Shows
Pod Be With YouThe Ways of Life and Death (Bible Study)We talk often about how the Bible is written by many, many authors across many, many years, and so there will be differing perspectives, opinions, and voices contained within its pages. This a good thing, leading to depth, richness, and diversity.But sometimes our scriptures speak loudly, with one voice. And this week is one of those times...James and Mark are both proclaiming the same truth about the ways of this world, and the ways of God's Realm. And though they employ different ways of communicating, the message is the same. Join us this week for...2024-09-1946 minPod Be With YouSticks and Stones (Bible Study)James has a lot to say this week about the power, for both good and for evil, of speech. In twelve short verses, he drills down to the bedrock of the matter, that the words we speak and how we speak them can create, and nurture, and inspire, or they can destroy, and poison, and defeat. He bases this in solid Creational theology, and calls upon Christians to speak words of life. Good stuff. Join us as we explore the power of words.2024-09-1245 minPod Be With YouJust Do It (Bible Study)In a shocking turn of events, we're on the same scripture passage this week! (And we will be at least throughout September.) We're taking a deep dive into the Book of James, notably Martin Luther's least favorite book of the entire Bible. We will be talking, faith, works, salvation, the Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of this World, and salty epistle authors. Fun! Join us!2024-08-2940 minPod Be With YouGod, Guns, Grain, and Other MysteriesWe are on separate paths this week, but paths that intersect at multiple points. Both Paige and Aaron are talking this week about the role of the Church and the Christian as parts of a larger community, how we are called to be witnesses to God's compassion, God's grace, God's love. Does that make it easy or non-controversial? Certainly not...but it is part of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.2024-05-3045 minPod Be With YouHosts and Guests (Bible Study - Easter 5)This week, although the scripture passages are a bit different, the themes that Pastor Aaron and Pastor Paige or exploring are very much the same...connection, commitment, relationship, abundance, and joy. How do we stay connected to the Spirit? How do we live that out in our lives? How do we invite others? Join us for another hour of sparkling conversation.2024-05-0253 minPod Be With YouUps and Downs (Transfiguration Bible Study)Even before Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the mountaintop and back down again, there are a lot of ups and downs in their journey...spectacular moments of Divine power, and valley experiences of misunderstanding and faithlessness. But this event at the top of the mountain is an affirmation for them all...for Jesus, who is turning his face toward Jerusalem, for his Disciples, who will learn what it is to follow. Join us as we explore this strange and wonderful story on the cusp of Lent.2024-02-0837 minPod Be With YouFull Faith and Credit (Bible Study)Aaron and Paige are on the same scriptural track this week, reading the story of Jesus and "the question of taxation" as told in the Gospel of Matthew. For a passage that is only eight verses long, this asks a lot of questions, perhaps, in good Jesus fashion, more than it answers. But maybe that's what discipleship is all about? Let's find out, as we dive into Matthew 22:15-22.2023-10-1942 minPod Be With YouDecisions, Decisions . . . (Bible Study)Pivotal moments are on our radar this week, those moments when we look at what is, and ask the question "What is most essential?" As Aaron continues his exploration of Acts, that question is asked by the Apostles at the Council of Jerusalem, as they make decisions that will change the face of Christianity going forward. And as Paige wraps up her musical summer sermon series, that question gets asked in the face of death...are we living our lives in a way that makes room for the most important things? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation on life...2023-08-2456 minPod Be With YouWelcome to Summer!It may not be OFFICIALLY summer yet, but we are kicking of our Summer Series' this week. For Aaron this looks like an exploration of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, a fascinating and important look at the origin of the Church, and the work of the Holy Spirit. For Paige, it's Summer Soundtrack, taking some of our favorite "non-church" songs as a lens through which to view the scriptures and our faith. Join us as we begin these journeys together!2023-06-0152 minPod Be With YouPBWY Special: Amy Allan, First Nations TranslationWe've used it in worship, referred to it in the Podcast, and delved into the brilliant theology and creativity of the First Nations Translation of the Bible. Now we get to sit down and talk with one of the people working on the Hebrew Bible translation! Paige's dear friend from college, and a force to be reckoned with, Amy Allan. Join us for this fascinating interview2023-04-1244 minPod Be With YouLent, Week 1 (Bible Study)It's the first Sunday of Lent already, if you can believe that. And although we are looking at two different stories from the Bible...Paige, the Wedding and Cana, and Aaron, the "Fall" of Humanity...both provide an open door into this season of self-reflection, discipline, meditation, and re-orientation. Join us, as we begin this 40 day journey to the cross and the empty tomb.2023-02-2449 minPod Be With YouHow to Begin When Your World is Ending (with Rev. Molly Baskette)Today, I (Aaron) am lucky enough to speak with Rev. Molly Baskette, Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, CA, and author of several outstanding books. Her most recent is "How to Begin When Your World is Ending: A Spiritual Field Guide to Joy DESPITE Everything." "Field Guide" is a great description: this book is part survival guide for those going through some of life's most difficult moments. Also like a field guide, though, this will take you by the hand and make sure you don't miss anything wonderful. With grace and honesty (an...2023-01-2542 minPod Be With YouWhat Are We Doing?What are we doing? That's a fine question. For the last three weeks, Pastor Paige has explored justice in the scriptures, and this week we talk about putting it into direct, real action. And, with a Baptism and Communion coming up the Sunday, Pastor Aaron looks at the sacraments, not only what we THINK happens in them, but what how our thinking shapes what really DOES happen.2022-09-2838 minPod Be With YouIn This Together (Bible Study)So what are we covering this week? Oh, nothing really, just the spiritual and physical implications of striving after wealth, and the nature of what it means to be human. Both Aaron and Paige are swinging big, as we cover 1 Timothy 6 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Join us as we grapple with some of the big questions. 2022-09-2250 minPod Be With YouThe Next Day (Bible Study)That's the question for today, with both of our scripture passages for Sunday, "What Happens the Next Day?" Whether it is a question of creation and environmental justice, as Paige explores with Genesis 1, or the next chapter of the story of the Prodigal Son, a topic Aaron engages, there is always a next day, a next move, a next step closer to God and each other. We are deeply, fundamentally, intrinsically connected, and on this journey together.2022-09-1538 minPod Be With YouStarting AgainHey everyone! Your second-favorite host of Pod Be With You has returned! Aaron is back, and together he and Paige catch up on the last three months, exploring some of the blessings of sabbatical time. Then, we discuss Paige's latest "Sunday Funny" comic, taking on some light and breezy topics like divine providence, worry, and care. Thanks for joining us!2022-08-2559 minPod Be With YouH - E - Double Hockey Sticks (Bible Study)In this episode of Pod Be With You, we tackle the hot potato that is HELL. Pastors Paige and Michelle dive into the history and scriptures behind this particular piece of Christian theology, and rethink its place in our doctrine. (Because God is Still Speaking, and we can do that.) Join us for an interesting journey into Sheol, Gehenna, and Dante's Inferno, as we ask the question, "What is Hell? And do I have to be afraid of it?"2022-06-2937 minPod Be With YouIt's a Mystery! Why We Need the Trinity (Bible Study)This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday, so join Michelle and Paige this week as we explore...and do our best to explain...what is at it's heart a holy mystery...the Trinity. Three person, one God, a whole lot of questions. 2022-06-0939 minPod Be With YouThis Pod is Fire - Pentecost and the Holy Spirit (Bible Study)Sunday is Pentecost, when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. A mighty wind, tongues of fire, and descending doves are all ways we talk about the mystery of the Spirit. Join Pastor Michelle and Paige as we try to do just that, as we give thanks for this empowering, inspiring, uniting gift.2022-06-0333 minPod Be With YouOur Enduring Hope (Bible Study) with special guests, the Reverends Scott Oberle and Michelle McNamaraSabbatical Summer is upon us! As you already know, Pastor Aaron has started his sabbatical last week. So, for the rest of the summer, I will be joining forces to co-host with Pastor Michelle McNamara from First Congregational United Church of Christ Downers Grove. This week, we are also joined by her colleague there, Pastor Scott Oberle, just days before the start of HIS sabbatical. We gather to talk about the sacramental moment that is the Christian funeral, about death, and about the hope of life and love everlasting. (Please forgive the audio at the very beginning of the...2022-05-2639 minPod Be With YouInterview - Laura Bernabei and Children's MinistriesAaron is beginning his sabbatical, and I am left to my own devices! And so, for this first week, I have leaned on my friend and colleague, Laura Bernabei, Director of Children's Ministry at the Congregational Church of Batavia, to talk about children, their place in the Body of Christ, and what they can teach adults. Join us for this fun and important conversation!2022-05-1931 minPod Be With YouSabbaticals and Sacred CommitmentsWe cover a lot of ground this week, beginning with Aaron's upcoming sabbatical (May 23-Aug 23). We take this time to reflect on rest as a pattern of God's creation, as a natural and necessary good, and as (for some) a real struggle in this time and place. And for Paige's Easter Season of sacramental life, we talk sacred commitments: holy vows, abundance and celebration. We yearn for connection, it seems - it's how we're made. And it is a means by which we come to know the flourishing joy that is God's vision for creation. 2022-05-0558 minPod Be With YouHoliness, Hope, and Healing (Third Sunday of Easter)We're coming up on the third Sunday of Easter already, and in our scriptures and our worship, Resurrection is real! In Paige's congregation we explore the sacramental moment that is Confirmation, as we celebrate and nurture the gifts of the Spirit that make the Church the Church. And in Aaron's congregation, it is healing and hope, in the story of Christ's reconciliation with Peter by the lakeside. Join us as we continue to talk about the ways we embody our faith, live it out, and witness to the love of God.2022-04-2746 minPod Be With YouTransfiguration (Bible Study on Luke 9:28-43)It's Transfiguration Sunday once again! But Luke adds a little to this familiar tale, because it doesn't end when Jesus, Peter, James and John come down the mountain. Because there, they meet a boy in need, and Jesus uses what happened on the mountaintop to do the work necessary on the plain. A great story for the season, for our time, and for our lives.2022-02-2442 minPod Be With YouThe Wedding at Cana (Bible Study)Well, it happened: Covid has come to the James house! We're all ok (and hope to stay that way) but it also means we're on Zoom today. But if you can stand the funky audio, we've got a great bible study on a famous and rich story: Jesus turning water into wine during the wedding at Cana. What do we make of this extravagant miracle? What does this sign say about who God is and what God cares about? Thanks for being with us!2022-01-1445 minPod Be With YouOne More For the Road (Bible Study)This is the last week in our respective summer series, and we've got some big ideas to discuss. The last book at FCC Dundee, by David Zahl, is called, "Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion And What To Do About It." (Whew!) Its a fascinating book about how religious we can be about "non-religious" things - and how we are searching for meaning, purpose, identity, belonging, and a sense of our own "enoughness" everywhere. And for Pastor Paige's last stop "on the road," there isn't an arrival, but another sending-out: Jesus' Great C...2021-08-2656 minPod Be With YouHoly Discomfort (Bible Study)Taking a break from our short series on salvation, we tackle some uncomfortable things this week. Pastor Aaron explores Psalm 10, and righteous lament, while Pastor Paige travels with Saul to Damascus, and talks about what we do when everything is upside down, and an answer isn't apparent. Both places that are difficult to be in, but are part of the spiritual journey.2021-08-191h 03Pod Be With YouSpecial: Salvation (Part 2) - with Dr. Jim Halverson, PhD.With Pastor Paige on a well-deserved break, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Jim Halverson, PhD, a member of FCC Dundee and a professor at Judson University. Jim has particular expertise in Medieval Christianity, the Reformation, and world history, and he brings that knowledge to bear on our questions about salvation: What are we saved from - and how? How have we answered these questions differently through the ages? How is our cultural context - our lived experience - reflected in how we think about God? All this and a lot more (yikes - it's kind of a long...2021-08-101h 19Pod Be With YouSpecial: Salvation (Part 1)A small detour from following our Summer Series pattern, we are taking some time to follow up on a topic we touched on a few weeks ago...Salvation. What is it? What are we saved from? What are we saved to? How does it all work, anyway? This language is at the core of our faith, but what does it really mean? Pastors Paige and Aaron begin a mini-series on this important and interesting topic.2021-08-0458 minPod Be With YouThe Stories We Tell (Bible Study)We're back! After a week away, we are returning to an exploration of the Summer Series we are doing. This week, Pastor Aaron is reading "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants," by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It's a series of essays that encompass all the