Crackers and Grape Juice

As the appointment season continues, here is part 2 of the conversation we had with the best bishop anyone could ask for! Bishop Sharma Lewis, resident bishop of the Richmond episcopal area, became the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church in 2016.

A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988) and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Bishop Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to surrendering to God’s call upon her life.

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Why would we not go to Duke just to talk with Stanley Hauerwas? Even though Stanley doesn't know what a podcast is, he welcomed us to his 3rd floor office for a candid sitdown.

Not only did Dr. Hauerwas give us books from his vast collection, he even offered us some his classic Hauerewas humor.

Lent, Year A, kicks off with Matthew 4.1-11 and Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. We opened with Matthew 4 and then we talked about the fall accounted in Genesis.

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,a knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Matthew 4.1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ ”

11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

At a time when our communities are more connected than ever, why is it that faith communities feel disconnected from one another and their larger community? Rabbi Hayim Herring, co-author of "Leading Congregations and Non-Profits in a Connected World", tells us why this is happening and offers ways faith communities can reconnect.

Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D. is CEO of HayimHerring.com, whose mission is “preparing today’s leaders for tomorrow’s organizations.” He is an organizational futurist, presenter and author. Herring collaborated with Dr. Terri Elton, associate professor of leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, on his recently released book, Leading Congregations and Nonprofit Organizations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose (Rowman and Littlefield, November 2016). Together, they provide story, theory and practice on how clergy and volunteer leaders of both established and startup congregations and nonprofits in the Jewish and Protestant communities are leading their communities through disruptive times.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crackersnjuice.substack.com/subscribe

What better way to suck up at the beginning of the appointment season than with a conversation we had with the best bishop anyone could ask for! Bishop Sharma Lewis, resident bishop of the Richmond episcopal area, became the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church in 2016.

A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988) and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Bishop Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to surrendering to God’s call upon her life.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crackersnjuice.substack.com/subscribe

Fleming Rutledge leads us into Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday with Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.

Taylor talks with his youngest sister, Laura Paige Mertins, about her works as a ceramicist, what it means to be a faithful millennial, and how art can help the church.

You can find LP's work here - https://www.etsy.com/shop/LPMpottery and connect with her on Instagram at @lpmpottery

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crackersnjuice.substack.com/subscribe

Pastor Alice Connor and her book 'Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation'.

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Author & professor John Nugent speaks to Donald Trump's Executive Order regarding immigrants and refugees from the perspective of his terrific new book Endangered Gospel: How Fixing the World is Killing the Church.

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Our guest, Mona, discusses the consequences President Trump's Muslim travel ban has had and will have on her and our fellow Muslim American brothers and sisters. With all the talk of travel and immigration bans there have been real consequences. American citizens who are Muslim have been forced to have tough conversations with their neighbors and children. Xenophobia is creating fear throughout our nation rather than embracing the diversity we have in our country.

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Jeffrey Pugh, Professor of Religion at Elon University, is a vulgar, profane, urgent son of a b***h. In other words, he’s quickly becoming a friend of the podcast. In addition to his recent book, the Home-Brewed Christianity Guide to the End Times, Jeffery is the author of Religionless Christianity: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Troubled Times. For these troubled times when our culture is torn into polarities and our politics are in chaos, Bonhoeffer is a helpful guide for Christians to discern how to survey the landscape of their nation, determine what is nonnegotiable, and stand up as a confessing community.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crackersnjuice.substack.com/subscribe