Messy Jesus Business

Episode 83 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

"I think so many of us are holding anxiety and grief and despair in our bodies all the time. And we're not letting it out....We don't have spaces for rituals around grief."

-Lydia Wylie-Kellermann

IN THIS EPISODE

In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Lydia Wylie-Kellermann, editor, activist, mother, and author of This Sweet Earth: Walking with our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse. They discuss Lydia's early influence from The Catholic Worker, and what it's like to live an embodied life of faith. "We don't know what life's going to be like for future generations," Lydia says, "but what is it that we want them to have in their bones to be able to summon when they need it?"

The two also discuss the two pulls of creation and resistance, resisting perfectionism in the messiness of discipleship, and the wildness of Scripture. Lydia suggests, "Think about discipleship being committed to not political boundaries, but who are the people who are fed by the same water."

Name Drops:

JesusLaura AlaryDietrich BonhoefferVincent HardingThe Two Loops theory of change

Topics Discussed:

Catholic Workerjustice and faithstorytellingembodied faithcreation and resistanceraising childrentechnologycommunityresisting perfectionismwatershed discipleshipbeing creaturescolonialism

Books Mentioned:

the BibleThis Sweet Earth: Walking with our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse

Lydia Wylie-Kellermann

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lydia Wylie-Kellermann is a writer, editor, activist, and mother. She is the director of Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center and author of This Sweet Earth: Walking with our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse. She is the editor of The Sandbox Revolution: Raising Kids for a Just World. Lydia’s writing has appeared in Sojourners, Geez Magazine, and various Catholic Worker papers. She lives with her partner and two boys in Bangor, Pennsylvania.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 82 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

"I think when we're playing we're participating in the playfulness of God."

-Mark Longhurst

IN THIS EPISODE

In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Mark Longhurst, author of the newly released book, The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God , a member of a new monastic community, and "ordinary mystic." They discuss Mark's journey from a young Evangelical to UCC pastor to social justice ministry, and eventually to mysticism. "I would say that my journey is just one of constant failure and suffering," Mark says, "and then finding greater depth and God's presence in the midst of it."

Mark and Sister Julia discuss the old beliefs they have had to "unlearn," including atonement theology, and the peace and playfulness found in growth. They also delve into integrating contemplation and mysticism into an "ordinary" life, and different styles of parenting.

Name Drops:

JesusRichard RohrDostoevskyHildegard of BingenJames BaldwinMirabai StarrDC TalkMichael W. SmithJars of ClayPearl JamCelticsCommunity of the Incarnation

Topics Discussed:

Evangelicalismmysticismmainline Christianitycontemplationdeconstruction and reconstructionatonement theologyparentingplayfulnessdiscipleshipmessiness of Gospel living

Books Mentioned:

the BibleThe Brothers KaramazovThe Holy OrdinaryOrdinary Mysticism

Mark Longhurst

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mark Longhurst is a writer and “ordinary mystic.” He is a member of the new monastic “Community of the Incarnation” and works as the Publications Manager at the Center for Action and Contemplation. A former pastor, he served United Church of Christ churches for ten years and worked as a faith-based social justice activist in the Boston area for ten more. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, and a longtime yoga-practitioner, he runs two Substack newsletters at marklonghurst.substack.com. Mark lives in western Massachusetts with his family.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 81 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

"A culture of encounter is something we have to be very intent on practicing, and so I'm excited about an economics that creates many of those opportunities for encounter."

-Elizabeth Garlow

IN THIS EPISODE

In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Elizabeth Garlow, economist and cofounder of the Francesco Collaborative, which invites individuals to critique economic structures and invest using their whole spiritual selves. Elizabeth discusses her early Capuchin influences and her interest in Focolare. "I had a sort of hunger to have a different kind of conversation about who we are as human beings," she says, "how we meet our needs, what kind of systems can we create?"

