More Than This

 This week, we are talking about gender and leadership with special guest, Courtney Ellis. Courtney talks about the process of coming to see herself as a leader and becoming a pastor. We talk about the difference it makes when organizations hear from male and female voices in leadership. And of course, we talk about our personal experiences of working with female spiritual leaders.

Note: We talk about Marie Kondo’s show and writing, and we refer to the fact that Marie suggests that you keep less than 30 books at home. This is actually not what Marie espouses – it’s an internet misrepresentation. Although we’re pretty sure still that Marie Kondo would not be happy with how many books we have.

A word about our guest this week:

Courtney Ellis writes and blogs at CourtneyBEllis.com. Pastor, speaker, and author of Uncluttered: Free Your Space, Free Your Schedule, Free Your Soul, she lives with her husband and three young children in southern California. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter. You can also download a free study guide here – it’s perfect for individuals or groups looking to do a deeper spiritual dive in to the practices of uncluttering.

We talk about race, privilege, and power this week. This is the first a of a three-part series on race. Privilege (especially white privilege) is a frequent topic of journalistic and social media conversation. But just what is meant by privilege, and what are the practical limits of this concept? What is the relationship of privilege to power? Kate and Dave try to hash it all out - listen to see how far they get.

This episode is about views of how people do (or do not) choose God (do they have to choose at all?). We are dusting off some of the theological oldies and talking Calvinism and Arminianism. Kate also tells some harrowing tales from her upbringing in northern Wisconsin.

For our first episode of 2019, we thought we would talk about suffering. We talk about different ways people think about the role of God in the world, and how God is related to pain, suffering, and goodness. Grab the tissues - Kate and I talk about some of the personal suffering we've been through (and we both cry on microphone). We wrap up by talking about tips for helping people who are going through suffering.

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Books referenced in this episode:

Lament for a Son - Nicholas Wolterstorff

https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Emeritus-Philosophical-Theology-Wolterstorff/dp/080280294X

The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis

https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Observed-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652381