Pontificating Pastors

This is the one where Michael has just come back from vacation, where we have both just watched the documentary "The Last Dance" which chronicles the Chicago Bulls 1997-98 season. It's the one where Nate forgot to edit the audio for a week and so we could have named it, "The One That Got Left on the Cutting room floor." Ultimately, it's the one where we think about our need for accomplishments and other very human pursuits portrayed in the documentary!

In this Episode, Michael is on vacation and so Nate connects with one of his former students from his first youth ministry. Ryan Gage joins us on the podcast. Ryan is the Worship and Creative Arts pastor at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene and has recently launched a facebook page called Real Black Fridays, where he and his wife, Ashley, post videos about racial reconciliation and the church. It's the one where we talk about some old memories, we talk about Hamilton, and ultimately we talk about being in the difficult work of racial reconciliation for the LONG HAUL!

In this episode, Michael and Nate talk about the wisdom of Fred Rogers during all that we are facing in our world right now. It's the one where Michale goes to virtual camp, and Nate is about to be another year older. It's the one where we are reminded that our faults and our difficult feelings are actually doorways towards empathy for others. Ultimately, it is the one where we are reminded of the value that God sees in each of us! 

In this episode, we talk about current events and the end of the world. We discuss how our own vision is short-sighted when we talk about healing and reconciliation and how we often just want things fixed efficiently rather than being willing to do the hard work of intimacy. Nate is having a day where he doesn't feel very hopeful, and so we talk about what to do when we don't feel hopeful. Ultimately, we decide that having some things in our "hope chest" might be a way to start!

In this episode, we continue to podcast in a pandemic. We are joined by Nate's intern, Noah Terry. (A long time fan of the show!) We wrestle with the events in the United States in recent days regarding racial injustice. We talk about opting for intimacy over efficiency, about being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Ultimately, as pastors, we commit to continuing seek out relationships that help bring about unity moving forward!   

In this episode, we hear the story of Nate losing all the water out of his pool. We talk about an article that predicts the coming "crash" of pastors because of COVID-19 and we learn that Michael feels like ministry is a constant crash of sorts. We also talk about John Wesley's Aldersgate experience and pontificate a little bit about the role of our emotions in the life of faith!

In this episode we talk more about quarantine. We also talk good about our moms right before mother's day. But probably most importantly, we talk about the fact that two of our children are DATING!!! Say what??

In this episode, we talk about the realities of continuing to pastor people from a distance. We focus on our need for solitude and sabbath. We talk about all the idea that even though we may have time on our hands, it may be difficult for us to find rest and solitude. It is the one where we realize that being constantly connected leaves us longing solitude and silence even if we often avoid it at all costs. Ultimately, it is the one where we offer our thoughts on self-care during a pandemic for both pastors and lay-people!

This is the one where we are still in quarantine during Holy Week. It's the one where we talk about what we are doing during the pandemic. We also discuss the nature of the first Easter as an event that was understated at first, but eventually changed the world. It's the one where we wonder if the pandemic might have helped our churches realize what is "essential." Ultimately it's the one where we see signs of people caring about one another and have felt that same care from the people in our congregations.

This is the one where we continue to discover what it means to pastor during a pandemic. It's the one one where Michael talks about the long term aspects of ministry, where we talk about the nature of people to want to have physical contact whether that be in the form of a high-five, a fist bump, or a hug. We also talk about both the positive aspects of the church going online, and the need for meeting together face to face! Ultimately, it's the one where we seek to be that prophetic voice that lives a different reality than the world around us!

This is the one where we find ourselves pastoring in the midst of a pandemic, where we talk about the value of PRESENCE, where we think about the idea of a forced sabbath, and where we talk about how our church is ministering during the Coronavirus Outbreak. Ultimately, it's the one where we look forward to seeing what God is going to do in the midst of our own uncertainty!

In this episode, we talk about the season of Lent, we learn that Nate is trying to refrain from taking a joke too far while Michael is avoiding mindless TV watching. We talk about Maggie's first sermon, about our tendency to "consume the grace of God, and the idea of feasting while fasting. It's ultimately the one where we are called back to our utter dependance upon God and away from arrogance of any kind!

This is the one where we welcome JJ Tuttle as a guest on the podcast. It is the one where we talk about metrics and church size. It's the one where we talk about the importance of stories, why it is easier to preach when people show up, and about the importance of longevity in ministry. It's ultimately the one where we realize that growth is important and exciting, but can't be the only metric we use to measure the health of a church!

It's a new season and this is the one where we catch up after a busy January, where we discuss our super bowl festivities, and where we wonder about Jesus' apparent silence about the evils of Rome. It's also the one where we think about some of the simple things we are taught as kids and how we often conveniently disregard those very same teachings as adults. Ultimately it is the one where we wonder if the things we teach our kids (and the things Jesus seems to teach) are "practical" in the "real world." 

This is the one where Michael is in town after dropping Maggie off at SNU and we sit down in my office. It's the one where we both have recently seen Tom Hanks in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" with our congregations and HAVE to talk about it. It's the one where we talk about prophets as street performers and how daily practices shape the way we live in the world. Ultimately, it's the one where we both want to be Fred Rogers when we grow up!

This is the one where Nate tries out a sensory deprivation float and decides it is not for him. It's the one where we talk about the value (and difficulty) of accountability. We wonder about the legitimacy of needing to "leave a group behind" in order to grow into what God is calling us to, and ultimately we decide that sticking together (if at all possible) in the good times AND the bad times is the best path of discipleship! 

This is the one where Michael and Nate hang out on the campus of Southern Nazarene University right across from where the prayer chapel used to stand. We talk about sacred spaces and how they shape us as a people. Ultimately we look at what makes a space "sacred."

In this episode, Michael shares a story about Nate's driving and the fact that we are both thankful to be alive. We hope that Judah isn't scarred for life. We finally end up somehow talking about the idea of free will, and how that works out in our salvation. 

In this episode, we discuss Michael's hobby of creating works of Art. We also learn that Nate went through an art phase which ultimately ended with one of his pieces of art being thrown in a trash chute. We discover that the prophets might have been more street performer than orators and we discuss the role of art in the Church. We ultimately find that both pastors and laypeople have both a huge privilege and responsibility to become those who paint pictures of God to those around them! 

This is the one where Nate drives down to Camp Bond to hear Michael preach and where we record a podcast LIVE, in the same room! It's also the one where we talk about the Holy Spirit as a force field, where Brett Armstrong's CPR Dummies are freaking us out, where Nate talks about the song he wants played at his funeral, and where ultimately we just really enjoy getting to do an episode live.