Gravity Leadership Podcast

Many church leaders are facing a liminal moment, wrestling with how to navigate complex theological and cultural terrain and lead the church into a faithful witness of the Gospel in turbulent times. We talk with Seth Richardson, Director of our new initiative (Gravity Congregational Transformation), about how careful and hopeful noticing can shift our perspective […] The post How to Turn Church Challenges Into Transformational Opportunities appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In divided times, how do we work for justice and make real peace? Melissa Florer-Bixler joins us to discuss her prophetic book, How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace to get at these very questions. Melissa draws from the Scriptures and her work among those contending for justice to give […] The post Melissa Florer-Bixler: How to Have An Enemy appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“Phil from Philly” emailed us with a question about some of the specifics about what it looks like to love enemies. In this episode we reflect on his question, along with issues of power, abuse, conflict, justice, and love. Show notes / links: Join us for an Enneagram Transformation Workshop in Fredericktown, Missouri on March […] The post On Loving Enemies: A Question From a Listener appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

*CONTENT WARNING*: domestic abuse, pornography, rape. Sheila Gregoire and Sarah McDugal discuss some of the harmful myths about sex and marriage that are perpetuated by Christians, especially those under the moniker “purity culture,” and ways toward a more healthy and holistic view of bodies, sex. and marriage. This was a liberating Gravity Commons LIVE conversation […] The post Sheila Gregoire & Sarah McDugal: The Harm that Purity Culture Causes appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talk with Gravity Leadership Podcast co-founder Ben Sternke about 5 important things he’s learned in ministry so far. This is part of an ongoing series called "5 Things I've Learned." We want to hear from you! Let us know what you wish you knew when you started out in ministry. Email us at podcast@gravityleadership.com […] The post Ben Sternke: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Ministry appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talk with Gravity Leadership Podcast co-host Christy Penley about 5 important things she’s learned in ministry so far. This is part of an ongoing series called "5 Things I've Learned." Two things are fun about this conversation: 1) Christy actually shares 6 things instead of 5, which is very on-brand for her, and 2) […] The post Christy Penley: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Ministry appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Many have listened with great interest to the Christianity Today podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,exposing the leadership abuses of Mark Driscoll and the fallout among the members of his church. On this episode we will take a closer look at how the podcast itself functions in the same cultural and theological world […] The post What’s Missing From the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast? appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Allyson McKinney Timm and Meghan Tschanz (from Justice Revival) join us to discuss the ongoing struggle for women to have constitutionally protected equality, and why this is a fundamentally Christian concern. Justice Revival provides churches and seminaries with innovative, quality education that explores the importance of human rights to a Christian understanding of justice. Links: […] The post Allyson McKinney Timm & Meghan Tschanz: Christian Advocacy for Women’s Rights appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In our first Gravity Commons LIVE conversation (with our Gravity Commons community), we talked with David Gushee about his upcoming book Introducing Christian Ethics: Core Convictions for Christians Today. David has taken his many years of teaching and experience to offer a fresh vision of the Christian moral life for today’s turbulent world. This unique […] The post David Gushee: Christian Ethics in a Pluralistic World appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Author and communicator Carlene Hill Byron helps us understand the mounting dilemmas that pastors and churches face around mental health, and how the church can become a healing community for its members in pain. Her book is Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith, and Showing Up for One Another. Carlene Hill Byron is a fundraiser […] The post Carlene Hill Byron: Covid, Mental Health, Faith, and Community appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Leading activist and author Lisa Sharon Harper spent three decades researching ten generations of her family history through DNA research, oral histories, interviews and genealogy, and in her new book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World--and How to Repair It All, Harper draws on her lifelong journey to know her family's history […] The post Lisa Sharon Harper: How Racism Broke the World, and How to Repair It appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Clinical psychologist Rod Wilson explains how three “sacred sayings” can transform our leadership and the world. In his book Thank you. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More, he offers three practices--gratitude, remorse, and care--as pathways to real human communication, connection, and reconciliation, and provides a practical, inclusive, and relationally-focused resource for those want to become better […] The post Rod Wilson: 3 Leadership Sayings that Can Change the World appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tara Beth Leach joined us to talk about her new book, Radiant Church: Restoring the Credibility of Our Witness. Tara Beth also shared about her tumultuous personal and professional life over the last two years. Tara Beth Leach is a pastor, preacher of the Word, and writer. She speaks widely at conferences, retreats, and universities […] The post Tara Beth Leach: Restoring the Credibility of the Church’s Witness appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gravity Co-founder Matt Tebbe shared his most crucial learnings in his first 20 years of ministry. This is the first of an ongoing series we’re starting called “5 Things I’ve Learned.” We want to hear from you! Let us know what you wish you knew when you started out in ministry. Email us at podcast@gravityleadership.com […] The post Matt Tebbe: 5 Things I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Ministry appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talked with Curt Thompson about his new book The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community, which suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be seen and known. Curt integrates interpersonal neurobiology, Christian spirituality, and theology to help us reckon with what it means to be human, […] The post Curt Thompson: How Naming Desire Leads to Transformation appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Many of us have a complicated relationship with our body. Some of us feel ashamed of our bodies. Some of our bodies are riddled with stress, pain, and trauma. Racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, etc. have told some of us that we don’t have the right kind of body. Psychologist and researcher Hillary McBride join us […] The post Hillary McBride: Learning to Listen to the Wisdom of Your Body appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Prolific New Testament scholar Craig Keener joins us to talk about modern miracles. Through numerous stories, his new book, Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World, demonstrates the miraculous works of God, which have been part of the experience of the church around the world since Christianity began, continue into the […] The post Craig Keener: God’s Supernatural Work in the World Today appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What is the role of emotions in Christian discipleship? Many of us have learned to mistrust or ignore our emotions, but this creates a constricted and rigid spirituality. Becky Castle Miller helps us understand what emotions are and aren’t, how Jesus embodies human emotion, and why naming and working with our emotions is central to […] The post Becky Castle Miller on the Role of Emotions in Christian Discipleship appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Contemplative prayer is nice, sure, but is it really necessary? Pastor AJ Sherrill thinks so (we do, too). In his new book Being with God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer, AJ shows us how contemplative prayer is crucial not only for spiritual growth in the modern world, but also contributes to our […] The post AJ Sherrill on the Necessity and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What do you do when it seems like everybody else is getting their dreams and you’re not? Heather Thompson Day helps us know what we can do to shape ourselves while waiting, so we are ready when it’s our turn. We had a fun, wide-ranging conversation with Heather about the themes from her new book […] The post Heather Day: What to Do When It’s Not Your Turn appeared first on Gravity Leadership.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy