This week's episode breaks from the usual format. Pivot producer Joey Goodall steps in for a solo reflection on what prayer practices are actually for, and what happens when we lose sight of that. He starts in an unexpected place: a line from the 1994 Australian film Muriel's Wedding, where a character compares her life to the biggest hit by the Swedish pop group she'd once used as an escape.From there, Joey turns to prayer, scripture reading, and the practices Christians return to again and again, naming two temptations that work against their purpose: holding a practice so tightly to its exact words and structure that we forget what it's for, or adapting it so loosely that it no longer reshapes us. He closes with a version of the Examen, a nearly 500-year-old prayer practice from Ignatius of Loyola, as one way to stay open to a God who is always more than our practices.

This week's episode breaks from the usual format. Pivot producer Joey Goodall steps in for a solo reflection on what prayer practices are actually for, and what happens when we lose sight of that. He starts in an unexpected place: a line from the 1994 Australian film Muriel's Wedding, where a character compares her life to the biggest hit by the Swedish pop group she'd once used as an escape. From there, Joey turns to prayer, scripture reading, and the practices Christians return to again and again, naming two temptations that work against their purpose: holding a practice so tightly to its exact words and structure that we forget what it's for, or adapting it so loosely that it no longer reshapes us. He closes with a version of the Examen, a nearly 500-year-old prayer practice from Ignatius of Loyola, as one way to stay open to a God who is always more than our practices.

A Solo Reflection on Prayer, Longing, and an Australian Movie from the 90s

Why does God allow suffering? It's one of the oldest and most urgent questions in human experience, and Dr. Rolf Jacobson has lived inside it. Diagnosed with bone cancer at 15 and losing both legs, then decades later walking alongside his brother Karl and close friend Mike through simultaneous cancer diagnoses, Rolf has wrestled with that question personally, pastorally, and theologically. In this conversation with host Dwight Zscheile, he draws on the theology of the cross, the Psalms, and the hard-won wisdom of his own experience to offer some of the most grounded and practical guidance you'll hear on faith, suffering, and Christian community.Rolf talks about what to say and what not to say to someone in crisis, why the impulse to explain suffering usually backfires, and what it looks like for a congregation to truly show up for someone going through the worst. He also shares the story behind his book God Meets Us in Our Suffering, co-authored with Karl and Michael Pancoast, and why he believes the theology of the cross is not abstract doctrine but the most practical pastoral theology there is. Dr. Rolf Jacobson is Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary.<ul><li><a href="https://mbird.com/grace-in-practice/the-grace-of-just-showing-up-with-cheetos/">The Grace of Just Showing Up (With Cheetos) - Mockingbird</a></li><li><a href="https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781587436932_god-meets-us-in-our-suffering">God Meets Us in Our Suffering – Baker Publishing Group</a></li></ul> <a href="https://pivot-podcast.captivate.fm/god-and-grief-and-loss">God and Grief and Loss: Turning on the Light with Michelle Bryant Powell</a>

Why does God allow suffering? It's one of the oldest and most urgent questions in human experience, and Dr. Rolf Jacobson has lived inside it. Diagnosed with bone cancer at 15 and losing both legs, then decades later walking alongside his brother Karl and close friend Mike through simultaneous cancer diagnoses, Rolf has wrestled with that question personally, pastorally, and theologically. In this conversation with host Dwight Zscheile, he draws on the theology of the cross, the Psalms, and the hard-won wisdom of his own experience to offer some of the most grounded and practical guidance you'll hear on faith, suffering, and Christian community. Rolf talks about what to say and what not to say to someone in crisis, why the impulse to explain suffering usually backfires, and what it looks like for a congregation to truly show up for someone going through the worst. He also shares the story behind his book God Meets Us in Our Suffering, co-authored with Karl and Michael Pancoast, and why he believes the theology of the cross is not abstract doctrine but the most practical pastoral theology there is. Dr. Rolf Jacobson is Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary.The Grace of Just Showing Up (With Cheetos) - MockingbirdGod Meets Us in Our Suffering – Baker Publishing Group God and Grief and Loss: Turning on the Light with Michelle Bryant Powell

Why does God allow suffering? It's one of the oldest and most urgent questions in human experience, and Dr. Rolf Jacobson has lived inside it. Diagnosed with bone cancer at 15 and losing both legs, then decades later walking alongside his brother Karl and close friend Mike through simultaneous cancer diagnoses, Rolf has wrestled with that question personally, pastorally, and theologically. In this conversation with host Dwight Zscheile, he draws on the theology of the cross, the Psalms, and the hard-won wisdom of his own experience to offer some of the most grounded and practical guidance you'll hear on faith, suffering, and Christian community.Rolf talks about what to say and what not to say to someone in crisis, why the impulse to explain suffering usually backfires, and what it looks like for a congregation to truly show up for someone going through the worst. He also shares the story behind his book God Meets Us in Our Suffering, co-authored with Karl and Michael Pancoast, and why he believes the theology of the cross is not abstract doctrine but the most practical pastoral theology there is. Dr. Rolf Jacobson is Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary.<ul><li><a href="https://mbird.com/grace-in-practice/the-grace-of-just-showing-up-with-cheetos/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Grace of Just Showing Up (With Cheetos) - Mockingbird</a></li><li><a href="https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781587436932_god-meets-us-in-our-suffering" rel="noopener noreferrer">God Meets Us in Our Suffering – Baker Publishing Group</a></li></ul> <a href="https://pivot-podcast.captivate.fm/god-and-grief-and-loss" rel="noopener noreferrer">God and Grief and Loss: Turning on the Light with Michelle Bryant Powell</a>

What to Say (and Not to Say) to People Who Are Suffering

Many church leaders love the idea of lay ministry in theory, but struggle to understand what it actually looks like in practice. In this special Q&A episode, Dwight Zscheile and Alicia Granholm answer your questions about the shift from clergy-led to lay-led ministry, sharing concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work.You'll hear concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work, learn how to renegotiate expectations with your congregation, discover what clergy are actually called to do when they stop doing everything themselves, and understand why this shift isn't about working yourself out of a job—it's about recovering the biblical pattern of the whole body of Christ engaged in ministry together.

Many church leaders love the idea of lay ministry in theory, but struggle to understand what it actually looks like in practice. In this special Q&A episode, Dwight Zscheile and Alicia Granholm answer your questions about the shift from clergy-led to lay-led ministry, sharing concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work. You'll hear concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work, learn how to renegotiate expectations with your congregation, discover what clergy are actually called to do when they stop doing everything themselves, and understand why this shift isn't about working yourself out of a job—it's about recovering the biblical pattern of the whole body of Christ engaged in ministry together.

Many church leaders love the idea of lay ministry in theory, but struggle to understand what it actually looks like in practice. In this special Q&amp;A episode, Dwight Zscheile and Alicia Granholm answer your questions about the shift from clergy-led to lay-led ministry, sharing concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work.You'll hear concrete examples from small congregations to megachurches that are making this work, learn how to renegotiate expectations with your congregation, discover what clergy are actually called to do when they stop doing everything themselves, and understand why this shift isn't about working yourself out of a job—it's about recovering the biblical pattern of the whole body of Christ engaged in ministry together.

What If You Stopped Doing Everything? A Q&A on Lay-Led Ministry

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pivot-Podcast-Season-3-Episode-7-Article.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Word & World</a></li></ul>

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pivot-Podcast-Season-3-Episode-7-Article.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Word &amp; World</a></li></ul>

Episode 29: Experimenting

Episode 28: The Art of Not Knowing

Episode 27: Discerning the Challenge

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Pivot-Listening-to-Longings-and-Losses.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listening to Longings and Losses</a></li></ul>

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Pivot-Listening-to-Longings-and-Losses.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Listening to Longings and Losses</a></li></ul>

Episode 26: Listening

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pivot-S3E3-Dwelling-in-the-World.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dwelling in the Word</a></li></ul>

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pivot-S3E3-Dwelling-in-the-World.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dwelling in the Word</a></li></ul>

Episode 25: Why Innovate in the Church?

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Pivot-Podcast-Chapters-Exercise.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chapters Exercise</a></li></ul>

Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Pivot-Podcast-Chapters-Exercise.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chapters Exercise</a></li></ul>

Episode 24: Why is Faithful Innovation a Faith Practice

Blog: <a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity</a>Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pivot-Dwelling-in-the-word.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dwelling in the Word</a></li><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blog</a></li></ul>

Blog: https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity Links:Dwelling in the WordBlog

Blog: <a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity</a>Links:<ul><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pivot-Dwelling-in-the-word.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dwelling in the Word</a></li><li><a href="https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blog</a></li></ul>

Episode 23: What is Faithful Innovation?

Episode 22: Themes and Personal Reflections

Mustard Seed and Hope that Moves Mountains

Mustard Seed and Hope that Moves Mountains

Episode 21: Mustard Seed and Hope that Moves Mountains

Episode 20: Slow and Patient

Over the past few years, church leaders have been forced to respond to several global crises in the blink of an eye. In a moment with little information and lots of uncertainty, churches reinvented nearly every aspect of church.

Season 5 of the Pivot podcast explores the changing landscape of the church. Our co-hosts will dig into difficult questions that faith leaders are asking now, and provide an understanding of the deeper cultural shifts that account for the unraveling of inherited models of church. What are the four key pivots that today's church must make? New episodes post weekly on Thursdays.

Religion & Spirituality

Christianity

Education

Over the past few years, church leaders have been forced to respond to several global crises in the blink of an eye. In a moment with little information and lots of uncertainty, churches reinvented nearly every aspect of church. Season 5 of the Pivot podcast explores the changing landscape of the church. Our co-hosts will dig into difficult questions that faith leaders are asking now, and provide an understanding of the deeper cultural shifts that account for the unraveling of inherited models of church. What are the four key pivots that today's church must make? New episodes post weekly on Thursdays.

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