Rhythms of Humanity

After a long run of conversations exploring faith, doubt, and what it means to be human, Rhythms of Humanity is pressing pause – for now. In this final episode (at least for this season), Jon sits down with Pastor Joanne to reflect on the podcast: what they’ve appreciated, what surprised them, and why creating space for thoughtful, open-ended conversation still matters. They talk about the role of...

We’ve learned to value perspective, but what happens when truth starts to feel uncertain? This episode explores the tension between personal experience and shared reality, and why holding both might matter more than ever. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, it happens again: someone opens a Bible and starts connecting ancient prophecies to modern missiles. If you’re interested in a direct response to this, here’s a link to a great piece by Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee . In this episode, we step back and ask a deeper question. When scripture is used to justify war, what is faith actually supposed to look like...

Doors close. Plans change. And yet, hope remains. This episode explores where God’s presence is found, and how it lives through us. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

Not one protest, but many small voices. This episode reflects on the slow turning taking place as more voices begin to speak honestly about ICE enforcement and its human cost. We explore how the gospel calls us beyond “being nice,” and how shared truth can become shared courage. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

After traveling to Minnesota, Pastor Kari Lipke brings back firsthand stories of what’s happening in Minnesota. We talk about what this moment is teaching faith communities, how to resist a defeated spirit, and what it means to treat our immigrant neighbors as people to accompany rather than problems to solve. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

In the wake of yet another killing by federal agents in Minneapolis, this episode arrives with a weight it didn’t originally carry. Recorded before those events, the conversation nonetheless speaks directly to the question many of us are sitting with right now: who do we want to be when the outcomes aren’t guaranteed? Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subsc...

Hope is often treated like a mood or a mindset – something we can choose if we’re feeling optimistic enough. But when the world feels heavy, hope can start to wear thin, or even irresponsible. In this episode of Rhythms of Humanity , we explore what it takes to build a sturdier hope. A hope that stays present with grief and injustice without letting them be the only story we tell. Get full access...

A Christmas reflection on repetition, side characters, and finding meaning in a story we think we already know. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode we explore what changes when we ask who might be waiting for us. What it means to show up – not with answers or arguments, but with presence. How small, ordinary acts of generosity can ripple outward in ways we rarely see. And why living our values may say more than explaining them ever could. Pastor Joanne joins the conversation as we reflect on attention, time, creativity, and th...

Advent isn’t just a countdown—it’s a practice. This episode reflects on what’s worth waiting for, and the simple rhythms that help us stay open along the way. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

Gratitude doesn’t always bloom on schedule. Sometimes it grows slowly, in the cracks of ordinary days. This episode explores how gratitude can become a practice of noticing what holds us together, even when we feel like we’re falling apart. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

When the powerful look the other way, ordinary people keep showing up. This episode of Rhythms of Humanity explores what it means to build the world we want, one step at a time. From the eye of a needle to the tables where we share what we have, we’re invited to imagine generosity not as charity, but as community. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

We protect ourselves in all kinds of ways — expecting too little, demanding too much, bracing for what might go wrong. But what if life’s real work is learning to stay open anyway? Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

We’re told to push through, to never give up, but what if wisdom sometimes sounds like the word enough ? In this episode, we explore the quiet grace of recognizing when it’s time to release, why it’s so hard to know, and how faith invites us to trust the space that opens when we do. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

The idea of letting go sounds simple—maybe even freeing—but in practice it can be difficult. In this episode, Pastor Kari Lipke joins us to explore the wisdom of the seasons, asking what the falling leaves might teach us about when to release, when to hold on, and how letting go can sometimes prepare the way for new life. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/s...

Public life feels like it’s at a boil, with every word sparking outrage and every disagreement turning extreme. In this episode of Rhythms of Humanity , we explore how democracy endures not in the fire of extremes, but in the steadier rhythm of conversation, care, and the witness of communities willing to model another way. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com...

We’ve all heard it: “It’s God’s timing.” For some, those words feel like comfort. For others, they raise harder questions. Is it trust or a way of explaining things away? In this episode, we open space to reflect on how phrases like this shape the way we understand life’s twists and turns. Together, we’ll explore how community can support us without rushing to offer easy answers. Get full access t...

Summer fades into September, and along comes more than cooler mornings and shorter days. This season carries a kind of reset – a shift from play toward purpose, from freedom toward rhythm. But it’s not about leaving summer behind. It’s about carrying its spirit of joy and playfulness into the grounding energy of fall. In this episode, we talk about what it means to embrace a September reset – whet...

As the rush of summer gives way to everyday routines, we pause to notice the gifts that quietly hold our lives together. So often we overlook the simple, steady contributions – our own and others’ – that make community possible. In this episode, we reflect on why we tend to devalue what we bring, how hidden gifts sustain us, and the power of recognizing them before they’re gone. Get full access to...

James Dobson’s death has stirred up complicated feelings. His voice shaped how the world saw Christianity, often in ways that caused real harm. And in the eyes of many, that’s still what Christianity looks like. But what does it mean to follow Jesus when the label we carry lumps us in with beliefs we don’t share? In this episode, we wrestle with the temptation to defend the faith, why that may not...

For a lot of people, “church” means a building, a service, and a set routine. You show up, you listen, you leave. But what if that’s never been the point? In this episode, we look at the church – not as the destination – but as the people who prepare one another to live differently in the world. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

What if closure is a myth? In this episode, we explore our obsession with resolution, the discomfort of unresolved grief, and the importance of simply staying present. Get full access to The Expedition at gethsemanelutheranchurch.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we explore how theology isn’t just something we believe – it’s something we live. It shows up in the everyday: in the way we handle disappointment, in what we say to ourselves when things go wrong, and in how we make meaning out of both beauty and pain. We often think of theology as something abstract. But the truth is, we carry theology with us into traffic jams, awkward conversa...

The “big beautiful bill” passed – but for many, it feels more like a heartbreak than a victory. In this episode, we sit with the grief and the tension: not just over what the bill includes, but who it leaves behind. Immigrants, asylum seekers, the undocumented – sacrificed once again in the name of compromise. We talk about what it means when the same people are always the ones carved out, even wh...