The Cartographers

Our places shape our loves. Can the church stick with a place? We continue this mini-series in November on place with series co-host, Brandon J. O’Brien, and today we bring in José Humphreys of East Harlem, NYC.José Humphreys is a facilitator and pastor of Metro Hope Covenant Church, a multiethnic and multicultural church in East Harlem, New York City. He is also a social worker, consultant and author. Humphreys is involved in shalom-making in New York City through facilitating conversation, contemplation, and action across social, economic, cultural, and theological boundaries.Catch the first episode on place here, and the second one with Dennae Pierre here.LINKSConnect with Jose on his website: https://www.josehumphreys.comBuy Jose’s book: https://amzn.to/2qjUxvkJose’s church: Metro Hope ChurchGiveaway to win Jose’s book (and other books too!): www.aahales.com/giveawaySHARE“We all show up with a certain gospel story…” @josehumphreys on #place and #churchplanting on the #findingholypodcast with @aahales“How do we live mindfully in the places God has put us?” A fabulous conversation with @josehumphreys and @brandonjobrien on a #theologyofplace“The theology we’ve inherited is very much about Sunday and resurrection. How is disorientation important part of the Christian life?” We talk place, race, gender and the gospel on #findingholypodcast with @josehumphreys @brandonjobrienInstead of thinking about property values of what a place has for us, start by looking at the cultural, political, colonization root systems of our places. @josehumphreys on #findingholypodcast“Staying put means that place can shape us as much as people, or other categories.” @josehumphreys on #findingholypodcast with @aahales and @brandonjobrienONE SMALL STEPStart to think through the tender places in your own life about staying put in your place. What hurts about staying put? What’s exciting? Where are the tender places in your own life and desires where staying put feels a little achy?Name those tender places. Tag Ashley @aahales on Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #findingholypodcast to join the discussion.SUBSCRIBE, SHARE AND WIN!Subscribe to the Finding Holy podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. We’d be thrilled if you rated and reviewed it on iTunes and shared with a friend! Don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY NOW at aahales.com/giveaway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dennae Pierre is executive director of The Surge Network, a movement of local churches partnered together to put Jesus on display in Arizona. She is a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary and serves as one of the Co-Directors for City to City North America. Dennae has been involved in church planting, community development, and started a non-profit that serves birth mothers whose children are in the foster care system. Dennae is married to Vermon and they have four children: Marcel, Mya, Judah, and Jovanna!Where does our faith provide the ability to cross boundary lines?LINKSThe Surge Network: http://surgenetwork.comFoster Care Iniatives: http://www.fostercareinitiatives.orgGIVEAWAY: www.aahales.com/giveawaySHARE“I grew up with a lot of awareness of racial tension in our city. My life was constant boundary-crossing.” @dennaepierre on #place on #findingholypodcast“We don’t just want diversity. We actually want reconciliation.” @dennaepierre on place, church planting, and living out the kingdom of God in Phoenix on #findingholypodcast:“You can’t remain in tension without remaining in Christ — through prayer and identifying with the sufferings of Christ.” @dennaepierre of @surgenetwork“Pick an average place and give your life to it. And just be faithful. God has done amazing things.” @DennaePierre“The evangelical story of “go find your place where you can live your life to the fullest” is such an individual story of greatness. You don’t see that in scripture.” @dennaepierre of @surgenetworkHear the good news of solidarity with your city, evangelism, and reconciliation from @dennaepierre of @surgenetwork on #findingholypodcastONE SMALL STEPDennae encourages to press into places of pain in our cities and suburbs.What might it look like to stay put where you are?Practice taking a walk around your neighborhood, or put yourself in a new habit (try volunteering and getting to know a new segment of your city if you’re disconnected). Let us know how it goes by tagging @aahales or using the hashtag: #findingholypodcastSUBSCRIBE AND SHAREMake sure to subscribe and share this episode! Head on over to be entered to win one of 100s of books at www.aahales.com/giveaway! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you a citizen of the world or a good neighbor?We have a special series just for you! Through the month of November, we’ll be taking all about how places actually form our loves. We’ll walk you through the virtues of staying put, stories of what it looks like to embody the message of Jesus in your place, and give you some small steps for you in your own place.Brandon J. O’Brien and I kick off this first conversation. Brandon J. O'Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Director of Content Development and Distribution for Redeemer City to City, an organization that supports church planting in global cities. Brandon is author of several books, the most recent of which is Not From Around Here: What Unites Us, What Divides Us, and How We Can Move Forward (Moody, 2019). He lives with his wife, Amy, and two children in Uptown Manhattan.LINKSBrandon’s website: https://www.brandonjobrien.comBuy Brandon’s book, Not From Around Here: https://amzn.to/2CndJuhEnter the giveaway here: www.aahales.com/giveawayBooks in the giveaway:Not From Around Here:  https://amzn.to/2CndJuhFinding Holy in the Suburbs: https://amzn.to/2WPSavXSeeing Jesus in East Harlem: https://amzn.to/2PWsMD9SHARE“I’d always attributed differences to culture or theology, but realizing how much geographical places affect us was eye-opening for me.” @BrandonJOBrienFrom Walmart’s hometown to Chicago suburbs to Manhattan, @BrandonJOBrien shares about how where he’s kicks us off on #place on #findingholyDon’t miss this conversation on place where @brandonjobrien talks about how our Christian discipleship is actually affected by where we live on #findingholypodcast.“The way we’re talking about our faith is actually similar to how we’re talking about other cultural issues” @We’re all shaped by forces other than the Bible and our convictions. Paying attention to our places can make us more empathetic.We talk about how the story of the Bible is a story of place, too — and each individual Christian is bound to a place. “We have a tendency to abstract our Christian faith” @brandonjobrienHow our digital lives intersect with our emplaced lives — so much here with @brandonjobrien and @aahales on #findingholypodcastONE SMALL STEPConsider putting something off and putting something on through this month’s series on place. Maybe you want to put your phone on a curfew or fast from social media so that you’re embodied and emplaced for a bit. Also consider taking a new form of transportationSUBSCRIBE, SHARE AND GET YOUR FREE BOOK!We’re a new podcast and every time you share and subscribe, we get to bring others in to the conversation. So subscribe and share today!And what you’ve all been waiting for: a huge giveaway! Head on over to aahales.com/giveaway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this interlude, Ashley Hales introduces one small step to push back against the consumerism that wants to form us in its image AND an invitation to a special series on place coming up in November with Brandon J. O’Brien, Dennae Pierre, and Jose Humphreys.Right now, be entered to win a free book bundle on place: fill out your form here! Share with your friends!SHAREIn November, get a chance to win one of over 100 books given away on place! Head to aahales.com/giveaway“Our loves are actually the things that move us into change, into personal and communal transformation.” @aahales on #findingholypodcast“If you value thoughtful work, you need to support it in the marketplace with your marketplace dollars.” @aahales on #findingholypodcastONE SMALL STEPTwo, this week!1) Support work you love that is thoughtful, nuanced, and challenging with your marketplace dollars, or even write a note of encouragement to someone in the church or public sector who is working for dialogue and change;2) Head on over to aahales.com/giveaway to be entered to win a free book bundle for our November series!SUBSCRIBE AND SHAREBe sure to subscribe to the Finding Holy Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts! We’re still a new podcast so when you subscribe, share and rate the podcast, it helps more listeners find us! Thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s hard to see the deeper things when life is full and busy. In this conversation with Catherine McNiel, we talk about how we can be awakened to God’s presence in creation. We’re invited to see God move in our actual, concrete reality — in the beauty and in the decay and despair.This isn’t a garden-variety book (or conversation). She says, “if we’re not tempted by despair, I don’t think what we’re experiencing is actually hope.” Listen in to a wonderful conversation and win a free book too!Here’s a bit about Catherine: Catherine McNiel is a writer and speaker who seeks to open eyes to God’s creative, redemptive work in each day—while caring for three kids, two jobs, and one enormous garden. She’s on the lookout for wisdom, beauty, and iced coffee. Catherine is the author of All Shall Be Well: Awakening to God's Presence in His Messy, Abundant World and Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline which was an ECPA finalist for New Author.LINKSBuy Catherine’s book: All Shall Be WellBuy Catherine’s book: Long Days of Small ThingsSubscribe to Catherine’s newsletterFollow