Whether we’re a teenager, college student, established professional, or retired, we’re constantly asking questions about our identity. All of us deeply desire to understand the truth of who we are and where we come from. For those of us in strained relationships with our families of origin, questions of identity, purpose, and belonging can get increasingly complicated. What does it take to tell a truthful story about our lives? Where does God meet us in our fractured, imperfect stories? 

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by David Magee, author of Dear William: A Father's Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss. Dedicated to his late son, William Magee, Dear William details David’s pain of losing a child, destructive family patterns, and the grace of God in the midst of intense tragedy. He talks to Eddie and Chris about the freedom found in forgiving ourselves, the issue of codependency within a family system, and the power of testimony.

Resources:

Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss

Follow David Magee on the web:

https://www.daviddmagee.com 

Learn more about the William Magee Center for Wellness Education here:

https://magee-center.olemiss.edu 

Give to the William Magee Center here:

https://ignite.olemiss.edu/project/16124/donate 

Follow David Magee on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/davidmageeauthor 

https://www.instagram.com/davidmageewriter/ 

https://twitter.com/dmagee_writer 

When we’re struck by unexpected suffering, we ask question after question attempting to find meaning in the midst of our pain. We wonder why this diagnosis, disaster, or death had to happen to us or someone we love. We wonder if God is really good. We wonder if it’s possible to live within our reality and still have hope, joy, and peace. Though these questions are important, our human nature lends itself toward the comfort of ignorance and flimsy optimism. What are the cultural scripts that dictate our understanding of pain and suffering?  How can we come alongside one another through both the highs and lows? 

Chris and Eddie are joined by Kate Bowler, author of No Cure for Being Human, professor at Duke Divinity School and host of the podcast, Everything Happens. After receiving an unexpected cancer diagnosis at the age of 35, Kate began to observe that the world does not offer a safe space for people in pain. Her move from crisis to chronic has led her to asking deeper questions about faith, God, and human suffering. She talks to Eddie and Chris about the gift of presence, the absurdity of life, a robustly Christian account of time, and the many ways we try to make meaning out of everything.

Resources

Follow Kate Bowler on the web:

https://katebowler.com 

Order No Cure for Being Human here:

https://katebowler.com/no-cure-for-being-human/ 

Order Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved here:

https://katebowler.com/everything-happens-for-a-reason-2/ 

Listen to Kate Bowler’s podcast Everything Happens here:

https://katebowler.com/podcasts/ 

Follow Kate Bowler on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/katecbowler 

https://www.instagram.com/katecbowler/ 

https://twitter.com/katecbowler

Kate Bowler on YouTube

Kate Bowler on Goodreads

How do we deal with seasons of doubt? How do we wrestle with the big questions of suffering and pain within the context of God’s never-ending love and come out with a firmer spiritual foundation and a stronger sense of God’s grace and work in our lives? Can we even admit our doubt, and if so, is it productive to our lives as Christians?

In this episode, Eddie and Chris are joined by Dominic Done, author, pastor, teacher, and founder of Pursuing Faith. Dominic has gone through his own seasons of doubt, and openly shares his journey in his most recent book, When Faith Fails: Finding God in the Shadow of Doubt. He believes that we can not only push through doubt and step into a deeper faith, but we can and should come along side others in their seasons of doubt and struggle. If we are honest with our pain and willing to open ourselves to the grace of Jesus Christ through community, we grow as followers of Jesus.

Dominic earned his Master's Degree in theology from the University of Oxford and has served as a pastor in Oregon, North Carolina, and Hawaii. Dominic has also taught English for companies in Europe, lectured in theology and history at various Christian colleges, worked as a radio DJ, and lived as a missionary in Vanuatu and Mexico. He is currently the leader of Pursuing Faith, a ministry that equips Christians and church leaders to navigate issues of faith, doubt, and apologetics.

Resources:

Follow Dominic on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/DominicFrancisDone https://www.instagram.com/dominicdone/ https://twitter.com/dominicdone

Find out more about Pursuing Faith:

www.pursuingfaith.org

Find out more about When Faith Fails:
 https://www.pursuingfaith.org/whenfaithfails

Are you struggling with church? Do you have doubts and questions, but you aren’t sure where to go to talk them through? Do you have friends or family members who have been hurt by the church, or who have wandered away from the church, or, maybe, who have never been in church?

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, priest in the Church of England and vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in central London since 2012. He served as the Dean of Duke Chapel and is the author of 35 books about Christian ethics, mission, ministry, scripture, liturgy, and preaching. Today’s conversation is about his book, Humbler Faith, Bigger God: Finding a Story to Live By. This book came out of Rev. Wells 2020 Easter sermon, which he preached in an empty garden during London’s first COVID-19 lockdown. Humbler Faith, Bigger God is written for those who seek, those who have lapsed, those of other faiths, and those who are hostile to Christianity.

As a preacher, Rev. Wells says that people tend to respond positively to his preaching because he doesn’t skirt around the issues of the day. He doesn’t hide Christianity’s often difficult past, and he isn’t afraid to have the hard conversations with believers, doubters, and nonbelievers, because he believes it’s all about trust. “We can trust God, and because we can trust God, we can trust ourselves and one another.”

Resources:
Buy Humbler Faith, Bigger God on Amazon

You might need a snack for today’s episode.

We welcome Kendall Vanderslice, baker, author, and theologian to The Weight for a discussion about the intersection of food--specifically, bread--and worship. Kendall explores the dichotomy of the simplicity and complexity of making bread and how it connects to the simplicity and complexity of a life of faith.

Kendall is the author of By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God. She is also the founder of the Edible Theology Project, a nonprofit that creates resources for churches, families, and individuals to help you connect the meal shared at the Communion table to other meals you share. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, a graduate of Boston University with a Masters of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy, and a graduate of Duke University with a Masters of Theological Studies.  In 2018, Kendall was named the James Beard Foundation National Scholar for her work on food and religion.

Resources:

Find Kendall on Facebook and Instagram

Listen to her podcast, Kitchen Meditations

Learn more about the Edible Theology Project

Follow Edible Theology on Instagram

Purchase By Bread Alone

The Weight might be on a brief summer break, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to listen to! We’ve got five seasons of excellent conversations, and Eddie and Chris offer their recommendations for re-listening to a few from this season. (They also share some life updates and a little advice at the end.)

We hope y’all have a wonderful summer, and we’ll see you in August with all new episodes of The Weight. 

Resources:

All of our episodes can be found at theweightpodcast.com, on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

--1 Corinthians 13.13

This well-known, often quoted Bible verse is probably one you’re familiar with. But today’s guest, Dr. Luther Smith, wants to mix things up a little and get us to think like this: The greatest of these is hope.

Dr. Luther Smith is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at Candler University (and one of Chris’s former professors). He earned his Ph.D. from Saint Lewis University and his Master’s of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary. He has worked with, researched, and written extensively about civil rights leader and theologian Howard Thurman. His most recent book is Hope Is Here! Spiritual Practices for Pursuing Justice and Beloved Community.

Resources

Buy Hope Is Here!

No matter what your age is, you’re probably caught up in the 24-hour news cycle, the internet, social media, and doom scrolling. You probably spend a lot of your day with a screen in front of you, and that affects us socially, emotionally, and mentally. Today’s guest gives Eddie and Chris some insight into what the church can offer in our media-saturated world.

Dr. Angela Patterson is media psychologist, writer, and researcher with Springtide Research Institute, nonpartisan nonprofit organization. She earned her doctorate in media psychology from Fielding, where she focused on how media and technology affect cultural institutions. Her research centers on the impact of digital media in adolescents and young adults, especially in regards to religious and spiritual development. Her work with Springtide Research focuses on 13- to 25-year-olds, to give them a voice and to help others learn from them and serve them as we all figure out what’s next.

Resources:

Dr. Angela Patterson’s website

Follow her on Instagram

Springtide Research Institute’s website

Follow Springtide on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Dr. Scott Morris is a medical school graduate and an ordained United Methodist minister who believes that healing the sick is a vital part of the Christian faith, and he lives that belief out in a very real way in Memphis, Tennessee through Church Health. Church Health is a faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization that offers whole person, comprehensive health care to people facing social and economic difficulties. No one should go without critical healthcare because they can’t afford it, and Scott has worked since 1985 to solve this injustice.

Dr. Morris earned his Master of Divinity degree from Yale University and his Doctor of Medicine from Emory University. He is a board-certified family practice physician and an ordained United Methodist Minister. He is also the author of Care: How People of Faith Can Respond to Our Broken Health System.

Resources:

Learn more about Church Health, how to support it, or how to start a similar organization in your community

Follow Church Health on Facebook or Instagram

Order Dr. Morris’s book, Care

Dr. Corneilus Plantinga has a few words to say about gratitude, and it may just change your life--physically, spiritually, and emotionally. A habit of gratitude can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better. But the habit of gratitude also ties us together collectively, in community and in church. When there is genuine appreciation of an act of kindness or a loving word, the memory of that “thank you” is a cushion when disagreement tries to divide us. Gratitude for God’s gifts reminds us daily that we can find something good, even in tough situations.

A previous guest on The Weight, Dr. Plantinga is Senior Research Fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary. He also served as Dean of the Chapel at Calvin University. He is the author of many books, including his latest, Gratitude.

Resources:

Find Dr. Plantinga’s books on Amazon

Listen Dr. Plantinga’s previous conversation on The Weight