The Critical Journey

Janet Hagberg and Kelly Chatman, her friend and pastor. interview each other as an example of a way to better understand and empathize with each other’s stories about race, discrimination and faith. They both describe an example of what racial reconciliation looks like in real life. And they end the podcast with a moving example of deep racial healing.

Interview questions include:

What was your first experience of a white/black person?

Could you give an example or two of how you have personally been discriminated against as a black person/woman?

What was one of your hardest experiences with a white/black person?

What was your most memorable healing experiences with a white/black person?

How has your faith informed race relations for you?

What would you like to say to white/black people?

Would you like to share a current story of a racial conversation that has healing or reconciliation potential?

Janet Hagberg, author of The Critical Journey, offers her poems called Conversations with God to accompany us in all of our life experiences. This includes the mountain tops, the precipitous slides and the deepest valleys. She writes with honesty, vulnerability and hope.

For videos of these poems head to: http://www.janethagberg.com/poetry.html

Reflection questions for each segment:

1 Joy in God’s presence

Where and when do you feel joy in God’s presence?

And how does it affect your life?

2 Doubt

When do you find yourself most likely to doubt God or God’s love?

What ways have you found to bring those doubts to God?

3 Loving Ourselves

What part of yourself have you had the most trouble embracing with

love? What have you been especially created to be or do in this

world?

4 Low Points and Healing

How do you express your deepest hurts or sorrows so you can start

to heal from them?

How is God available to you in those times of distress?

5 Hope and Wonder

What brings you hope?

What makes you smile with mystery or wonder?

6 Intimacy with God.

What are your favorite ways of experiencing God’s presence intimately in your life?

How do you experience God’s humor?

Reflection questions for the whole podcast:

What most needs to be expressed in your own life right now, perhaps in a new way or a new form?

Which segment was the most intriguing for you? What is the invitation there?

Which segment was challenging or frightening for you? What does that suggest for you?

How is God inviting you to express the deeper truths of your own inner life?

A conversation with Janet Hagberg, author of the Critical Journey, and her millennial pastor friend, Sara Wilhelm-Garbers in which they describe six stages in the faith journey. They include personal stories, biblical examples, song lyrics (and a bit of singing). In a compassionate way, they also depict how people get stuck and what helps them move to another stage.

Michael Bischoff is 48 years old, married and the father of two teenagers. In this podcast he shares his inner healing journey in the midst of living with an aggressive brain tumor and considering his own death. He is in conversation with Janet Hagberg, his friend and spiritual companion.

"The Wall" is a deeply holy place on the faith journey. It is always individual, mysterious, God-shaped, infused with Spirit-- inviting us to transformation. The Wall is one of the most difficult parts of the faith journey and it asks more surrender of us than we may think we are capable of. It is equally alluring and treacherous. Yet the Wall is ultimately a place of healing, of ourselves and our image of God.

*Based on the concept originally found in the book The Critical Journey by Hagberg and Guelich

Hosts: Janet Habgerg and Danielle Jones

Produced by: Stephanie O'Brien // Executive Producer - Lead Stories Media