Pod Be With You

A special request for input from you! We want to hear about those things that  you  want to hear about...questions you have, guests you'd like us to have on the pod, topics you would like to explore, anything. Just email us at podbewithyoupodcast@gmail.com.

This week on Pod Be With You, Aaron explores the book "Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others," by Barbara Brown Taylor. In this book, Taylor celebrates the beauty and wisdom of what other faiths have to teach us, as well as how they can enhance the practice of our own. And the Roadtrip series takes us to Jericho, a troubling and difficult story that brings up questions of violenc...

Astonishments...part of the subtitle of the book Aaron is reading this week (World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil) and a great description of the pillar of cloud and fire that lead the Hebrew people our of Egypt. Because that is what we are talking about today, the awe and wonder of those places where the Divine peeks through at us. They are everywhere. Do we have the eyes to see?

There is much overlap between the Sermon Series this week, as we explore Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund's book about marriage and mental illness, "Blessed Union," and the story of Jacob wrestling with God (an angel? his conscience?) in Genesis 32. Struggle is real, for all of us, and so is the power of reconciliation and relationship. Join us for a (longer) meditation on mental health...

Above and below is our theme this week, as we both continue with our Summer Sermon Series. Pastor Paige continues on the Roadtrip with the story of Jacob and his dream of a great ladder connecting heaven and earth. Then Pastor Aaron picks up the cosmological theme with an investigation into Rob Bell's book "Love Wins," a look at the place of heaven and hell in Christian theology.  J...

We are in week two of our Summer Series, and we explore saying yes with the patriarch Abram, as God calls him into an unknown but blessed future. It is frightening and thrilling all at the same time when God beckons us into a new way of being. And we also discuss "How to Do Nothing," a book by Jenny Odell, which asks us, among other things, to pay attention to who and what id vying for o...

This week sees the start of our Summer Series, and so for the next 12 weeks, you will get two for the price of one. Paige will explore how it is that God meets us on the journey in her Roadtrip series, while Aaron reads a book a week to gain new perspectives and ideas. Join us this week for Adam and Eve leaving Eden, and Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans.

It's a familiar on this week...the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus coming to Jesus under the cloak of darkness to ask his questions about God, faith, and what it means to be born of the Spirit. We think we know what this one is all about...but do we really? John 3:1-17 is a rich story about curiosity, courage, and the uncontrollable movement of the Spirit.

Pentecost is upon us once again...the rush as of a violent wind, the tongues of flame, the speaking in all the languages of the known world, a wonderful and powerful story about the arrival of the Holy Spirit. But was does this old, familiar story mean to us today, now? How does the Holy Spirit move and work in our lives in the 21st Century? Together, we explore that question as we dive into Acts...

If we had to choose one passage to describe, to explain what the project of Christianity is all about, it might be John 15:9-17, abide in God's love, and love one another. It sounds so simple, but there is much going on here...it's about love, and joy, and friendship, community, and care, and growth.  It is about being formed in the very character of God for the good of the world. Join u...

For such a wonderful, uplifting, lifegiving passage as John 15;1-8 is, there have been a lot of interpretations that come out of it that are anything but. So this week, we tackle some of those ideas, as well as get to the heart of what Jesus is talking about here...bearing fruit in love.

This week we investigate one of Jesus' famous "I am" statements, "I am the Good Shepherd." What exactly does it mean to be the Good Shepherd? Is it about abundant life, leading and protecting the sheep, laying down one's life? Pastors Aaron and Paige explore all this, and more, in this week's episode of Pod Be With You.

Today we are grateful to be joined by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, Senior Minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Indianapolis, and author of "Blessed Union: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness and Marriage". Together, we  unpack some of the challenges we face regarding mental illness, holy relationships, and the church - including stigma, ignorance, and lack of access...

It's the second Sunday of Easter, and we have a lot to talk about...the role doubt plays in a healthy and vibrant faith; heaven, hell, and the ever-present Kingdom of God; the freedom of forgiveness; the empowerment of the Holy Spirit; the affirmation of Thomas; and through it all, the question "What's next?" 

This week, perhaps more than any other, celebrates the fullness of faith: togetherness and separateness, fulfillment and betrayal. And, of course, death and new life. These perennial themes resonate even more fully this year, as we grieve what we have been through and celebrate our slow but inexorable recovery. Wherever this takes us, God is with us - so let's have a blessed Holy Week!

We're back on the same track, as we meet the perennial challenge of the familiar, but strange, story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is a moment loaded with celebration, hope, impending tragedy, political provocation, and so much more. It is a glimpse, if only fleeting, of the radically alternative Kingdom of God. And what does any of that have to do with this moment?

This week Pastors Aaron and Paige explore God's radical love in action. The Good Question series takes us to the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' call for his followers to love not just their friends, but also, and maybe especially, their enemies, and what that means in practical terms. Next, the Promises, Promises series dives into another Hebrew Bible Covenant, this one found in the Boo...

Three wonderful (and weird) Bible stories this week, as Pastors Paige and Aaron continue exploring their Lenten Sermon series. First, a strange story about grumbling Hebrews and snakes in the wilderness lead us to take on idolatry, sin, and what to do when God doesn't answer prayer the way we expect. Then, two healing stories from the Gospels look at asking for help from both sides of the que...

It's Lent, so that means another twofer! As Pastor Aaron continues exploring Jesus' great questions, this week we dive into the story of the Gerasene demoniac, and Jesus' question to him, "What is your name?" It's about identity, and God knowing us and loving us not in spite of who we are, but because of who we are.  And Pastor Paige engages with one of the most well-...

First in a series of twofers this Lenten season, Pastor Aaron dives into one of Jesus' great questions to the two disciples he meets on the Road to Emmaus, "What are you talking about as you walk together?" And Pastor Paige explores the Abrahamic Covenant, and what happens when it takes 25 years to see a promise fulfilled. 

A reflection on the start of one of our favorite seasons - and how different it is this year. How can this season be spiritually rich - even challenging - without further wearing us out? Well, we start by remembering that God's got this, and God's got us. 

Transfiguration comes up every year at this time, and every year we struggle to make sense of this strange and difficult passage. But as we dive in, we discover it is about who we are, and where we live...it is about journey, about comfort, about empowerment, about community. So join us for this interesting, and more importantly relevant, discussion of what it means to be transformed. 

What kind of power are we after - and why? Do we even realize the power we have? These days it is easy to feel powerless - especially when we are cut off from so many of those things that fill us up. So how do you connect with the power of God's Spirit - or simply find the power to endure? 

We hope this music brings you as much warmth and light as it did for us when we live-streamed this concert. Enjoy and share!

What a story: Jesus' "debut" in the Gospel of Mark. He teaches with authority; he casts out demons with authority. The people are astonished, and his fame begins to spread. So what would any of that have to do with our healing today? Quite a lot, we think - we hope you think so, too!