Pod Strangely Warmed

This week on POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Daniel Hawkins is joined by Bishop Connie Shelton of the North Carolina Conference and Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. After hearing Bishop Shelton preach at our opening worship of snnual conference 2026, we wanted to spend more time with her, listening to her story, her perspective, and the way she leads with clarity, humility, and trust in the Holy Spirit.   Togeth...

While at Annual Conference, Rev. Daniel Hawkins sat down with keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean to continue a conversation many churches are already having: what does church growth look like in a time when old assumptions no longer hold? Drawing on the image of shipwreck and the hope of finding a different boat, they reflect on the future of the church, congregational renewal, and the kin...

This week POD Strangely Warmed explores how United Methodists are living out mission through education, health care, clean water, women's leadership and deep community care. Daniel Contreras, Mission Program Director for Honduras, joins Rev. Daniel Hawkins and Rev. Kristin Warthen to share how the Honduras Mission Initiative is helping children imagine a different future, supporting a migrant clin...

This week POD Strangely Warmed brings you into the conversations happening at Annual Conference 2026 as we talk with clergy and laity from around the Horizon Texas Conference. You'll hear thoughtful reflections on what it looks like to love boldly in real ministry, real community, and real life, along with the shared sense of hope that emerges when the church gathers to worship, connect, and liste...

Annual Conference is almost here, and this week we're hitting the road. In this special episode of Pod Strangely Warmed, we travel to Wichita Falls to preview the upcoming Horizon Texas Annual Conference 2026. Along the way, we visit some of the key locations you'll experience during the week, hear a few stories from local leaders and share practical tips to help you feel prepared when you arrive....

Across the Horizon Texas Conference, many churches are navigating communities that are changing around them. The question is not only how churches survive that change, but how they become more fruitful, more welcoming and more connected to the people God has placed around them. In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Daniel Hawkins sits down with Rev. Christian Washington and Rev. Derek Jac...

This week on POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Kristin Warthen hosts a special May the 4th conversation about Star Wars, faith and the deeper spiritual themes that keep drawing people back to a galaxy far, far away. Rev. Kevin Anderson, pastor at FUMC Alvarado, and Rev. Jarrod Johnston, pastor at Community UMC in Krum, TX, join the conversation to talk about their favorite Star Wars stories, characters...

The Parables of Jesus are some of the most well-known in the world. But what if we've been moving through them too quickly to really hear what they're saying? In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Daniel Hawkins sits down with Rev. Andy Nixon to explore The 45 Parables and the deeper meaning behind the stories Jesus told. Together, they reflect on how parables invite us to slow down, ask b...

Across neighborhoods, cities, and communities, things are changing fast, and not everyone knows how to respond. In Frisco, Texas, a growing and increasingly diverse community has brought both opportunity and tension. When fear and harmful rhetoric began showing up in public spaces, local faith leaders and neighbors made a different choice: to show up, stand together, and respond with love. In this...

Across the country and here in North Texas, conversations around immigration, enforcement and public policy are often loud and divided. But what does it look like when people of faith step into these moments not with anger, but with prayer, presence and compassion? On this episode of POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Daniel Hawkins and Rev. Kristin Warthen sit down with Rev. Eric Folkerth and Pastor Roc...

Across campuses and communities, many young adults are asking real questions about belonging, purpose and leadership, and they are not walking away from faith as much as they are searching for something deeper and more authentic. Rev. Daniel Hawkins visited the Rekindle Summit to sit down with Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, President of Brite Divinity School, Rev. Evve Kuykendall, Wesley Director at the U...

Church hurt is real. Spiritual trauma is real. And healing is possible. In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, host Rev. Kristin Warthen is joined by Rev. Joy Dister-Dominguez and special guest Joshua Harris for a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about the ways faith communities can sometimes become places of pain, even when they are meant to be places of healing. Recorded just before a...

Is the algorithm shaping your faith more than Scripture, community or the voice of Christ? This week on POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Daniel Hawkins is joined by Rev. Lupina Villalpando Stewart and Rev. Preston Morgan to explore how social media algorithms form our attention, influence our beliefs and shape the way we see one another. Together, they wrestle with a timely question for the church today...

Connection is at the heart of what it means to be United Methodist, and in this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Daniel Hawkins is joined by Rev. Alan McGrath, Rev. Mark Sheets, and Rev. Yvi Martin for a thoughtful and hope-filled conversation about why that connection still matters today. Together, they reflect on borrowed brilliance, shared wisdom, the communities that shape ministry, and t...

This week on POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Melissa McDuffee Beal, Senior Pastor of FUMC Cleburne, hosts guest speaker Rev. Nicole Caldwell-Gross, Senior Pastor of Noblesville First UMC in Indiana, and Rev. Erin Sloan Jackson of Munger Place Church in Dallas. Together, they reflect on what bold faith looks like in practice, how women in Scripture model courage and conviction, and why discernment, wisd...

Faithful experimentation is becoming essential to the life of the church today. Drawing from lived ministry experience, Rev. Daniel Hawkins, Rev. Dr. Michael Beck and Rev. Al Martin explore how new expressions of church take shape through trust, patience and a willingness to learn. Through stories and reflection, this episode examines how churches navigate change, test new ways of being in relatio...

What might the church look like when it takes faithful shape beyond the sanctuary? In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, Rev. Daniel Hawkins is joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Beck and Rev. Al Martin for a conversation introducing New Expressions, new ways of forming Christian community that are rooted in Methodist heritage and shaped for the realities of today. Often emerging in everyday places and...

What does faithful leadership look like when you are still becoming who God is calling you to be? In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, we are joined by Laureen Kuizon and Rachel Risko, seminary students at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and members of the Young Adult Council of the Horizon Texas Conference, for a hopeful and honest conversation about shaping the ch...

After welcoming more than 54 incredible guests into the POD Strangely Warmed studios in 2025, we couldn't let their stories live in just one episode. Each week, we ask our guests to share their best, worst or weirdest moment in ministry, and once again, the stories were too good to leave on the cutting room floor. This second installment continues the celebration of the heart, humor and very human...

This year, we welcomed over 54 incredible guests into the POD Strangely Warmed studio. After recording each episode, we love to ask our guests to share a story about their best, worst or weirdest moment in ministry. We heard so many fantastic stories from some truly wonderful people that we had to divide them into two parts. This episode highlights the heart, humor and humanity of our United Metho...

This episode touches on some behind the scenes aspects of being Mrs. Claus that may not be suitable for younger ears. If you have little ones around we recommend listening later or with headphones. Thanks for understanding, Merry Christmas! Creativity, imagination, and joy are essential parts of forming faith, especially in the lives of children. In this Christmas-week episode of POD Strangely War...

Advent does not always arrive gently, but even in its weight, it carries the promise of light, hope, and renewed joy. For many, this season holds exhaustion, grief, and unanswered questions, yet it also invites us to slow down and notice where God is already at work. On this episode of POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Daniel Hawkins is joined by Rev. Sarah Garza and Rev. Lee Trigg for a thoughtful conv...

The holiday season brings joy and tradition — but it can also carry pressure, loneliness, and grief. In this episode, Rev. Daniel Hawkins sits down with Rev. Dr. Velda Turnley , Pastor of Spiritual Growth and Discipleship at St. Luke Community UMC, and Pamela Mickens , a longtime leader in St. Luke's Mental Health Ministry, for an honest conversation about staying mentally and spiritually well thr...

"There are more things that unite us than divide us." — Bishop Erik Gronberg On this week's episode of POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Daniel Hawkins welcomes Bishop Erik Gronberg of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Rev. Kenny Dickson , a United Methodist pastor serving at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas. Together they explore the story and lived experience of Full Communi...

This week on POD Strangely Warmed , Rev. Daniel Hawkins welcomes Rev. Jarrod Johnston and Rev. Scott Gilliland for a playful and competitive Thanksgiving Essentials Draft . A six-round showdown to build the ultimate Thanksgiving experience. Each round tests their strategy as they select must-have foods, family traditions, lifesavers for chaotic conversations, and unexpected wild-card picks. There'...