We Wonder

Our guest host this week is a real treat! If you don’t already know Kendra Adachi, also known as the Lazy Genius, please make sure to check out her podcast (also called the Lazy Genius), pop over to her Instagram stories (@thelazygenius), or order her brand new book: The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done. 

Kendra has such a gracious way of inviting us all into a life that is reflective and intentional: with humor and kindness, she encourages her listeners and readers to let go of the things that don’t ultimately matter so we can make space for the real business of the life God has called each of us into. And of course, she has a mean chicken recipe -- although my dear friend Haley swears you should all try her mocha muffins as well. 

I’m so honored that Kendra believes our work of wondering together about God’s good words matters, and that she has made the time and space to join us today!

Today's passage is from Psalm 29:3-9:

The voice of the Lord is heard over the waters.

    The God of glory thunders.

    The Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful.

    The voice of the Lord is majestic.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees.

    The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon into pieces.

He makes the mountains of Lebanon leap like a calf.

    He makes Mount Hermon jump like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord strikes

    with flashes of lightning.

The voice of the Lord shakes the desert.

    The Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord twists the oak trees.

    It strips the forests bare.

    And in his temple everyone cries out, “Glory!”

What do these verses make you wonder about God's voice? About how he speaks?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

This week, I am absolutely delighted to welcome my dear friend Wesley Hill as our guest host. 

Wes is a teacher, a writer, a godfather, and a priest in the Episoscopal church. He is an associate professor of New Testament at Trinity School for Ministry, and he is one of the most thoughtful and gracious people writing in the American church right now. If you haven’t picked up his book on the Lord’s Prayer, please give yourself a gift and grab it right now! (Might I suggest ordering from the good folks at Hearts and Minds Books?)

Wes also really loves the Bible. His friendship and example have encouraged me to read it more deeply, more slowly, and with more curiosity and hope. I’m so happy that he’s come to share his wonder and his voice with all of us today.

Today's passage is Matthew 21:28-32:

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father[a] went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

Our guest host today, Scot Sherman, is the executive director of the Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco, where he co-founded the Newbigin Fellowship for Faith, Peace and Justice in 2010. He also hosts Conversations for the Common Good, which you can find and listen to online -- Scot has had some fascinating conversations with folks like Jim Wallis, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Van Jones, Austin Channing Brown, and Tony Hale. If that’s not enough, he’s an organist, an opera lover, and can tell you anything you want to know about Lesslie Newbigin or golden-age British murder mysteries.

Scot is also a great preacher, and a priest in the Episcopal Church: I’m so glad he is joining us today as we wonder about God’s good words together!

Luke 4:1-13

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

5 Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil[b] said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

  and serve only him.’”

9 Then the devil[c] took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,

  to protect you,’

11 and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

It’s not too early to mark your calendars: we’ll be back with another Advent season, beginning on November 29. I hope you’ll join me, as we wait together for God.

In the meantime, everyone needs some rest from time to time, and so I’m going to be taking a little break. But I would love for you to hear from some of my friends while I’m resting! This Fall, we’ll have special guest-hosted episodes of We Wonder every week, where you can still listen to God’s good words with some lovely and different voices. And I’ll be listening along with you!

This week's episode features our friend, Sally Steele. Sally is a pastor and a non-profit director at City Hope, an organization in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood that provides a trusted gathering place + community for our neighbors on the margins. She lives just across the Bay in Oakland with her husband and their three girls who are in 6th, 4th, and 2nd grade. When the air is clean in the SF Bay Area, she likes to get outside for hiking and backpacking; when it’s not so much, like recently, she loves to stay in and cook for her family.

This week's passage is Job 38:8-12, 16-18:

8 Who created the ocean?

  Who caused it to be born?

9 I put clouds over it as if they were its clothes.

  I wrapped it in thick darkness.

10 I set limits for it.

  I put its doors and metal bars in place.

11 I said, ‘You can come this far.

  But you can’t come any farther.

  Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’

12 “Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come?

16 Have you traveled to the springs at the bottom of the ocean?

  Have you walked in its deepest parts?

17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?

  Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?

18 Do you understand how big the earth is?

  Tell me, if you know all these things.  Have you ever shown the sun where to rise?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

It’s not too early to mark your calendars: we’ll be back with another Advent season, beginning on November 29. I hope you’ll join me, as we wait together for God.

In the meantime, everyone needs some rest from time to time, and so I’m going to be taking a little break. But I would love for you to hear from some of my friends while I’m resting! Starting this week, we’ll have special guest-hosted episodes of We Wonder every week, where you can still listen to God’s good words with some lovely and different voices. And I’ll be listening along with you!