various parts of Kimmerer's experience as a botanist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation. On this episode, we focus on the power of our creation narratives to mold and shape us. And the Roadtrip Summer Series takes Pastor Paige to the story of The Good Samaritan, a story that...2021-07-2943 minPod Be With YouClaiming and Reclaiming (Bible Study)Another deep dive into our Summer Sermon Series, Paige gets to wax rhapsodic about her favorite Hebrew Bible story of all time, the tale of Ruth and Naomi, and the covenant that make with each other. Aaron is reading "Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence" by Diana Butler Bass. This book is a exploration of just some of the ways we come to know Christ, and an attempt to reclaim them for ourselves and our faith.2021-07-1546 minPod Be With YouEnvies and Absurdities (Bible Study)This week on Pod Be With You, Aaron explores the book "Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others," by Barbara Brown Taylor. In this book, Taylor celebrates the beauty and wisdom of what other faiths have to teach us, as well as how they can enhance the practice of our own. And the Roadtrip series takes us to Jericho, a troubling and difficult story that brings up questions of violence and colonization, but also offer hope in the absurdities of life.2021-07-0844 minPod Be With YouAstonishments (Bible Study)Astonishments...part of the subtitle of the book Aaron is reading this week (World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil) and a great description of the pillar of cloud and fire that lead the Hebrew people our of Egypt. Because that is what we are talking about today, the awe and wonder of those places where the Divine peeks through at us. They are everywhere. Do we have the eyes to see?2021-07-0143 minPod Be With YouAbove and Below (Bible Study)Above and below is our theme this week, as we both continue with our Summer Sermon Series. Pastor Paige continues on the Roadtrip with the story of Jacob and his dream of a great ladder connecting heaven and earth. Then Pastor Aaron picks up the cosmological theme with an investigation into Rob Bell's book "Love Wins," a look at the place of heaven and hell in Christian theology. Join us this week for a wide ranging conversation about sin, grace, and the places where God finds us on the journey.2021-06-1748 minPod Be With YouLoving, Leaving, and Finding (Bible Study)This week sees the start of our Summer Series, and so for the next 12 weeks, you will get two for the price of one. Paige will explore how it is that God meets us on the journey in her Roadtrip series, while Aaron reads a book a week to gain new perspectives and ideas. Join us this week for Adam and Eve leaving Eden, and Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans.2021-06-0349 minPod Be With YouPentecost (Bible Study)Pentecost is upon us once again...the rush as of a violent wind, the tongues of flame, the speaking in all the languages of the known world, a wonderful and powerful story about the arrival of the Holy Spirit. But was does this old, familiar story mean to us today, now? How does the Holy Spirit move and work in our lives in the 21st Century? Together, we explore that question as we dive into Acts 2:1-21.2021-05-2035 minPod Be With YouLove One Another (Bible Study)If we had to choose one passage to describe, to explain what the project of Christianity is all about, it might be John 15:9-17, abide in God's love, and love one another. It sounds so simple, but there is much going on here...it's about love, and joy, and friendship, community, and care, and growth. It is about being formed in the very character of God for the good of the world. Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to love as God loves.2021-05-0641 minPod Be With YouTrue Vine (Bible Study)For such a wonderful, uplifting, lifegiving passage as John 15;1-8 is, there have been a lot of interpretations that come out of it that are anything but. So this week, we tackle some of those ideas, as well as get to the heart of what Jesus is talking about here...bearing fruit in love.2021-04-2945 minPod Be With YouGood Shepherd (Bible Study)This week we investigate one of Jesus' famous "I am" statements, "I am the Good Shepherd." What exactly does it mean to be the Good Shepherd? Is it about abundant life, leading and protecting the sheep, laying down one's life? Pastors Aaron and Paige explore all this, and more, in this week's episode of Pod Be With You.2021-04-2239 minPod Be With YouBlessed Union (Pastoral Conversation with Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund)Today we are grateful to be joined by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, Senior Minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Indianapolis, and author of "Blessed Union: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness and Marriage". Together, we unpack some of the challenges we face regarding mental illness, holy