In this special Advent episode, the pastors discuss what Advent means to them. Leaning into the anticipation of the season, holding grief and hope simultaneously, allows us to feel true joy on Christmas day. They also share their daily practices they keep throughout the season: lighting candles, going on walks, reading the Daily Prayer, singing songs, looking at Christmas lights, and more!

Also in this episode, a little talkback about the previous episode. And as always, we end with Spiritual Show and Tell: The Awakened Heart by Gerald May, snail mail, and whistling.

//Notes//

- Advent discussion -

The Daily Prayer: Water https://www.circleofhope.net/dailyprayerdeeper/

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

The Awakened Heart by Gerald May: https://www.amazon.com/Awakened-Heart-Gerald-G-May/dp/0060654732

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Jonny interviews our friend Jordan Burdge on the relationship between anthropology and soteriology. This pair of seminarians share their ideas on becoming human and how who we are relates to how we’re saved. Specifically, they talk about experiential learning, things we can do to experience God, the role community plays in our salvation, and more. Tons of thoughts and wisdom here from a great friend and leader in Circle of Hope.

Also, as always, a little talkback about the way things have changed during the pandemic, and some Spiritual Show and Tell: a collection of letters from George Washington Carver, Abuelita Faith by Kat Armas, Taylor Swift triumphing over her despair and the music industry, and centering prayer.

//Notes//

-Interview w Jordan Burdge-

Jordan Burdge: [email protected]

-Spiritual Show and Tell-

George Washington Carver: His Life and Faith in his Own Words (review: https://regententrepreneur.org/rceresources/george-washington-carver-his-life-and-faith-in-his-own-words/)

Abuelita Faith: Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength by Kat Armas https://www.amazon.com/Abuelita-Faith-Margins-Persistence-Strength/dp/158743508X

Taylor Swift on SNL performing “All Too Well:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2uxc01fUXU&feature=emb_title

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Jonny interviews his friend Nora Lichtash about affordable housing in Philadelphia. Nora is the Director of the Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) in North Philly and serves on the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities (PCAC) with Jonny. They talk about some of the landmark achievements of PCAC and the current campaigns they are working on. Nora also shares about the problem of gentrification in Philadelphia, how to talk to neighbors who resist new development in their neighborhoods, building power in communities and organizing, and more! A very informative must-listen interview from someone who has been living in Philadelphia for over 50 years.

Also in this episode, the pastors discuss the Phantom of the Opera and how to consume media with misogynist and racist tropes. And as always, we end with Spiritual Show and Tell: a video about George Washington Carver, the magnificence of the Rockies, the COVID vaccine for 5-11 year olds, Christmas music, and the Little Book of Conflict Transformation by John Lederach.

//Notes//

-Interview w Nora Lichtash-

Nora Lichtash: [email protected]

PCAC: http://phillyaffordablecommunities.org/

WCRP: https://www.wcrpphila.org/

-Spiritual Show and Tell-

Video: “People of Prayer George Washington Carver” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elgMFxVQPvo

The Little Book of Conflict Transformation by John Paul Lederach: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Conflict-Transformation-Peacebuilding/dp/1561483907

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Interview with writer and Bible teacher Traci Rhoades. Jonny interviews Traci on her book Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost: A Story of Church. Traci shares about her experiences visiting different types of churches, how they have shaped her faith, the importance of committing to a local body, how to help your kids spiritually explore, and more. She is a gifted writer and she graciously shares her experiences in this episode of the podcast.

Also in this episode, the pastors talkback to an email from our friend Bethany about women’s highest role in the eyes of God. Later, a little Spiritual Show and Tell: a talk given at a Sunday Meeting by Melissa Florer-Bixler, showing up late to a family reunion, singing in Latvian, and dahlias.

//Notes//

-Interview with Traci Rhoades-

Traci on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracesoffaith

Traci on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracesoffaithblog/

Traci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracesOfFaithBlog/

Traci’s website and where to subscribe newsletter: https://www.tracesoffaith.com/

Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost: https://www.churchpublishing.org/notallwhowander

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

Melissa Florer-Bixler's Talk: https://soundcloud.com/circleofhopechurch/romans-11-fishtown-101721?si=6de5a2d644564e7bb96d9bb4e533995b

Ben shared about his new friends who write and lead worship from around the world, https://proskuneo.org/

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Interview with professor and author Beth Allison Barr. Rachel and Jonny interview Beth on her book “The Making of Biblical Womanhood.” They talk about patriarchy in the church and in the Bible, medieval Christian women and dragon slayers, the history of gender-inclusive language in the Bible, how the industrial revolution changed the narrative around women’s roles, and more. It’s a rich interview full of history that challenges the patriarchal view of women’s roles in the church.

Also in this episode, the pastors talkback to an email they received from a friend in response to the previous podcast episode where Ben and Jonny discuss the Bible. Later, a little Spiritual Show and Tell: a poem about fatherhood from Poetry Magazine, a reminder of Sabbath and the gift of divine rest, Psalm 8, and bad jokes.

//Notes//

-Interview with Beth Allison Barr-

Beth Allison Barr: https://twitter.com/bethallisonbarr

Beth Allison Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood: http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-making-of-biblical-womanhood/404050

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

Psalm 8 (Jonny’s translation, with Robert Alter’s)

For the lead player, on the gittith, a David Psalm.

Lord, our Maker,

how majestic Your name in all the earth!

Whose splendor was told over the heavens.

From the mouth of babes and sucklings

You founded strength

on account of Your foes

to put an end to enemy and avenger.

When I see Your heavens, the work of You fingers,

the moon and the stars You fixed firm,

“What is a human being that You should note them,

And the mortal, that You pay them heed,

and You make them little less than the gods

with glory and grandeur You crown them?

You make them rule over the work of Your hands?

All things You set under their feet.

Sheep and oxen all together,

and also the beasts of their field,

birds of the heavens and fish of the sea,

what moves on the paths of the seas.”

Lord, our Maker,

how majestic Your name in all the earth!

The Hebrew Bible by Robert Alter: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393292497

Bad Jokes

Where does an 800 lb gorilla sleep? Anywhere it wants.

What kind of star wears sunglasses? A Movie star.

Who was the first animal in space? The cow that jumped over the moon.

What do you do when a monster sneezes? Get out of the way!

How do you talk to giants? Use BIG words.

What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? You smoke too much.

Love Letter from Inside Fatherhood by Fritz Ward https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/156313/love-letter-from-inside-fatherhood

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Ben interviews Jonny about the Bible. This is part of an ongoing series of each pastor sharing their take of how they approach and read scripture. Ben and Jonny discuss engaging with it earnestly and in community, relating it to our present context, leaving with a practical application, and more.

Also, as always, a little talkback about the story of Jesus beginning his ministry, and some Spiritual Show and Tell: Rachel's kitchen renovation project, George MacDonald and our Transhistorical Body, blog posts from our friends Jordan Burdge and Robert Buck, and Julie's zinnias.

//Notes//

- Interview with Jonny Rashid -

Jonny Rashid’s blog: www.jonnyrashid.com

Jonny’s Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonnyrashid

Jonny’s Instagram Accounts: www.instagram.com/foodpastor, www.instagram.com/jonnyrashid

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

https://www.circleofhope.net/transhistorical/september-18-george-macdonald/

“When I can no more stir my soul to move, and life is but the ashes of a fire; when I can but remember that my heart once used to live and love, long and aspire- O, be thou then the first, the one thou art; be thou the calling, before all answering love, and in me wake hope, fear, boundless desire.” ― George MacDonald, The Diary of an Old Soul

Jordan Burdge’s blog: https://theriverinthetree.wordpress.com/

Robert Buck’s blog: https://robertbuck.blog/

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Jonny interviews our friend Bethany Stewart, the leader of our Circle Mobilizing Because Black Lives Matter Compassion Team, and one of the co-hosts of the Color Correction podcast. She shares about the team’s efforts to raise money for the black covenant members of our church in a campaign called Jubilee Wealth Redistribution, her apprehension/doubt going into it, and the awesome success of it. She also touches on generational wealth gaps, reparations, among a host of other topics! Moreover, how all of this is connected to her faith. Tons of thoughts and wisdom here from a great friend and leader in Circle of Hope. Also, as always, a little talkback on how we worship even when we don't feel it, and some Spiritual Show and Tell: "Jesus and the Forces of Death," "H is for Hawk," hiking and retreats, and the community relying on each other.