Catherine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/catherinemcnielSHARE“It’s really important to me that it’s not just that we find God in the beauty of creation, but even in the darkness.” @catherinemcniel @aahales #findingholypodcast: https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNiel“Your book can really be a corrective for this idea that life should always be improving and going up and to the right", @aahales says of @navpress book, #allshallbewellbook on #findingholypodcast: https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNiel“Winter comes, but so does spring, so does the dawn.” We trust God through the repetition. @catherinemcniel on #allshallbewellbook on @aahales’ #findingholypodcast: https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNielLearn how @catherinemcniel learned to live her book after writing it through darkness, sitting in a chair and what sustained her on @aahales’ #findingholypodcast: https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNiel“The suffering was not the bondage, it was the freedom.” @catherinemcniel on #findingholypodcast: https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNiel“I’m grounding theology in our real life. The truth of God is applicable wherever I happen to be right now.” @catherinemcniel #findingholypodcast https://tinyurl.com/findingholypodMcNielONE SMALL STEPGive yourself a 5-minute brainstorming session. During your time, write and think about: Where are the moments in your life where you see despair? Where do you see hope?In another 5 minutes, offer your findings to God.Honesty can unite the things that we say we believe about God and our experience of God. Share your list, your thoughts and this episode by tagging me at @aahales and using the hashtag, #findingholypodcast.SHARE, SUBSCRIBE AND WIN! We’re still a new podcast. We’d LOVE it if you could subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and share with all of your people!And we have a special surprise! One winner will win a copy of Catherine’s book, All Shall Be Well!To enter: All have you do is: 1) subscribe, 2) email me that you subscribed at findingholypodcast@gmail.com and one lucky winner will get a free book! Giveaway ends October 31. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode I chat with Mike Cosper about everything from great sentences, to mental illness, leaving church ministry, to the Enneagram and how to develop a Christian imagination. It’s a fruitful conversation that we hope helps you connect the dots between the things that really matter and your everyday, holy life. (Bonus! You can also listen to me on Mike’s podcast, Cultivated here).Mike Cosper is the author of several books, including Recapturing the Wonder, Rhythms of Grace, and Faith Among the Faithless. He served for fifteen years as the pastor of worship and arts at Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2017, he founded Narrativo, a podcast production studio, and Harbor Media, a non-profit producing podcasts for Christians in a post-Christian world. He and his wife Sarah have two daughters and live in Louisville, Kentucky.LINKSBuy Mike’s book: Recapturing the WonderSome of Mike’s other books: Faith Among the Faithless, Rhythms of Grace, The Stories We TellMike’s podcast, Cultivated: Listen hereMike’s podcast company, NarrativoWorks Mike mentions:George Orwell, Politics and the English LanguageJames K. A. Smith, How (Not) to be SecularCharles Taylor, A Secular AgeSHAREWe talk imagination, meaning, the Enneagram, church ministry and good sentences on the #findingholypodcast with @mikecosper:“I think of myself more as an interpreter of ideas than an originator of them.” @mikecosper on @aahales’ #findngholypodcast“We have to keep our metaphors fresh, our ideas fresh. We have be allergic to cliches.” @mikecosper on imagination, writing, and living in a secular age on #findingholypodcast“What are ways to get back into an imaginative space as Christians?” @aahales asks @mikecosper on #findingholypodcast“I crashed emotionally. I had a deep season of depression.” @mikecosper on mental illness, life in the church, and the Christian imagination on #findingholypodcastFor the first time @mikecosper shares his surprising laundry secret on the #findingholypodcast with @aahales.ONE SMALL STEPPay attention to the small moods or states of being that you might have a hard time accessing at this time in your life (think of things like joy or anxiety or depression). Name it.Give yourself a homework assignment of sorts and pick one activity you could do to begin to engage that emotion. Take a walk and snap photos of things that strike you as beautiful. Laugh with a child. Read a poem or visit an art gallery to jog your imagination awake. Sit in the silence and name the fears, worries, or sadness that you hurry past.Let us know how it goes by tagging @aahales on social media and using #findingholypodcast hashtag.BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE wherever you listen to podcasts. We’d love if