Dulin Weekly Podcast

What did John Wesley really mean by "perfection"? In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry unpacks one of Methodism's most misunderstood questions: "Are you going on to perfection?" Drawing on the Greek word teleios (meaning "complete" or "whole" rather than "flawless"), James explores how reframing perfection as wholeness, healing, and living from a foundation of love can transform...

What does it look like when a church dares to dream together? In this milestone episode marking his one-year anniversary as pastor of Dulin United Methodist Church, James Henry invites the congregation into a season of collaborative vision-casting. Drawing on the prophet Joel's words about dreaming dreams and seeing visions, James reflects on a year of ministry — from the Ministry of Hope food out...

What does mission really mean — and why does relationship matter as much as the work itself? In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast , Pastor James Henry checks in from Greenbrier County, West Virginia, where he and fifteen others from Dulin United Methodist Church are serving alongside Appalachia Service Project (ASP), making homes warmer, safer, and drier for families across Appalachia. Jame...

What does it mean to be part of something bigger than your own congregation? In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast , Pastor James Henry reflects from afar — recorded ahead of his trip to Virginia Annual Conference at James Madison University, where he and lay delegate Alan Chin represent Dulin United Methodist Church in the wider connection of United Methodism. James unpacks the often-misund...

What does it really mean to honor your father and mother? In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast , Pastor James Henry of Dulin United Methodist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, takes a fresh look at one of the Ten Commandments — and finds something much deeper than childhood obedience. Drawing from his own recent experience of losing his father and caring for aging parents, James explores how this a...

What if your worth isn't measured by what you get done? In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast , Pastor James Henry of Dulin United Methodist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, reflects on the difference between productivity and presence — and why a culture obsessed with output so easily misses what matters most. Drawing from his own practice of meditation and contemplative spirituality, James explore...

As summer begins and many prepare for travel, vacation, and time away, this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast reflects on the sacred invitation hidden within rest itself. James explores Sabbath, the rhythms of nature, awe and wonder, and the possibility of reconnecting with God through ocean waves, mountain breezes, sunsets, friendship, and stillness. What if time away became more than escape? What if i...

In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James reflects on the phrase “give us today the bread that is needful” from the Lord’s Prayer, exploring how “bread” means more than physical nourishment. Drawing from the richness of the Aramaic tradition, he reflects on the ways God sustains us each day through wisdom, insight, emotional strength, patience, courage, and attentiveness to the sacred with...

In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James reflects on what it really means to “be the church.” Dulin Church is more than a building or a Sunday gathering—it is a living community of people connected through love, service, kindness, and shared purpose. From volunteers and musicians to parents, students, workers, and neighbors, each person embodies the spirit of Christ wherever they go. This...

In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, James reflects on what it means to live a resurrection life during the Easter season. Resurrection, he suggests, is not only about life after death but about the new quality of life that emerges when we let go of ego, judgment, fear, and separation. Through humility, compassion, community, and the sharing of our gifts, we participate in the ongoing work of God...

This week on the Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James invites us to shift the question from “Where is God?” to “Why aren’t we seeing God where we already are?” Reflecting on everyday moments—from traffic and neighborhood walks to quiet breathing and encounters with others—he reminds us that God is not confined to specific places but is present in all things, even in moments of stress, beauty, and di...

This week on the Dulin Weekly Podcast, James reflects on the meaning of the word “Amen,” moving beyond its common use as simply the end of a prayer. Drawing on Aramaic insight, he explores how “Amen” functions as a covenantal commitment—an agreement between us and God. Rather than passively handing things over to God, saying “Amen” becomes an active declaration: we trust God to do God’s part, and...

In this Easter season reflection, Pastor James invites us to rediscover a simple yet profound truth: God is love . Drawing from 1 John 4:8 and a recent conversation with children in Sunday school, he encourages listeners to notice where love shows up in everyday life—in conversations, nature, small moments of connection, and even within ourselves. These ordinary experiences, he suggests, are not j...

n the days following Easter’s celebration, it’s easy to remember the beauty of the moment—but forget the many hands that made it possible. This week, we pause not for a new teaching, but for a word of gratitude and recognition. From worship leaders to volunteers, from youth to staff, from those who serve quietly behind the scenes to those living out their faith in daily life—you are the church. Th...

James reflects on Maundy Thursday through the lens of the disciples’ responses to Jesus—abandoning, denying, and betraying—and invites us to consider how these same patterns show up in our own lives. Rather than dwelling in guilt, he frames this honest self-reflection as part of the Lenten journey of realignment, where we recognize the ways we forget the path and gently return to it. Drawing on th...

As Lent draws to a close and Holy Week approaches, this reflection invites us to pause and gently ask: how is our realignment going? Throughout this season, we’ve been exploring what it means to return to the place God created us to hold—to rediscover our purpose, our calling, and the unique gift we bring to the world. Yet along the way, we may feel distracted, weary, or even overwhelmed by person...

In a world that can feel overwhelming, it’s easy to feel stuck or shut down. As we approach the story of Lazarus, we pause to listen again: Where is God calling your name? This episode invites you to consider the power of small yeses—the simple, faithful steps that lead us back into life, one moment at a time.

In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James reflects on the Lenten journey as a season of intentional realignment with God and with our deepest selves. As we approach the midpoint of Lent, he invites listeners to reflect on how their spiritual practices—whether fasting, taking something up, or simply paying attention—are shaping their awareness. Rather than viewing struggles or lapses as fai...

In this week’s Dulin Podcast, Pastor James reflects on Lent as a season of realignment—not through dramatic, mountaintop gestures, but through what he calls “small yeses and small noes.” Using the metaphor of a car’s wheel alignment (and its limits), he invites us to see spiritual growth as gradual and relational rather than mechanical. Real change, he suggests, happens in the subtle daily choices...

In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast , Pastor James reflects on Lent as an invitation to examine the rhythms that shape our daily lives. Noting the church’s seasonal pattern of preparation and celebration, he explores how Lent creates space to pause, notice, and gently realign what feels hurried, chaotic, or disconnected. Through everyday examples — worship, prayer, habits, and even the pra...

Lent often begins with the question, “What are you giving up?” But Lent is not about earning God’s love or proving spiritual worth. In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James reflects on Lent as a season of practice — subtractive or additive — that helps us notice our dependencies, form new habits, and open ourselves to grace. Lent is not transactional; it is transformational. It is the slo...

Forgiveness is often misunderstood. It does not mean saying what happened was okay. It does not require reconciliation. And it does not erase the scars. In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James reflects further on his recent sermon about forgiveness, clarifying what forgiveness is — and what it is not. Drawing on the Japanese art of kintsugi and the image of the risen Christ bearing scars...

In this week’s Dulin Weekly Podcast, James Henry reflects on what lies at the heart of both Wesleyan faith and the teachings of Jesus: not simply believing certain ideas, but practicing a way of life shaped by love, presence, and compassion. Drawing on Jesus’ call to “follow,” James explores how discipleship is about walking the path Jesus modeled—loving neighbor, letting go of what binds us, and...

In this final reflection of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral series, Pastor James Henry turns to Scripture, inviting listeners to approach the Bible not primarily as a rulebook or proof-text, but as a living conversation partner through which God continues to speak. Drawing on the practice of Lectio Divina and the understanding of Scripture as emerging from inspired oral traditions, James reflects on th...

In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry continues the exploration of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral by reflecting on tradition , inviting listeners to see it not as a confining force but as a well from which faith can draw wisdom, nourishment, and guidance. Acknowledging the ways tradition has sometimes harmed or excluded, he reframes it as a living conversation shaped by those...