We delve into the topic of iconoclasm and the conflict it causes in communities as they grapple with troubling figures from their spiritual history. From Confederate statues in Richmond to famous theologians who have committed atrocities, we explore how we ...
05.03.2023 108: John Blake explores the world-changing power of relationships We’re talking diversity, inclusion, integration, hope, the church and divine intervention with John Blake. John has some interesting stories to tell about family and relationships… including his relationship with the church. John Blake is an award-winning journalist for CNN.com. His ...
05.02.2023 Faith in Action: Examining the Moral Monday Protest in Nashville Special release. On the morning of March 27, 2023, a gunman entered Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, and shot 6 people to death. This event was a catalyst in Nashville, leading to protests, political intrigue and division, and the organization ...
04.26.2023 Faithfulness: April 2023 Rethink Church audiomagazine The April 2023 edition of the Rethink Church audiomagazine presented on the Compass podcast. In this edition, we present the latest stories and one classic read from the Rethink Church website. Throughout April 2023, our content focused on faithfulness. We’ll ...
04.19.2023 107: When restlessness is a gift Restlessness is not comfortable. We’d rather not spend too much time dwelling on thoughts of missing out… or of doubt… or spend too much time dwelling on mundanity of life. That’s not a comfortable place to be. So when someone ...
04.05.2023 106: Climate change and taking spiritual action in response Rev. Richenda Fairhurst shares about the relationship between our faith, spirituality and concern for our environment. This concern compels us to respond to climate change. Rev. Richenda shares several action steps for combating climate change–both personal actions and community action. ...
03.29.2023 Resilience: Rethink Church March 2023 audiomagazine In this edition, we present the latest stories and one classic read from the Rethink Church website. Throughout March 2023, our content focused on Lent and the resilience it inspires. We’ll hear: * “What is Palm Sunday?” by Ryan Dunn ...
03.22.2023 105: Jubilee, apocalypse and the politics of Jesus Christian Collins Winn joins the Compass Podcast to share how disruptive the teachings of Jesus really are–especially in regards to our social and political systems. Christian makes the claim that, though we don’t often talk about “Jubilee” and “apocalypse”, faith ...
03.08.2023 104: Who is a saint and why do they matter? With Joseph Yoo Joseph Yoo uses the power of stories — both ancient and contemporary — to remind us how we are often unexpectedly intertwined with one another and with God. Rev. Joseph Yoo. Joseph is the planter of Mosaic Episcopal Church located ...
03.01.2023 Deeply Rooted: February 2023 Rethink Church Audiomagazine This is the February 2023 edition of the Rethink Church audiomagazine presented on the Compass podcast. In this edition, we present the latest stories and one classic read from the Rethink Church website. Throughout February 2023, our content focused on ...
02.22.2023 103: Let’s get into Lent What is the season of Lent, where did it come from and why is it important? Do you know the most popular things to give up during Lent? You might be surprised by how some people practice this special season. ...
02.08.2023 102: Blessing our messy everyday lives with Jessica Richie Jessica Richie shares the story and practices behind “The Lives We Actually Have”, written with Kate Bowler. “The Lives We Actually Have” (Releasing February 14, 2023) is a collection of blessings for the struggles of our shared humanity, from the ...
02.02.2023 Jesus and questions about the UMC: Rethink Church audiomagazine January 2023 This is the January 2023 edition of the Rethink Church audiomagazine presented on the Compass podcast. In this edition, we present the latest stories from the Rethink Church website. Throughout January 2023, our content focused on Jesus and also questions ...
01.25.2023 101: Rewire your brain for powerful spiritual connections with Caroline Oakes Caroline Oakes shares how contemplative prayer and meditation rewire our thinking and open us up for Divine connection. In this episode, you’ll hear how Jesus practiced “the pause”–or took time away for centering and contemplation. You’ll also hear some of ...
01.11.2023 100: 10 recommended shows to stream right now for theological reflection What are the best streaming shows right now for connecting faith and life through theological reflection? Compass shares their recommendations. It’s a big episode! It’s episode 100 for the Compass podcast! And we’re introducing a new member to the Compass ...
12.21.2022 99: Disrupting 10 Christmas myths Happy Advent! Let’s prepare for the UPCOMING Christmas season by looking at the history and practices of the holiday. Why is the date of Jesus’ birth celebrated on December 25? Why do we sometimes call Santa Claus “Saint Nicholas”? Was ...