you left a review on Apple Podcasts.The Finding Holy Podcast has a special treat for you during the month of November where we’ll be kicking off conversations with folks in global cities and small towns about place and the gospel. Plus, there will a TON of GIVEAWAYS. Don’t miss it: subscribe today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s easier to numb ourselves than feel our pain. This helpful and insightful interview with Seth Haines (author of Coming Clean and the forthcoming The Book of Waking Up) shows us a way forward. We talk about so much: addiction, sobriety, political polarization, rhetoric, the church, and parenting. Don’t miss this one!LINKSPreorder Seth’s new book coming in January: The Book of Waking Up: https://amzn.to/2po4hUeSeth’s book, Coming Clean: https://amzn.to/2oA7gszSeth’s website: http://www.sethhaines.comSeth’s Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/sethhainesA video of John Michael Talbot Seth speaks about in the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gma2z9GCPp8&t=228sSHARE“The primary addiction I notice is Facebook, Twitter, social media. We all use some method to numb pain.” @sethhaines“When you’re the addiction guy, people confess these things.” @sethhaines“Why don’t you think we have more robust ways to deal with pain?” @aahales asks @sethhaines on the #findingholypodcast“I had to invite God into that pain through silence and solitude.” @sethhaines on #addiction, recovery, and pain on #findingholypodcast“Personal transformation gave way to communal transformation.” @Sethhaines on the church, spiritual practices, and addiction on #findingholypodcast“These are the things that keep you sober. Don’t live lives of isolation. Also the community is necessary.” Listen to @sethhaines on #findingholypodcast“ The best thing we can do as parents is model lives of temperance.” @sethhaines @aahales #findingholypodcastONE SMALL STEPGive yourself just 10 minutes a day of quiet. Start by making a list. Ask: Am I in a season of stress? Make a list of your stressors. Also consider the things you cannot not do — maybe you have to watch Netflix every night, or have a drink or a bowl of ice cream. Maybe you find yourself scrolling through social media whenever there’s a quiet moment, or shopping online, or getting enraged on social media.When you go to these things, ask: what am I avoiding? Get curious about what those things do for you. I hope you’ll find some insight in the process.SUBSCRIBE and review the Finding Holy Podcast on iTunes! It’s one great way to help others find us here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk about pain, suffering and lament and where to find hope in this episode with Aubrey Sampson. If you feel like you’re praying to the ceiling fan or can’t find God, then this episode is for you. This is a rich conversation that will help you develop a vocabulary for pain and lament. If you’ve lost someone, are disappointed, have chronic pain, or know someone who does, please have a listen.Aubrey is a church planter and the director of discipleship and equipping at Renewal Church, the author of The Louder Song and Overcomer. A member of the Redbud Writers Guild, Aubrey also contributes to Propel Women. She is a speaker, preacher, wife, and mama of three boys.LINKSAubrey’s book, The Louder Song: https://amzn.to/2liGhjUAubrey’s book, Overcomer: https://amzn.to/2mLFsQUAubrey’s website: www.aubreysampson.comBook Aubrey to speak: http://www.aubreysampson.com/speaking-2/SHARE“If it weren't for the biblical language of lament, I don’t know if I’d be walking with God right now.” @aubsamp on @aahales’ #FindingHolyPodcast“I’m good with pain…but I couldn’t handle my own pain,” @aubsamp on #lament on the #findingholypodcast with @aahales‘Knowing we actually have permission to talk to God in anger, and grief and suffering…” @aubsamp with @aahales on #findingholypodcast”Let’s make some intentional appointments to allow for our suffering and lament in the church.” Listen to @aubsamp on #lament in the church with @aahales on #findingholypodcast““How” is one of those big questions of lament and it’s kind of an accusation against God….and we can eventually get to the “Yet’s”.ONE SMALL STEPEkah is the Hebrew word for “how.” Hows start our journeys of of lament.Grab a journal (or the back of a receipt!) and simply list your “how’s”: How long do we need to wait for a child? How could you let this happen? How could he lose his job? How could she betray my friendship?Imagine God holding these. God may not answer specifically, but he will meet you with his presence. He will meet you in the how’s.WE’D BE HONORED if you shared how you’re working through material from The #FindingHolyPodcast on social media. Subscribe + share an episode with a friend! Tag @aahales on social media and use the #FindingHolyPodcast hashtag. Keep up to date on all #FindingHolyPodcast here: https://mailchi.mp/ddd0fd792a7b/findingholypodA LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL! Join Aubrey and Ashley on Instagram LIVE Thursday, October 3 at 8:30am Pacific to talk about God, pain, and the Enneagram and you could win a FREE BOOK! Follow Ashley at instagram and we’ll see you Thursday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conversations around race and justice can be hard, vulnerable, and polarizing. Yet because we believe God created all of us as image bearers of himself, we need to enter in. So many people don’t have the tools to know how to navigate those conversations well. Cara Meredith is a great conversation partner as we talk through issues of race and justice and how her marriage to the son of black Civil Rights icon shaped her future.LINKSArticle Cara mentioned about diverse friendships around their table: https://amyjuliabecker.com/guest-post-cara-meredith/Cara’s website: https://www.carameredith.comCara’s book, The Color of Life: https://amzn.to/2muBKuYCara’s blog on Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/coloringoutsidethelines/Cara’s speaking: https://www.carameredith.com/speakingSHARE“Coming from a white suburban background, I realized that, over time, issues of race also had to do with me.” @caramac54 on #FindingHolyPodcast with @aahales“Marrying my husband, the son of a Civil Rights icon, entered me into conversations about race and how to raise mixed-race children.” @caramac54 at #FindingHolyPodcast with @aahales:“As a child, I didn’t believe issues of race had to do with me.” Get a few small steps to talk about race with @caramac54“My motto is to listen, learn, and listen some more.” @CaraMac54 on #racialjusticeONE SMALL STEPIdentify one small way you’re seeking power or privilege — it might be even as small as not paying attention to those who are in a place of vulnerability (rather than power) in your community. Spend a few minutes taking stock of where you spend your time, who you hang out with, and ask: how is my “normal” not like other people’s “normal”? Make a list.Pray through your list. Ask God to open your eyes to people who are different from you. Practice one small step of intentionally moving towards others.Pick a place and pick your prayer.How can you be intentional to enter into friendships from those who are different from you?WE’D BE HONORED if you shared how you’re working through material from The #FindingHolyPodcast on social media. Subscribe + share an episode with a friend! Tag @aahales on social media and use the #FindingHolyPodcast hashtag. Keep up to date on all #FindingHolyPodcast here: https://mailchi.mp/ddd0fd792a7b/findingholypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re connecting the dots between the things that really matter and our everyday, ordinary lives.Today, I sit down with Casey Tygrett to talk about memories. We talk about how they influence our lives and communities and how God might be inviting us into a larger story of redemption through spiritual practices. It’s a wide-ranging conversation — from memories of God’s people in the bible, to how God might make our memories sacred again, and how pain fits into the picture. Plus we talk about how the soul is like a burrito.Listen in. Casey Tygrett is an author, pastor, and host of the otherWISE podcast. His new book is called As I Recall: Discovering the Place of Memories In Our Spiritual Life . He is also the author of Becoming Curious: A Spiritual Practice of Asking Questions. You can connect with Casey and find more information on his website or read his weekly Patheos blog “Everything Becoming”. Casey and his wife Holley and daughter “The B” live just outside of Chicago, IL.LINKS Casey’s book, As I Recall: https://amzn.to/2tCELJHCasey’s book, Becoming Curious: https://amzn.to/2U1ytirCasey’s website: http://www.caseytygrett.comCasey’s podcast: https://apple.co/2tA2WbMPatheos Blog: https://bit.ly/2TbGzb7SHARE“The soul is like a burrito” and other fun things I heard @cktygrett say with @aahales on the #findingholypodcast:“Our memories have written a through line and the Spirit of God says I can take this and do something with it.” @cktygrett on the #findingholypodcast with @aahales:“Memories have seasons.” @cktygrett on @aahales’ the #findingholypodcast“Communities have memories. Lament can help us acknowledge pain.” @cktygrett on @aahales’ the #findingholypodcastONE SMALL STEPWe’re borrowing one right from Casey’s playbook, try taking 5 minutes today and writing out (scripting) a memory. Write down the who, what, when, and where. Involve your senses. Tell a concrete story with details. Then take just 2 minutes of solitude and silence and ask God: What might you be wanting me to do or know from this memory? Invite the Spirit of God in to your memories. It’s part of how we experience God’s presence in a daily way.Don’t forget to pick up a copy of As I Recall for more great practices. Casey is a trusted guide to walk alongside you.And — make sure you tag us to talk more! Because big things matter but so does the laundry! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices