Month: May 2020

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Meet Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Episcopal Area. He was raised in West Virginia where his family worked in the glass industry and raised him in the church from day one. At West Virginia Wesleyan College, he developed an appreciation for the stories each person has to tell, which later deepened as he had opportunity to travel the world. When asked about the best part of being a bishop, he responded, “Being a bishop.” Bickerton is clearly enthusiastic about his ministry. Although a self-described driven personality, he talks about the importance of stillness, encouraging us to “just breathe” as an act of spiritual discipline.

Please note: We recorded this conversation before the global pandemic.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

While serving as a hospice chaplain, United Methodist pastor the Rev. Gary Shockley, noticed parents, grandparents and other caretakers struggling to help children in times of grief. Because he is also a children’s author and illustrator, Gary created My Heart Sings a Sad Song, a wonderful new resource to help kids and their families as they experience the complicated emotions of grief.

In this conversation, Gary shares some tips for helping children—and all of us—face our emotions during difficult times, including the grief we may be feeling during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

We also talk about how Gary learned to use his gifts for art in his ministry.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

In the stillness of the night during a youth retreat, his pastor asked a simple question. “Bruce,” Bishop Ough recalls him saying, “have you ever thought about ministry?” Several years later, in another quiet moment at night, this time looking up at the stars, he was struck with a sense of his place in the universe and with God.

As Bishop Ough shares his journey of faith and ministry, we get a glimpse into our own spiritual lives and the ways God speaks to us in the stillness. What a great reminder for these days of stay-at-home recommendations and quarantines.