relationships, and the church - including stigma, ignorance, and lack of access to care. At the same time, we share signs of great hope, and encourage one another to tell our true stories with faith and love. We are not alone, and there is much that faithful individuals and churches c...2021-04-1631 minPod Be With YouWhat's Next? (Bible Study)It's the second Sunday of Easter, and we have a lot to talk about...the role doubt plays in a healthy and vibrant faith; heaven, hell, and the ever-present Kingdom of God; the freedom of forgiveness; the empowerment of the Holy Spirit; the affirmation of Thomas; and through it all, the question "What's next?" 2021-04-0844 minPod Be With YouHoly Week (Pastoral Conversation)This week, perhaps more than any other, celebrates the fullness of faith: togetherness and separateness, fulfillment and betrayal. And, of course, death and new life. These perennial themes resonate even more fully this year, as we grieve what we have been through and celebrate our slow but inexorable recovery. Wherever this takes us, God is with us - so let's have a blessed Holy Week!2021-03-3131 minPod Be With YouPalm Sunday (Bible Study)We're back on the same track, as we meet the perennial challenge of the familiar, but strange, story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is a moment loaded with celebration, hope, impending tragedy, political provocation, and so much more. It is a glimpse, if only fleeting, of the radically alternative Kingdom of God. And what does any of that have to do with this moment?2021-03-2533 minPod Be With YouRadical Love (Bible Study)This week Pastors Aaron and Paige explore God's radical love in action. The Good Question series takes us to the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' call for his followers to love not just their friends, but also, and maybe especially, their enemies, and what that means in practical terms. Next, the Promises, Promises series dives into another Hebrew Bible Covenant, this one found in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. There we discover, again, God's astonishingly faithful love and forgiveness for humanity. In both cases, it is God's Radical Love that is being proclaimed.2021-03-1837 minPod Be With YouUnanswered Prayers and Desperate Acts (Bible Study)Three wonderful (and weird) Bible stories this week, as Pastors Paige and Aaron continue exploring their Lenten Sermon series. First, a strange story about grumbling Hebrews and snakes in the wilderness lead us to take on idolatry, sin, and what to do when God doesn't answer prayer the way we expect. Then, two healing stories from the Gospels look at asking for help from both sides of the question. We know it's hard to have so much asked from us, but might it be even more difficult to be the one doing the asking? 2021-03-1142 minPod Be With YouFreedom and Identity (Bible Study)It's Lent, so that means another twofer! As Pastor Aaron continues exploring Jesus' great questions, this week we dive into the story of the Gerasene demoniac, and Jesus' question to him, "What is your name?" It's about identity, and God knowing us and loving us not in spite of who we are, but because of who we are. And Pastor Paige engages with one of the most well-known, if not best understood passages, the 10 Commandments. There God promises not only freedom, but purpose and community. Join us for a fabulous far-ranging discussion.2021-03-0437 minPod Be With YouLent 1 - Great Questions and Delayed PromisesFirst in a series of twofers this Lenten season, Pastor Aaron dives into one of Jesus' great questions to the two disciples he meets on the Road to Emmaus, "What are you talking about as you walk together?" And Pastor Paige explores the Abrahamic Covenant, and what happens when it takes 25 years to see a promise fulfilled. 2021-02-2540 minPod Be With YouAsh WednesdayA reflection on the start of one of our favorite seasons - and how different it is this year. How can this season be spiritually rich - even challenging - without further wearing us out? Well, we start by remembering that God's got this, and God's got us. 2021-02-1633 minPod Be With YouTransfiguration (Bible Study)Transfiguration comes up every year at this time, and every year we struggle to make sense of this strange and difficult passage. But as we dive in, we discover it is about who we are, and where we live...it is about journey, about comfort, about empowerment, about community. So join us for this interesting, and more importantly relevant, discussion of what it means to be transformed. 2021-02-1033 minPod Be With YouPower (Bible Study)What kind of power are we after - and why? Do we even realize the power we have? These days it is easy to feel powerless - especially when we are cut off from so many of those things that fill us up. So how do you connect with the power of God's Spirit - or simply find the power to endure? 