Rev. Mitchell Boone joins Rev. Phil Dieke for this week's sit down. As we kick off our new series: Encountering the Risen Christ, they discuss the idea of religious experience through the lens of Methodism. John Wesley, the unintended found of Methodism, talked a lot about religious experience, and more than talked about it he valued it, alongside Scripture, tradition, and reason, as a valid way of understanding God. 

Mitchell and Phil get a bit nerdy talking about epistemology, justification, sanctification, and hearts strangely warmed. We'd love to hear about your religious experience(s). You can email us at [email protected].

You can also find the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel:

For this year's Easter sermon Rev. Mitchell Boone asked the question, what makes a good story?  Having spent the Lenten season in the Gospel of Mark, we capped off Easter looking at Mark 16:1-8. If you have never read the conclusion of this Gospel, we encourage you to do so now. It has quite the surprising ending. No encounter with the risen Christ, but the disciples leaving with fear.  

What are we to make of a story, ending in fear...? Maybe that is exactly the point.  

Let us know your thoughts on this year's Easter story and what you think makes a good story!

You can watch this sermon on our YouTube Channel:

Rebecca, Mitchell, and Phil discuss returning to in-person worship, Easter liturgy, and discuss if Mark is a good story teller. What is that ending? They talk through fear and being afraid, how that ending is an invitation to write the next chapter, the next season that Mark leaves as a cliff hanger at the end of his Gospel. Phil shared a link to a video reading a portion of the book "How Not to Be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying," by Gareth Higgins. You can check out that video here:

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Easter and story telling!

You can watch this episode on our YouTube Channel here:

The Program Staff of White Rock UMC joined Rev. Phil Dieke for a lighthearted Sunday Sit Down. They discuss favorite Easter memories, science experiments, best (and worst) Easter candy, and other fun things that will help you better understand the inner workings of our team. 

We, as a staff, are grateful to serve this community and we join you all in celebrating resurrection this Easter!

If you'd prefer to watch this episode, you can find it on our YouTube Channel:

Rev. Mitchell Boone ties together the sixth week of our Lenten series, "More Than Just a Day," and Palm Sunday. He takes us through Jesus' entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, which leads to an elaborate look at a donkey who has never been ridden.  He also talks about parades, specifically Jesus' parade in on a donkey as a stark contrast to Pilate's entrance on a war horse on the opposite side of the city.  Mitchell also expresses that following Christ will always be a downward pursuit. A challenging statement he unpacks quite well.   

Let us know your thoughts, we always welcome your feedback. Wishing you a blessed Holy Week.

You can watch this week's sermon on our YouTube Channel:

Rebecca, Mitchell, and Phil reflect on Palm Sunday worship and the sixth week of our Lenten series "More Than Just a Day." Rebecca shares her fascination with donkeys... or at least how she has been pondering Jesus riding a donkey, rather than a war horse, into Jerusalem. They talk about parades, specifically the contrast between Pilate's parade into Jerusalem and that of Jesus. And the stark contrast between the kingdom of Rome and that of Jesus.

Just a note, next week we won't be recording our podcast on Monday, it will probably be on Tuesday. So it will be The Day After, The Day After Sunday.

As always, you can watch this episode on our YouTube Channel here:

Victoria joined Rev. Phil Dieke for this week's Sunday Sit Down. Rather than sticking with the Lent theme we pivoted and Vic shared some of her experiences as an Asian American. She spoke of what it was like growing up as an Asian American in the church in North Texas. She also shared her learning process of Asian American history, and offered some helpful resources for those who want to learn more. 

You can find the resources she cultivated here:

And, as always you can watch this episode on our YouTube Channel:

This week during our Lenten worship series More Than Just A Day we turned our attention to the denial of Jesus. Our text for this Sunday was Mark 14:66-72. As we move closer and closer to the crucifixion of Christ, we are reminded that, since despair is an emotion we try to avoid at all costs, this particular season of Lent can feel overwhelming. On Sunday we continued the difficult journey by looking at Peter. The most faithful of Jesus' disciples ensures his own safety and life over and above the opportunity to proclaim the Truth about Jesus and his own relationship with God incarnate.

If you prefer to watch this week's episode you can find it on our YouTube Channel here:

Rebecca, Mitchell, and Phil talk through the fifth Sunday in Lent. They talk through Peter's denial in the last 24 hours of Jesus' life and the seduction of denial we all face. They also speak to the gravitas of this series, how it feels like it is dragging on and almost painfully slow... and how maybe that is the point.

If you prefer to watch this week's episode you can find it on our YouTube Channel here:

Rev. Rosedanny Ortiz, Lead Pastor at Casa Linda Church, just down the street from White Rock UMC talks about Lent at their church, a Hispanic church here in East Dallas. She shares her experiences with Lent growing up in the Methodist Church of Puerto Rica, how the pandemic has been challenging for her and her congregation, and their time of preparation for a time of prayer and fasting during Holy Week.

You can find out more about Rev. Ortiz and her work at Casa Linda Church here:

You can watch this episode of the Sunday Sit Down on our YouTube Channel here: