The Weight

Eddie and Chris continue a conversation about Methodism and what drives it with their resident Bishop Sharma Lewis. Bishop Lewis’s assignment in Mississippi began in January 2023, and she comes to the state with excitement and passion for the people of Mississippi and what is in their hearts. Despite being in a season of disaffiliation and fragmentation, Bishop Lewis sees great things happening in the Mississippi Annual Conference, with the help of the Holy Spirit.Bishop Lewis is from Statesboro, Georgia. Before hearing God’s call in her life, she pursued degrees in biology and chemistry with an eye towards medicine. She eventually switched paths and earned her M.Div.  from Gammon Interdenominational Theological Center in 1999, and worked in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was the first African American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, and served the past six years in the Richmond area of the Virginia Annual Conference.

This conversation is part of a special series, The Heart of Methodism. Eddie and Chris, who are both pastors in the United Methodist Church, will talk to guests who can help us dive a little deeper into Methodism and its history, theology, traditions, and future.Today’s guest is Dr. Laceye Warner,  Royce and Jane Reynolds Associate Professor of the Practice of Evangelism and Methodist Studies and Associate Dean for Wesleyan Engagement and Hybrid Programs at Duke University. Dr. Warner is the author of  Saving Women: Retrieving Evangelistic Theology and Practice, The Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity and Organization, and co-author of From Relief to Empowerment: How Your Church Can Cultivate Sustainable Mission and Grace to Lead: Practicing Leadership in the Wesleyan Tradition.Dr. Warner is passionate about supporting, encouraging, and offering resources to pastors and congregations, using the traditions and history of the Methodist movement in England and the United States.Resources:Learn more about Dr. Warner’s on her websiteThe Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity & Organization 

Chris and Eddie are joined again by Reverend Dr. Will Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School and former Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Willimon, Chris, and Eddie talk about what it means to be part of the United Methodism, with its tradition of being the Gospel on the move, and how that tradition translates into today’s world.Rev. Willimon has five decades of preaching and teaching experience, and as a lifelong Methodist, he’s got a few opinions and ideas about the current issues facing the denomination and American Christianity as a whole--and he shares those opinions with humor and candor, and also with urgency and sadness over the difficulties facing God’s Church today.This particular conversation doesn’t cover Rev. Willimon’s newest book, Heaven and Earth: An Advent Incarnation, but we’ll be sure to have him back to talk about that.Follow Will Willimon on the web:https://willwillimon.com Heaven and Earth: An Advent IncarnationCheck out Will Willimon’s other books and publications here:https://willwillimon.com/writing/ Follow Will Willimon on social media:https://www.facebook.com/WillWillimonhttps://twitter.com/willimontweets

This conversation is part of a special series, The Heart of Methodism. Eddie and Chris, who are both pastors in the United Methodist Church, will talk to guests who can help us dive a little deeper into Methodism and its history, theology, traditions, and future.Today’s guest, Dr. John Wigger, is a professor at the University of Missouri, where he specializes in US social and cultural history, including religious history and the history of flight. His most recent book is about the mystery of hijacker D.B. Cooper, but he is also spent a lot of time researching and writing about the history of the Methodist movement in the United States. Dr. Wigger traces the roots of Methodism through other Protestant denominations, including the rise and growth of Pentecostalism.Resources:American Saint: Francis Asbury and the Methodists

Our guest today is Edward Grinnan, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Guideposts Publications, which includes Guideposts Magazine, Angels on Earth, and Mysterious Ways. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned his MFA from Yale School of Drama, where he studied playwriting. He is also the author of The Promise of Hope, Always By My Side, and A Journey of Faith.Resources:Guideposts MagazineFollow Edward on Facebook and TwitterBuy The Promise of Hope, Always By My Side, A Journey of Faith

How do you disagree with someone in ways that allows the Holy Spirit to work within you--in ways that promote love, patience, faithfulness, and peace instead of hatred, anger, and dissent? Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos are cohosts of the Fascinating Podcast and the authors of Loving Disagreement, and they offer some thoughts on living in community with one another and working through disagreements in a Spirit-led way.Kathy is an author, speaker and yoga teacher. She has over 20 years experience in campus ministry, and has experience dealing with issues of gender, ethnicity, justice, and leadership development. Matt Mikalatos is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. He's the author of Journey to Love and the YA fantasy series The Sunlit Lands. He has written for Today.com, TIME magazine, Relevant, Nature, Writer's Digest, and Daily Science Fiction, among others.Resources:Preorder Loving DisagreementListen to the Fascinating Podcast on iTunes and StitcherFollow Kathy on Twitter, Facebook, and InstagramBuy Kathy’s books, Raise Your Voice and More Than Service TeaLearn more at kathykhang.comFollow Matt on Twitter and FacebookBuy Matt’s booksLearn more at mikalatos.com

Every moment--as mundane as doing laundry or as overwhelming as losing a loved one--can connect us back to God’s great story. But finding the words for those moments can be hard. Today’s guest has words to share. Doug McKelvey is author of the Every Moment Holy books, three volumes of prayers for the ordinary moments in our lives. Doug is an author, song lyricist, scriptwriter, and video director. His life journey, which he calls “meandering” has made him grateful for the steadfast nature of God, and for the moments in his life that brought him down to the bare foundation of faith: That God exists and Jesus is his Son.Resources:Every Moment Holy website, Instagram, FacebookBuy Volume I and Volume II, and preorder Volume III

Matt Luke is a former football player and coach, who served as the head coach for the University of Mississippi (and was a member of Oxford University United Methodist Church while Eddie and Chris pastored there.) Matt is probably most well known for helping to lead the University of Georgia football team to a National Championship win in 2021 as associate head coach and offensive line coach. After that win, Matt stepped away from coaching football in February 2022. Walking away from professional success was not a decision Matt made lightly, but it was the right decision for him and his family. He is able to joy in the small, every day moments with his wife Ashley and their sons Harrison and Cooper. 

Today’s conversation with Shane Stanford will leave you with a lot to think about, a lot to pray about, and a lot to talk about. Shane is the CEO and founder of the Moore-West Center for Applied Theology and JourneyWise, a content network that seeks to equip people to love Jesus and to love like Jesus. He has been a United Methodist Pastor for over 30 years, including time as senior pastor at Christ UMC in Memphis, TN, and other churches in Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina. He is also the author of Making Life Matter: Embracing the Joy in Every Day, What the Prayers of Jesus Tell Us about the Heart of God, The Eight Blessings: Rediscovering the Beatitudes, and the upcoming JourneyWise: Redeeming the Broken and Winding Roads We Travel.Shane is very open and honest about his story. His childhood diagnosis of hemophilia led to him contracting HIV and hepatitis-C after a blood transfusion, which drastically changed the course of his life. The social stigma surrounding HIV almost stopped him from being ordained in the United Methodist Church, and led him to some difficult moments in his first appointment in the Mississippi Conference. Shane continues to hold on to the words of his grandfather, to make every day matter and to live his life so that every step he takes--no matter how many he has--matters.Resources:Learn more about JourneyWiseOrder JourneyWise: Redeeming the Broken and Winding Roads We TravelBuy other books written by ShaneListen to the You Matter with Shane Stanford podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts 

Do you struggle with how to pray? Do you find yourself holding things back from conversations with God? Do you need a guide or a road map or something to help you deepen your prayer life? Today’s guest has one answer for you: pray the psalms.Theologian W. David O. Taylor is an author, speaker, and minister with a heart for bringing together art and ministry. He is the director of the short film, Bono & Eugene Peterson on The Psalms. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. His most recent book, Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life, shows readers how to use the poetry and song of the psalms to bring their anger, doubt, praise, and thanksgiving to God--even if what we’re feeling seems disrespectful or even unfaithful. The psalms are prayers that have been prayed for thousands of years, and cover the entire spectrum of the human experience.Resources:https://www.wdavidotaylor.com/Find David on Twitter, Instagram, and FacebookBuy Open and UnafraidWatch Bono and Eugene Peterson on The PsalmsStreetlights, which David references in the interview