The Weight

Shownotes:

John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South. He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer space for writers of all kinds to step away from the real world and put their focus and attention on their writing project, whether that’s a song, a poem, a novel, or a scientific paper.

John T. earned his MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He has written or edited more than a dozen books and has written columns for the Oxford American and the New York Times. He has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered as well as CBS Sunday Morning and Iron Chef.

Most importantly, he firmly believes that Birmingham, Alabama, is a Southern city, no matter what Chris says.

Resources:

John T.’s website

Greenfield Farm Writers Residency

True South

*** SUMMER BEST OF ***

As we take a few weeks off to prep for the rest of Season 6 of The Weight, enjoy some of our favorite past episodes!

Show Notes:

Welcome to Season 6 of The Weight Podcast! We’re kicking things off with someone who has a lot of fun while doing a lot of important work: Annie F. Downs. Annie is an author, speaker, podcaster, and preacher who uses humor and scripture to help people find their purpose and fulfillment in God’s love.

Annie’s podcast, That Sounds Fun, has been on air for 10 years, and this year, she’s shaking things up a little. She’s helping her listeners navigate the seasons of their life by using the seasons of nature--winter, spring, summer, and fall--to bring some clarity and compassion to those moments when we feel our lowest and to bring joyful ownership to those times when we are at our best.

She also talks to Eddie and Chris about her singles ministry, Single Person League, and how married pastors can build a bridge to a more understanding relationship with their single congregants.

Resources:

Annie’s website

Follow Annie on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

Pastoring Singles Resource

Buy Annie’s books here, including Where Did TJ Go?

Show Notes:

Historians aren’t always objective, and objectivity is not the same as neutrality. These are important distinctions for Dr. Joseph Crespino. For him, studying history is about a commitment to fairness, honesty, and justice, and accepting evidence that doesn’t automatically align with preconceived notions--advice that can be used in all sectors of life. Learning about history, especially the dark parts we’d like to ignore, gives us greater understanding and insight into today’s world.

Joe is a professor, author, historian, and Mississippi native who serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Divisional Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University. 

Resources:

Buy Dr. Crespino’s books here.

Show Notes:

We don’t often create space for God in our communal decision making process, and we rarely, as a staff, community, group, or church, attempt to discern God’s will for us together. Ruth Haley Barton is working to change that. 

Ruth Haley is spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader, and author. She is the founder of the Transforming Center, an organization that creates space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. For Ruth Haley, discernment--recognizing the presence of God and listening to God’s voice in our everyday lives--is a habit that we can practice daily as we make small decisions, which will help us make bigger personal decisions, and eventually will guide our corporate decisions. 

Resources:

Learn more about Ruth Haley here

Buy Ruth Haley’s books here

Learn more about the Transforming Center here

Listen to Ruth Haley’s podcast, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Show Notes:

Bill Simmons is the President and CEO of Hope Rises International, formerly American Leprosy Missions. Founded in 1906, Hope Rises is a parachurch organization that seeks to bring healing and hope to people suffering from neglected diseases like leprosy. The organization’s mission is to live and proclaim the gospel while bringing healing to those in need.

Bill has been a leader on many boards and organizations, and has worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He believes in the importance of spiritual practices in organizational life, and uses "pause, psalm, and prayer" before meetings to focus and center his employees. His book, The Way of Interruption is the result of his experiences during his three-month sabbatical, and it offers some practical steps and simple liturgies for Christ-centered leaders.

Resources:

Learn more about Hope Rises International

Buy The Way of Interruption

Show Notes:

Eddie, Chris, and our producer Cody Hickman sit down to discuss generosity and how it’s changed over the years. The three of them have a combined 61 years* of experience in a church setting, and all three have seen changes in giving. Economic factors, widespread institutional distrust, and increases in the cost of living mean that now more than ever, people need to trust the organizations they give to. To get that trust, organizations need transparency: where is your money going? How much good is being done with your resources? Are there other ways you can help when you can’t donate financially? 

It helps when churches connect the dots between what God is doing in the world and how you can be a part of it, but this is not just a conversation for pastors. The beneficial ripples that generosity creates is good for us individually, and those ripples strengthen our institutions, communities, and world. 

*approximately. Math is not their strong suit.

Show Notes:

We hear a lot about the rapid decline in church attendance across the country, but there are many churches who are experiencing growth. So what, exactly, are these churches doing to attract new members? Matt Miofisky has a few ideas.

Matt is the founder of The Gathering, a multi-site United Methodist congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. As the founder and leader of a consistently growing urban church and the co-author of Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches, Matt is more than qualified for today’s conversation.

Matt is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where he majored in mathematics before earning his Master’s of Divinity at Emory University. He founded The Gathering in 2006, which was recently named the third fastest growing large United Methodist church in the US.

Resources:

Learn more about The Gathering here

Buy Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches here

Buy The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer here

Buy Matt’s other books here

Listen to The F Word, Matt’s podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Follow Matt on Instagram or Facebook

Show Notes:

Seeing the wonder of God’s creation in the world around us can expand our imagination, give us a hopeful perspective during difficult times, and help us find moments of joy in the mundanity of life. Today’s guest joins Eddie and Chris in a delightful, hope-filled conversation about the wonder of the ocean and its creatures. What can the ocean tell us about the character of God?

Rachel Jordan is a professional marine biologist who earned her B.S. in Ecology at Seattle Pacific University and her M.S. in Marine Biology & Ecology at James Cook University in Australia. She also has a Certification in Biblical Studies from Bodenseehof Bible School in Germany. Her book, If the Ocean Has a Soul, will release on June 3, 2025, and is available for preorder now.

If you want to experience wonder this summer, whether you’re traveling to the beach or the mountains, visiting an amusement park, or just staying home, take a few minutes each day to focus on one small thing in the natural world and appreciate it for how it is beautifully and wonderfully made. We humans are not just called to tend and keep. We are also called to serve and protect the world around us.

Resources:

Learn more about Rachel here.

Follow Rachel on Instagram.

Preorder If the Ocean Has a Soul through Tyndale, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop

Subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter here.

Show Notes:

If you work with people from different generations, live with people from different generations, or encounter people from different generations in your daily life, you probably need to listen to this episode. You might walk away with a better understanding of how different generations work, react, and think, and this understanding might make you a better leader.

Phil Gwoke is a proud Gen Xer, a generational expert and the CEO of BridgeWorks, an organization that helps companies bridge generational gaps and foster cultures of understanding and respect. Each generation is shaped by unique events and conditions that happen during their teenage years, and Phil knows how important it is to adapt leadership styles to meet these generational needs. He offers some excellent advice for leaders, and some interesting insights into the differences among Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z.

Resources:

Learn more about BridgeWorks.

Books mentioned by Phil: 

• Wisdom at Work by Chip Conley
• Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape our Present and Predict our Future by Roy H. Williams & MIchael R. Drew
• The Fourth Turning by William Strauss & Neil Howe

Follow Phil on Instagram

Show Notes:

Chris and Eddie are joined by previous guest Greg Jones for a spirited conversation about leaning into hopeful imagination: looking for places where the Holy Spirit is at work and where we can see a future that’s different from the past and the present. What does it mean to be formed in God’s imagination? How can we use that formation to find security in a fractured, uncertain world? How can we bring resurrection hope--the surety of a risen Christ to heal the world--to our institutions, our communities, and our daily lives?

Greg is the President of Belmont University as well as the former Dean of Duke Divinity School and the author of several books, including Navigating the Future (co-authored with Andrew P. Hogue), Christian Social Innovation, and Thriving Communities (co-authored with Kavin Rowe). His hope for his time at Belmont is to make it a leading Christ-centered university in the world, radically championing the pursuit of life abundant for all people. 

Resources:

Listen to Greg’s previous episode on The Weight here.

Learn more about his books and buy them online here.

Learn more about Dr. Jones here.