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When Jesus' disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray," they recognized how Jesus connected with the Divine. The prayer the disciples asked for wasn’t about polished words. It was about relationship. 

In this episode, Melissa has a conversation with The Rev. Canon Salmoon Bashir about prayer and its power to transform our spiritual lives. Salmoon shares the story of how his mother instilled prayer as a non-negotiable daily practice in their family life. The conversation reveals how early formation in prayer creates patterns that sustain us through life's complexities.

Prayer emerges not as a performance or obligation but as relationship-building with the divine. "The focus of prayer is to be like Jesus, love like Jesus, pray like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, welcome strangers like Jesus," Salmoon explains. This relational approach dismantles the anxiety many feel about "praying correctly," affirming that from ancient liturgical traditions to simple heartfelt words, there's no wrong way to pray. As Salmoon prepares to pass these prayer traditions to his four-month-old son by reading Psalms at bedtime, we're reminded that prayer forms not just our spiritual lives but the generations that follow. Listen in for the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

The Rev. Canon Salmoon Bashir serves as the Canon for Liturgy and Ecumenism at the Cathedral of St. Philip. Originally from Pakistan, Salmoon brings over a decade of experience in offering compassionate and thoughtful leadership across multicultural, multi-faith contexts in the United States, Pakistan, Iraq, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Georgia.

Before ordained ministry, Salmoon worked as a Project Engineer in the oil and gas industry in the Middle East. Responding to a vocational call, he joined the Community of St. Anselm at Lambeth Palace in London, serving alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury. He later moved to the Republic of Georgia, where he served as Assistant Pastor in a vibrant, multiethnic, and multidenominational church.

Salmoon's call to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church led him to Atlanta, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree with a Certificate in Episcopal-Anglican Studies and a Chaplaincy concentration from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. In addition to his ministry, Salmoon serves on several academic, religious, and nonprofit boards. He is married to Mari, a fellow graduate of Candler School of Theology, who works with a faith-based nonprofit organization. 

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Have you ever considered the difference between being a tourist and being a pilgrim? Justin Strickland discovered this distinction firsthand during his transformative journey to Ghana and the Anglican Diocese of Cape Coast, the companion diocese of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. His story reveals how true pilgrimage reshapes our understanding of presence, relationship, and spiritual growth.

In this episode, Melissa and Justin have a conversation about Justin's recent pilgrimage and how it mirrors the tension of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 - the challenge of balancing doing with being. While Martha is busy attending to the practical needs of preparing for Jesus, Mary chooses to sit at his feet, listening to his teachings. Through visits to slave trade sites and immersion in Cape Coast's vibrant Anglican worship, Justin discovered the power of stepping away from constant activity to truly listen and connect. 

The journey began as historical exploration but blossomed into something far more meaningful - genuine relationships that continue to flourish across oceans. "We're such a doing people that we get so caught up in the doing that we forget when those holy moments to stop doing are," he reflects. His story challenges us all to recognize when we need to be Martha (doing) and when we need to be Mary (being) - finding those sacred moments where stopping to listen transforms not just our experience but our very selves. Listen in for the full conversation. 

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

Justin Strickland is a lifelong Christian who was raised in the Pentecostal tradition but found his spiritual home in The Episcopal Church. He is an active member of the Cathedral of St. Philip and a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the life of the church. Recently, Justin deepened his faith journey by participating in a pilgrimage to Ghana. His life reflects a commitment to justice, community, and faithful witness.

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Over the next four weeks, For People will feature special guests from the Diocese of Atlanta: The Rev. Tricia Templeton, Justin Strickland, The Rev. Canon Salmoon Bashir, and Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright. Each guest will write that week's For Faith weekly devotional and join For People host Melissa Rau to dive deeper into their reflections. Join us each week as they share their stories and insights.

In the first guest episode, Melissa has a conversation with The Rev. Tricia Templeton centered on the parable of the Good Samaritan. During Tricia's time serving in the Peace Corps in the early 1980s, she experienced a frightening situation when thieves broke into her Malaysian hotel room while she slept, stealing everything except her passport. Stranded with no money and limited options, she encountered unexpected compassion from a Thai woman prostitute. This stranger provided meals, packed lunch for Tricia's journey, and gave her emergency money—going far beyond basic assistance. The parallels to Jesus' radical parable are striking: help often comes from those we least expect. As Tricia wisely observes, "The most unlikely person might be just the person who has what you need at that moment." Listen in for the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

The Rev. Tricia Templeton has been rector of St. Dunstan’s for 21 years. She previously served churches in Knoxville and Chattanooga. Before going to seminary she was a newspaper reporter and editor and a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. 

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When we've been hurt or rejected, vengeance may be something we desire. Christian maturity helps us build capacities to defer and fend off the need for vengeance.

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation about vengeance. Using Luke 9:51-62, they unpack Jesus' response when his disciples wanted to "rain fire and brimstone" on a Samaritan village that rejected them. Jesus rebukes their desire for vengeance suggesting that vengeance distracts those who have decided to pursue the kingdom of God. Whether we're discussing global conflicts or personal relationships, the space between being triggered and responding represents our opportunity for growth. "Whatever triggers you is trying to set you free," Bishop Wright notes, suggesting our reactions point to places where healing is needed. Listen in for the full conversation. 

