Igniting Imagination

By Wesleyan Impact PartnersSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Spirituality Relationships

Igniting Imagination episodes

May 13, 2021Today’s Spiritual Landscape with Casper ter Kuile and Tom Locke
Igniting Imagination is a podcast to spark the spirit within you, from Wesleyan Investive and Texas Methodist Foundation. This season, we are sharing conversations with five spiritual entrepreneurs who were awarded the 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award from the Wesleyan Investive. These five spiritual entrepreneurs share their wisdom through stories and reflections that will encourage and challenge you and ultimately ignite your imagination as a leader.
Rev. Lisa Greenwood interviews her co-host for this season, Casper ter Kuile. Casper is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-founder of Sacred Design Lab, a soul-centered research and development lab. Casper shares his analysis of the spiritual landscape in America today, the two discuss Lisa’s work on the mixed ecology of church and together they talk with Tom Locke, President of TMF and Wesleyan Investive. This episode is jam-packed with insight about purpose that invites reflection about how your church or organization’s purpose is aligning with the spiritual needs of our world today.

QUOTES
“Folks are still as hungry for belonging, their experiences of spiritual growth and becoming, to feel connected to something beyond themselves. It just looks different, and so, what we have to do is to be attuned to see where are people going to try and find it. ” -Casper ter Kuile [07:19]
“I would never begin to think that I’m driving those values. I think those values are driving me.” -Tom Locke [29:08]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:01] Intro
[00:40] Meet co-host Casper ter Kuile
[02:35] Significant moments in Casper’s life
[06:34] What he’s seeing in the landscape
[10:18] A podcast beyond Harry Potter
[13:03] How Lisa found mixed spiritual ecology
[16:33] The thinking behind these awards
[20:56] Meet Tom Locke
[22:16] Why purpose is central for Tom and the church
[24:55] The evolution for TMF
[29:54] Why invest in innovative leaders
[35:09] The role of foundations
[38:36] How TMF embraced its current mission
[43:11] Three rapid fire questions
[46:23] A blessing
[47:29] Outro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
For information about Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design
This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org
“God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67
This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
49 min
April 01, 2021A Story of Resilience by Liliana Padilla
Rev. Liliana Padilla is the Senior Pastor of Westlawn United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas. She has overcome many obstacles in ministry. When she was ordained in Mexico, she was prevented from pastoring a church because she was a married woman. When she came to the United States, she had to go through the ordination process again. When she went through divorce, she had to overcome the stigma of divorce in her community.

Liliana has never let obstacles prevent her from pursuing God’s call on her life. When COVID-19 hit, it greatly affected her congregation. Some lost their jobs. Some were not able to work because they had to stay home with their children. Families with limited access to the internet and fewer devices than children struggled to keep their kids from falling behind in class. Liliana shares how she drew on her own story of resilience to find the strength to lead her congregation to discern God’s purpose in this time of pandemic.

QUOTES
“Something that I like to do is try to see things as good as they can be.” -Rev. Liliana Padilla [10:59]
“For me, the pandemic meant an opportunity to show love to people.” -Rev. Liliana Padilla [17:26]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:42] Rev. Liliana’s story
[04:42] Starting all over again
[09:15] One step forward, two steps back
[10:40] A huge storm with no solution
[15:11] God opened the windows and doors

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
21 min
March 30, 2021Narratives of Resilience with Bishop Robert Schnase
How we tell the stories of our lives and the life of our church or organization makes all the difference. Bishop Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, details for us how narrative connects to resilience by sharing personal stories from his time as pastor and his observations as Bishop. He shares how the stories we tell ourselves shape our capacity to move through difficult circumstances. This episode will encourage and inspire you to consider the narratives in your life and leadership are shaping your way of seeing and being.

