the remind{h}er podcast

In Matthew 18, Jesus invites his disciples to become like children. Which feels so counter to what we're used to, right? We're supposed to become self-sufficient adults. We're supposed to grow up and get ahead, do it ourselves, climb all the ladders, accomplish all the things. And Jesus is saying, "No. That's not it. If that is all you're after, if that is your main priority, if that is what you think will make you great, you're missing out. Because the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones."

Even though we've grown up, Jesus urges us to stay little. To not lose sight of or stop nurturing the child within. Because after all, at our core, we are beloved children of God. What might that look like? Listen in.

Hook 1991 Film

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It is true that taking a photo and trying to capture a moment often ends up distracting us from it. It's a reality we need to recognize, because our screens do often keep us from truly experiencing and even deeply remembering. We say a picture will last longer, but some research shows a picture only skims the surface of all our memory can hold.

In recent years, in attempt to avoid this, I pretty much gave up taking photos altogether. Because if I forget to take a photo, it must mean I'm fully present to the moment, right? Well, not always. Often I find I'm just as distracted, with or without a camera in hand. Worry, a too-full or fast-paced schedule, insecurity, discontent, or familiarity {just to name a few} can keep me from fully experiencing and appreciating my actual, right-now life.

And so, in a turn of events, I've started taking pictures again. And it is making a difference. How so? Listen in.

Museum of Modern Art

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Boy Meets World Season 5 Episode 20 "Starry Night"

How to Inhabit Time by James K.A. Smith

Research: How Taking Photos Can Impair Your Memory

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As we journey with God through the ups and downs, twists and turns, stops and goes of life, I'm learning that the posture we assume, matters. And I'd like to offer that we might do well to bend low. Not in a way that diminishes the fullness of who we are, but in a way that grounds us, that keeps us close to the heart of God. To the way of Jesus. To the promptings of the Spirit. Rooted deep down in our souls.

What might it look like for us to remember the way of Jesus and boldly bend low? Listen in.

Arthur's Seat

Old Man of Storr

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Today we are celebrating FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast! And we are doing so by engaging in a q+a conversation of sorts. I'll answer the following five questions today:

• How did I know I wanted to start a podcast? How did I come up with the name? Basically, what is the podcast's origin story?
• How do you decide what to talk about/cover in each episode? Where does your inspiration come from?
• Do you have a favorite episode?
• Is there a spiritual practice you have tried recently that you have continued? Are there any you tried that you wanted to make work but just did not work?
• How do you hold grief and hope at the same time? Hope seems out of reach when life is hard.

Thank you to those who offered questions! Cheers to four years! I hope you'll listen in :)

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

The Cure for Sorrow by Jan Richardson | Blessing for the Brokenhearted

remind{h}er 01: You Are a Reminder

remind{h}er 31: Look for the Reminders

remind{h}er 112: Remember We Are Dust

One Line A Day Journal

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With Holy Week in mind, I'm offering a simple reading of a Holy Week passage that has been particularly meaningful in my own life and faith over the years. I'll be reading from Eugene Peterson's The Message translation, and after reading it through, I'll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God's Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words. Feel free to pause, to rewind, to experience this passage in whatever way you need. As always, I hope it serves you well.

If you'd like to submit a question to help celebrate FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast, you can send me your question by clicking HERE.

You can also email your question to [email protected]

Questions can be sent through April 3, 2024. Thanks in advance for your help!

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What might it look like to use our imaginations in the context of our faith? Well, with wise guardrails and discernment in place, I wonder if our experience and connection with God and with one another can be enriched through our imaginations. Maybe we can channel our imaginations for good.

So what might it look like to reawaken our imagination through spiritual practice?

Well, there are probably lots of possibilities, but for this particular episode, I'd like to offer two. One that could be helpful as we seek a deeper connection with God and one that might help as we seek to do good and love our neighbor well. Listen in.

remind{h}er 44: Do This in Remembrance of Me

John O' Donohue

When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson

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I don't know about you, but typically, if I'm hoping to be hired, if I want to be noticed, if I want to be picked, if I long to be liked, I'm probably going to try to put my best self forward. I'll want you to know all I can do and what I can offer. I'll try to paint myself in a positive light. I'll showcase the strengths of who I am, and I'll make sure you know how I will add value if you choose to accept me. Maybe you can relate?

But would it look like if we were to welcome our weakness? If we were to show up as our whole selves—strengths and weaknesses? How might that add value as we seek relationship with one another and with God? Listen in.

The Office {TV Series}

Bono

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Ash Wednesday is the day the season of Lent begins. It's a season in which we are invited to think about dying and confront the straightforward reality of our humanity—our flaws and frailty and limits and imperfections. We remember and admit our need for God. We accept our mortality.

For me, it's typically a reminder I hold personally. I don't alway recognize the reality of our shared mortality. But the truth is, we are all dust. We are all fragile and limited beings, in need of God's grace, God's care, Christ's compassion. I am dust and you are dust and we are dust. And maybe Ash Wednesday can also remind us how to treat each other accordingly. Listen in.

Barbie written + directed by Greta Gerwig

In a Year of Death, Ash Wednesday Offers Unexpected Hope by Tish Harrison Warren {Correction: in this episode, I mistakenly share that this article was published in 2023. It was published in Christianity Today in 2021}

If You Knew by Ellen Bass

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How do we greet our souls?

Our souls are more shy than we often realize, even for the most outgoing and extroverted among us. More often than not, they are stifled by the burden of daily demands and over-functioning schedules. There is so much noise and distraction, so much vying for our attention. We are pushed and pulled in multiple directions. We are stretched too thin. And in all of that swirling noise and chaos, our souls cower, scurry off, crumple up, and hide away in a dark, undisclosed corner, overlooked and ignored. Just like that, an integral part of who we are is completely out of sight, out of mind, forgotten. And as much as we might feel this is normal, I wonder if maybe there is a better way.

What might it look like to catch a glimpse of our wild souls? To let them emerge, unfold, be welcomed softly into the light? How might we discover and live with a deeper awareness of God at work within so we might continue to serve faithfully beyond? Listen in.

A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer

Emily P. Freeman

The Henri Nouwen Society

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"So, what do you do?"

It's a familiar question that's often asked, and sometimes it's one we might struggle to answer. And I wonder if, at its core, we so readily ask it because we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that who we are is synonymous with what we do.

One of the things I'm learning is that those two things—who we are and what we do—are certainly connected, but they are not the same. It's a distinction we often overlook, but it's a distinction that matters. Listen in.

remind{h}er 43: Nothing to Prove

remind{h}er 57: You Are Not a Machine

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