This Good Word With Steve Wiens

Episode 135 | Learning to See

In this episode, I talked about getting in touch with the reality that you really don't see as well as you think you do (relax, neither do I).

I told a story about when an undocumented immigrant spoke at our church. I also told a story about a time when Jesus essentially said everybody was blind - except for a blind guy. 

Cards face up on the table: I really do want to see more than I currently see. I want to see through the lenses of people who don't believe what I believe, who don't look like me, and who have widely different perspectives. So I talked about one way to get there. 

Enjoy the podcast, my friends. 

Episode 134 | How a Secret-Keeper Became a Storyteller with Laura Parrott Perry

Oh, my sweet Lord. This is one of my favorite episodes. 

Laura Parrott Perry is the author of a brand new book called She Wrote it Down: How at Secret-Keeper Became a Storyteller. It's penetrating, gorgeous, raw, hopeful, and at times hilarious. I loved it. 

Laura says that we all live inside our stories and we make homes of them. But when our stories become secrets, those homes become prisons. If you have a story you are not telling anyone, anywhere, in any way - that is not privacy, it's secrecy. The difference between privacy and secrecy is simple: Shame. A lifelong secret-keeper, Laura Parrott Perry began the process of transforming into a storyteller when the dark secrets she'd been carrying around became too heavy and her life began to collapse under the weight of them. Sexual abuse, eating disorders, alcohol, perfectionism... Those secrets were all Laura's story that was making itself known when she was unwilling to tell it. Bit by bit, story by story, Laura began to shine a light into all those dark corners and tell the truth. She surrendered to the facts of her life and her past, and in doing so began to write a beautiful new future.

Fair Warning: This episode contains stories of childhood sexual abuse. 

You guys, this conversation was so beautiful, so hopeful, and so honest. If your story is making itself known in any unsettling way because you are keeping it a secret, I hope Laura's words help. 

Laura is also the co-founder of a nonprofit called Say it Survivor, which is committed to raise awareness and remove the stigma surrounding sexual abuse by telling our story shamelessly and encouraging other survivors to do the same.

You can get in touch with Laura through her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Enjoy the podcast! 

Episode 133 | Tree of Lies with Scott Perkins

Scott Perkins was on staff at a large church, had a marriage that looked like it was thriving from the outside. But on the inside, he was exhausted and looking for an escape hatch. So he resigned his position, separated from his wife, and started a new relationship. That's how his book Tree of Lies begins. 

Scott went on a long journey where he eventually discovered that focusing on behaviors and trying hard to get it right is not the path to God, it's the path to burnout. In this conversation, we covered lots of ground: we talked about true self and false self, freedom and rest, and how to get honest about your actual life. 

Enjoy.

Links we discussed on the show:

Tree of Lies book

The Deeper Journey by Robert Mulholland

His Worksheet to assess your life

Tree of Lies Website

Episode 132 | Permission

Just in the last few years, it seems as though the tide of culture, in general, is sweeping everybody away from their true, essential selves and into the quagmire of tribe and groupthink. It's becoming harder and harder to know who you are, what you think, and how you feel. It's becoming harder and harder to spend time on what's genuinely important. 

During this episode, I shared some stories, practices, and questions that might help you to regain a sense of your essential self. These include learning to say the shortest, truest thing, knowing how to identify toxic relationships (and giving yourself permission to set boundaries and even leave them), and learning to simply sit with the Divine and experience God's love, who accepts you as you are and not as you should be. 

Enjoy. 

Episode 131 | Presence and Process with Daniel P. Coleman

This episode is for anyone who has jettisoned a theological framework that couldn't hold your deep questions and your desire to see an integrated thread of seemingly different traditions. 

Danny Coleman grew up in the charismatic stream of Evangelical Christianity, where his particular church put sole emphasis on that future moment when all will someday be made new by Jesus at his second coming. Danny kept wondering if there was more, and it led him to a house church, then the Quakers, then... this book. It is refreshing and hopeful. Coleman's view combines Christian contemplation, Buddhist meditation, and process theology in developing a transformative and inclusive view of God, each other, and the universe. This episode will stretch your thinking, most likely. Enjoy! 

Connect with Daniel by heading over to his website, or by viewing this brief video or this one  (where he discusses process theology). You can buy his book here. 

Episode 130 | Influence

What difference are you making in the world, and how can you know if you're wasting your time?

Who are you to think that you have influence over people in a way that might make their life better?

How do you know your own sphere of influence? How can you tell where it starts and where it stops? 

How can you grow healthier in the way that you view influence? 

In this episode, I tackled the dirty word "influence." I believe you can be wrecked by constantly wanting more and more influence, always hungry for the affirmation that it never really gives. But I also believe there is a way to think about influence that is healthy, necessary and life-giving. 

Enjoy.

Books & Podcasts I mentioned: 

The Typology Podcast with Ian Morgan Cron

The Road Back to You Podcast with Suzanne Stabile and Ian Morgan Cron

The Road Back to You book by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Morgan Cron

The Sacred Enneagram by Chris Heuertz

 

Episode 129 | Unarmed Empire with Sean Palmer

Sean Palmer is the teaching pastor of Ecclesia Houston, a diverse church in the heart of downtown Houston. Ecclesia has been a huge part of the recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey nearly destroyed the city, raising more than $2 million dollars and hosting volunteers from all around the world, putting them to work at rebuilding. 

Sean and I talked a lot about the church - particularly how it can be a beloved community in the world once again. His new book, Unarmed Empire: In Search of Beloved Community, is a powerful message of hope about the church in 2018 and beyond. 

You can get in touch with Sean on Facebook and Twitter, and by listening to his podcast, Not So Black and White.

Enjoy. 

Episode 128 | Talking About God with Steve Saccone

Steve Saccone is a pioneer in the field of unrestricted education and leadership development. For more than a decade, he has partnered with churches nationwide, as well as globally, to design and launch innovative internship programs called Protégé. His work in and with local churches has equipped many to develop transformational leaders and more effective leadership pipelines. He has written several books, including Relational Intelligence, Protégé, The Protege Playbook, and his latest one, Talking About God: Honest Conversations About Spirituality.

I've known Steve for more than a decade, and his compassion for people shines brightly in this conversation, and also in this book. Please check out his website for more information, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. 

Enjoy! 

Episode 127 | Light with Rabbi Alan

Rabbi Alan is back! 

Well, sort of. It's been so long since I've had him on that I needed to resurrect this brilliant episode that we recorded last Christmas. Because - maybe you missed it then, or you are new around here. Either way, you're going to love Rabbi Alan. 

Enjoy. 

Episode 126 | Ash Gallagher Lives in Northern Iraq

I met Ash Gallagher in southern California, but that's not where she lives. She's a correspondent and producer working and living in the middle east, covering stories in Iraq, Israel, and Palestine. Our conversation was broad-ranging - we talked about the effect that President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is having on Palestinians, and we talked about the heroic spirit of the Iraqi people. She's knowledgeable, gritty, and hopeful. 

Enjoy!

You can get in touch with Ash by checking out her website or by following her on Instagram. 

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

Rabbis For Human Rights 

Lynne Hybels 

Preemptive Love Coalition