Welcome to our first Common Space episode with a guest on the pod! We genuinely couldn’t think of anyone better to be the first than author and podcaster, Jonathan Foster. So, in preparation for his upcoming trip to speak at AHUMC, our hosts hopped on a call with Jonathan to discuss his powerful and profound book, ‘indigo: the color of grief.’

Come see Jonathan Foster speak at AHUMC on Sunday, August 30, 2026: https://ahumc.org/blog/foster/

Find more of Jonathan Foster’s work here: https://www.jonathanfosteronline.com/

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

Homebrewed Christianity Podcast by Tripp Fuller

‘The Uncontrolling Love of God’ by Thomas Jay Oord

‘Spiritual But Not Anxious’ by Darrell Smith

Writings by Robert Macfarlane

The Micro Theology Series by Jonathan Foster

‘indigo: the color of grief’ by Jonathan Foster

“We Who Grieve” by Cristian A. Ortiz: https://cristianwrites.com/posts/grief

Chris Estus’ Videos From the Trail: https://www.youtube.com/@BoneSpurTheChappalachian/videos

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

Guest: Jonathan Foster

Here we are on our Common Space journey, at the book of Job. It’s always everyone’s favorite—the kind of read you’d want with you at the beach, right? Well, not exactly. And we can understand why not; it’s one of the darkest books in the biblical library. Because of that, there have been some not-so-great interpretations of Job’s journey.

So, in this episode, our hosts unpack the book. They give context about the narrative and chop up its themes and some of what it explores. For example, does everything that Job went through help explain away all of suffering here on earth, or is it just not that simple?

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

‘God on Trial’ (2008)

‘Night’ by Ellie Wiesel

‘On Job’ by Gustavo Gutiérrez

‘The Wisdom Pattern’ by Richard Rohr

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

Perhaps one of the most difficult books of the Bible to read, Leviticus contains a whole mess of stuff. Usually, its contents are pointed to when one is discussing law, sin, and everything in between. But, as we always try to do on Common Space, our hosts attempt to uncover a new perspective and deeper meaning that’s woven throughout the book. Tune in to see what you might have been missing!

We’d also like to thank John Craigie and team for allowing us to use the track, “Talkin’ Leviticus Blues,” as a part of this month’s episode!

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

Clip from ‘The West Wing’ Season 2, Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CPjWd4MUXs

‘The Hidden Order of Intimacy’ by Avivah Gottlieb Zorneberg

John Mayer’s Dead & Company 7/8/2023 “St. Stephen” Guitar Solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUe0_pkqWyM

“Talkin’ Leviticus Blues” by John Craigie

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

During a recent sermon series at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, one of our podcast hosts, Chris Estus, preached a sermon on one of the “I Am” statements found in the book of John. Since then, we’ve received a listener question about that same statement, asking whether “I am the way and the truth and the life” is really an exclusive, boundary-ridden phrase—because it is often portrayed to be one.

So, in this episode, our hosts give a little preface to these statements and the book of John, before Chris’ sermon is played as one of this month’s recommendations.

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

View the complete AHUMC “I AM” Lenten series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIHqAIWkjg&list=PL8UCDzVnlU3CqkglDhczXChUEwNDbvQx0

‘Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus’ by Neil Douglas-Klotz

‘John for Normal People’ by Jennifer Garcia Barshaw

‘The Universal Christ’ by Richard Rohr

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

Thank you for listening!

Read the blog version here: https://www.darrellsmith.org/post/who-is-my-neighbor

Darrell Smith’s latest book, Spiritual But Not Anxious, is out now. Get your copy here: https://www.darrellsmith.org/spiritual-but-not-anxious

We all know the story about Jonah and the whale, but is it simply about a man getting swallowed by a big fish? Or, perhaps, does it go much deeper than that? Our hosts unpack the story and draw connections between the ancient text and recovery, our resentments, and much more.

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

“Shrinking” Season 3, Episode 1 on Apple TV

‘The Hebrew Bible’ by Robert Alter

‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

That’s right! This episode is all about Advent and Christmas. Trees, holiday origins, wreaths, and more—our hosts unpack it all.

On a sincere note, the Common Space podcast hosts and producers would like to thank you for another wonderful year of community and connection. We are so grateful that this podcast has become another place to further inspire questions and conversations. All things considered, we are still at an early stage of our journey together, but we can’t wait to keep moving forward and chopping it up in the coming year!

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

‘National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation’ (1989)

‘Spiritual But Not Anxious’ by Darrell Smith

‘The Family Stone’ (2005)

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

In this episode, our hosts answer a listener question regarding the Bible and provide more context for how we view and treat the books it contains today. It’s complicated, to be sure, but it is worth unpacking the depth, history, and everything in between.

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Reading:

‘Hearing God’ by Dallas Willard

‘The Storytelling Church’ by Jeff Barker

‘Reading the Bible Again For the First Time’ by Marcus Borg

On this episode, our hosts answer some of your questions about prayer. Because prayer can be so much more complex than we think. It means a lot of different things to different people. But maybe that’s also part of what makes it so special?

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Reading:

‘The Awakened Brain’ by Lisa Miller, PhD

‘Learning to Pray’ by James Martina

‘Celebration of Discipline’ by Richard J. Foster

‘The Heart of Prayer’ by Rupert Spira

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith

Wrapping up our current exploration through some of the Genesis narratives, our hosts conclude the journey with one of scripture’s central figures: Jacob. There’s no shortage of takeaways from Jacob’s tales. From wrestling to manipulation and family drama—Jacob’s got it all!

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people!

We need your questions! Email [email protected] or visit https://ahumc.org/questions to submit your faith-related questions.

Email us at [email protected] or visit ahumc.org to learn more about Alamo Heights UMC.

Recommended Resources:

‘God Was in This Place & I, I Did Not Know’ by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

Rabbi Sacks’ Writings on Jacob: https://rabbisacks.org/archive/?s=jacob

The Laundry List – 14 Traits of an Adult Child of an Alcoholic: https://adultchildren.org/laundry-list/

Hosts: Chris Estus, Ryan Jacobson, and Darrell Smith