Igniting Imagination

You’re listening to Igniting Imagination, a podcast to spark the spirit within you from Wesleyan Investive and Texas Methodist Foundation. This season, we are sharing conversations about the five adaptive muscles the church must strengthen to be fit, agile, and ready for God’s now. For more information about these muscles, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67.

Co-hosts Lisa Greenwood and Casper ter Kuile talk with Emmanuel Andre, 2021 Locke Innovative Leader Award Winner. Emmanuel prefers to be known as a “Community Defender” instead of a “Defense Attorney,” which says a lot about his approach to his work both inside and outside the courtroom. Restorative justice is more than a program. It is a way of being to Emmanuel, who believes transformation is possible if love is offered unconditionally while walking alongside another. Emmanuel’s non-profit organization Circles and Ciphers walks alongside young people impacted by violence through hip-hop and art-based peace circles that provide space for conversations and community support to promote healing from trauma. Emmanuel’s story of how the church has walked alongside him from his childhood until now is a testimony to the church’s power to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals and communities. This conversation is simply inspirational from beginning to end and invites us all to consider our responsibility to create spaces where hope and healing can flourish and those who feel unseen can find friends.   QUOTES “It’s about relationships, not transactions.” -Emmanuel Andre [18:42] “There is something that happens when you’re willing to be uncomfortable and stay in relationship with. It’s that idea of walking with that continues to happen.” -Emmanuel Andre [30:58]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [00:39] Final observation about these conversations [01:31] Meet Emmanuel Andre [04:47] Significant events in Emmanuel’s life [08:36] The power of the community [15:28] What is justice and how it pairs with healing [23:56] Leaning into the pain [28:11] Circles and Ciphers [33:04] His partnership with the Church [38:10] Three rapid fire questions [43:49] A blessing [45:26] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about our co-host Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design. Find and follow the Northside Transformative Law Center on their website: northsidetlc.com, on Facebook @ Northside-Transformative-Law-Center and Twitter @LawNorthside Find and Follow Circles and Ciphers on their website: circlesandciphers.org, on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @CirclesAndCiphers This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67. This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Co-hosts Lisa Greenwood and Casper ter Kuile talk with DeAmon Harges, 2021 Locke Innovative Leader Award Winner. DeAmon is the original “Roving Listener” who defined the role by his posture of curiosity and his passion for discovering the gifts and talents of the people in his community. He is also the founder of The Learning Tree, a non-profit that uses the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach with city governments and organizations to improve the quality of lives of people, communities, schools and businesses. His approach has greatly influenced how congregations, non-profits, and local governments view their work. Instead of seeing people and communities as lacking in resources, DeAmon sees their wealth of “intangible currencies'' such as imagination, relationships, and stories that bring people together in a fellowship of “mutual delight.” This conversation may well inspire you to be a “Social Banker” like DeAmon, who extends the metaphor: when you invest in the intangible currencies in your neighborhood, you will find the riches of love, hope, and joy in abundance!   QUOTES “Having a team to work through to have other gifts besides yourself is super important. If you don’t ever feel like you need people, then you’re way too tired. When you need people, you can guarantee you’re going to get some rest.” -DeAmon Harges [27:38] “I think the fact that we’ve been schooled in scarcity so much that we need proof of God’s abundance. And yet, we are God’s abundance.” -DeAmon Harges [30:46]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:08] Meet DeAmon Harges [04:46] Significant events in DeAmon’s life [06:09] How we got to here [09:17] The Learning Tree [13:58] Working with the state and governor’s office [16:21] What it means to become a roving listener [22:20] Being a social banker [25:48] Navigating the challenges of being a social banker [28:03] A mixed spiritual ecology [31:04] Three rapid fire questions [32:20] A blessing [33:27] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about our co-host Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design. Find and follow DeAmon on Twitter @rovinglistener For information about The Learning Tree, visit: thelearningtrees.com This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67. This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Co-hosts Lisa Greenwood and Casper ter Kuile talk with Rev. Leroy Barber, 2021 Locke Innovative Leader Award Winner. Leroy has dedicated 30 years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism, and living what Dr. King called “the beloved community.” Leroy is the Co-Founder of the Voices Project, which gathers leaders of color across fields, who pursue and work for change, for important conversations about the current challenges and triumphs within communities of color and their role as cultural influencers. Leroy is a seasoned innovator who has spent decades as a spiritual entrepreneur starting new ministries and organizations. He is the definition of an ‘edge leader’ and yet, Leroy now serves deep in the center of the institution of the church as Director for Innovation for an Engaged Church in the Greater Northwest Area of the United Methodist Church. So how does an edge leader thrive when working in the heart of the center? Relationships. Leroy recognizes the value of relationship building between the center and the edge and brings people together to take the next faithful step in making God’s dreams reality. Whether you are in ministry in the center or the edge, this episode will encourage you to see the gifts and graces of the other and consider the ways the center and edge can work together to make a positive difference in congregations and communities.   