Embodied Holiness

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What on earth are we to do with the troubling passages we come across in scripture? The Old Testament is especially rife with narratives and sentences that can make God sound cruel and unloving at times. I asked Dr. Sandra Richter, the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA to discuss how sincere biblical readers can approach difficult passages with openness, curiosity, and faithfulness. 

DR. SANDRA RICHTER is the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She holds a Master's Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and her PhD in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University’s Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department. She has taught at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wesley Biblical Seminary, and Wheaton College, and is a veteran of many years of leading student groups in field archaeology and historical geography in Israel.

Her ambition? To make the real people and places of the Old Testament come alive for her students. She is recognized in the Church for her book, The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament (IVP Academic), and the Epic of Eden adult Bible Study series that has grown from that project. In the academy, she is known for her work in Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomistic History and the role of Mt. Ebal in the history of Israelite religion. She is also deeply invested in environmental theology (see Stewards of Eden), often addressing both lay and academic audiences on the topic. Her current research involves a forthcoming commentary on Deuteronomy with Eerdmans, a textbook for the introduction of the Old Testament with Zondervan, and a children’s book on environmental theology. She is married to Steven Tsoukalas and has two (perfect) college-aged daughters.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Thomas Michael Reed is a Mississippi Circuit Court Judge for the 12th District, serving Forrest and Perry Counties. He brings over 27 years of experience in criminal defense, personal injury, and municipal law. He’s also a follower of Jesus and an active member of Parkway Heights UMC in Hattiesburg, MS. Susan and her colleague, Rev. Julie Collins, sat down with Judge Reed to discuss the people who shaped him, the importance of mentoring, and how his faith informs his work. 

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Life is hard. We live in a time riddled with political, emotional, economic, and spiritual crises. Deb Engle helps her readers stay true to their spiritual principles and find peace amid chaos. Susan spoke with Deb about her book, Be the Light That You Are, which provides a course of action for people who want to make a difference. 

Learn more on Deb's website. 

DEBRA ENGLE serves as executive director of Story Summit, an online writing school that builds community and connections for emerging writers with the help of the world’s most successful authors and entertainment professionals. She presents classes based on her books and the spiritual teachings of A Course in Miracles, offers one-on-one mentoring, and leads retreats worldwide. 

Debra’s books include...

• The Only Little Prayer You Need: The Shortest Route to a Life of Joy, Abundance and Peace of Mind (Hampton Roads Publishing), an international bestseller featuring a foreword by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and an endorsement by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
• Let Your Spirit Guides Speak, which was published in the U.S. by Hampton Roads and in Germany by Random House. It won a silver award from Nautilus, which recognizes books that build a better world.
• Be the Light That You Are: 10 Principles for Bringing Peace to a Chaotic World, another award winner, which helps readers apply their spiritual practice in everyday situations, with practical ideas of what to say and do when life throws you challenges.
• Twenty, her debut novel and Amazon Kindle #1 bestseller, telling a powerful story of loss and redemption at mid-life.

Debra and her husband Bob live in Madison County, Iowa, the location that inspired the literary and film phenomenon, The Bridges of Madison County.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Susan sits down with Anna Valentine, PhD, LPC, to discuss how we can bring wholeness, healing, and rest into our lives by calming our nervous systems. This practical and spirit-filled conversation will leave you feeling refreshed. 

Visit Anna’s website. 

Listen to Anna’s podcast. 

Anna Valentine is based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she works at March Holistic Christian Counseling. She holds a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine with a specialization in Integrative Mental Health from Saybrook University and is also a published author who enjoys sharing ideas beyond the therapy room.

She earned her master’s degree in Drama Therapy from New York University and brings a creative, integrative approach to her work. Her experience spans inpatient and outpatient settings, including a forensic psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, the Veterans Affairs Hospital in West Haven, Connecticut, and community programs serving individuals with chronic and persistent mental illness. She has also worked on PACT teams, supporting clients in their everyday environments.

A registered drama therapist with training in open dialogue, psychodrama, and expressive arts modalities, Anna believes that healing is both creative and embodied. She integrates mindfulness, movement, and expressive practices like drama, dance, and storytelling to help clients access growth, resilience, and meaningful change.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Episode 100 feels like a good time to pause and take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Susan is joined by original co-hosts Lyerly Christensen and Lindsey Lewis for a rich and meaningful conversation about how life has changed over the past four years. Along the way, they dive into topics that hit close to home: navigating compassion fatigue in a nonstop news cycle, finding your voice when it feels risky to speak, and learning to own your faith instead of living to please others. It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone trying to live faithfully in a complex world.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Grammy-nominated jazz musician and Hattiesburg native Steve Wiest joins Susan for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, creativity, mentorship, and making the most of the one life we’ve been given.

Steve reflects on his formative years in the church, the mentors who “saved his life” during a difficult season, and how those roots shaped both his faith and his wildly creative career. This episode is honest, eclectic, and full of hope — a reminder of the power of people who pour into us and the importance of living fully, right now.

Website: https://steve-wiest.com/

ABOUT STEVE: Steve Wiest is a Grammy-nominated trombonist, composer, author, and cartoonist with multiple albums to his name as both a leader and sideman.

As a young soloist and composer for Maynard Ferguson, he later toured with Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Orchestra, performing alongside numerous renowned artists.

Steve is also a distinguished figure in jazz education, best known for his tenure as director of the One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas. Under his leadership, the ensemble earned two Grammy nominations—one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble and another for Best Instrumental Composition for his original work, Ice-Nine. He also received a Grammy nomination for his arrangement of Bésame Mucho, featured on Maynard Ferguson’s final album, The One and Only.

After UNT, Wiest served as Co-Chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Before that, he was Director of Jazz and Trombone at UW-Whitewater and began his teaching career as Assistant Director of Jazz at the University of Texas at Arlington.

A sought-after guest artist, clinician, composer, and conductor, Wiest has led numerous all-state ensembles and continues to perform and teach worldwide. Wiest is an artist for Edwards Instruments playing his custom “Excalibur” version of the Edwards T302 and the Griego-Steve Wiest Mouthpiece exclusively. 

Steve makes his home in Chicago, Illinois with his wonderful wife Deborah and their golden retriever Phoebe, where Wiest can often be heard remarking “Ain’t life grand?!”

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Conversations around addiction and recovery are too often avoided, even in the church. In this episode, Matt Johnson, National Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for the Fletcher Group, discusses why recovery and substance use disorder are something churches and Christians should care deeply about. Whether you’re walking your own recovery journey, loving someone who is, or wondering how your church can become a safer place for healing, this episode is what you need.

MATT JOHNSON works to help faith-based organizations grow their impact within the recovery ecosystems in their communities. Previously, he worked as a pastor, empowering his congregation to engage in recovery work in their West Virginia community. Matt founded the Abundant Life Recovery Housing Network, a non-profit recovery residence organization in West Virginia. As an experienced founder and operator of recovery housing, Matt is a sought-after public speaker.

Contact Matt Johnson: [email protected]

A Spiritual Kindergarten: Christian Perspectives on the Twelve Steps

Breathing Underwater

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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In 1982, at the age of 19, Lonny Schrader was struck with a change in his storyline he did not see coming. His testimony of choosing forgiveness and thriving after tragedy is one we all need to hear and learn from. I hope you enjoy getting to know Lonny as much as I have. 

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

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Welcome to Season 8! How do I know when it's God speaking to me? In this episode, Susan and Cliff share their personal experiences of hearing and discerning the voice of God, recommend books that have helped them grow in hearing God, and offer encouragement for your own journey to hearing and knowing God's voice. 

Resources Mentioned:

Hearing God, by Dallas Willard

How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People, by Pete Grieg

Widows of the Soul: Hearing God in the Everyday Moments of Your Life, by Ken Gire

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website. 

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Susan and Cliff sit down with spiritual director Anne-Russell Bradley for a rich conversation about the practice of spiritual direction. Together, they explore what spiritual direction is (and isn’t), how it creates sacred space for listening to God, and why this ancient practice can be such a life-giving companion on our faith journey. If you’ve ever wondered what spiritual direction looks like or how it might support your own formation, this conversation is a beautiful place to start.

Rev. Anne-Russell Bradley contact information: [email protected]

Finding a Spiritual Director:

https://www.sdicompanions.org/find-a-spiritual-director-companion/

https://directory.transformingcenter.org

Suggested reading:

Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson

Right Here, Right Now by Amy G. Oden

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scezzero

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness.

 
Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.