Gravity Commons Podcast

Spiritual companion and podcast host Lisa Colón DeLay joins us to talk about the lifelong journey of cultivating wholeness in the “wild places” of our hearts through intentional spiritual practice. Through specific spiritual practices from early desert monastics, as well as Latinx, Black, and Indigenous contemplatives, along with the insights of neuroscience and trauma-informed therapy, […] The po...

We spoke with our friend A.J. Swoboda about his new book After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith Without Losing It. A.J. challenged us to think through the theological and cultural challenges surrounding our current moment. We talked about the complexities of church hurt and abuse and how that influences people who question their faith. […] The post A.J. Swoboda: Deconstructing Without Losing your...

We talked with Dr. Jeff McGee about his book, One Human Race: Five Stages to Empower Transformative Change. Dr. McGee shared with us his Cross-Cultural Model of Collaboration, which provides a theoretical method for Christian leaders to dismantle systemic racism within their churches and organizations. Dr. Jeff McGee is a published author and thought leader […] The post Jeff McGee: How to Foster C...

After recording our last podcast episode with MelindaJoy Mingo, she suggested that we have a subsequent conversation where she could ask us some questions to get to know us better. We suggested recording it as a bonus podcast episode so people could hear MelindaJoy model the kind of listening and learning in conversation that she […] The post BONUS: MelindaJoy Mingo Models Listening and Learning i...

MelindaJoy Mingo talks with us about the importance of making friends across difference, in the midst of all the forces that seek to keep us at odds with each other, and some of the practices necessary to facilitate the deep healing and deep reconciliation we all need. MelindaJoy writes about all of this in her […] The post MelindaJoy Mingo: Connecting With Each Other Across Difference appeared fi...

Mark Scandrette joins us to chat about his new book The Ninefold Path of Jesus: Hidden Wisdom of the Beatitudes, a modern contextualization of Jesus’s beatitudes in Matthew 5. Mark is the executive director of Reimagine: A Center for Integral Christian Practice and has created resources for churches to use his new book in groups. […] The post Mark Scandrette: The Beatitudes For Today appeared firs...

(Note: the original version of this podcast episode had an audio error. This is the corrected version of the episode.) Do you feel at ease with God? Or do you anxiously try to keep closeness? Do you lean more on academic theology than real connection? Do you worry about being judged or punished? Do you […] The post Krispin Mayfield: Understanding Spiritual Attachment Styles (CORRECTED) appeared fi...

Do you feel at ease with God? Or do you anxiously try to keep closeness? Do you lean more on academic theology than real connection? Do you worry about being judged or punished? Do you feel unworthy of God's love? Therapist and author Krispin Mayfield helps us understand “spiritual attachment styles,” and shares on what […] The post Krispin Mayfield: Understanding Spiritual Attachment Styles a...

David Eaton talks with us about the challenges and opportunities of cultivating ongoing, life-giving connections and conversations with parents and teens about faith and culture. David co-founded Axis, an organization that provides resources for parents who want to better connect with the teenagers. You can find more resources and info from Axis on their website. […] The post David Eaton: Connecti...

Pastor and professor Jin S. Kim talks with us about the vital but difficult work of decolonizing Christian leadership and theological education, a prophetic task he embodies through his work with Church of All Nations and Underground Seminary in Minneapolis. Dr. Kim is the founding Pastor of Church of All Nations and chief cultural architect […] The post Jin S. Kim: Decolonizing Christian Leadersh...

Our friend Geoff Holsclaw joins us to chat about the intersection of neuroscience and discipleship. We zero in on Attachment Theory as a helpful tool to assess our relationships with God and others. Our ability to love God and love others is greatly enhanced by secure attachments, and a sober reckoning of our dominant (insecure) […] The post Geoff Holsclaw: How Attachment Theory Helps Us Live Our...

For many of us, for too long, Christianity has been unhelpfully entangled with Western culture. Pastor and author Mandy Smith teaches us that the way forward is to embrace childlike faith again. In her new book Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith Beyond the Baggage of Western Culture, she lays out a model of learning that […] The post Mandy Smith: Childlike Faith Beyond the Baggage of Western...

Every ministry leader needs consistent soul care, even when there’s NOT a global pandemic disrupting our lives. Matt Alexander shares why soul care is so important, along with the 6 vital aspects of any good soul care practice. Matt is also starting new Soul Care Cohorts this fall. To find out more, fill out the […] The post Matt Alexander: Why Every Ministry Leader Needs Regular Soul Care appeare...

The church doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to dealing with suicide in a healthy, helpful way. We talk with David Galvan, Director of Education for a Lifetime, about how Christians can learn to talk openly about suicide and mental illness without fear or shame. David has been teaching, training, and facilitating […] The post David Galvan: How (Not) to Talk About Suicide in the Churc...

We chatted with Mike about his journey away from church ministry as a young man to tend to his own brokenness and healing, as well as his long, slow move back into church ministry. Along the way we talked about his podcast, a conference idea, and the need for authenticity and vulnerability in leadership. Mike […] The post Mike Erre: Leaving Church Ministry to Heal appeared first on Gravity Leaders...

The Covid-19 pandemic was the first culturally disruptive moment Millennials and Gen Z lived through. We talk with pastor, writer, and speaker Benjamin Windle about pastoring Millennials and Gen Z through the pandemic and beyond. Benjamin pioneered and pastors LifePlace Church in Brisbane, Australia. His work helping churches develop Generational Intelligence in reaching Millennials and […] The po...

We talked with Duke Kwon and Greg Thompson about their new book Reparations: A Christian Call to Repentance and Repair, which explores reparations from a biblical/Christian perspective. Duke L. Kwon (MDiv, ThM, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor at Grace Meridian Hill, a neighborhood congregation in the Grace DC Network committed to building cross-cultural […] The post Duke Kw...

We talked with Dr. Matt Jantzen about his excellent book, God, Race, and Providence: Liberating Providence. Matt is the the faculty director of the Emmaus Scholars Program, a living-learning community at Hope College that combines the practices of intentional Christian community with academic and practical explorations of the relationship between faith and justice in contemporary […] The post Matt...

This special episode is a conversation among Gravity Leadership’s three co-founders (Ben Hardman, Ben Sternke, and Matt Tebbe) to announce the bittersweet news that Ben Hardman is leaving Gravity to spin off some of our consulting work into a new venture called Kingdom Dreams Initiative (while also continuing to serve as lead pastor of Grace […] The post Special Announcement: A Transition at Gravi...

The final episode of a 4-part mini-series on Critical Race Theory (CRT) with scholar Dr. Nathan Cartagena. In Part 1, we defined CRT. In Parts 2 and 3, Dr. Cartagena gave a master class on the history of white supremacy in the United States (using lots of original sources). In this final part, we talk […] The post Critical Race Theory with Nathan Cartagena, Pt 4: Why it Matters For the Church appe...

Part 3 of a 4-part mini-series on Critical Race Theory (CRT) with scholar Dr. Nathan Cartagena. In this episode, Dr. Cartagena continues outlining (from the last episode) a brief history of white supremacy in the United States (using lots of original sources). It’s REALLY eye-opening. Part 4 will be an episode on why this all […] The post Critical Race Theory with Nathan Cartagena, Pt 3: White Sup...

Part 2 of a 4-part mini-series on Critical Race Theory (CRT) with scholar Dr. Nathan Cartagena. In this episode and the next, Dr. Cartagena outlines a brief history of white supremacy in the United States (using lots of original sources). It’s REALLY eye-opening. Part 4 will be an episode on why this all matters for […] The post Critical Race Theory with Nathan Cartagena, Pt 2: White Supremacy in...

Critical Race Theory (CRT): If you’re on social media, you’ve probably heard the phrase thrown around. Some people claim that critical race theory is a grave threat to the gospel. But what in the world IS critical race theory, anyway? This is the first part of a 4-part mini-series on Critical Race Theory with scholar […] The post Critical Race Theory with Nathan Cartagena, Pt 1: What IS it, Actual...

We talked with pastor, professor, and longtime friend David Fitch about how to contend for justice and truth faithfully in public, in the midst of all the divisions and antagonisms of our day. How can Christians leaders learn to navigate so many complex cultural and theological issues, many of which we received no training for? […] The post David Fitch: How to Tell Divisive Antagonsim From Holy Co...

Our friend Mako Nagasawa joins us again, this time to talk about abortion in Christian politics and theology. Mako gives us a history of how and why abortion become the “single-issue” it has become and maybe some ways forward of how to think about abortion theologically and socially. Mako is the Founder and Executive Director […] The post Mako Nagasawa: Thinking More Clearly About Abortion appeare...