QUOTES “I came up with this saying that I think is mine. Innovation happens at the intersection of difference. Meaning, you can’t really innovate if you don’t bring something different in.” -Leroy Barber [21:41] “I manage relationships in the middle and I lead on the edge.” -Leroy Barber [27:37]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:36] Meet Leroy Barber [03:56] Significant event that have shaped Leroy [06:07] The Voices Project [12:04] The resistance Leroy meets today [15:32] Building collaborations [19:32] His role at the United Methodist Church [22:23] What gives him that confidence to try something new [26:04] Staying grounded and energized [29:11] Three rapid fire questions [32:25] A blessing [33:36] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about our co-host Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design Find and follow Leroy Barber on Facebook @leroy.barber.71, Instagram and Twitter @leroybarber For information about The Voices Project, visit their website: voices-project.org Leroy Barber’s most recent book is “Embrace: God’s Radical Shalom for a Divided World.” This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67. This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Co-hosts Lisa Greenwood and Casper ter Kuile talk with Dr. Matt Russell, 2021 Locke Innovative Leader Award Winner, about what he calls the “improbable friendships'' that have enriched his life and influenced the direction of his ministry. From these improbable friendships emerged projectCURATE, a non-profit educational and social enterprise incubator that seeks to build bridges across cultural, economic, religious, and racial divides, and Iconoclast Artists, a creative writing and arts program that gives young creative minds a chance to speak through written, visual, and performance art. The two organizations are making a big difference in the city of Houston and beyond. Matt serves as Executive Pastor at Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. He shares how innovation is not a formula to replicate but a faithful response to relationships based in trust and mutuality where the Spirit can work. “How can I be faithful to this moment?” is a question he asks often. Hearing Matt describe his answers to that question throughout his ministry journey is inspiring and may well lead you to discern your next faithful step or the next improbable friendship you are being invited to cultivate.   QUOTES “I think faith early on has always been a verb for me.” -Matt Russell [06:40] “All improbable friendships move at the pace of guidance. It’s not an agenda. It’s a guidance of relationship that are moving together.” -Matt Russell [21:27]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [00:52] Meet Matt Russell [03:26] Significant encounters that have shaped Matt [07:01] How Project Curate came to be [15:06] Improbable friendships & what draws him to those relationships [20:17] How he navigates resistance [23:34] How he knows what’s working [30:30] Working with the pressure of the institution of the church [34:54] Three rapid fire questions [39:36] A blessing [40:46] Outro RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about our co-host Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design For information about Project Curate, visit their website: projectcurate.org or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter: @projectcurate For more information about Iconoclast Artists, visit their website: iconoclastartists.org or follow them on Instagram or Facebook @iconoclastartists Find and follow Matt Russell on Facebook @matthew.russell.1048, Instagram @mhrussell1, and Twitter @Dudeabides67 This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67. This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Co-hosts Lisa Greenwood and Casper ter Kuile talk with Rev. Jen Bailey, 2021 Locke Innovative Leader Award Winner, about her womanist-led Faith Matters Network, whose mission is to catalyze personal and social change by equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment. Jen, founder and executive director, discusses how the organization has focused on “healing the healers” of transformative social movements through a variety of programs. Jen discusses the role partnerships play in innovation. She also explains the term “composting religion” as taking the best of the old to create something new that meets the needs of today. This conversation is rich with insight about leading a start-up organization whose work at the intersection of spiritual tradition, social healing and social justice requires continual discernment and collaboration.    QUOTES “I think what unites us is the sense that what we’re doing is a continuation of a story, not a brand new story we’re starting ourselves.” -Jen Bailey [23:08] “But the reality is we exist in a space that is right there in the inbetween. My worldview is inherently influenced by what I would call the spiritual, even as I’m operating in ‘secular’ spaces. And I think what is also true for me is that I am most impactful in some of those non-explicitly religious spaces when I’m authentic to who I am.” -Jen Bailey [29:26]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:35] Meet Jen Bailey [03:54] Significant moments that has shaped Jen [11:47] Her work with Faith Matters Network [15:57] People’s Supper [22:27] The continuation of a story [27:16] When sacred and secular intersect [32:45] Three rapid fire questions [36:29] A blessing [37:31] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about our co-host Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design For information about Faith Matters Network, where Jen Bailey serves as Executive Director, click here. Find Faith Matters Network on Instagram and Facebook @faithmattersnetwork or follow them on Twitter @faithmattersnet Follow Jen Bailey on Instagram and Twitter @revjenbailey This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org. “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67. This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Igniting Imagination is a podcast to spark the spirit within you, from Wesleyan Investive and Texas Methodist Foundation. This season, we are sharing conversations with five spiritual entrepreneurs who were awarded the 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award from the Wesleyan Investive. These five spiritual entrepreneurs share their wisdom through stories and reflections that will encourage and challenge you and ultimately ignite your imagination as a leader.  Rev. Lisa Greenwood interviews her co-host for this season, Casper ter Kuile. Casper is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-founder of Sacred Design Lab, a soul-centered research and development lab. Casper shares his analysis of the spiritual landscape in America today, the two discuss Lisa’s work on the mixed ecology of church and together they talk with Tom Locke, President of TMF and Wesleyan Investive. This episode is jam-packed with insight about purpose that invites reflection about how your church or organization’s purpose is aligning with the spiritual needs of our world today.   QUOTES “Folks are still as hungry for belonging, their experiences of spiritual growth and becoming, to feel connected to something beyond themselves. It just looks different, and so, what we have to do is to be attuned to see where are people going to try and find it. ” -Casper ter Kuile [07:19] “I would never begin to think that I’m driving those values. I think those values are driving me.” -Tom Locke [29:08]   TIMESTAMPS [00:01] Intro [00:40] Meet co-host Casper ter Kuile [02:35] Significant moments in Casper’s life [06:34] What he’s seeing in the landscape [10:18] A podcast beyond Harry Potter [13:03] How Lisa found mixed spiritual ecology [16:33] The thinking behind these awards [20:56] Meet Tom Locke [22:16] Why purpose is central for Tom and the church [24:55] The evolution for TMF [29:54] Why invest in innovative leaders [35:09] The role of foundations [38:36] How TMF embraced its current mission [43:11] Three rapid fire questions [46:23] A blessing [47:29] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about Casper ter Kuile, visit his website: caspertk.com and check out the work of Sacred Design Lab at sacred.design This season features Wesleyan Investive’s 2021 Tom Locke Innovative Award winners. The award honors spiritual entrepreneurs who have envisioned a broader mission field and have taken risks to make their God-sized dreams a reality. For more information about the award and the recipients, visit award.wesleyaninvestive.org “God Has Work for Us To Do” music and lyrics by Mark Miller. Visit Mark’s website at markamillermusic.com or find him on YouTube at youtube.com/c/markismusic67 This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Rev. Liliana Padilla is the Senior Pastor of Westlawn United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas. She has overcome many obstacles in ministry. When she was ordained in Mexico, she was prevented from pastoring a church because she was a married woman. When she came to the United States, she had to go through the ordination process again. When she went through divorce, she had to overcome the stigma of divorce in her community.   Liliana has never let obstacles prevent her from pursuing God’s call on her life. When COVID-19 hit, it greatly affected her congregation. Some lost their jobs. Some were not able to work because they had to stay home with their children. Families with limited access to the internet and fewer devices than children struggled to keep their kids from falling behind in class. Liliana shares how she drew on her own story of resilience to find the strength to lead her congregation to discern God’s purpose in this time of pandemic.   QUOTES “Something that I like to do is try to see things as good as they can be.” -Rev. Liliana Padilla [10:59] “For me, the pandemic meant an opportunity to show love to people.” -Rev. Liliana Padilla [17:26]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:42] Rev. Liliana’s story [04:42] Starting all over again [09:15] One step forward, two steps back [10:40] A huge storm with no solution [15:11] God opened the windows and doors   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here. This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

How we tell the stories of our lives and the life of our church or organization makes all the difference. Bishop Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, details for us how narrative connects to resilience by sharing personal stories from his time as pastor and his observations as Bishop. He shares how the stories we tell ourselves shape our capacity to move through difficult circumstances. This episode will encourage and inspire you to consider the narratives in your life and leadership are shaping your way of seeing and being.    QUOTES “Sometimes you think of resilience, you get knocked down, you jump back up. Resilience often takes a long time. It puts you on a path that lasts for a long time.” -Bishop Robert Schnase [15:22] “And that again, a descending narrative, it’s not that it’s not the truth. It’s just that it’s not the whole truth.” -Bishop Robert Schnase [20:12]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [00:22] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience [04:01] An excerpt of Bishop Huie’s writing on the narratives of resilience [07:03] Meet Bishop Robert Schnase [08:20] A story of resilience from Bishop Schnase [16:36] The definition of narrative and the role of resilience through narrative [21:31] Two purposes to music in worship [23:15] Narratives in the church and among leaders that need to change [24:21] How leaders can help shift the descending narrative [30:58] What resilience looks like at an annual conference level [35:13] How narrative can be helpful in the church today and post-pandemic [38:58] Rapid fire round with three sentences [45:53] Bishop Huie’s reflections and takeaways [50:45] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? For information about Bishop Schnase and links to all his books, visit http://robertschnase.com The episode references Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler who points to the work of Marshall Duke at Emory University to describe three categories of family narratives:  ascending, descending and oscillating. Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here. "That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020 "Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

What is it like to live through storm after storm...after storm? Rev. Romonica Malone-Wardley is District Superintendent of the Southeast District of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has met people and congregations who have lived through one devastating storm after another. Living through a storm though doesn’t mean just surviving. Romonica shares how instead of throwing up their hands in despair, congregations in hurricane-hit areas roll up their sleeves to help neighbors and offer hope to their communities. This episode is a powerful account about how we can lean on each other and into our purposes to weather life’s storms and find the stamina to keep moving forward.   QUOTES “They understand that God gives them the strength to rally and come together to support one another and their neighbors again and again and again.” -Romonica Malone-Wardley [03:01] “As much as they would love for there to be no storms or no need, they’ve experienced enough to look towards the future and know that it’s a reality and they want to prepare themselves to be able to help.” -Romonica Malone-Wardley [05:25]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [01:29] Time here is marked by storms [03:18] Hearing these stories firsthand [06:48] Connexionalism at its best   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here. This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.