Shifting Culture

In this episode, we talk with Alex Absalom about engaging naturally in conversations, helping others encounter Jesus, and being empowered by the Spirit in our every day lives.Alex Absalom has served alongside his wife Hannah in church leadership in a wide range of settings, from plants to megachurches, for over 25 years. Together they lead Dandelion Resourcing, which focuses on empowering Jesus-followers to go and make disciple-makers in naturally supernatural ways. Alex is an unusually practical (and funny!) teacher and coach, who brings strategic insight and much hard-won experience from the front lines. Originally from England, the Absaloms live in Long Beach CA, where they are also planting a network of missional communities, and they have 3 cheeky but charming young adult sons!Alex's Recommendations:No Time to DieJohn WimberDerek PrinceGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

We have a conversation with J.T. Thomas about issues of justice, reconciliation, all peoples coming to the table, and how the arts can affect change in a culture. Jonathan Tremaine Thomas was raised in the southern foothills of western North Carolina along with his brother, worship artist Jaye Thomas. As a fifth generation “preacher’s kid”, and the grandnephew of the late Civil Rights activist and music legend Dr. Nina Simone; Jonathan represents a unique blending of artistic history and divine calling. After earning a B.S. Communications at East Carolina University and pursuing an M.A. in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary; Jonathan was commissioned in by Bethel World Outreach Center as a missionary to the most violent neighborhoods in Nashville, TN. While serving in these communities, he was personified as Tony in the 2006 Sony Pictures film The Second Chance. In this context, Jonathan began to employ his theatrical, film, and media production skills to equip and encourage young people through establishing a non-profit creative company. As president of Uproot Media, LLC; he worked as an actor, host, and voiceover talent appearing with prominent roles in two feature films and over 150 commercials, industrials, and radio ads. As a missionary and prayer mobilizer, Jonathan has spearheaded extensive evangelism, prayer, and repentance gatherings in stadiums and cities across the nation including The Call Detroit, The Ferguson Response, Azusa Now LA, Awaken The Dawn, The Tent Charleston, OneRace Stone Mountain, and CLEAN. He gained a voice nationally due to his peacemaking efforts during the 2014 civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. In 2018, while serving on the pastoral team at Destiny Church St.Louis, he founded Civil Righteousness, Inc. Today, through the Civil Righteousness movement, he directs prayer fueled evangelism, community transformation, and ethnic reconciliation initiatives in hundreds of cities across the globe. With a strong conviction to “earnestly contend for the faith”; Jonathan carries an uncompromising message of identity in Christ and eternal perspective. He currently resides in Ferguson, MO with his wife Mollie and their young daughter. J.T.'s Recommendation:The Broken Heart of America by Walter JohnsonGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

David Blackwell shares about the power of story to shape and influence culture, realeasing others into work with Jesus, and the impact the fruit of the Spirit has.David is a pastor at Navah Church KC which is a part of 24-7 Prayer. He is also a self proclaimed pickle ball champion, karaoke king, and birdie beast.David's RecommendationsFalling Upward by Richard Rohr The Sentinel: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee ChildGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this episode we have a conversation with Lisa Rodriguez-Watson around issues of justice, the Kingdom of God, and embodying Jesus.Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, for nearly two decades, has served as an urban church planter, collegiate minister, seminary professor, international missionary and community development practitioner. Her heart to see people reconciled to God and to one another has led her to invest her life, family and ministry in places and people that have often been looked over by the world.Lisa served as co-founder of a grassroots organization in Memphis, TN that was committed to mobilizing Christians to love their undocumented neighbors, and consider an appropriate Christian response to our nation’s immigration crisis. In addition to her role as National Director of Missio Alliance, she serves as Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Equipping at Christ City Church.Educated at Florida International University and Golden Gate Seminary, she now lives in Washington, DC where she is a mom to 3 fantastic children, Nathan, Elias, and Annelies, and a wife to her best friend Matthew, who serves as Pastor of Teaching and Outreach at Christ City Church. Lisa's RecommendationsSubversive Witness by Dominique Dubois Gilliard Ted LassoThe Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison BarrA World of Difference by Lori Adams-BrownSeminary Dropout by Shane BlackshearManaging Leadership Anxiety by Steve CussGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this episode we have a conversation with Liam Byrnes about fruitfulness versus productivity and the long slow process of being formed into the likeness of Jesus. Liam and Rachel Byrnes joined All Nations and did CPx in 2010 in Cape Town. They've lived there ever since working in the township of Masiphumelele encouraging and mentoring young people and local leaders. In the past few years, alongside a local team, help lead Isithembiso (http://childrenofpromiseafrica.com) which is a ministry of All Nations. They also serve the Centre for Christian Formation and Discipleship (http://christianformation.org) which is a part of YWAM's University of the Nations, teaching, training, mentoring, and coaching other mission and ministry leaders. Liam writes a fortnightly newsletter called the Lectio Letter (http://lectioletter.com) with an article on discipleship, book suggestions, and other miscellanies. You can find out more about Liam and Rachel at http://liamandrachel.com/aboutLiam's Recommendations:Faith Formation in a Secular Age by Andrew RootThe Divine Embrace by Robert WebberThe Apostles' Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism by Ben MyersGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this episode we have a conversation with Bryan Sims around getting buy in from everyone around values and mission, adaptive leadership, and abiding with Christ. Bryan has worked since 2001 as a Leadership and Organizational Change Coach with SLI where he has trained and coached leaders, teams, churches, and organizations over extended periods of time to bring spiritual awakening and missional effectiveness. He has coached in Anglican, Methodist, Free Methodist, Wesleyan, Baptist, Presbyterian, and non-denominational settings.Bryan has also been a professor of Leadership and Lay Equipping at Asbury Theological Seminary since 2011. His teaching expertise relates to team leadership, equipping, leading change, adaptive spiritual leadership, and the link between leadership and discipleship.Bryan is a graduate of West Texas A&M University (1998) and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2003) and has a Ph. D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University (2009). He is author of Leading Together: Embodying Kenosis through our Greatest Challenges (100M Publishing, 2021) and has a authored a chapter in Leadership the Wesleyan Way (Emeth Press, 2016).He and his wife MyLinda have been happily married since 1997 and have four children: Isaiah, Luke, Silas, and Lydia.Bryan's RecommendationsTempered Resilience by Tod BolsingerStrengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley BartonThe Deeply Formed Life by Rich VillodasConnect with Bryanbryandsims.combryandsims@gmail.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this episode, Jon Ritner talks about his new book Positively Irritating, embodying the good news for the city, and he gives us a new paradigm for church. Jon has twenty years of pastoral leadership experience, from growing an American megachurch to planting microchurches in Brussels, Belgium. He currently serves in Los Angeles as lead pastor of Ecclesia Hollywood and is on the board of directors for Communitas International, a global church planting movement. Jon trains pastors and church planters from across the country with Forge America, Fuller Theological Seminary, the V3 Movement, and 100 Movements. Jon and his wife, Kristyn, have two children, Addy and Jax.Jon's book:Positively IrritatingJon's Recommendation:Unclean by Richard BeckGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

We have a great conversation with Nicole Smithee around women in leadership, making Gospel centered decisions, trust and vulnerability, worldview, and more. It's one you won't want to miss.Nicole lives in Manhattan with the love of her life, her husband Ben. Nicole is the CEO and Co-Founder of Iridescent Women, a digital media company committed to awakening and championing the brilliance of every woman through honest conversations and authentic connections. She also serves as the Executive Director of Ministries & Teaching at Liberty Church. She enjoys quality time with friends and family, getting lost in a good book, being active and exploring, and Netflix-binging. To learn more, check out iridescentwomen.com and follow @iridescentwomen and @nicolesmithee on Instagram.Nicole's Recommendations:The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison BarrNecessary Endings by Dr. Henry CloudGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this episode we have a conversation with Michael Cooper about the Ephesian movement and the structures it took for all of Asia to hear the word of the Lord. We dig into different leadership models, cultural identity, and the importance of everyone playing their part.Michael T. Cooper – Dr. Cooper earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies with a focus on religious movements and a minor in theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently serves as a missiologist for East West where he focuses on missiological research and equipping missionaries for effective cultural engagement. Additionally, he is professor of missiological theology and program director of the Master of Arts Missiology of Movements at Mission India Theological Seminary. He has more than thirty years of missions experience, including ten years as a pioneer church planter in Romania after the fall of communism as well as six years in international development. He has helped equip church planters and leaders in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. He has written and contributed to more than 30 books and academic articles and has presented conference lectures at the London School of Economics, University Bordeaux Montaigne, Loyola University, Baylor University, and many others. His book, Ephesiology: The Study of the Ephesian Movement received the Catalyst Services 2020 Reader's Choice award as the best book in missiology.Michael's BooksEphesiology.comMichael's RecommendationThe 1st Epistle of Clement to the CorinthiansGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show

In this conversation with Curtis Sergeant, we talk about elements of movemental disicple making, hear about movements from around the world, and get into Curtis' story of his time working cross-culturally. Dr. Curtis Sergeant served with the International Mission Board (IMB) among an unreached people group (UPG) in China. After a movement started there, he began training for the house-church networks in China and others around the world in how to do the same. Later he served as a VP for Global Strategy with the IMB. Then he went to Saddleback Church over Church Planting and helped catalyze some extremely large-scale church planting projects, especially in India, and engaged nearly a hundred UUPGs. He then served at e3 Partners as the International VP. Now he runs a disciple-making and missions training center called MetaCamp in Dadeville, Alabama (metacamp.org). He is also a co-facilitator of the 24:14 coalition (2414now.net) and founded Zúme (zume.training).Curtis' book:The Only OneGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSubscribe today at shiftingculture.substack.com Support the show