Gravity Commons Podcast

A few weeks ago we released an episode ("5 Signs of a Toxic Leadership Culture") that garnered more response from listeners than we've ever received! So we wanted to record a follow-up episode reflecting on those responses and offering signs of a healthy, non-toxic leadership culture.Here are the 5 signs, along with their toxic analogues:From power flowing up & in to power flowing down & out.From reality distortion to "reality is complicated."From loyalty culture to love culture.From "unable to have a Kairos" to celebrating and honoring learning.From conflict being mishandled to conflict being addressed in a trauma informed way.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We chat through 7 common parenting pitfalls that Christy compiled from her experience as a mother and a pastor. Take a deep breath and cultivate some compassion for yourself, and let's go! Here's the list:Talk parentingBribe parentingExcuse parentingShame parentingHover parentingBlind parentingBackwards parentingShow notes:Eric Minton: What our Pain Reveals About the Anxious Pursuit of the Good Life (podcast episode)It's Not You, It's Everything: What Our Pain Reveals about the Anxious Pursuit of the Good Life (book by Eric Minton)Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Spiritual director Casey Tygrett joins us to challenge the notion that restlessness is a sign that we must move up, move on, or move out, and instead helps us explore some of our deepest questions: Where do I belong? What am I here for? Is there enough? Casey helps us begin to create a spirituality sturdy enough for our unsettled seasons.Casey's new book is The Gift of Restlessness: A Spirituality For Unsettled Seasons.You can connect with Casey's writing and work at caseytygrett.com.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rev. Joel Bowman joins Matt to chat about the recent rash of mass shootings and how they are grappling with how to understand and respond. This conversation is more personal and raw than most of our podcasts.Rev. Joel A. Bowman, Sr. is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and has been in ministry for 28 years. He is the founder and senior pastor of the Temple of Faith Baptist Church, in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, working with military veterans. Joel is a seminar facilitator, freelance writer, poet, and thought leader in the areas of racism and racial trauma. His work has been published in numerous places, including the Louisville Courier-Journal, The Front Porch, The Witness, Three-Fifths Magazine, and Baptist News Global. Joel is married to Nannette Mitchell Bowman, and they have 3 children: Kayla, Katie, and Joel, Jr.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sheila Gregoire joins us (again!) to talk about how to raise girls to resist the all-too-prevalent toxic teachings of purity culture. She shares how we can raise girls instead to become strong, resilient young women who know who they are, use their voices, and confidently step into their lives.Sheila's new book is She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up.You can connect with all of Sheila's work on her website.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Why do we find it difficult to find a healthy rhythm of work and rest? Author, storyteller, and songwriter Justin McRoberts talks about this as a journey from the false self to the true self, discovering that growth and maturity take root in the knowledge of our belovedness in Christ.Justin's new book Sacred Strides: The Journey to Belovedness in Work and Rest helps us learn that we are not tools in God's tool belt, valued only for our gifts and talents. Nor are we ascetics called to abandon "daily life" to find God in the desert. We are beloved by the One who holds all things together... including our need to work and our need to rest.Justin McRoberts is an author, coach, speaker, and songwriter. For over 20 years, Justin has helped artists, ministers, and entrepreneurs find their way. From the stage, through his stories in books or during coaching sessions, he leans on his years of work and expertise as a minister and artist to help individuals and teams solve problems in their creative processes. When he’s not writing, speaking, or coaching, you can find him as the host of the At Sea Podcast. He lives in the East San Francisco Bay Area.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In our experience, leadership cultures that hinder human flourishing have several common overlapping aspects. If we can learn to see these signs of toxic leadership cultures, we canHere are the 5 signs of a toxic leadership culture we talk about in this episode:Reality distortionLoyalty cultureUnable to have a KairosPower flows up/in rather than down/outConflict is mishandledConnect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Too often when we come to the Bible, questions make us uncomfortable. But Marty Solomon wants to suggest that when we learn to ask better questions of the Bible, we form a new and deeper way of thinking about Scripture, understanding the Bible, and moving further into the depths of the mystery of God.Marty Solomon is a theologian, the president and director of discipleship for Impact Christian Ministries, and the creator and executive producer of The BEMA Podcast and author of Asking Better Questions of the Bible: A Guide For the Wounded, Wary, and Longing for More. He and his wife, Rebekah, live in Cincinnati with their two children. You can connect with Marty and his work on his website martysolomon.com.Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There are several major social issues affecting the church today. Not only are they causing confusion, but they are also often hidden beneath the surface, shaping the life of a congregation in ways that are difficult to recognize. But transformation is possible if we'll face these issues directly, seeking to notice how God is at work in the midst of these issues to renew life.We can face these issues by understanding our local context, listening and learning from a variety of voices, telling the truth about ourselves, and taking action in solidarity with those who are suffering.The five challenges we talk about in this episode are:Racism in the church and in the worldSexism and patriarchyChristian nationalismGender and sexual diversityReligious trauma and spiritual abuseShow notesThe article we reference and discuss on today's episode: How to Address the Challenges the Church Faces TodayConnect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive for Christian leaders who want to bring lasting transformation to their culture.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Melissa Florer-Bixler, a pastor and community leader, joins Shawn McCain Tirres, founding rector of a Texas church, to challenge the notion of Christian centrism. They unpack how this perspective often leads to status quo preservation rather than genuine progress. The discussion explores alternatives to the left/right divide, emphasizing deeper relationships and inclusion, especially concerning marginalized voices. They also candidly reflect on personal faith journeys, the complexities of moral issues, and the need for active community engagement.