2021-02-0339 minPod Be With YouBluegrass Live! (Concert at FCC Dundee)We hope this music brings you as much warmth and light as it did for us when we live-streamed this concert. Enjoy and share!2021-02-0245 minPod Be With YouHealing (Bible Study)What a story: Jesus' "debut" in the Gospel of Mark. He teaches with authority; he casts out demons with authority. The people are astonished, and his fame begins to spread. So what would any of that have to do with our healing today? Quite a lot, we think - we hope you think so, too!2021-01-2837 minPod Be With YouJonah (Bible Study)A silly story about some serious things: the brilliant satire of the book of Jonah. It's a delightfully absurd send-up of common prophetic tropes, and an enduring testimony to the power of humor to tackle weighty topics. Including, here, redemption, justice, and mercy. Our hero petulantly stumbles into playing a part in Ninevah's redemption - and even, despite his best efforts, his own. 2021-01-2137 minPod Be With YouPsalm 139 (Bible Study)Let's reclaim the word "awesome," shall we? This psalm is a love song to a transcendent Creator, a wandering walk through wonder at both the nearness and beyond-ness of God. This God knows us better than we know ourselves, and loves us more than we can imagine. Do we really believe it? 2021-01-1432 minPod Be With YouAsk the Pastor (Pastoral Conversation)This episode was born out of many different spontaneous conversations that we wanted to capture as one. So here, Michele Clark, Digital Media Coordinator at FCC Dundee, interviews me (Aaron) with some big questions: What is it like being a pastor in changing, divisive times? How do you decide what to say in a sermon? What's it like being a pastor and a parent? Is church itself going to survive?Let's see how this goes . . . 2021-01-081h 04Pod Be With YouAdvent Love (Bible Study)This week, a story of an impossible yes, and love finding a way. When the good news shows up looking like bad news, the ferociously faithful Mary says, "Let it be" - and began a world-changing story. With a week until Christmas, this is the right story to hear!2020-12-1727 minPod Be With YouJazz for the SeasonWe hope you enjoy the audio from our recent Jazz concert here at FCC Dundee. Bill O'Connell and his ensemble offered a collection of sacred and secular favorites for the season. Whether you're running errands or just need a great soundtrack for wrapping presents, this should do the trick! Video of the concert can be seen on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. 2020-12-1449 minPod Be With YouAdvent Joy (Bible Study)In a Christmas story too often by, for, and about men, our story lingers this week on two women: one expecting and the other expectant, embracing in love and joy. They had the faith to see their story - their fulfilled promises - as part of God's story. Can we? 2020-12-1129 minPod Be With YouA Pastoral Conversation with Leah Robberts-MosserThis conversation with Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser focuses on Jubilee Cafe - a weekly, free, restaurant-style meal served as a ministry of Community United Church of Christ in Urbana-Champaign, IL. Even as they adapt to COVID restrictions, this meal helps those struggling with food insecurity and social isolation. Perhaps most of all, in bringing together what are often fractured segments of our society, this ministry offers a foretaste of the heavenly feast - a joyful vision for this week. Find out more at https://community-ucc.org/jubilee-cafe/2020-12-1059 minPod Be With YouWorship at FCC Dundee December 6On this second Sunday of Advent - our Sunday of Peace - we had the joy of welcoming a string quartet, composed of Ray Ostwald, Joe Malmquist, Wendy Evans, and Mark Kuntz. They offer four pieces in this service: wonderful arrangements of some of our Advent and Christmas favorites. A short sermon - a reflection on what it means to be a peace-maker - begins at about 14:45. Thank you for listening!2020-12-0732 minPod Be With YouA Pastoral Conversation with Nicole HavelkaPlease welcome our first guest! Nicole Havelka is an ordained minister and yoga instructor, whose consulting practice focuses on leading individuals and institutions through change with mindfulness, resilience, and purpose. Which sounds like exactly the kind of expertise we could use right now. This conversation took us to fascinating and helpful places - thanks, Nicole!2020-12-0457 minPod Be With YouAdvent Peace (Bible Study)This is a time for waiting and preparation - and sometimes the waiting is easier. But peace requires action, preparation - real work. So even as we celebrate peace, experience peace, and wait on the fullness of peace, we are also called, with John the Baptist, to prepare the way. This is a time to be peace makers. 2020-12-0329 minPod Be With YouWorship at FCC Dundee November 29This week's sermon on decision fatigue and defiant hope begins at about 9:45. Also, don't miss Linda's wonderful offering of "Of the Father's Love Begotten" just before - about 7:20 in. Thanks for listening!2020-12-0224 minPod Be With YouWorship at FCC Dundee November 22Some more worship! Mark's singing some fantastic songs, and the scripture and sermon start at about 13:50. Thanks for listening!2020-12-0232 minPod Be With YouWorship at FCC Dundee November 8Here's something new: audio of a recent worship service at FCC Dundee (Nov. 8). You'll get some music, prayer, sermon and more. For those looking for the sermon, it begins at about 16:10. Let us know what you think at ajames@fccdundee.com - thanks!2020-11-1933 minPod Be With YouThanksgiving (Bible Study)A little bit of everything this week (sounds like Thanksgiving already)! A conversation about the coming holidays, the spiritual work to hold together grief and gratitude, and a remarkably contemporary spiritual diagnosis from the book of Deuteronomy . . . Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!2020-11-1927 minPod Be With YouParable of the Talents (Bible Study)We may think we know the Parable of the Talents, and what it's about. But do we? There is so much going on in the text about abundance, faithful practice, and risk. Now. more than ever, these are words we need to hear.2020-11-1235 minPod Be With YouWise and Foolish Bridesmaids (Bible Study)Welcome back, Paige! We've got a story with teeth this week. What happens when a moment arrives and you're not prepared? How can we stay vigilant this long, and what does it really mean to wait faithfully? 2020-11-0528 minPod Be With YouLight Work (Devotional)Today, for many of us, light is easy - flick a switch, pay your bills. We don't have to think much about it or even know much about where it comes from; for the right fee, we can have it on demand. But for most of human history, that's not how it worked. Light was fire you had to make happen, plan for, protect, and nurture. Light was hard work, then - which made it a lot more like real faith, and real life. 2020-10-2009 minPod Be With YouSalt and Light (Devotional)Nothing influences people like people. Sometimes, that means we get ourselves into trouble. But it may also mean that we have more power to change the world than we ever thought. 2020-10-1309 minPod Be With YouThe Golden Calf (Bible Study)Scared and bored is a dangerous combination. The people of Israel are tired of waiting, so they lose their patience and lose their nerve. And in the quintessential moment of idolatry, they make a golden calf to worship, and throw a huge party. How'd that go, do you think?2020-10-0833 minPod Be With YouEndings and Beginnings (Pastoral Conversation)Soon, Pod Be With You will come to you both from FCC Dundee and the Congregational Church of Batavia. This is because Pastor Paige has accepted a call to be Batavia's next pastor - and while we're sad for us, we're happy for her. Here, we discuss all of it together: gratitude and grief, excitement and loss, beginnings and endings. 2020-10-0124 minPod Be With YouSelf-Emptying Love (Devotional)Here in his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul encourages the member to live in unity together, as they are one in the Body of Christ. How are they to do this? Through the self-emptying love modelled by Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection.2020-09-2425 minPod Be With YouGod the Potter (Devotional)Years ago, I took a beginning pottery class. It was fun, and frustrating, and I learned a lot about the art and patience. This experience gave me interesting insight into the Biblical metaphor of God as a potter.2020-09-2205 minPod Be With YouFear and Roller Coasters (Devotional)Fear is a normal part of the human experience. But God is there, with outstretched hand, to calm our fear. Can we do the same for others?2020-09-1806 minPod Be With YouLaborers in the Vineyard (Bible Study)What if the grace of God was so radical we resented it? What if it was so wonderful we found ourselves willing to reject it? How can the love of God be unfair? And what if we were willing to cling to our ideas of fairness, even at the expense of grace? That's a lot for a story about day laborers, but here it is!2020-09-1729 minPod Be With YouAttention (Devotional)For a minute, I let my inner crabby old man out for a rant about Fantasy Football. Which isn't about Fantasy Football at all, really, but about all those trivial things that take our time, money, and attention. Because that's where discipleship starts: attention. 2020-09-1109 minPod Be With YouTolerance and Conviction (Bible Study)Paul, ever the pastor, tries to counsel a community struggling to live faithfully amidst difference. Sound familiar? He challenges them to both hold fast to their convictions and to honor those of others - all in the name of loving relationship. 2020-09-1027 minPod Be With YouBurning Bushes and Still-Speaking Voices (Devotional)The calls that change us come from within and without. And often enough, they come, not in miracle or majesty, but in everyday, small, insistent signs. Are you listening? 