Rhythms of Humanity

After a long run of conversations exploring faith, doubt, and what it means to be human, Rhythms of Humanity is pressing pause – for now.

In this final episode (at least for this season), Jon sits down with Pastor Joanne to reflect on the podcast: what they’ve appreciated, what surprised them, and why creating space for thoughtful, open-ended conversation still matters. They talk about the role of curiosity in faith, the tension of not having easy answers, and what it looks like to carry these kinds of conversations forward into whatever comes next.

We’ve learned to value perspective, but what happens when truth starts to feel uncertain? This episode explores the tension between personal experience and shared reality, and why holding both might matter more than ever.

Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, it happens again: someone opens a Bible and starts connecting ancient prophecies to modern missiles. If you’re interested in a direct response to this, here’s a link to a great piece by Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee.

In this episode, we step back and ask a deeper question. When scripture is used to justify war, what is faith actually supposed to look like? We reflect on anger, overwhelm, and the misuse of scripture before a conversation about compassion, resistance, and what people of faith are called to do when violence is carried out in God’s name.

Doors close. Plans change. And yet, hope remains. This episode explores where God’s presence is found, and how it lives through us.

Not one protest, but many small voices. This episode reflects on the slow turning taking place as more voices begin to speak honestly about ICE enforcement and its human cost. We explore how the gospel calls us beyond “being nice,” and how shared truth can become shared courage.

After traveling to Minnesota, Pastor Kari Lipke brings back firsthand stories of what’s happening in Minnesota. We talk about what this moment is teaching faith communities, how to resist a defeated spirit, and what it means to treat our immigrant neighbors as people to accompany rather than problems to solve.

In the wake of yet another killing by federal agents in Minneapolis, this episode arrives with a weight it didn’t originally carry. Recorded before those events, the conversation nonetheless speaks directly to the question many of us are sitting with right now: who do we want to be when the outcomes aren’t guaranteed?

Hope is often treated like a mood or a mindset – something we can choose if we’re feeling optimistic enough. But when the world feels heavy, hope can start to wear thin, or even irresponsible.

In this episode of Rhythms of Humanity, we explore what it takes to build a sturdier hope. A hope that stays present with grief and injustice without letting them be the only story we tell.

A Christmas reflection on repetition, side characters, and finding meaning in a story we think we already know.

On this episode we explore what changes when we ask who might be waiting for us. What it means to show up – not with answers or arguments, but with presence. How small, ordinary acts of generosity can ripple outward in ways we rarely see. And why living our values may say more than explaining them ever could.

Pastor Joanne joins the conversation as we reflect on attention, time, creativity, and the quiet work of making faith visible in everyday moments.