The Weight

In times of adversity and crisis, it is helpful to seek the counsel of wise teachers. Our guest today, Don Saliers, Theologian in Residence at Candler School of Theology, is one of our wisest teachers. He’s handling social distancing, in part, by playing the piano, revisiting sacred music from Bach to the spirituals. “There are times when I don’t have the words. And I don’t have the sense of what needs to be said. All I have is a kind of buzzing confusion of emotion or feeling, and then I come across a piece of music or a poem or psalm that articulates it for me, that gives me the language I need to say to God, and to myself.”In this conversation, we explore the deep, rich treasury of Christian spirituality from music to poetry to prayer that allows us, even in adversity, to be fully alive to God as human beings in the world.Psalms in Our Lamentable World, by Don Saliers:https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yjmr/vol1/iss1/7/Beethoven's Piano Sonatas:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7sDg8_26N8"Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXg9UFUXFXUThe Poetry of Mary Oliver:https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver

Chase Parham is well known in the Ole Miss community for his career in sports journalism. As a writer for Rivals.com and a podcaster for one of the most popular sports shows in Mississippi, Chase spends his time discussing topics and telling stories that pique the interest of Ole Miss fans throughout the state.Today, Chase is with us to talk about a much different story. Chase joins us to discuss grief and loss by reflecting on the loss of his newborn son, Clark, five years ago this week. In this episode, Chase walks us through how he and his wife Kara processed this loss, how their son continues to impact their lives to this day, as well as the hope they have found in their young daughter Carly Ann, who they adopted less than a year after their son’s passing. In a time where many people throughout the world are facing grief, loss, and pain, we find it important to listen to this heart-felt story from Chase about his own experience. #TheWeightPodRead his reflection on grieving the loss of his son here: https://rvls.co/34EXbLHFollow the Oxford Exxon Podcast here: https://apple.co/2wGDeriFollow Chase' work:  https://olemiss.rivals.com/Twitter: twitter.com/rivalschaseFacebook: https://bit.ly/2V91coC

Each one of us is struggling to find our way through this strange season brought on by COVID19. Many of us feel stuck—life has been unexpectedly interrupted. This week’s guest on The Weight, Rev. Sarah Heath, calls these unexpected and uninvited moments in life “plot twists” because they’re not endings, but moments when our story takes a new shape. In this week’s conversation we’ll hear about what it’s like to do ministry in these days and how we can develop a “Theology of Huh.”Sarah, the lead pastor of Costa Mesa UMC in Costa Mesa, California, was born in Canada before moving to Mississippi. She is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and an ordained elder in the California-Pacific Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. An actor, artist, author, and speaker, Sarah uses her many gifts to share God’s love with others. She has written two books, The Authenticity Challenge and What’s your Story? Seeing your life through God’s Eyes. She shares insights and stories on her podcasts, Sonderlust and Making Space. Learn more about Sarah and her ministry at www.revsarahheath.com.You can find her at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revsarahheath/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minirevsarahheath/Twitter: https://twitter.com/revsarahheathMaking Space Podcast: https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fmaking-spaces-with-rev-sarah-heath%2Fid1502133891&e=ATPaYRBj11S1hNefrJ8UyCW4KiEsNF8aOpmVxQLVPjq1squX1sCztHU23SaP2OcITYqkqIX8q-tOgR5V&s=1

There’s only so much weight we can carry before we need to lighten our load. This is a conversation about beauty, poetry, humanity, memory, love. We’re talking to the renowned poet, Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Aimee was born in Chicago, IL to a Filipina mother and a father from South India. She is the author of multiple volumes of poetry from Miracle Fruit (2003) to Oceanic (2018). Her work has appeared in Poetry magazine, Ploughshares, FIELD, and American Poetry Review. Honors include a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pushcart Prize. The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters has honored “Oceanic,” a collection of poems by Aimee Nezhukumatathil of Oxford, with its 2019 award for poetry. Her colleague, Beth Ann Fennelly, wrote, “Commonly recognized as one of the finest poets of her generation, Nezhukumatathil is an important observer of the natural world and its human and nonhuman animals. Her metaphorical gifts are astonishing, as well as her nuanced feel for the details that make poems visceral and alive.”We spoke with her before the world was consumed with news about the global pandemic. And we think you will find her to be a breath of fresh air.To learn more about Aimee, visit her website: http://aimeenez.netYou can find her at:• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Aimee-Nezhukumatathil-official-181587295228446/• Twitter @aimeenez• Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AAimee+Nezhukumatathil&s=relevancerank&ref=ntt_at_ep_srchWe can’t wait to read her next book, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other AstonishmentsYou can pre-order it here: https://www.amazon.com/World-Wonders-Praise-Fireflies-Astonishments/dp/1571313656/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1585784010&refinements=p_27%3AAimee+Nezhukumatathil&s=books&sr=1-2

COVID-19 has impacted every dimension of our society. One of the consequences of the (necessary) decision to shut down public schools is that a lot of families find themselves suddenly reconfiguring the structure and rhythm of their lives. Today, we talk with Sarah Ligon, a seasoned homeschool parent of four children in our community, about the struggles of parenting for all of us in a global pandemic. She offers some wisdom, rules of thumb, strategies, and practical suggestions that emerge from her experience as a homeschooler. We walk about how to love your children well, care for their basic needs, learn alongside them, and how to reframe the day according to flexible rhythms rather than rigid structures. She also offers some ideas about how to make time for yourself when you’re with your kids all day everyday.Here is an article Sarah wrote for her alma mater about homeschooling: https://magazine.wellesley.edu/fall-2018/home-schoolHere’s a book Sarah recommends as a primer for finding new rhythms with kids: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967571308/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_0d9CEbBW4SYN6Here’s a veteran homeschool parent, Julie Bogart, who offers accessible wisdom for non-homeschool parents: https://bravewriter.com/https://bravewriter.com/about/homebound

As leaders across sectors continue to make transitions necessitated by COVID-19, we sought the wisdom and guidance of veteran pastor Mike Slaughter, Pastor Emeritus of Ginghamsburg Church, about how to lead in a time of crisis. Drawing upon four decades of experience and a ministry marked by innovation, Mike helped us to really think about the gravity of what we are experiencing. Mike leveled with us. We are not going back to normal. The novel coronavirus is not just something for leaders to “get through” for a few days or weeks. It is likely to affect our organizations and churches for years to come. Given that reality, he helps us think about how to quickly set aside our working assumptions and begin to ask the right questions to write a new playbook for ministry, not only in this season but for years to come.  Mike’s website: http://www.mikeslaughter.com/Facebook: @PastorMikeSlaughterTwitter: @RevMSlaughterHere’s a recent blog post in which Mike asks “will COVID-19 Accelerate the De-Churching of America?http://www.mikeslaughter.com/2020/03/13/will-covid-19-accelerate-the-de-churching-of-america/Here’s a link to his most recent book Revolutionary Kingdom:https://www.amazon.com/Revolutionary-Kingdom-Following-Rebel-Jesus/dp/1501887262/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=revolutionary+kingdom&qid=1574880638&sr=8-1Here’s a link to an article by Andy Crouch that echoes a lot of what Mike talks about. It’s about why every organization must now be a startup: https://journal.praxislabs.org/leading-beyond-the-blizzard-why-every-organization-is-now-a-startup-b7f32fb278ff

