We’ve taken several of the most-read articles from the Rethink Church page (www.umc.org/rethinkchurch) and brought them to you in audio form, so you can now get tips on spiritual practices, ideas on social justice interventions, and perspectives on healthy living wherever you listen.

In this initial edition of the Rethink Church AudioMag:

“5 ways to be more spiritual” from Mandy Sloan McDow

https://www.umc.org/en/content/5-ways-to-be-more-spiritual

“Does Jesus have something to teach us about toxic busyness” by Ryan Dunn

https://www.umc.org/en/content/does-jesus-have-something-to-teach-about-busyness

“When my faith is frightening” by Joseph Yoo

https://www.umc.org/en/content/when-my-faith-is-frightening

“Maybe God doesn’t have an exact plan for your life” by Madison Myers

https://www.umc.org/en/content/maybe-god-doesnt-have-an-exact-plan-for-your-life

And “Body and Blood: the true horror of Midnight Mass” from Nathan Webb

https://www.umc.org/en/content/body-and-blood-the-true-horror-of-midnight-mass

It’s year-end reflection time! Hosts Ryan Dunn and Pierce Drake review the moments they felt like God “showed up” in 2021. How did you see God showing up in your midst?

Amy Julia Becker is helping us disrupt the cycles of division in our society. Overcoming systems of injustice feels overwhelming for one single person, we don’t feel like our efforts could make a difference. Amy Julia shares her experience with those doubts and committing to justice anyways.

Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on faith, family, disability, privilege, and healing. She is the author of four books, including “To Be Made Whole: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope”, releasing in Spring 2022, and she is the host of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast. Her work is featured alongside the writings of other Compass contributors in “How to Heal Our Divides”.

It’s easy to exist in an echo chamber these days. But the holidays, and Jesus’ story, remind us that beloved community neither begins nor exists in spaces where everyone else is just like us. Beloved community begins when we are intentional about participating in settings where we may not have much in common with some other participants.

Jacqui Lewis shares how a fierce love that starts with loving ourselves well will change the world. We are fully who we are–fully human–when we realize that we belong to each other. Everyone’s success depends on everyone’s success. So we are called to love one another as we love ourselves.

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is a public theologian and the senior minister at the multicultural Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan. She’s appeared on CBS, CNN, PBS, ABC and more. She’s written several books, including the just-released Fierce Love–which is a kind of manifesto for offering a healing antidote to our divided culture.

We all have questions about faith. Sometimes those questions are so burning that they start a proverbial fire that threatens to burn our whole system of belief down. Brian Zahnd joins the podcast to share about the ways God is revealed through both the fire and the daily workings of life.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and his wife, Peri, founded the church in 1981. Brian is probably more widely known as the author of several books, including, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, Water to Wine, A Farewell To Mars, Beauty Will Save the World, and his most recent work, as of this recording, is When Everything’s on Fire. This book helps our modern, skeptical minds move from deconstructing belief to reconstructing faith.

What is God doing when bad things happen? In this episode, we discuss this question and the place of hope in the midst of our messy lives with Bishop Jake Owensby.

Hope is not merely wishful thinking. Hope digs deeper and moves us in a way that wishful thinking cannot. There is hope because we act in hope. And we’ll see that because there is hope, there is a movement of the Divine.

Jake Owensby is the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana. Author of five books on everyday spirituality, a speaker, and a retreat leader, Jake focuses on helping people discover meaning and purpose in their own lives. His most recent book is Looking for God in Messy Places.

Feeling a bit disconnected? Utilizing a reading plan helps us connect in community and feel connected to the Divine.

In this episode, Pierce and Ryan outline simple plans, note the benefits of investing in reading scripture, and offer a special invitation!

One of the marks of monastic communities is that they establish a rhythm of life that calls attention to the holy. 

Sister Joan Chittister, who is herself part of a Benedictine monastic community, has translated a number of these practices into everyday life for us. You may have heard of Sister Joan–she’s a well-known activist and has made a couple of appearances alongside Oprah Winfrey. She’s also authored 60 books and has won numerous awards. We’re talking with her about her recent release: The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life.

Why did Jesus say some of the things he said? What do we make of these tough teachings today? Amy-Jill Levine provides some tools for processing.

Do we need to sell everything we own? Must we hate our mothers and fathers? At different points in his ministry, Jesus suggested to some people they do those very things. What tools can employ to make sense of those teachings today?