12.07.2022 98: Pastors of TikTok Divine disruptions are happening on TikTok every day. Kelley Finch, Joseph Yoo and Sarah Tevis-Townes tell their stories of coming to TikTok and finding some beautiful relationships and community. Find Pastor Kelley at @pastorkelley Find Rev. Joseph at @joseph.yoo And ...
11.30.2022 Diversity: Rethink Church audiomagazine November 2022 Throughout November of 2022, our content focused on diversity and the season of Advent. We’ll hear: “The broken family of Black Panther” by Nathan Webb https://www.umc.org/en/content/the-broken-family-of-black-panther-wakanda-forever “Why diversity in the church matters” by Madison Myers https://www.umc.org/en/content/why-diversity-in-the-church-matters “Have we embraced diversity ...
11.16.2022 97: Why Thanksgiving should give way to lament and healing with Mark Charles Gratitude is good. But Thanksgiving is an issue. We could consider a space for lament and healing. Mark Charles, co-author of Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, shares a history of the Thanksgiving holiday and ...
11.09.2022 96: Using your imagination in prayer Learn how to utilize the contemplative practice of imaginative prayer. This episode of Compass is an abbreviated one, as we’re working on what’s turning into a kind of double episode for next week. But in the meantime, we share another ...
11.03.2022 World-changing: Rethink Church audiomagazine October 2022 Throughout October of 2022, our content focused on changing the world around us. This edition of the audiomagazine features articles describing how we become personal agents of change, making small actions that provide big impacts. We’ll hear: * “How you ...
10.26.2022 95: An ongoing history of hell According to Pew research, 62% of American Christians believe in hell. It’s actually hard to find topics that Christians agree upon more universally. But our beliefs about hell differ by a great degree: from it being a place of eternal ...
10.11.2022 94: Satanic panic and holy imagination with Derek White Role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons have gotten a rap that they open doors to dark, sinister forces. It’s surprising (and refreshing) then to hear of them being used to inspire a sense of holy imagination and to advance the ...
09.28.2022 93: Experiencing God in nature with Victoria Loorz Victoria Loorz shares how we can cultivate moments of divine connection in nature and how these moments led her and a whole lot of people into a church-based movement to enjoy, appreciate and connect with the Divine through reflecting and ...
09.21.2022 Discipleship: Rethink Church audiomagazine September 2022 Throughout September of 2022, our content focused on being on discipleship. Discipleship is a descriptor for the practices, processes and actions through which we express our relationship with God through Jesus. It is how we walk in faith. This edition ...
09.14.2022 92: Homelessness, justice and divine disruptions with Kevin Nye Kevin Nye is our guest disrupter on this episode of Compass and he is going to share how advocating for the unhoused provides a window of opportunity for seeing a bit more clearly the movement of God-inspired justice in the ...
08.31.2022 91: When we question if we really want to Christian, with Brian McLaren “Do I stay Christian?” That’s the title and focus of Brian McLaren’s most recent book. It provides reasons both to depart and to stay. We’re processing through some of the lingering doubts inspired through Christian history and questions of faith ...
08.24.2022 Missional: Rethink Church audiomagazine August 2022 Throughout August of 2022, our content focused on being on mission. What does that mean? Well, we have some great posts about how the church moves into the world to meet people… and also how God takes the initiative to ...
08.17.2022 Building an app-based ministry and online contemplative community Rev. Abigail Browka, founder of the Everyday Sanctuary app, provides the story of starting an app-based ministry centered on contemplative practices. She provided the unique challenges and benefits of starting a faith community in a digital space as well as ...
08.17.2022 A fresh look at radical Jesus with Damon Garcia: Compass 89 Damon Garcia, author of “The God Who Riots”, is our fellow sojourner and seeker for this conversation on Compass. He invites us to think about Jesus’ view of holy action and belief. It’s a bit of a disruption if you ...
08.04.2022 The church, the state and a prophetic voice: Compass 88 Rev. Joseph Kim shares insights on our political calling in faith and raising up a prophetic witness for justice. In America, church and state are meant to be distinct and separate. And yet, we have to admit that church often ...
07.13.2022 Relisten: Finding the Divine in the everyday with Kaitlin Curtice We’re revisiting a conversation with Kaitlin Curtice. We talked with Kaitlin back in 2018. She is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. Kaitlin presents on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. In ...
07.07.2022 Spirit-filled: Rethink Church audiomagazine summer 2022 This is the June/early July 2022 edition of the Rethink Church audiomagazine presented on the Compass podcast. Throughout June of 2022, our content focused on being Spirit-filled. What does that mean? Well, we have some great posts about encountering and ...
07.06.2022 New episodes resuming in August We’ll be back with some deep topics in August: * How do sit with being Christian when we don’t agree with everything being done in the name of Christianity? * Whether or not there’s a reason for our hardship in ...
06.22.2022 Relisten: Does everything happen for a reason? This was a conversation with Kate Bowler, who, at the time of original recording, was a well-regarded but not-so well-known college professor and author. She was on the verge of releasing a book called “Everything Happens for a Reason and ...
06.08.2022 85: Do UFOs and extraterrestrials have anything to do with faith and theology? Deep in the media vaults of the United Methodist denomination are old radio shows all about UFOs and extraterrestrial life. It would seem odd that a religious organization would be so invested in that topic. Meanwhile, NASA has funded theological ...
05.25.2022 Relisten: Forging peace through reconciliation with Brian Tillman This episode is a re-presentation of one of our first Compass podcast episodes and it’s about our personal roles in the proliferation of racism and racial reconciliation. Despite the fact that the material presented in this episode by Rev. Brian ...
05.18.2022 Connected: Rethink Church audiomagazine May 2022 Throughout May of 2022, our content focused on connection. And we have some great posts about how we are connected in community and how we can build stronger connections–both internally and externally. In this edition of the audiomag, we’ll hear: ...
05.11.2022 83: Integrating the physical and the spiritual with Lisa Colon DeLay We’re talking with Lisa Colon DeLay in this episode about her journey of physical and spiritual integration. It’s a journey where she discovered that we are dualistic beings who are part spiritual and part material. We’re both/and. And recognizing that ...
04.27.2022 Holistic evangelism and salvation with Mark Teasdale Ready to tackle a couple tough ideas? In this episode of Compass, Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale helps us adopt a healthy understand of the Christian ideas of evangelism and salvation. Mark Teasdale is E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at ...
04.20.2022 Rethink Church audiomagazine for April 2022 Throughout April of 2022, our content focused on seeking after Jesus. And we have some great posts about some teachings of Jesus that challenge us and nurture us. In this edition of the audiomag, we’ll hear: “Christian judgement and the ...
04.13.2022 You have gifts and you are a gift You have gifts and you are a gift to the world around you. Don Everts is a pastor who had a startling realization while dealing with the ups and downs of pastoral and personal life: everyone is a gift. Including ...
03.30.2022 Disrupting your anxiety through spiritual practices All of us encounter anxiety. Current cultural conditions have feelings of anxiety on the rise–and for many anxiety is not a fleeting feeling. It sticks with us and locks us into a spiral of depression, shame, and mental paralysis. Rev. ...
03.23.2022 Faithfulness: Rethink Church audiomagazine for March 2022 In this edition, we present the latest stories from the Rethink Church website and one of our most-read articles from years past. Throughout March of 2022, our content focused on faithfulness. And we have some great posts about what faithfulness ...
03.16.2022 Diving deeper with Lent spiritual practices This Compass episode explores how Lent leads us into a deeper spiritual connection. Pierce Drake and Ryan Dunn discuss the meaning of Lent and how this special season in the Christian year moves us to seek a spiritual-centeredness through discipline ...
03.02.2022 Powerful peace and contemplative prayer with AJ Sherrill Did you know that there are daily practices you can utilize to seemingly slow down the pace of life, center yourself and cause some Divine disruptions in your perception? AJ helps us see that contemplative prayer is for everyone, no ...
02.23.2022 Commitment: Rethink Church audiomagazine February 2022 This is the February 2022 edition of the Rethink Church audiomagazine presented on the Compass podcast. Throughout February of 2022, our content focused on commitment. And we have some great posts about what commitment looks like in this new age ...
02.16.2022 Unleashing the power of words with Jonathan Merritt The words we use matter. Words are both a reflection of what we feel inside and a means for influencing our own states of mind. Jonathan Merritt helps us understand how an inability to “speak God” might lead us to ...
01.26.2022 Resilience: Rethink Church AudioMag January 2022 In January of 2022, we’ve focused on resilience. And we have some great posts about how you can keep on keeping on through 2022 (and beyond… as these ideas are not bound by this particular place in time). In this ...

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