Crackers and Grape Juice

The team hosted a live podcast in Hampton, Virginia and invited Dr. Kendall Soulen and Dr. Johanna Hartelius to join us for a conversation about what we talk about when we talk about God. During the first part of the evening we covered a range of topics including the Doxology, the 10 Questions from Inside The Actor's Studio, theological grammar, the power of words, gendered pronouns, the challenge of active listening, and co-opted speech. Our next next episode will include the Q&A portion of the live event.

Mark Galli is the editor in chief at Christianity Today and he recently published a book entitled Karl Barth: An Introductory Biography for Evangelicals. Jason was able to sit down with Mark to talk about the book and in particular the effects of Barth's Romans, the errancy of scripture, moving from the pulpit to the classroom, and weakness in American preaching.

In this episode Taylor talks with 2/3 of the writers of The Prayer Wheel (Patton Dodd and Jana Riess). In 2015 a group of rare manuscripts went on display in New York and inside the front cover was a very well worn prayer wheel. Their book unpacks the discovery of the medieval prayer wheel and how it can speak prayerful disciplines into our lives today.

What happens when an entire denomination struggles with language regarding human sexuality and three pastors try to ask questions?

Taylor talks with Teer about a sermon Teer contributed to the newly released book from Crackers and Grape Juice. 'I Like Big Buts' is a collection of reflections and sermon from the C&GJ team on Paul's letter to Rome.In this episode Taylor and Teer discussion Teer's sermon "Words Are Always Necessary"From the back cover:It is in Romans that Paul reveals that he is convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons nor the present or future—really not anything or any power in all of creation—can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus ([8:38]). And even pithier—I love this one especially—Paul assures us in Romans that if God is for us, who could be against us? ([8:31]).

It is in Romans that Paul reveals that he is convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons nor the present or future—really not anything or any power in all of creation—can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus ([8:38]). And even pithier—I love this one especially—Paul assures us in Romans that if God is for us, who could be against us? ([8:31]).In this collection of sermons, you’ll find three United Methodist pastors doing what pastors do, sharing the good news. And trying to help us members of the laity get a healthy dose of some blessed catechism.The book is available in paperback or as an ebook. By purchasing the book you help us keep the conversation about faith without stained-glass language flowing.

In this episode Jason Micheli talks with Ken Jones, the pastor of Glendale Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, Florida and the co-host of the radio show "The White Horse Inn." They cover a number of subjects including the Scofield Bible, grace over race, serving a church in Compton, the folly of institutional diversity, peculiar speech, and unhealthy alliances.

Taylor and Teer got together to record an episode shortly before our last live event. Their conversation covers a range of topics including steep learning curves, the challenges of regular preaching, pastoral transitions, the intersection of politics and theology, faithful hospitality, proper boundaries, ecclesial whiplash, sleeping in church, and what it's like to work with the Tamed Cynic (Jason Micheli).

For Episode #157, we talked with Erin McKenney who is the Executive Director of Just Neighbors, a legal aid and advocacy organization for immigrants in the DC-Northern Virginia Region. We talked to Erin amidst the furor over the administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border. Erin helps us think about the issue of immigration from a broader systemic perspective as well as biblically in a way that, I think, moves beyond headline hyperbole and avoids perpetuating the cultural antagonisms of Red vs. Blue.

If its true that clergy suffer from certain health issues at a rate higher than the general population, the why are pastors in such poor health? And what can be done to help them step into the abundant life God desires for them?We tackle these questions and more with the co-authors of Faithful and Fractured: Responding to the Clergy Health Crisis, Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, and Jason Byassee.From the book - "Although anecdotal observations about poor clergy health abound, concrete data from multiple sources supporting this claim hasn't been made accessible--until now. Duke's Clergy Health Initiative (CHI), a major, decade-long research project, provides a true picture of the clergy health crisis over time and demonstrates that improving the health of pastors is possible. Bringing together the best in social science and medical research, this book quantifies the poor health of clergy with theological engagement. Although the study focused on United Methodist ministers, the authors interpret CHI's groundbreaking data for a broad ecumenical readership. In addition to physical health, the book examines mental health and spiritual well-being, and suggests that increasing positive mental health may prevent future physical and mental health problems for clergy. Concrete suggestions tailored to clergy are woven throughout the book."https://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Fractured-Responding-Clergy-Health/dp/0801098831/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528912386&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=faithfully+fractured