Pod Have Mercy

Bishop David Graves was elected to the episcopacy by the Southeastern Jurisdiction in 2016. He is the Resident Bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Area, which includes the Alabama-West Florida Conference in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. Today we discuss denominational issues and how Bishop Graves is leading his districts through these times. We discuss how...

This week Matt and John discuss easter prep and what it means to live our faith through Christ's life, death and resurrection. They unpack the meaning of the word Kenosis and how it relates to our spirituality.  Chapelwood.org/easter

This week we go over Harwood Institute's Civic Virus Report. This report reveals that Americans don’t feel polarized or antagonistic toward one another. They feel isolated and disoriented, like they are trapped in a house of mirrors with no way out. They are in the grips of a perilous fight or flight response. John and Matt discuss the church's responsibility in this new age of discourse and how l...

This week is the everything episode! The conversation wanders from Will Smith to the effects of TikTok on mental health. We talk about how we made community before social media and how people are trying to make connections in the digital age. We also cover some spiritual practices that John and Matt have used to unplug from technology and find balance. Article 1 Article 2

Jeremy Steele is an Associate Pastor at Los Altos United Methodist Church. Jeremy has developed an app called Zoay that seeks to engage with Gen Z and Millennials who used to attend church but do not anymore. In this conversation, we discuss Jeremy's call into ministry, some data that Jeremy has collected through the creation of his app and what it means to do ministry in the digital world. ...

Bishop Scott Jones was elected to the episcopacy in 2004 and currently serves as the resident bishop of the Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church with an office in Houston. Today we discuss the current state of the UMC and how we got here. We talk local church disaffiliations, conference disaffiliations, the jurisdictional conference in 2022 and Bishop Jones' hopes for the future.

This week Tod Bolsinger is back! We discuss leadership and vulnerability, spiritual formation in churches, how to ask the hard questions and the purpose of the christian life.  Tod's Blog

Today we are joined by Teer Hardy. Teer is a UMC pastor and the cohost of the podcast Crackers & Grape Juice. Teer has been podcasting since 2016 and we hear stories about some of his favorite conversations that span over 300 episodes. We talk current church trends, doubt and faith, how Christians responded to the pandemic and much more!  Crackersandgrapejuice.com

Kenneth DeVon is the Director of Navigation Programs at The Salvation Army. In this conversation we talk about Kenneth's experience as a background vocalist for artists like Steve Wonder and Alicia Keys, his education at Berklee College of Music and how he discovered God's call on his life through a chance reconnection with his brother.   Texas Monthly Article  

This week John and Matt discuss current events and the future of the church. They have conversation about 12 DISRUPTIVE CHURCH TRENDS THAT WILL RULE 2022 and how churches will need to adapt to continue to serve in the post-pandemic era. 

This week we have another update from Dr. Marc Boom. John and Matt get information on the current state of the pandemic and how our medical system in Houston is responding. They discuss variants, new health initiatives and the data around the decrease in cases worldwide. 

This week John and Matt wrap up the 4 week series on following Jesus. They talk about the community of Jesus and why it's important to remain in fellowship with one another instead of isolation. 

This week John and Matt continue their discussion around following Jesus. They cover three main points:  1. In order to walk the path of Jesus, we must follow the leading of God’s Spirit, as Jesus did. 2. To follow the path of Jesus means to hold at the center of your mission – and our mission – the kinds of things Jesus held at the center of his mission. 3. If we are going to follow the path...

This week Matt and John are live again talking about the temptation of Jesus. They discuss the 3 temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness and how those correlate with modern Christianity. 

This week John and Matt do the podcast with a live audience! This is the first of four live podcasts that will take place in the month of January. ON this episode they discuss: Baptism: Initiation into the ways of Jesus and into the kingdom of God; Baptism: Incorporation into the way of life reflected in Jesus; Baptism: Ordination into a life of service, ministry, and mission; Baptism: Affirmation...

This is a special Christmas pop up episode! John and Matt talk about Christmas traditions, trivia and what it's like being a pastor during the holidays!

This week Matt and John discuss thanksgiving traditions, hallmark movies and how we can practice gratitude as a spiritual practice.

This week Xach Blunt fills in for Matt Russell. John and and Xach talk about the Astroworld Festival tragedy, self care vs self medication and Xach shares a poem that he wrote about mental health and allowing others to embrace us through pain. 

This week John and Matt talk about the correlation between The Lord of The Rings and pastoral life, church growth data and some exciting vision coming from young leaders in the UMC. 

This week Tod Bolsinger joins us in studio! He is the author of several books, including the Christianity Today Award of Merit recipient, It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the community of God transforms lives. He blogs at http://bolsinger.blogs.com and speaks, consults and is an executive coach for corporate, non-profit, educational and church organizations in transformational leadershi...

This week Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all crashed and the social media apocalypse ensued. Matt and John talk about how the church is responding to the digital age and we look at relevant generational statistics.  

This week Matt and John break down the idea of truth. What is truth? Does it feel like our culture is very susceptible to lies? John discusses a book he has been reading called, "Truth Telling in a Post-Truth World" by D. Stephen Long and how the concepts are shaping his thinking. They also discuss how we are to live as Christians in a world that can seem to exist in many different realities.&nbsp...

Lisa has served as Vice President for Leadership Ministry for the Texas Methodist Foundation since March 2012. The Leadership Ministry for the Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF) helps clergy and lay leaders to discern and discover new ways to steward their communities’ potential to fulfill God’s purpose.  This week we discuss the challenges the church faces now that we did not face before covid...

This week we welcome Reverend Greg Han to the studio. Rev. Han has been the Director of Interfaith Relations & Education, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston for six years. The work of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston is all about ‘dialogue, collaboration, and service.’ These three qualities are in high demand, whether it be through our Meals on Wheels, Refugee Services, or Volu...

This week John and Matt talk about Ted Lasso, therapy and how the depths of spirituality push us toward unity.