QUOTES
“Sometimes you think of resilience, you get knocked down, you jump back up. Resilience often takes a long time. It puts you on a path that lasts for a long time.” -Bishop Robert Schnase [15:22]
“And that again, a descending narrative, it’s not that it’s not the truth. It’s just that it’s not the whole truth.” -Bishop Robert Schnase [20:12]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:22] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience
[04:01] An excerpt of Bishop Huie’s writing on the narratives of resilience
[07:03] Meet Bishop Robert Schnase
[08:20] A story of resilience from Bishop Schnase
[16:36] The definition of narrative and the role of resilience through narrative
[21:31] Two purposes to music in worship
[23:15] Narratives in the church and among leaders that need to change
[24:21] How leaders can help shift the descending narrative
[30:58] What resilience looks like at an annual conference level
[35:13] How narrative can be helpful in the church today and post-pandemic
[38:58] Rapid fire round with three sentences
[45:53] Bishop Huie’s reflections and takeaways
[50:45] Outro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
For information about Bishop Schnase and links to all his books, visit http://robertschnase.com
The episode references Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler who points to the work of Marshall Duke at Emory University to describe three categories of family narratives: ascending, descending and oscillating.
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
"That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020
"Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
52 min
March 25, 2021A Story of Resilience by Romonica Malone-Wardley
What is it like to live through storm after storm...after storm? Rev. Romonica Malone-Wardley is District Superintendent of the Southeast District of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has met people and congregations who have lived through one devastating storm after another. Living through a storm though doesn’t mean just surviving.
Romonica shares how instead of throwing up their hands in despair, congregations in hurricane-hit areas roll up their sleeves to help neighbors and offer hope to their communities. This episode is a powerful account about how we can lean on each other and into our purposes to weather life’s storms and find the stamina to keep moving forward.

QUOTES
“They understand that God gives them the strength to rally and come together to support one another and their neighbors again and again and again.” -Romonica Malone-Wardley [03:01]
“As much as they would love for there to be no storms or no need, they’ve experienced enough to look towards the future and know that it’s a reality and they want to prepare themselves to be able to help.” -Romonica Malone-Wardley [05:25]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:29] Time here is marked by storms
[03:18] Hearing these stories firsthand
[06:48] Connexionalism at its best

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
10 min
March 25, 2021Resilience for the Church with Bishop Cynthia Harvey and Erin Hawkins
What is needed to enlarge the capacity of pastors, congregations, annual conferences and the denomination to become more resilient, i.e. to absorb change and retain its integrity and purpose? We pose that very deep and difficult question to Erin Hawkins, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries for the California Pacific Annual Conference and Bishop Cynthia Harvey, bishop of the United Methodist Church in Louisiana and President of the Council of Bishops.
You’ll notice this is one of our longer episodes. The content was so rich with these two dynamic leaders, we didn’t want you to miss a minute of the conversation, so we didn’t cut much. They discuss the current state of the church, what resilience looks like for the church, and what changes they are hoping to see in the denomination. We suspect that like us, by the end of the episode your own reservoir of resilience will be a bit more full of grace.

QUOTES
“We think systemically because we’re a large institution and our system’s thinking has us reduced and separate so that we can better analyze and organize and change the parts. And I’m increasingly convinced that what will help to transform us is becoming masters not of the parts, but of the relationship between the parts.” -Erin Hawkins [28:12]
“Right now, I would love to see us do a total realignment of where we invest ourselves. How are we using our time and our money and our resources to do a good and joyful thing?” -Bishop Cynthia Harvey [49:53]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:23] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience
[04:17] An excerpt of Bishop Huie’s writing
[07:18] Meet Erin and Bishop Harvey
[09:01] The current reality: challenges the church is facing
[16:50] Actions for leaders to help lead a resilient church
[23:55] What does a resilient church look like
[33:53] The changes Erin hopes to see in her anti-racism work
[38:44] How Erin stay resilient
[45:20] The changes Bishop Harvey hopes to see as President of the Council of Bishops
[51:17] Rapid fire round with three sentences
[52:15] Bishop Huie’s reflections and takeaways
[56:34] Outro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Follow Bishop Harvey on Facebook -- Cynthia Fierro Harvey
Read the press release about Erin Hawkins new role as the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries with the California-Pacific Conference of the UMC here.
Follow the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church @GCORR_UMC
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
"That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020
"Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
58 min
March 18, 2021A Story of Resilience by Mike Smith
Mike Smith is Executive Director of the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas. He shares the story of a plant at his home that offers a poignant illustration of resilience. Mike is an excellent storyteller who talks about how watering what appeared to be dead is a lesson we can all apply in our own context. While this is our shortest story shared so far in our series, the powerful image of new life will stay with you for a long time.

QUOTES
“When we’re talking about resilience, it’s not just us, but it’s those whom we serve.” -Mike Smith [05:45]
“It’s more than tilling the soil. It’s putting something into there.” -Mike Smith [06:23]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:08] Sacrificing plant #3
[04:33] Watering the bucket of dirt

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
9 min
March 16, 2021The Reservoir of Courage with Gil Rendle
What better person to talk with about the reservoir of courage than Dr. Gil Rendle, whose book Quietly Courageous has profoundly impacted our work and the work of many leaders in ministry and beyond. He is a retired Senior Vice President and part-time consultant with The Texas Methodist Foundation in Austin, Texas and an independent consultant working with issues of change and leadership in denominations.
Rendle has an extensive background in organizational development, group and systems theory, and leadership development. He has consulted with congregations on planning, staff and leadership development, and issues of change. He is well known for his work with middle judicatory and national denominational offices and staff as they wrestle with denominational and congregational change.
There is no doubt that courage is required for leaders today, and Gil does an excellent job in the book and in our conversation with offering provocative takeaways for leaders on how to lead with courage in such a time like this. You may want to have your notepad ready for this conversation with Gil, this episode is packed with practical ideas for becoming a courageous leader in your context.

QUOTES
“That is one of the things about temptations. They do feel very rich and rewarding, but actually you’re feeding off yourself.” -Dr. Gil Rendle [26:12]
“If you’re a leader, you have to learn how to stand in the center and move at least one foot towards the edge.” -Dr. Gil Rendle [31:40]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:24] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience
[03:40] An excerpt of Bishop Huie’s writing on the reservoir of courage
[06:32] Meet Gil Rendle
[07:46] The connection between courage and resilience
[09:34] What is quiet courage
[13:57] Disturb the system and ask questions
[19:41] Relationship between conversation, quiet courage and purpose
[24:45] Temptations leaders face and how to recognize and not give into them
[29:13] Quiet courage and focusing on the edge
[33:58] Guidance for congregation leaders
[36:22] Rapid fire round with three sentences
[37:57] Bishop Huie’s reflections and takeaways
[41:22] Outro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Today’s episode included conversation based on insights from Gil Rendle’s most recent book Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World. Gil can be reached at [email protected]
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
"That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020
"Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
43 min
March 04, 2021A Story of Resilience by Rev. Bill Lamar
When Bill Lamar was appointed Senior Pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C, which sits on the longest continuously held piece of property by persons of African descent in the District of Columbia, the Bishop asked him how he felt. Rev. Lamar said he felt like he had 200 years of history on his back. The Bishop agreed and said, “Now go do something with it.”
Rev. Lamar, now in his seventh year as pastor of Metropolitan, draws resilience from ancestors of the past and visions of future generations who will continue the church’s ministry. This story is a powerful account of the church’s capacity to be more loyal to what God is doing in the world than to anything or anyone else. “The church has to be resilient enough to understand our power is not generated from the government of the United States but our power is generated from the one who defeated death.” Rev. Lamar’s story will inspire and challenge you to discover the depths of your resilience and lead with purpose.

QUOTES
“You don’t know what you have until you get there, until you live among the people.” -Rev. Bill Lamar [03:03]
“Being in the presence of God, living in the divine life frees us and that liberation is not just spiritual. That liberation is physical, emotional, economic, politically.” -Rev. Bill Lamar [12:24]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[02:08] An address change
[05:21] Understanding what had come before him
[08:53] His source of resilience
[13:12] What it looks like today

