Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast

Sarah Arthur returns to the podcast as "A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time" is arriving in stores. We laugh our way through episode #140 and back at episode #59. Sarah is the author of numerous books and resources on the intersection of faith and great stories. Her first book was the best-selling youth devotional, "Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through The Lord of the Rings," followed by the award-winning "Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit." She's also the editor of the literary guides to prayer series by Paraclete Press, including "Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide" (Jan. 2016). Sarah is a graduate of Wheaton Collegeand Duke University Divinity School, she speaks around the country on the role of stories and imagination in spiritual formation. She lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her young sons, Micah and Sam, and her husband, Tom, pastor of Sycamore Creek Chur

LINKS: Sponsor: United Faith Leaders Cohere Chicago Rabbi Riffs Open Dor Project ELI Talk: "Community IS Everything" Honi the Circle Maker Hebrew Union College Baltimore Hebrew University Indiana University InterfaithFamily/Chicago MORE: Founder of Cohere Chicago, Rabbi Ari Poster Moffic was ordained in 2007 from Hebrew Union College. She has an undergraduate degree from Indiana Universityin Religious Studies, a time when, she says, she got "slightly obsessed with Buddhism." She then went on to Baltimore to complete a Masters Degree in Jewish Education from Baltimore Hebrew University. She has been the Director of InterfaithFamily/Chicagoand spends her full-time rabbinate focused on supporting interfaith couples and families who are exploring Jewish life. Her husband is also a Reform Rabbi and they are the proud parents of a 8 year old and 10 year old. She is open to mall walking or meeting for a coffee and discussing how it is someone from Boston now lives in Chicago with no ocean. Rabbi Ari is usually givin

Rev. Eric Jackson's quote from the Freedom New Hampshirewebsite jumped out at me. Perhaps it should not be outstanding that a pastor is firmly standing up for transgender people. As humans we shouldn't be surprised anymore that God surprises us with naturally occurring phenomena. It makes sense to be surprised at what the surprise isbut decreasingly so that there is a surprise at all. God has got us beat, hands down, in the creation department.  Now can we stop hurting the souls, transgender and everyone else, who are blessings in God's beautifully diverse Creation? This pastor and Hartford Seminarydoctoral student is helping all of us understand that God's love is for everyone. "I believe in the radically inclusive love of God. This love extends to all of creation--including our transgender brothers and sisters-and calls me to support transgender equality in New Hampshire. At Smith Memorial UCC we are proud to welcome ALL of God's children to our congregation." -Rev. Eric Jackson Eric Jackson received his Ma

Minister Lyvonne “Proverbs” Picou is a preacher, speaker, poet, educator, creative social entrepreneur, and an Emmy-award-winning media producer. A New York City native, Lyvonne is currently a part of the inaugural cohort for the Do Good X Startup Accelerator. Do Good X nurtures Christian social entrepreneurs who wish to do good in the world. She was also recently profiled as a Millennial Womanist to Watch by The Millennial Womanism Project. Through her organization, beautiful scars, Lyvonne promotes healthy and safe conversations around religion, sex, and Blackness in order to, ultimately, address the silence in the Black Church on sexual abuse. Lyvonne graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Honors, Yale Divinity School with a Master of Divinity, and Columbia Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology. At Columbia, she published her thesis, The Problem with 'Father' God: Incest as a Silent Killer in the Black Church, an exploration of the praxis of using poetry to preach

Rabbi Patrick Beaulier is a co-founder of Darshan Yeshiva and PunkTorah. He is an author, speaker, pastor, seeker and facilitator. He is the rabbi for Bonay Kodesh, an independent, progressive Jewish community started south of Richmond, VA. Patrick has written or edited several books including Ahavah Rabbah, PunkTorah: The First Anthology and the NewKosher Vegan Cookbook, as well as countless articles for blogs such as PunkTorah and My Jewish Learning. Rabbi Patrick was ordained by Rabbinical Seminary International, a progressive rabbinical program in Manhattan, founded by the late Rabbi Joseph Gelberman. Patrick is also a member of the Richmond Rabbinical Association. You can find Patrick's profile at unitedfaithleaders.comwhere he also sits on the Board of Advisors. Patrick has also been featured in many books, including, The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections, Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt!: Jews and Punk, as well as articles in the Times of Israel,

Micah Redding is the Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association and producer of The Christian Transhumanist Podcast. Micah is from many places including Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today he lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his spouse. What's Christian Transhumanist, you ask? Micah is the right Christian to ask. (Full show notes with pictures and links at http://coffeepotfellowship.com/micahredding) On their public sites you will find the following explanation. As Christian Transhumanists, we seek to use science & technology to participate in God's redemptive purposes, to cultivate life and renew creation. 1. We believe that God’s mission involves the transformation and renewal of creation including humanity, and that we are called by Christ to participate in that mission: working against illness, hunger, oppression, injustice, and death. 2. We seek growth and progress along every dimension of our humanity: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental—and at all levels: individual, community, society,

Rev. Melanie Mullen lives her life in professional service to God and others as the Director of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care at the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. So this episode holds stories that connect her North Carolina roots, her time in Richmond, and certainly her time now in D.C., New York City, and everywhere Bishop Curry's staff goes! My original lead for the show notes was, "If you're wondering what a "drag show for the saints" is then this could be your favorite episode of the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast," but I went another way. That statement, however, still holds true. This is another great story of an Episcopal priest truly asking herself (and letting congregants ask) what a gathering time together can and should look like, how it can be most fulfilling for participants? (I cannot help recall a future podcast guest, Rev. Megan Anderson, in California and several guests from the past. Keep your eyes open for Megan in the future.) We interviewed Melanie es

Lisa Sharon Harper confirms here that one reason President Obama was able to create the DACA program was because of a broad coalition of evangelical Christians advocating for major immigration reform? From Ferguson to New York to Germany and South Africa, Lisa leads trainings and helps mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good. A prolific speaker, writer and activist, Lisa is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by convening forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment, and common action toward a just world. In 2015 The Huffington Post recognized her as one of “50 Powerful Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day.” Most recently, Relevant Magazine recognized The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right as one of “Six Books that Will Change the Way You See the World” and Lisa as one of “Seven Leaders to Follow in 2017.” In t

Stephanie is the pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Formerly she was the Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. She has also served other churches in Kentucky. She is married to Andy Wing, another Presbyterian minister. They have two boys, Isaac and Micah, 4 and 2 years old, respectively. Both Stephanie and Andy are children and grandchildren of pastors. In this interview Stephanie asks those of us not already engaged in self-awakening to take action on our own development. We're invited to encounters with racism. As resources Stephanie recommends the work of Sandra Kim, Safety Pin Box, and the fast-approaching March for Our Lives.  Links: Sponsor: United Faith Leaders March for Our Lives: March 24, 2018 Stephanie on Facebook Trinity Presbyterian Church on Facebook Trinity Presbyterian Church Sandra Kim: everyday liberation Safety Pin Box Kenyon College Presbyterian Church (USA) Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

The Rev. Dr. Patricia (“Tricia”) Lyons is currently serving on the Bishop’s Staff as Missioner for Evangelism and Community Engagement for the Diocese of Washington. For 17 years, she was a chaplain, religion teacher, varsity coach and JK-12 Director of Service Learning at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Episcopal) School in Alexandria, VA. She has also taught as an adjunct at the Virginia Theological Seminary, teaching evening and summer courses to masters and doctoral students. Tricia has taught courses in Systematic Theology, C.S. Lewis, Sigmund Freud, Theology and Fiction, and most recently, Christian Themes in Harry Potter. Tricia is an honors graduate from Harvard College in the Comparative Study of Religion. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Harvard Divinity School. She received her doctorate from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Her doctoral thesis was a study of the stages of moral and spiritual development of adolescents. Tricia is the author of two acclaimed books. The first is a stud

