Doubt and deconstruction with AJ Swoboda

Deconstruction and doubts are natural to having faith. AJ Swoboda reminds us that we are not alone in our deconstruction and that reconstruction can be a beautiful, hopeful process.

AJ Swoboda is assistant professor of Bible, theology, and world Christianity at Bushnell University. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning Subversive Sabbath and of the recently released After Doubt.

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Intersection of faith and mental health

Chrisie Reeves-Pendergrass and Adam Baker speak on where the faith community has harmed in the realm of mental health, where the faith community has had positive impact, and what still needs to be said regarding mental health and faith.

See more from Chrisie and Adam through their podcast page: https://instructionsforlivingalife.com/

Becoming spiritually free with AD Thomason

AD Thomason joined the Compass Podcast to share his experience encountering freedom through the Spirit.

AD is an adjunct professor at Kilns College where he teaches on the History of Human rights and justice, De-colonizing your faith, filmmaking and more. He has spoken in over 15 countries. Native of Detroit, Michigan, AD made it through adverse circumstances, be it violence, broken homes, racial discrimination and more. With over seventeen years of experience as it pertains to lecturing and human rights advocacy in ethnically divided countries, cultures, sub-cultures and relationships, he gives you a glimpse of God’s heart with the hope of healing and peace. AD wrote Permission to be Black: My Journey with Jay-Z and JesusFind out more at IAmRedRev.com.

Find out more about the Compass Podcast at umc.org/compass

Creating change when stuck in the same

Tony Caldwell joined Pierce and Ryan to talk about resilience. What are ways we can move forward in hope when so many of our circumstances feel stuck in sameness?

Tony Caldwell is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He also hosts the Voices of Wisdom podcast and is a featured speaker and writer for Red Letter Christians.org. He has written for many publications and newspapers and his work has been featured on CNN.

Living with doubt

Does being faithful mean being doubtless? Brian McLaren is back on the Compass Podcast to talk about living with faith and doubt.

Brian’s new book, Faith After Doubt, is out now. He provides a glimpse into both the stories behind the book and how he lives with doubt–even while being a faith leader.

See more about Faith After Doubt: https://bookshop.org/books/faith-after-doubt-why-your-beliefs-stopped-working-and-what-to-do-about-it/9781250262776

And Brian McLaren: https://brianmclaren.net/

Believing you can make a difference

Lindsey Krinks is a street chaplain and difference-maker. On the Compass Podcast, she shares how you will be a difference-maker, too.

Lindsey Krinks is also an activist and a cofounder of Open Table Nashville. Check out Lindsey’s book, Praying with Our Feet, at http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/praying-with-our-feet/402180

Keeping it simple this Christmas

Consume less, relate more. Ryan and Pierce felt a strong sense of mourning entering this holiday season. Where is the light shining this holiday time? Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping gave Pierce and Ryan some ideas for a unique holiday season.

For more Compass episodes visit umc.org/compass.

Check out more from Rev. Billy Talen at RevBilly.com

Cultivating gratitude

Gratitude is good for our bodies, minds and spirits. But we don’t always feel a sense of gratitude, do we? Knowing that gratitude is good, are there ways to cultivate a sense of gratitude?

Pierce and Ryan dig into some practices that inspire internal thankfulness. The trick is not simply being thankful for all things. But to be thankful in all things.

The Compass Podcast connects the spiritual and Divine with our everyday lives. Never miss an episode and find out more by visiting www.umc.org/compass

Communicating and bias with Brian McLaren

We all have our own well-reasoned opinions and points-of-view. Why can’t other people see things as clearly as we do?

Brian McLaren joined the Compass Podcast noting that all of us carry certain biases, and when we recognize them we are far better capable of communicating our points of view.

Brian McLaren is a well-known and prolific author. His book A New Kind of Christian influenced a number of today’s Christian leaders. He also wrote The Secret Message of Jesus, relating the words of Jesus to 21st-century circumstances. Naked Spirituality offers “simple, doable, and durable” practices to help people deepen their life with God.

One of his perhaps lesser-known books is a little one called Why Don’t They Get It? It’s a little less about faith than many of his other books… and is more about communication. Specifically, it’s about how we communicate important and sometimes conflictual ideas. In this short book, Brian addresses 13 biases that are present in everybody–even me and you. And he gives practical insight into how these biases keep us and others from hearing new information.

Games, anime, comics and church

Self-proclaimed “Nerd Pastor” Nathan Webb, founder of Checkpoint Church, joined the Compass Podcast to discuss gaming, anime, comics, and connecting on a spiritual level. We’re all geeks for something, and Nathan details how our geek-y interests can foster something deeper.