This week's episode features our friend, Mira Sawlani-Joyner. Mira's experience in Children's ministry has spanned the globe, from serving in youth ministry in Australia, to mission trips in South East Asia, South Africa and South America to most recently in leading a virtual VBS from her home in Washington DC. She is on the Launch Team of a LGBTQIA+ affirming community called Resurrection City, DC and a second year Seminarian. When she isn't navigating online learning alongside her three daughters, she finds joy in painting and practicing Yoga.

Today's passage is Psalm 139:1-6, 13-14:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

  you discern my thoughts from far away.

3 You search out my path and my lying down,

  and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

  O Lord, you know it completely.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

  and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

  it is so high that I cannot attain it.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;

  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

  Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

The Area Code Network launches today!

Area Code is a collective of creators who have gathered to create the most genuine, sincere work possible, uninhibited by red tape or competing agendas, and We Wonder is just one of many podcasts that are a part of it.

Check out www.areacodenetwork.com for more information and to sign up for our newsletter.

It’s not too early to mark your calendars: we’ll be back with another Advent season, beginning on November 29. I hope you’ll join me, as we wait together for God.

In the meantime, everyone needs some rest from time to time, and so I’m going to be taking a little break. But I would love for you to hear from some of my friends while I’m resting! Starting this week, we’ll have special guest-hosted episodes of We Wonder every week, where you can still listen to God’s good words with some lovely and different voices. And I’ll be listening along with you!

This week's episode features our friend, Dorena Williamson. Dorena is a bridge-builder, speaker, writer, and church-planter. Her books gently invite children and grownups alike to explore truths that are near and dear to my heart: that God has created all of us beautiful, across the range of human colors and cultures, as well as in all of our different abilities. I’m so grateful she is joining us today!

Dorena’s books (linked to Amazon, but I encourage you to buy them from your local bookstore or place an order with Hearts and Minds Books!): 

Colorfull: Celebrating the Colors God Gave us

Thoughtfull: Discovering the Unique Gifts in Each of Us

Gracefull: Growing a Heart That Cares For Our Neighbors

You can learn more about Dorena’s work at https://www.dorenawilliamson.com/

Today's Scripture is from Mark's gospel, chapter 5 verses 24 - 34.

24 So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

This is our last episode for this Ordinary Time series: thanks so much to everyone who has been listening along!

It’s not too early to mark your calendars: we’ll be back with another Advent season, beginning on November 29. I hope you’ll join me, as we wait together for God.

In the meantime, everyone needs some rest from time to time, and so I’m going to be taking a little break. But I would love for you to hear from some of my friends while I’m resting! Starting in September, we’ll have special guest-hosted episodes of We Wonder every week, where you can still listen to God’s good words with some lovely and different voices. And I’ll be listening along with you! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @wewonderpod to find out about these weekly episodes and to get updates on our Advent season. 

Today’s reading is from the 2 Peter, chapter 1, verses 5 through 8. I wonder what the Holy Spirit might want to show me about self-control? Do any words or phrases capture my attention, or my heart?

5 So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge. 6 To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. 7 To godliness, add kindness for one another. And to kindness for one another, add love. 8 All these things should describe you more and more. They will make you useful and fruitful as you know our Lord Jesus Christ better.

Holy Spirit, you help us to live by your power. You free our hearts, so that we are controlled by your love instead of by sin. Help your fruit to grow in our lives today, so that your love moves out into the world through us. Remind us that we are Jesus’s hands and feet working and walking in our homes, our families, our friendships, and our towns. Thank you for freeing us to love you and one another with our whole hearts. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening!

Today’s reading is from the book of James, chapter 3, verses 7 through 11. I wonder what the Holy Spirit might want to show me about self-control? Do any words or phrases capture my attention, or my heart?

7 People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures. And they still tame them. 8 But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison. 9 With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we curse people. We do it even though people have been created to be like God. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be this way. 11 Can fresh water and salt water flow out of the same spring?

Holy Spirit, you help us to live by your power. You free our hearts, so that we are controlled by your love instead of by sin. Help your fruit to grow in our lives today, so that your love moves out into the world through us. Remind us that we are Jesus’s hands and feet working and walking in our homes, our families, our friendships, and our towns. Thank you for freeing us to love you and one another with our whole hearts. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Today’s reading is from 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 13 through 16. I wonder what the Holy Spirit might want to show me about self-control? Do any words or phrases capture my attention, or my heart?

13 So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns. 14 You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. 15 The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. 16 It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Holy Spirit, you help us to live by your power. You free our hearts, so that we are controlled by your love instead of by sin. Help your fruit to grow in our lives today, so that your love moves out into the world through us. Remind us that we are Jesus’s hands and feet working and walking in our homes, our families, our friendships, and our towns. Thank you for freeing us to love you and one another with our whole hearts. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. 

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!