2020-09-0905 minPod Be With YouWhat Motivates a Modern Nun? (Devotional)We are always led by something; to be a disciple is to choose what - or who - that is. And that may mean saying no to some things that keep us from our greatest "Yes." 2020-09-0808 minPod Be With YouLove is the Law (Bible Study)Love is the summary, fulfilment, and source of the law, Paul says (sounding a lot like Jesus as he does). And if we want a way forward, here it is, over thousands of years: love your neighbor as yourself. Can we lead and love this way?2020-09-0322 minPod Be With YouCowboy Camp and Silence (Devotional)Where do we find time for silence, for settledness, for God - even in the craziness of Cowboy Camp?2020-09-0305 minPod Be With YouBaking Bread and the Kingdom of Heaven (Devotional)All around us are stories of miraculous transformation. Something almost imperceptible is at work in our midst, and is bringing something unexpected, delightful, and bursting with life!2020-09-0204 minPod Be With YouThe Tree that Wouldn't Die (Devotional)Just because you cannot see something does not mean that God isn't at work. There was life itself in this determined little tree. 2020-08-2805 minPod Be With YouLive Peaceably With All (Bible Study)You may know this as a wedding scripture - which isn't wrong. But this charge to live with un-hypocritical love is actually much more radical and challenging than we often give it credit for. These are words we need right now. 2020-08-2728 minPod Be With YouJacob and Duct TapeWhat holds us together? Where do we need to be repaired? And where do we go when that's what we need?2020-08-2606 minPod Be With YouThank God (Devotional)"God I thank you that I am not like other people." Once you hear it, you'll hear it everywhere. But how's that working for us? 2020-08-2513 minPod Be With YouElijah the Evangelist (Devotional)More often than not, our most profound evangelism doesn't come through words, but through actions. Hearts and minds are changed when others see the love of God alive in us. 2020-08-2107 minPod Be With YouMembers of One Body (Bible Study)Simple, but not easy. This week, here's a metaphor anyone can understand, but not everyone is living out: we are members of the same body. We are in this together, and we need one another. Can you believe that? 2020-08-2024 minPod Be With YouLiam and the Flowrider (Devotional)Fear and faith are not necessarily mutually exclusive; we can be very afraid of something and still step out in faith. In fact, maybe fear is what makes faith, faith. 2020-08-1906 minPod Be With YouEarthrise (Devotional)This planet we share - our true community - will be saved by compassion. 2020-08-1806 minPod Be With YouThe Canaanite Woman (Bible Study)Wow, there's a lot here. Maybe a bit more than usual, but if you stick with it, we think you'll find it worth it. At issue here are tradition, hypocrisy, gender relations, prophetic protest, prejudice, and more - all culminating in another life-saving healing.2020-08-1339 minPod Be With YouWalking on Water (Bible Study)Another miracle, as resonant and rich as the one that came before. Here, Jesus takes time for self care, Peter takes a leap of faith, and the disciples all see another layer of this man they are following. 2020-08-0629 minPod Be With YouApple Juice (Devotional)Life can stir up a lot of emotions and thoughts in us. It is okay for us to take some time, space, and silence to settle and ground.2020-08-0607 minPod Be With YouMount Up! (Devotional)In this continuing season of covid, it is likely we are all tired. The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that God will give us the strength we need to get through the storm.2020-08-0605 minPod Be With YouClubhouses (Devotional)We've got a history of dividing ourselves up into separate clubhouses - and yet the greatest challenges remind us that we are all on the same team. Can we do our part? 2020-08-0504 minPod Be With YouA Litany of Unpromising People (Devotional)Adapted from a sermon preached in 2016, this devotional reminds us that God's promise has always been borne forward by unpromising people - good news for when we're feeling unpromising ourselves. 2020-08-0406 minPod Be With YouAngels We Have Heard (Devotional)Based on an old Christmas Eve sermon, this devotional reminds us once again that God is with us. The Christmas story may not be the sweet, easy story we've made it, but it does promise us again that there is a message for us - an angel for us. Not even in times like these, but especially. So go shine!2020-08-0408 minPod Be With YouFeeding the Five Thousand (Bible Study)This classic miracle story is also a serious challenge and a fascinating study in power, inequality, grief, and compassion. Paige and Aaron explore the wider context of this story and its modern meaning and relevance. 2020-08-0436 minPod Be With YouHey, this is new! (Pod Be With You Intro)Thanks for listening to our first-ever episode! We can't wait to see where this journey takes us. More coming soon!2020-07-2903 min