Sister Julia and Elizabeth talk about the damage that can be done by our current economic structures. "Our economic structures are intertwined with problems of disconnection and loneliness," Elizabeth says. Elizabeth also discusses the challenging ways we can move forward to help create a more just world. "Money in many ways is energy, " she says. "It's flow. It is not something that we are slaves to as the Gospel...teaches us."

Name Drops:

Natalie FosterPope FrancisMia BirdsongFr. Richard WardMarjorie KellyFr. LebrayMorgan SimonNich RomeoZacchaeus

Topics Discussed:

Franciscan spiritualityCapuchin communityFocolare MovementEconomy of CommunionEconomy of Francescohow we spend and investethic of enoughnessfinancial discipleshipINE Institute

Books Mentioned:

Laudato SiLaudate DeumThe BibleLiving City MagazineHow We Show UpReal ImpactWealth SupremacyThe Alternative

Elizabeth Garlow

ABOUT THE GUEST

Elizabeth Garlow is drawn to the spiritual dimensions of our shared work to build a new economy. She co-founded the Francesco Collaborative, which was in part inspired by the kinds of spaces she longed to be a part of as an investor: one that invites us to show up as our spiritually rooted selves, with deep vulnerability, care for one another and a commitment to critique the structural problems of our economy and dream about our role in its transformation.

Through her work, she supports protagonists of transformation drawing on lineages of faith, spirituality, and wisdom to ask questions like: “what is enough?” and “what does a practice of finance and investing fit for the needs of our time look like”? These questions are in part drawn from her formation in the Focolare Movement's Economy of Communion initiative, where enterprises seek to embody a relational economy paradigm.

Elizabeth previously co-led impact investing for the Lumina Foundation, served as a policy advisor with the Obama Administration, and co-founded a Detroit- based organization, Michigan Corps, to invest in local entrepreneurs through crowdfunding and innovative forms of patient capital. She studied political economy at Kalamazoo College, completed her graduate work in public policy and economics at Princeton University, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in 2019. Elizabeth lives in Michigan, where she is enjoying getting reacquainted with Michigan’s Great Lakes and apprenticing with urban farmers in Detroit.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 80 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

"I think it goes back to humility, you know, just being willing to genuinely listen to the other side."

-Kelly Moltzen

IN THIS EPISODE

In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Kelly Moltzen. They discuss Kelly's early Franciscan influences and how they affected her decision to study health disparity and food justice as a lay Franciscan. "Everything is connected," Kelly says, "and the way that we treat our environment is going to have direct impacts on your health."

They also discuss efforts to depolarize our communities, and the work of Braver Angels. The work of reaching out to those who think differently is difficult, but necessary. "I think it's important that we don't get caught up in group think," Kelly says, "that we all are able to seek things out for ourselves."

Name Drops:

Shane ClaibornePope FrancisThich Nhat HanhFr. Richard RohrImmanuel SwedenborgSimran Kit SinghJohn Duns Scotus

Topics Discussed:

Franciscan spiritualityintentional communityfood justiceenvironment/ecologycommunion and interconnection with creationdepolarizationinterfaith workappreciating differenceshumilityspiritual entrepreneurship

Books Mentioned:

The Irresistible RevolutionLaudato SiThe BibleThe Mystic HeartThe Light We Give

Kelly Moltzen

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kelly Moltzen is a co-founder and convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network, which inspires people of faith to be agents of change in transforming communities into ones that promote health and well-being for all. She is a Registered Dietitian, has her Master’s of Public Health, and is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. She is serving as a co-chair of the Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation commission of the Franciscan Federation, and is part of the core group of the Intergenerational Eco-Justice & Spirituality Network which is supported by the Franciscan Federation.

Kelly was a 2021-2022 Abrahamic House fellow, and a 2022 Rockefeller-Acumen Food Systems Fellow. Her Rockefeller Food System Vision Prize proposal, Faith Communities Leading the Way Towards Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems, reached the semi-finalist stage. Kelly has worked to address health disparities in the Bronx with Bronx Health REACH for 14 years, and is also supporting the Chief Impact and Sustainability Office of Church World Service as a consultant, helping to promote faith community engagement in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 79 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

"Discipleship...ought to begin with the idea of being in that relationship of sort of Christ-like care and ministry for other people regardless of what they deserve."

-Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm

IN THIS EPISODE

In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Rev. Benjamin Dueholm. Rev. Benjamin tells Sr. Julia of his encounter with St. Augustine's Confessions at an experimental college in California, and how it, among other things, led him to becoming a Lutheran pastor. They discuss the paradox of the universal and the personal, and how technology has changed the way we live in community.

Rev. Benjamin compares church ministry to a Sunday dinner, and speaks about mission drift of the Gospel in some churches. "My task as a preacher," he says, "and to some extent as a writer, is to make Christ contemporary...but the truth is, it's a scary thought to think that OK, God is talking to me right now."

Rev. Benjamiin Dueholm

ABOUT THE GUEST

The Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm has served as the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas since 2019, after previously serving churches in and around Chicago. His writing on religion, politics, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Century, and the Dallas Morning News and has presented at the Cambridge University "Religious Diversity and Secular University" workshop and the Valparaiso University Institute of Liturgical Studies. Passionate about supporting the formation of leaders for the church, he has taught worship and preaching at the University of Chicago Divinity School and serves on the committee guiding candidates for ordained ministry in north Texas. He is the author of Sacred Signposts: Words, Water, and Other Acts of Resistance (Eerdmans, 2018). He lives in Texas with his wife Kerry and their three children. You can find more of him at benjamindueholm.substack.com.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 78 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

Forgiveness is a process, not a product."

-Kaya Oakes

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Kaya Oakes. Their conversation goes into the issues and ideas about forgiveness that Kaya explores in her new book, Not So Sorry. To her, forgiveness is often an expected act that doesn't include avenues for processing. Kaya discusses "restorative justice as a model for a collaborative kind of forgiveness that I think is closer to what Jesus was talking about." Later in the podcast she adds, "it's like him saying give yourself time and space to decide what God's calling you to do."

Sister Julia and Kaya also talk about Kaya's breast cancer. She talks about the frustrations of the process of diagnosis and treatment, as well as how dealing with a serious medical need requires more than just individual action. As Kaya says, "you don't survive cancer without a community."

Kaya Oakes

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kaya Oakes is a journalist and author of many books, most recently, "Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness," as well as "The Defiant Middle: How Women Claim Life’s In-Betweens to Remake the World,""The Nones Are Alright," and "Radical Reinvention." You can also find her on her Substack and on her last guest appearance on the Messy Jesus Business Podcast. She teaches writing at UC Berkeley. Her work has received multiple awards, with her essays and journalism appearing in The Guardian, Slate, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, and On Being. She was born and raised in Oakland, California, where she still lives. Find her on Instagram @kayaoakeswrites, or on X @kayaoakes.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 77 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

You actually have to decide to believe... recognizing that just because you decided doesn't mean it comes easily, but you have to work at it."

-Br. Cyrus Habib, SJ

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Cyrus Habib, SJ. Cyrus tells Julia that though his previous life was full of accolades, including studying in England, going to law school in the U.S., and being elected to office in the State of Washington, it could leave him feeling empty. But certain parts of his experience, like helping underserved children or talking with spiritual leaders, would make him "feel this closeness of God." Cyrus talks about how praying the Examen helped him find "when I was being prophetic, which doesn't mean standing on a mountaintop... it's any time I'm living the gospel in a way that pushes me towards growth... and hopefully also leads the way for others." He also tells Sister Julia about his experiences with cancer and loss and how he hopes they can be "a part of holiness, when my wounds are open to your wounds, and we can actually [have] the wounds as a site of encounter."