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg has her own ELI Talk with over 12,000 views, Twitter feed with over 18,000 followers, and is Rabbi-in-Residence at Avodah. She has also authored seven books "about the messy business of trying to be a person in the world, and how spirituality can transform that work." Married, mother of three, her latest book, Nurture the Wow, has an entire chapter about 'body stuff.' Rabbi Danya has been named by Newsweek and The Daily Beast as one of ten “rabbis to watch,” and one of the top 50 most influential women rabbis." She is highly sought after as a lecturer and keynote speaker. Related to her latest book we have also embedded her mini-podcast, Nurture the Wowcast, on the show notes page. The Avodah Mision: Avodah strengthens the Jewish community’s fight against the causes and effects of poverty in the United States. We do this by engaging participants in service and community building that inspire them to become lifelong leaders for social change whose work for justice is rooted in and nouris

Bethany Stolle is an interaction designer, curriculum developer, and entrepreneur with a ten years of experience. Bethany spent nearly a decade developing innovative, experiential curriculum for the non-profit religious publisher, Augsburg Fortress. Check out her work today at Stolle Creative. I saw Bethany lead a workshop for Virginia Theological Seminary's eFormation program. When I saw what Bethany brought to the table, figuratively, and the design table, literally, I knew I wanted to have her on the podcast so you could invite her to your design processes. On this show and in our sister ministry, United Faith Leaders, the notion of being entrepreneurial in ministry just keeps growing. Bethany brings her education and experiences, including the completion of an intensive program at Austin Center for Design (AC4D) called Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship to our creative and entrepreneurial conversation. Bethany's stories range from birth to death as we hear about her then-eleven-month-old son a

Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott is the Coordinator of Interfaith Engagement for DMARC, The Des Moines Area Religious Council, from which we grabbed the following biography! "Sarah works with the diverse faith communities of the greater Des Moines area to support the mission of DMARC, while also creating resources and opportunities to support faith communities in their work. Sarah also partners with The Comparison Project at Drake University in their efforts for interfaith awareness, dialogue, and scholarship. "As an AmeriCorps VISTA working for Northern New Mexico Legal Aid in Gallup, New Mexico, Sarah engaged community and faith leaders around the issue of Domestic Violence. As a hospital chaplain in Philadelphia and Chicago, Sarah supported patients and staff of all religious backgrounds. In parish ministry, first in rural Virginia and later in suburban Des Moines, it was her priority to build relationships beyond the church building and work together with interfaith partners. "Sarah holds a BA in History from th

Dr. Marsha Foster Boyd has been a seminary president, seminary professor, and the Director of Accreditation and Leadership Education at the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. She is the Chief Catalyst at Catalyst Connections Global and a co-founder of The Bridge Collective with Matthew Abrams. Come find out why her story of happiest ministry moment is now.   Marsha has also just published a two-CD collection of stories called Healing on the Journey: Conversations to Shine Light on Your Path. Clearly, like us, she is a "story person," one who believes in and knows the power and importance of sharing stories. From this interview you also know that she has a rich life experience from which to draw so that her stories are laden with wisdom and insights.   As a professor of pastoral care, a trained educator, and one who experienced the grief of an assassinated father, Dr. Boyd has a tapestry that is both gracious and inspiring. This was a fun interview to do, an honor that she said

Katie Amin is a Muslim, female firefighter/emergency medical technician with the Chesterfield Fire Department with a passion for volunteering. She has four older sisters and a younger brother. She was born in Jerusalem and lived there until she was 13. Katie has very graciously accepted our invitation to help us expand our interfaith friendships. We're sure you'll agree, she is fun and inspirational. Katie is a big believer in personal development. She's always learning and determined to just keep growing. She's successful in her day job and all her volunteer work because she's quite simply a good human with great people skills. Which is why she could have written the book she recommended to us, John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, which could be called the 21 Laws of Being a Good Human. In her own words, "You're never too important to say 'hi' to anyone." And, "as my dad says it and our prophet says it: 'Treat others as you would want to be treated.'" Links: Sponsor: United Faith Leaders Spo

Reverend Amelia Fulbright is the founding minister at Labyrinth Progressive Student Ministry. Amelia went to Wake Forest University then studied Pastoral Care and Counseling at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. After seminary Amelia served for five years as an Associate Pastor at University Baptist Church in Austin, TX, before transitioning to full-time campus ministry. In addition to her work as a pastor, Amelia has previously worked in community mental health services in Cincinnati, OH and as a domestic violence crisis counselor in Austin. Amelia has a wide range of interests, including a special affinity for feminist theologies, contemplative spiritual practices, holistic medicine, and bluegrass music. She is also happily married and enjoys being a mother to her daughter, Vivienne. Even more succinctly: Curator of silence. Connoisseur of well-chosen words. Seeker after justice. Beneficiary of grace. Interesting to me was that I had previously interviewed Amelia's seminary president, Ted Wardlaw. Th

Kyle Oliver is living in NY, NY. He is in the Communications Media and Learning Technologies Design Program at Columbia University's Teachers College in pursuit of a doctorate. Kyle studied nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is married and an Assistant Priest at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. I was introduced to Kyle more than a year ago when he was the Digital Missioner at Virginia Theological Seminary in Northern Virginia. As the Digital Missioner he help found and implement the annual eFormation Conference which, beginning this year, takes place in various locations as mini-conferences instead of one big conference so that it can reach its growing audience. The Digital Missioner job title now belongs to a previous guest, Sarah Stonesifer. Listeners may also remember Alex Moreschi, who was also a guest and helped with with the 2016 eFormation Conference. This interview will likely leave you wanting to read all of Douglas Adam's books, Kyle's newsletters,

Dr. Amir Hussain is Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses on world religions. His own particular speciality is the study of Islam, focusing on contemporary Muslim societies in North America. His academic degrees (BSc, MA, PhD) are all from the University of Toronto where he received a number of awards, including the university’s highest award for alumni service.  His most recent book is Muslims and the Making of America where Dr. Hussain addresses the fear of American Muslims and the misconceptions regarding the religion. In this interview Amir mentions some fascinating distinctions in the story of Abraham's being called to sacrifice his son. While Jews and Christians work from the shared text of Genesis 22, Muslims have the same story with slightly different text in the Quran. The name of the son is missing in the Quran and is believed to be Abraham and Hagar's son, Ismail. In Amir's story of greatest trial he graciously reflected with us jus

A few months ago I had the opportunity, along with 1500 others, to hear Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin on a panel discussion representing BLUU, Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. Our Unitarian Universalist denomination is courageously discussing its past and present participation, along with the rest of America and religion, in white supremacy. BLUU is critical in helping our organization get woke. Three weeks later at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in New Orleans, after we had recorded this interview online, I had the very brief opportunity to swap a quick, real-life hug with Takiyah after a panel discussion she was leading. She was super busy but, of course, I had to say hello! You will certainly be able to tell from this interview that Takiyah has a very sharp mind and a very gracious heart. If that sounds like the making of a great faith leader, teacher, and social justice advocate then I would have to agree with you. But there's at least one more important ingredient that's important, passion arou

Dying is part of America's null curriculum. Even in many Christian congregations, denominations, and seminaries, death and dying are rarely discussed. Today's guest is an author, speaker, and professor of religion at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Dr. Deanna Thompson. Like all our listeners, she's living. But like only some of our listeners, she's living with incurable cancer. Since her diagnosis, Dr. Thompson has brought her experiences of cancer to bear on her work as a religious scholar. Recent books include The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World and Hoping for More: Having Cancer, Talking Faith, and Accepting Grace We could easily have focused on the Book of Deuteronomy or Martin Luther and the Reformation for our interview. But we’re focusing instead on Dr. Thompson’s insights into what’s it’s like to live acutely aware of her mortality. You can order any of Deanna's books below except one she's writing about trauma, illness, and religious communities’ understandings and responses t