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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What happens when we strip away centuries of religious interpretation and confront the actual teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? This Jesus isn't the gentle, apolitical figure often presented in modern Christianity, but rather "a holistically spiritual freedom fighter" deeply concerned with poverty, exploitation, and injustice. 

In this episode, Bishop Wright has a conversation with Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., research scholar at Columbia University and former professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. Their conversation reminds us that Jesus as a radical social reformer whose message has been systematically diluted. Dr. Hendricks draws on St. Paul's emphasis on individual spiritual experiences to convey his message. "Paul transformed Jesus' concern for collective social, economic and political deliverance into an obsession with personal piety," Hendricks explains, suggesting that many Christians today understand Jesus primarily through St. Paul's interpretation, which fundamentally altered the trajectory of Jesus' radical message. Listen in for the full conversation.

A lifelong social activist, Obery Hendricks is one of the foremost commentators on the intersection of religion and political economy in America. He is the most widely read and perhaps the most influential African American biblical scholar writing today. Cornel West calls him “one of the last few grand prophetic intellectuals.”

A widely sought lecturer and media spokesperson, Dr. Hendricks’ appearances include CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox News, Fox Business News, the Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, NHK Japan Television and the Bloomberg Network. He has provided running event commentary for National Public Radio, MSNBC, and the al-Jazeera and Aspire international television networks.

Learn more about Dr. Obery Hendricks and subscribe to his substack.

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What happens when we encounter truth we aren't ready for? Jesus' words about the Spirit of Truth were a guide to his disciples who couldn't yet bear everything their teacher had to share. Jesus' teachings on the Spirit of Truth remain a guide for us today too!

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation about truth and the weigh it carries in our lives. Most of us resist truth because we don't want our failures and frailties exposed. Yet spiritual maturity manifests in precisely this capacity: can we hear unflattering truths about ourselves without crumbling? Can we embrace both our status as sinners and saints? The liberating truth Jesus offers is that we don't need to earn our worth—we're already infinitely valued in God's eyes! Listen in for the full conversation. 

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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"Diversity belongs to God's imagination." With this bold statement, Bishop Rob Wright cuts through the political noise surrounding conversations about human difference. In this thought-provoking episode, we explore how the ancient biblical story of Pentecost offers a divine endorsement of human diversity that transcends modern political debates.

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation about Pentecost centered around Acts 2:1-21 where the Holy Spirit descends on a linguistically and ethnically diverse gathering, creating understanding without erasing distinctiveness. This divine affirmation of difference provides a powerful counterpoint to modern anxieties about diversity. As Bishop Wright observes, "We can't see all of God until we see all of us," reminding listeners that our differences reflect God's creative abundance rather than problems to be solved. Listen in for the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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Prison takes many shapes and forms. The size of an individuals home or investment portfolio pales in comparison to true spiritual release - a freedom of purpose, clarity, and belonging that transcends physical limitations. This God given release is true freedom!

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright delve into Acts 16, reflecting on the story of Paul and Silas. Imprisoned yet singing joyfully after freeing a slave girl from demonic possession, their experience serves as a powerful metaphor. The conversation explores themes of oppression and freedom, highlighting a recurring pattern in human history: the tendency to define freedom as "keeping a foot on someone else's neck."

Bishop Wright contrasts this with the radically different model offered by Jesus—liberation that lifts others rather than subjugates them. He emphasizes that before we can transform societal systems, we must first confront the "prisons" within ourselves: the grudges we cling to, the biases we perpetuate, and the wealth we hoard while others are deprived of life's basic needs. Listen in for the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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Words create worlds. From Genesis where God speaks creation into being, to Jesus asking a paralyzed man, "Do you want to be made well?", speech carries the power to transform reality. But what happens when certain topics become unspeakable?

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation that explores how modern society increasingly avoids difficult conversations. Using Jesus' healing story, Bishop Wright reveals how bringing things into speech opens pathways to healing and resurrection. They also discuss more recent examples including the evolution of Malcolm X's speech as his heart expanded, the way Muhammad Ali voiced what many thought but dared not say about Vietnam, and how Pope Francis's humble question "Who am I to judge?" transformed Catholic discourse. At its core lies a powerful truth: authentic speech flows from the heart's abundance. Listen in for the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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God does some of God's best work in the darkness! These painful periods hold unexpected creative potential—a perspective shared by both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech and Jesus in his final hours with his disciples. Dr. King spoke during a time of profound national division. Yet he saw beyond immediate chaos to "a genuine civilization struggling to be born." Similarly, Jesus, facing betrayal and death, used that moment to wash his disciples' feet and establish a new commandment of love that would define his followers for centuries. 

Drawing comparisons between Dr. King's words from and Jesus' commandment in John 13, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation on how turmoil itself can become the raw material for transformation. What current turmoil in your life might contain creative possibility? Listen in fo the full conversation.

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

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