Br. Cyrus Habib, SJ

ABOUT THE GUEST

Cyrus Habib is a Jesuit Scholastic, educator, spiritual director, and former politician who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 2017 to 2021. He is both the first and only Iranian American official to hold statewide elected office in the United States. He is a graduate of Columbia University, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 76 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

Even with your presence, you preach"

-Sr. Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Sister Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC. Sister Xiomara tells Julia about growing up in the Dominican Republic and becoming a fashion designer before being called to join the Adrian Dominican sisters. "They showed me poverty in my own country," says Sister Xiomara. "When I saw these intelligent, beautiful, well educated women giving their life for people they didn't know, it blew my mind." Her experience with the centrality of Dominican preaching helped Sister Xiomara in her years as a chaplain. "A chaplain is a call to be a compassionate and sacred and loving presence of God...when we are visiting a person who is suffering, we are meeting the person when the person is the most vulnerable. So how can we go and preach to them with our words? By listening."

Sr. Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sister Xiomara (See-o-mara) Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC, an Adrian Dominican Sister, is originally from the Dominican Republic. She is the Executive Director of Dominican Sisters Conference – DSC. Previously, she ministered for 10 years as a Hospital Chaplain at Loyola University Health System in the Chicago area; St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada; and more recently at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL where she was the Spiritual Care Manager. She has had diverse ministerial experiences in the areas of preaching, catechesis, directing retreats, Spanish-English Medical interpreting, liturgical dancing, performance, and high fashion teaching. Sister Xiomara holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union – CTU in Chicago, Licentiate on Industrial Arts with a Major on Fashion Design, and is a Board Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains – NACC. Before she became a religious sister, she was a fashion designer in her native country. She currently lives in Miami, Florida.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 75 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

Lord, help me to love just like you, ... in that prayer, I'm invoking God's grace."

-Fr Roger Lopez

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA, enjoys a conversation with Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. Fr. Roger talks about what drew him to the Franciscans once he decided to "take God off hold" and enter into the priesthood. "The invitation is to be 'lesser'... that's following the person of Jesus," he says. Later, Fr. Roger goes into how grace, freely given from God, can help us in acts of compassion and connection, some of them extraordinary. "With God's grace, being open to it, it's achievable," he explains. "When we're dealing with people we don't like, or information we don't like, that's where we have to ask God for help." This grace helps us connect, but it requires us to let go, Fr.Roger adds. "It's messy... but it's totally worth it."

Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. is a solemnly professed priest with the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan Friars) of the newly established Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he serves as a Provincial Councilor full-time. His prior assignments were in secondary education, college campus ministry, and hospital chaplaincy, and he served as a youth high adventure chaplain, and in soup kitchens, street ministry, and RCIA.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 74 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More

Things are gooey and God is in the goo. And thank God that God is in the goo."

-Sister Susan Francois

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA, enjoys a conversation with Sister Susan Francois CSJP. Sister Susan shares about her vocation story and how she journeyed from being an ex-Catholic working as an elections officer to a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. "I always knew I wanted to make the world a different, a better place," Sister Susan says. "And I always thought that government would be my path to do that. And I tried that, and it wasn't enough." Sister Susan shares insights on the meaning of common good and the power of Catholic social teaching, changes occurring in religious life, and the role of chaos in collective transformation. As a leader, Sister Susan has become a bit of an expert of praying in the chaos. "The universe came out of chaos. God created us out of chaos.  It's a creative moment. That's where God is. So I'm really encouraging myself and others to embrace the chaos and to find our way to take care of ourselves and care for each other, but also to not be afraid of [chaos] and to try things," Sister Susan exerts.

Sister Susan Francois

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sister Susan Francois CSJP is the Assistant Congregation Leader and Congregation Treasurer for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. She has served in Congregation Leadership since 2015. Sister Susan is an author, writing for Global Sisters Report and other publications on religious life and social justice. She previously ministered as a social justice educator and advocate at the lntercommunity Peace and Justice Center in Seattle, Washington. Sister Susan presently serves on the Boards of All Africa Sister to Sister Conference, Investor Advocates for Social Justice, Holy Name Medical Center, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the United Kingdom.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness