IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Many of us know well the story of Jesus calling the first disciples and how they would "fish for people." But in that same story is a lesson about independence — specifically how there are bigger and better things ahead if we are willing to give up some of our independence as we trust and follow Jesus.

Using the story of Jesus' proclaiming himself to be God's anointed and the reaction from people in his hometown of Nazareth, we explore the feeling of jealousy and the withholding of the truth that Jesus is the Savior for all of humanity.

The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade returns to "In Layman's Terms" to pick up on the conversation we stared in 2021 about her book, "Preaching in the Purple Zone." In this episode, she shares an issue guide designed to help United Methodists discuss LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the upcoming General Conference. Rev. Dr. Schade has provided proposed sermon outlines to be used with the issue guide. These are not prov...

The miracle of turning water into wine might seem trivial, but a closer look reveals how Jesus interacted with His mother as an adult while teaching us about transformation. The miracle also paved the way for Jesus' first followers to buy into His ministry.

Todd shares the audio from a sermon he provided from his basement on the first Sunday in January 2022 — a cold, icy day in Lawrence, Kansas. Using the text from Ephesians 1, we explore how we are adopted into the family of God thanks to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our short series on "The Redemption of Scrooge" concludes with an exploration of how our miserable miser of a character rediscovers joy. May we do so and keep Christmas all year round!

As we continue with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present teaches our lead character three important aspects of love: Showing love by being part of a community, showing love by showing mercy to others, and showing love in true, genuine relationships with those closest to us.

Our advent series focused on redemption continues, as does our exploration of the classic story "A Christmas Carol." In this episode, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, and the miser starts to recognize that his life doesn't have to be as lonely and miserable as it has become. Scrooge is starting to understand that he can have a sense of peace.

Advent is all about the anticipation of the arrival of the Christ child. But why did Jesus come to live among humans in the first place? To provide an opportunity for redemption for all of us. In this four-episode series, we explore our redemption by following the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge from the classic tale, "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens. As old Scrooge is changed, we will see the the...

Todd concludes a special three-part series on showing gratitude to God during the week of Thanksgiving 2021 with a study of how Jesus gave thanks. Unlike many of us, Jesus didn't just give thanks for what already had happened, but He also thanked God prior to performing miracles and before willingly dying for humankind — lessons in showing great faith that God would provide what was needed.

Our special three-part series on giving thanks to God continues with an examination of how King David showed his gratitude toward God: Looking back at what God already had done for him and the Israelite people. Praising the traits and truths of God. Understanding God listens to our prayers. Having faith that God will answer.

In a special three-part series the week of Thanksgiving 2021, Todd studies how to show gratitude to God. The series starts with lessons from the prophet Daniel, who showed that we should give thanks to God when things are going really well for us, but also when times are tough.

Todd continues his series on certified lay ministry with an interview with the Rev. Dr. Carl Ellis. Besides being a retired elder serving two rural churches in southeast Kansas, Carl is the founder and leader of The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries. In this episode, Carl shares his views on lay ministry and provides an update on changes regarding the academy — plus a special online w...

We continue a short series on certified lay ministries and certified lay servants with a look at how one CLM, Bryan Hankins, serves two churches in the Omaha area as an associate pastor. Learn about his passion for teaching, how he works with the appointed pastor, and about an exciting multi-language effort for the Lay Servants Ministry Basic course within the Great Plains Conference.

We start a short series of episodes examining certified lay ministers (CLMs) and the role they play in the local church, how they are trained, and why more people may want to prayerfully consider exploring becoming a CLM. In this episode, host Todd Seifert talks with Jada Hodgson, a CLM serving as pastor at Plum Creek United Methodist Church near Paola, Kansas. It is believed that Jada was the fir...

The “In Layman’s Terms” podcast concludes its series on re-emerging from our in-home exiles with a look at how we can reshape our communities to more closely resemble the Kingdom of God. A key part of that effort likely is justice ministries. Host Todd Seifert, conference communications director, interviews the Rev. Sarah Marsh, the new coordinator for mercy and justice ministries. They talk about...

In this special video episode of "In Layman's Terms," host Todd Seifert talks with Dr. Socorro de Anda and Rev. Larry Moffet about the Lydia Patterson Institute. LPI is a ministry of education and discipleship for kids along the border of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Download the episode. You can learn more about LPI by going to its website: https://lpi-elpaso.org/ . Watch a video of this i...

The re-engagement series continues with an interview with the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, lead pastor at St. Paul United Methodist Church in the Benson neighborhood of north Omaha. She and Todd talk about the things St. Paul tried as a means of staying connected to its community and parishioners and how some of those efforts are now so ingrained into the church that they will remain long after the...

We continue our look at re-engaging our faith by examining how we read the Bible. In this episode, Rev. Jeff Goetzinger from the Hutchinson area and Todd talk about their different strategies for reading through the Bible in 365 days.

Continuing with the theme of re-engaging our faith and communities after the pandemic, Calvary UMC in Wichita serves as an example of how preparation and flexibility can keep people connected to each other and, most importantly, to God. Rev. Michael Marion and Rev. Ashley Prescott Barlow Thompson sit down with Todd to talk about how the pandemic forced them to make decisions and how the congregati...

As we come nearer and nearer to being able to return to life from our in-home exiles, we are embarking on a new series focused on rebuilding our communities and strengthening our spiritual disciplines. Using the stories from the Old Testament history books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the goal is to share stories about how people and churches are preparing to re-engage with their congregations, their com...

Our country is more divided than ever. We have red states and blue states, and even red and blue congregations. Or do we? Aren't our congregations really just different shades of purple? The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade joins Todd for a discussion about her book, "Preaching in the Purple Zone," and how a method she has developed heavily involves the input from laity to help a church determine its response...

Oliver Green has been heavily involved in the Great Plains Conference since its inception. As we wrap up Black History Month, Oliver shares his story and what it was like to move into adulthood — as an African-American man — during the Civil Rights Movement. Oliver shares how the movement of the 1960s is similar to the cries for racial justice that we experience today, what attracted him to leader...

It's been nine months since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, so Todd Seifert, host of the "In Layman's Terms" podcast, decided to tell some follow-up stories featuring guests who helped explain the impact of police and other kinds of violence upon people of color in earlier episodes in the spring of 2020. Eugenio Hernandez, the conference’s multimedia production specialist, took it a step...

In the second of a two-episode series on how we listen for God's call to service in our lives and then how we respond to that call, Todd looks at the call of Peter, Andrew, James and John as Jesus' disciples. The story teaches us how we should respond to God's call.