Coronavirus has cast the world into uncertainty and the constant news about the pandemic can feel relentless. The normal structures and rhythms of life are in upheaval. We know some of the things we’ve lost. We are bracing for others. It is taking a toll. How do we protect our mental health? Chris and Eddie bring in one of their good friends, Pat Ward. After a decade of leading a church in Oxford, Mississippi, Pat made a switch to clinical mental health counseling. Pat says, “I sit in a room with some of the most inspiring people I know. They stand up and face the thing that knocked them down every day. And they do it again and again. I get to be the first one who sees who they really are.” They talk about social distancing, anxiety, isolation, unstructured time, depression, loss, identity, and grief. Pat offers some very practical, constructive strategies for individuals, leaders, parents, and families to navigate a global pandemic in a way that encourages holistic physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  Here is Pat’s website: https://www.patwardcounseling.com/Overcoming Coronanxiety | Pat Ward Counseling | Oxford, Tupelo, OnlineThese are strange days indeed. Check out these helpful tips for combatting the Coronavirus anxiety associated with COVID-19.Here are a few helpful guidelines that Pat offers for staying emotionally and mentally healthy during the changes associated with the Coronavirus outbreak: https://www.patwardcounseling.com/2020/03/14/overcoming-coronanxiety/?fbclid=IwAR2QqEl8Iamis1wE-7VsmrKERGlVW-aPsDAaSQFQFPDVU072MhWAknIMhZ8Here’s an article about how to talk to kids about coronavirus:https://parenting.nytimes.com/childrens-health/coronavirus-kids-talk

Carolyn Moore is a United Methodist Pastor who planted in Mosaic UMC in 2003 and has served as Lead Pastor ever since. A leading voice in conversations about the future of Methodism, she has a passion for spirit-filled revival within the Wesleyan tradition as well as cultivating a new appreciation for what she calls “The Art of Holiness.” She is the Vice-Chair of the Wesleyan Covenant Association Council, a movement that connects “Spirit-filled, orthodox churches, clergy, and laity who hold to Wesleyan theology.”In this episode, Chris and Eddie enter into a conversation with Carolyn about her understanding of the heart of Methodism, orthodoxy in the modern day Church, and the importance of understanding holiness not as bondage, but rather as something that brings about abundant life through Christ. In the midst of these topics, Carolyn shares her hopes for the future of an traditional expression of the Methodist faith. The Art of Holiness BlogCarolyn Moore writes about holiness not as simply following the rules so you don’t go to Hell. Holiness understood as an art can lead to the experience of human flourishing and joy and inform the future of the Methodist movement and the Church universal.Supernatural : Kindle VersionIn this book, Carolyn Moore invites readers on a journey of “rediscovering the supernatural.” Through biblical study and practical application, this book gives guidance on how to work alongside the Holy Spirit and to become more attune to the “powerful inbreakings of God’s kingdom all around you.” 

The Weight welcomes Bishop Ken Carter, the President of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church to discuss the ongoing debate of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the United Methodist Church. Carter has been an active participant in many efforts to bring about a resolution to the impasse that the church is in, including being one of the leaders who developed and proposed the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation that has a chance to be adopted at the upcoming General Conference of the United Methodist Church. To engage the issue, we discussed topics involving theological pluralism, the essentials of Church practice, centrism, as well as what’s important to consider for potential church restructuring. Bishop Carter emphasizes the importance of having a pastoral heart when discerning how the church should be in ministry with LGBT persons as well as his passion for ensuring the vibrancy of the United Methodist Church for future leaders and congregants. Resources:Embracing the Wideness: The Shared Convictions of The United Methodist ChurchThis book is Bishop Carter’s attempt to chart a vision of “generous orthodoxy” for the future of the UMC.Narrow is the WayThis is an essay by a young Wesleyan scholar named Justus Hunter, in which he critiques Bishop Carter's vision for the future of Methodism.A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Scriptural ImaginationIn this short book, Bishop Carter models an engagement with scripture that doesn’t simply emphasize “thinking” about the Bible or “applying” the Bible in practical ways as if the Scriptures were a guidebook. “Scriptural imagination” is the result of a person who has been so immersed in the biblical story that it transforms what they see and how they hope. Here, he focuses on four scripture passages to give readers an easy entry into the practice of scriptural imagination.