Dancing with God is an invitation to show up as we are - where we are - and stop looking back. Would you like to take a turn on the Holy Shenanigans dance floor? Let’s go - and try a new step forward!

Today's special ending theme is Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Pastor Tara is a little under the weather this week, so Ian, the other Eastman associated with this podcast fills in and tries not to break anything. He tells a story about a kind act that changes a young boy's life.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

We hear hard truths about the call of love and are joined by a special guest author and theologian Rebecca Trotter. Rebecca is a mom, writer, thinker, teacher, Christian and odd duck. Her activism has included working with organizations serving their local communities both here and around the world. Rebecca can be found at her website, The Upside Down World. 

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Tara turns the mic over to guest David Gray, who shares his piece Preparing for Daycare,  about how his family moves through the world because of complex systems of racism and oppression. David has some important insights about how to work towards equity and justice. Will we listen?  Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Also, here's a link to organizations you can support who are assisting victims and the neighborhood in the wake of the Buffalo tragedy.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Prayer is for everyone... Tara ponders a Jesus story that Jesus prays for everyone - and that means everyone! Would you like to learn more about prayer? Give us a listen as we explore the expansive practice of prayer.

One of Tara's prayer practices is making art. This week's episode features a mixed media painting created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary for the ordination of women in the ELCA. (50 women/40 women of color and culture/10 women identifying as queer.) To view Tara's art and view the shop (Including merch for Holy Shenanigans Podcast), click here: Tara Lamont Eastman Art 
The song in today's podcast, "Oh God hear our prayer", is written and performed by Tara L. Eastman.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Tara talks with writer and agent of change Spencer Burke from Lean Faith about some tools to aid us in times of change: curiosity, courage and community. She ponders letting go of fear and holding on to peace in the midst of change. Let’s take some time together to learn how to be courageous, curious, community-builders.

About our guest:

Spencer Burke is a widely sought after speaker, coach, trainer and strategist in the field of spiritual innovation. When ministries want to dream or feel stuck or confused, and want to love more and discern faster, they consult Spencer. As Director of Lean Faith, he helps spiritual communities discover the right questions, minimize risk, and test their ideas through rapid iterations. He is also the Founder of Hatchery LA - an incubator for Spiritual Entrepreneurs. Spencer has authored several books including, A Heretics Guide to Eternity and Making Sense of Church. For more than twenty years, Spencer has been a practitioner of the Enneagram. He is an ordained Disciples of Christ Minister, serving as the Minister of Innovation and New Church Development with the Pacific Southwest Region from 2015 to 2019. You can learn more about his ongoing work at: spencerburke.com

To sign up for weekly email insights, event info and general Holy Shenanigans - email us at: [email protected]

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Tara talks with author and book lover Laura Alary about her new book, Sun In My Tummy, and how all our words, especially the parting ones, call us to  be  truly known by our love.  

About our guest:
Laura Alary is a writer and storyteller who believes that stories can make us bigger on the inside. She has loved books from the time she could barely clamber up the steps to the book mobile that rolled into her neighborhood once a week. After many years immersed in the academic study of bible and theology, Laura turned her attention to raising three creative and curious children, and writing books aimed at inviting all children to wonder, ask big questions, and be curious about the world.
 
Laura has a B.A. in Classics from Dalhousie University (Halifax), an M.Div. from Knox College (Toronto), and a Ph.D. in New Testament from The University of St. Michael’s College (Toronto). She credits her storytelling skills to innumerable visits to the public library!
Laura’s books include the church-year series Make Room, Look! and Breathe, Read, Wonder, Listen, What Grew in Larry’s Garden and most recently Sun in My Tummy and The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything: The Story of Maria Mitchell.

You can find her here:
https://lauraalary.ca
IG: @laura.alary
FB: @lauraalaryauthor
Twitter: @lauraalary1

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Tara talks with pastor, poet, magician and coffee bean roaster John Stephens about the 23rd Psalm as well as how making change requires loving and respectful action.

About my guest:
John Stevens was born and raised in South-East Idaho, and has spent all of his life living in the Pacific Northwest.  John is a pastor in the ELCA, roaster of the blessed bean, dabbler in the art of sleight of hand, and spends a lot of time over at the Dollar Store Children Sermons blog, where he provides springboards for Children's sermons.  As a writer, and poet, he also writes daily Haiku Prayers, and these can be found in book format from Amazon, or the Facebook page, "Haiku Prayers."  John serves as the pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, in Oregon City, Oregon.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

Tara talks with artist and storyteller Lisa Kaufer from Muddy Fork about how her love of creating feeds her soul. Tara also breaks down a Jesus story about breakfast on a beach. Stick around to see just what you might be peckish for as she asks the question, " What feeds your soul?"

About our guest:
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lisa ventured to the beautiful Southwest to attend the University of Arizona, where she earned degrees in Communication and Spanish. She has always felt called to help people grow in their personal journey and she has responded to this call by planning large-scale conferences, tutoring students with dyslexia, and serving in faith formation ministry with all ages. Lisa delights in cultivating play-filled spaces for community and conversation through her leadership at art workshops and spiritual retreats. This is also evident in her long-standing relationship with Montreat Youth Conference and her recent work designing new forms of ministry with Princeton Theological Seminary's Log College Project. It's also hard to miss the giant Turquoise Table in her front yard!

Lisa lives in West Chester, Ohio with her husband, three children, and two Sheepadoodles. She currently serves as Director of Faith Formation at First Presbyterian Church, Middletown. In 2020, Lisa launched The Muddy Fork as a personal outlet for creative expressions and shared stories. Visit www.themuddyfork.org to learn more about her ceramic finger labyrinths, digital curriculum, and other devotional resources.

Here are other resources that surfaced in our conversation:

• The Muddy Fork: www.themuddyfork.org ; FB/Inst @themuddyfork ; Etsy @MuddyForkStudio 
• Montreat Conference Center: https://montreat.org/
• Arts, Recreation, & Worship Conference: https://www.re-create.cc/
• Montreat Youth Conference: https://montreat.org/y-ya-events
• Ann Laird Jones, Sally Jones Pottery: https://montreat.org/crafts-pottery
• Stacy Krems, Sweet Rolling Pins: https://sweetrollingpins.com/

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.

The long awaited season of Easter is here,  and while it’s a time of celebration and new life, I think that it also is a time to live into the questions we have about life. Do you have some questions? So do I. Join Tara for some space to ponder.

Send Tara a Text Message

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Support the show

Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.