//Notes//

- Interview with Bethany Stewart -

Bethany Stewart: https://www.instagram.com/bethanystewartphl

Color Correction: https://www.colorcorrectionpodcast.com/

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

Love/Rinse/Repeat: Jesus and the Forces of Death http://www.loverinserepeat.com/podcast/thiessen

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18803640-h-is-for-hawk

"People do not live very long or look very hard. We are very bad at scale. Things that live in the soil are too small to care about; climate change too large to imagine. We are bad at time, too. We cannot remember what lived here before we did; we cannot love what is not. Nor can we imagine what will be different when we are dead. We live out our three score and ten, and tie our knots and lines only to ourselves. We take solace in pictures, and we wipe the hills of history." -Helen Macdonald in "H is for Hawk"

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Jonny interviews our friend Julius Rivera on being a good neighbor. Julius, a Philadelphia native, helped to establish the Hagert Playground on his block. He shares his experience of growing up in Philly, the changes in his neighborhood as a result of gentrification, creative solutions to issues that don't involve authorities, and helping people by a focus on human dignity and holistic assistance, among a lot of other topics around urban and civic engagement! A great conversation packed with Julius' wisdom and insight on how to be a positive force within a community. Also, some convo on the wonders of connection via this podcast and ending as always with a little Show and Tell: Wendell Berry, the inspiration of children, being a peacemaker, and strangers out of nowhere coming to a Sunday meeting.

//Notes//

- Interview with Julius Rivera -

Friends of Hagert Playground Info:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/hagertplaygroundfriends

IG: @friendsofhagert

Location:

2050 East Hagert St. (2000 block of Hagert St. in Kensington)

Share with Hagert Playground:

https://www.circleofhope.church/share/

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

“And now above and beyond the birds' song, Andy hears a more distant singing, whether of voices or instruments, sounds or words, he cannot tell. It is at first faint, and then stronger, filling the sky and touching the ground, and the birds answer it. He understands presently that he is hearing the light; he is hearing the sun, which now has risen, though from the valley it is not yet visible. The light's music resounds and shines in the air and over the countryside, drawing everything into the infinite, sensed but mysterious pattern of its harmony. From every tree and leaf, grass blade, stone, bird, and beast, it is answered and again answers. The creatures sing back their names. But more than their names. They sing their being. The world sings. The sky sings back. It is one song, the song of the many members of one love, the whole song sung and to be sung, resounding, in each of its moments. And it is light.” ― Wendell Berry, "Remembering"

Jonny’s blog post on the war in Afghanistan ending:

https://www.jonnyrashid.com/the-failure-in-afghanistan-is-how-the-next-generation-can-become-peacemakers/

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: circleofhope.church/share

Interview with highly-esteemed Chef Bobby Saritsoglou. He is the chef and co-owner, along with his wife Christina, of the Philadelphia restaurant, Stina Pizzeria, which has been critically acclaimed by food critic Craig Laban, Philadelphia Magazine, Philly Eater and more! Bobby has been a member and friend of Circle of Hope for a long time, and he sits down with Rachel to talk about food, faith, the restaurant business, and what Stina's been up to. It's a great and funny interview with this talented artist.

More about Bobby from the Stina website: "Chef Bobby Saritsoglou has worked in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. As Chef of establishments earning Philadelphia's Top 50 Best Restaurants two years in a row, his cooking has received high accolades in local and national media. His Greek heritage enhances his love of cooking foods from the Mediterranean."

More about Christina, his wife and co-owner, from the Stina website: "Christina Kallas Saritsoglou is co-founder and manager of Philly AIDS Thrift and has been an activist and community organizer in Philadelphia for over 30 years. She brings her love for community and service to Stina and its surrounding community."

Also, Jonny and Julie talk about making space for people we haven't met yet, and what that looks like. And a little Spiritual Show and Tell: high regards for Andrew's cover of a Circle of Hope Audio Art worship song, "Make Us Whole." Also, praise for our compassion team Circle Mobilizing because Black Lives Matter's recent efforts to practice reparations among us at Circle of Hope. We raised over $30,000 that was dispersed back to our Black CoH covenant members!

//Notes//

- Interview with Bobby Saritsoglou -

Stina's Pizzeria:

http://www.stinapizzeria.com/

50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia:

https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/50-best-restaurants/

Philly Eater article:

https://philly.eater.com/2019/5/28/18642569/stina-pizzeria-south-philly-menu-bobby-saritsoglou-christina-kallas-saritsoglou

- Spiritual Show and Tell -

Make Us Whole (Andrew Yang version):

https://youtu.be/dAEm9e4QgGo

Make Us Whole (Jonny Szczesniak version):

https://circleofhopeaudioart.bandcamp.com/track/make-me-whole

Color Correction - “Money Talks”:

https://soundcloud.com/color_correction/ep-45-money-talks-revisiting-reparations-w-tess-patino

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share

Jonny interviews our Watershed Discipleship Compassion Team. Our friends Kristen and Jeremy share their views on climate change as it is, and unique ways to combat it. But there's more! They talk about decolonizing the land to view it in light of its waterways and other land formations, as opposed to our created boundary lines. Allowing the natural world to inform our perspective gives us a greater appreciation for it, and new insights into dismantling global warming. They also get into intersecting climate and environmentalism with other social justice issues, understanding how climate change deeply affects impoverished and BIPOC communities, and white supremacy and racism's involvement in the climate crisis. A compelling must-listen interview from two great minds helping to lead us into a more sustainable future.

Also, pastors consider the question: what did you need or receive in your own faith development early on in your life? They recount the good and the bad in their formation from church experiences. And as always, we end with Spiritual Show and Tell: Bach, Nietzsche, Dear White Peacemakers and Osheta Moore, the recovery community in South Philly.

//Notes//

-Interview-

Color Correction:

https://www.colorcorrectionpodcast.com/

How To Save A Planet:

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet

Green New Deal:

https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hres109/BILLS-116hres109ih.pdf

Randy Woodley:

https://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/faculty/randy-woodley.html

Watershed Discipleship:

https://watersheddiscipleship.org/

Watershed Discipleship Compassion Team:

Kristen Snow IG: ka.snow

Jeremy Avellino IG: brightcommon

Philly Thrive:

https://www.phillythrive.org/

Philadelphia Climate Action Playbook:

https://www.phila.gov/2021-01-15-cap/

Racism is Killing the Planet article by Hop Hopkins:

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/racism-killing-planet

Philly Thrive campaign:

https://www.phillythrive.org/

Dr. Robert Bullard, Father of Environmental Justice:

https://drrobertbullard.com/

Great TED talk/book by John Francis, "Planetwalker":

https://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walk_the_earth_my_17_year_vow_of_silence

Watershed Discipleship books:

https://watersheddiscipleship.org/

http://www.rewildingtheway.com/

Interfaith Power and Light:

https://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/

Passive Rowhouse Manual:

https://greenbuildingunited.org/newsroom/it-s-here-the-passive-rowhouse-manual

The Yale Program on Climate Communication:

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/

James H. Cone in Sojourners, "Whose Earth is it Anyway?":

https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2007/whose-earth-it-anyway

-Spiritual Show and Tell-

Celebrating Our Transhistorical Body Blog:

https://www.circleofhope.net/transhistorical/july-28-johann-sebastian-bach/

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, Allemande:

https://youtu.be/JksKMu6E2Mk

“Are you Not Entertained? Attention and Watching Culture” by Alissa Wilkinson on “For the Life of the World.”

Cinema Paradiso original soundtrack (with alto saxophone):

https://youtu.be/JlQh4PeB8PE

Yo-Yo Ma does it with Cello:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtX_R2W-YK8

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

//Contact Us//

Website: https://circleofhope.church

Email: [email protected]

IG/TW: @circleofhopenet

YouTube: https://youtube.com/circleofhope

FB: https://fb.me/CircleofHopePhillyRegion

Help keep the show running! Contribute at: https://circleofhope.church/share