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Rev. Bill Lamar is the co-host of "Can These Bones," the Faith & Leadership podcast, and can be reached on Twitter @WilliamHLamarIV.
Rev. Lamar mentions the book, Eyewitness: The Negro in American History (A Living Documentary of the Afro-American Contribution to U.S. History) by William Loren Katz
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
18 min
March 02, 2021The Reservoir of Purpose with Dori Baker and Stephen Lewis
Our guests Dori Baker and Stephen Lewis know all about drawing on the reservoir of purpose. They literally wrote one of the best books about purpose we have read! Together with co-author Matthew Wesley Williams, their book Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose, published in 2020, offers a new way of leadership for the 21st Century.
Dr. Dori Baker is an ordained United Methodist elder in the Virginia Annual Conference. She’s an educator, activist, and scholar focused on feminist theologies, critical race theory, young adult culture, leadership development and spiritual practices that sustain activism.
Stephen Lewis is the President of the Forum for Theological Exploration (also known as FTE), which is a national leadership incubator that cultivates wise, faithful and courageous leaders who make a difference in the world through the church and academy. He is an organizational change strategist and facilitator, and a leadership development specialist, focused on helping leaders to discover their purpose, passion and calling in life.
Our conversation with Dori and Stephen is packed with fresh insights about seeing leadership as a communal practice, the role of deep listening, and the work of discerning purpose that requires both risk and courage. As their “Another Way Manifesto” puts it, “There is a future that mourns if you and I do not step into our purpose.” It is not too much to say that there is also a future that mourns if you do not listen to the inspiration and wisdom Dori and Stephen offer in this episode.

QUOTES
“Resilience in some aspects for me is this idea that it’s our ability to bounce back, and we can only bounce back from these disappointments, from our rejection of people saying no when we recognize that we are not our actions.” -Stephen Lewis [12:04]
“Reflecting theologically and critically together is communal. It’s critical, and it’s for the sake of action.” -Dr. Dori Baker [27:15]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:24] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience
[03:37] An excerpt of Bishop Huie’s writing on the reservoir of purpose
[05:56] Meet Dr. Dori Baker and Stephen Lewis
[08:11] The authors’ take on purpose and resilience
[13:00] How our culture has limited the understanding of purpose
[18:48] CARE - what does stand for and how it relates to purpose and resilience
[33:19] How they help young leaders center themselves when they feel discouraged
[40:10] How to use CARE practices to lead an organization through change
[52:42] Rapid fire round with three sentences
[54:13] Bishop Huie’s reflections and takeaways
[56:16] Outro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Today’s episode focused on conversation from themes found in Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose by Dori Baker, Stephen Lewis, and Matthew Wesley Williams.
Podcast and additional resources on Another Way can be found at https://fteleaders.org/anotherway
For more information about Dori Baker and her work as a consultant, visit: www.doribaker.com
Find out more about the work of the Forum for Theological Exploration at fteleaders.org.
Stephen Lewis founded DO GOOD X, a start-up accelerator for diverse, faith-rooted entrepreneurs creating social good ventures. For more information: dogoodx.org.
"That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020
"Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
58 min
February 25, 2021A Story of Resilience by Ugonna Onuoha
Ugonna Onuoha’s daughter Agnes was diagnosed with lupus in third grade and passed away in 2019 at age 23. Ugonna tells the story of Agnes’ illness and death to an audience for the first time in this episode. As a hospital chaplain at Children’s Medical Center, Ugonna has sat with countless families as they navigate illness and grieve loss. She reflects on how going through her own loss has affected her ministry. Ugonna’s deep faith and reliance on scripture is profound; she embodies resilience through her life and it comes through in this powerful recording.

QUOTES
“Living with Agnes’ illness helped me to begin to talk about my faith in a way that was not outside, but something that was really personal in a way.” -Ugonna Onuoha [04:31]
“I found God to be real and truthful and honest and a companion and a good God in the midst of that pain.” -Ugonna Onuoha [06:49]

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:21] Raising a child with lupus
[06:13] The image of the Good Shepherd
[10:11] Receiving comfort and support
[14:38] Taking care of herself
[17:37] The great pain
[20:00] Three things to surround yourself with

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?
Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.
This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.
22 min

About Igniting Imagination

From the publisher's feed

Every movement for change starts with a generative conversation. The Igniting Imagination podcast features rich conversations with leaders across the church landscape that invite you into new…