Our guest today is Dr. Angie Ward, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and Associate Professor of Leadership and Ministry at Denver Seminary. Angie is the editor of a series of books called Kingdom Conversations, compilations of essays by various authors and theologians that help us reframe our context and the inherent love we should feel for those around us.

The intersection of science and theology can lead to some heated discussions, but for Dr. Josh Gladden, it’s more about being open and curious and willing to think beyond what the eye can see. Today’s episode dives into the Webb Telescope, the moral questions of certain scientific advancements, and how God fits into our ever-expanding world.

Our world is busy. Our lives are busy. Our time is filled with tasks and lists and work and errands and obligations. How do we slow down and open ourselves up to letting God disrupt our lives? Today’s guest, Dr. Lyn Pace, talks Chris and Eddie through using the liturgical year to engage the season we’re in and how to emphasize certain moments within each season of the church calendar.

HBCUs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, serve an important role in the education system of the United States. Today on The Weight, Chris and Eddie talk to Dr. Ivy Taylor, the President of Rust College, an HBCU in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Dr. Taylor consistently values the importance of education in general and the significance of HBCUs specifically in the United States.

In this episode, Eddie and Chris have a hopeful conversation about the future of the church with guest Winfield Bevins. Winfield is an author, artist, pastor and church planter who sees younger generations longing to be a part of a bigger story. They are looking for something deeper, and they’re finding themselves diving into liturgical traditions of the Church.

We welcome Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric to The Weight for a discussion of Maundy Thursday (the day Christians commemorate Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples before his arrest, crucifixion, death, and resurrection) through the lens of the ministry of Fr. Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador who was assassinated in 1980. Edgardo was drawn to the way Archbishop Romero read the gospel through the context of where and when he lived, especially how Romero dedicated himself in his short time as Archbishop to the lives of the people he served, who mostly lived in overwhelming poverty.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Jenny and Tyler Somers, the singer/songwriter duo who met at the University of Delaware, where they began building a life together. They moved to Nashville in 2006 to pursue a musical career and have navigated the highs and lows of being in the music industry, all while staying true to their voice in the Christian music scene, raising a family, and working with the social justice organization International Justice Mission. They continue to tour (although not as much as they did before having children), perform, write, and produce music.

We welcome back Dana Trent to The Weight for a conversation about trauma and finding a path towards healing with empathy and faith. Dana has shared her story through the Breaking Good podcast, which she is currently turning into a book. In today’s conversation, she offers some tips for how she centers herself spiritually every day to help her navigate every day challenges.

You might need a snack for today’s episode.

We welcome Kendall Vanderslice, baker, author, and theologian to The Weight for a discussion about the intersection of food--specifically, bread--and worship. Kendall explores the dichotomy of the simplicity and complexity of making bread and how it connects to the simplicity and complexity of a life of faith.

What do you do after you win the College World Series?

If you’re Mike Bianco, head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels baseball team, you let your routine guide you. You go to work every day. You have the hard conversations. You give praise when it’s due and constructive criticism when it’s needed. And you absolutely love what you do.

Dr. Ethel Young Scurlock is a leader in two different spheres: education and religion. She is Dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Associate Professor of English and African American Studies, and Senior Fellow of the Luckyday Residential College. Dr. Scurlock is also the pastor of two small Baptist churches in Mississippi, First United Missionary Baptist Church and Alvis Grove Missionary Baptist Church. She is an award-winning teacher and the author of Trusting God in Crisis, Chaos, and Confusion.

Jason has first-hand experience with the ongoing revival at Asbury University, which sits across the street from his office at Asbury Seminary. This revival started with a few students who stayed after chapel one day. These students stayed, prayed, and sang, and as they did, more and more people showed up to stay, pray, and sing with them. People from around the United States and the world showed up to the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky, hoping to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit that lead these students to stay, pray, and sing.

Kari offers advice to teens and parents, but more importantly she offers compassion and understanding. Parenting is hard at any stage, even if the struggles from family to family are different. As a mom of four girls, Kari has learned that parenting moves from a place of control to a place of influence. That transition can be hard without faith and without a strong support system.

Ryan Burge’s Twitter bio says that he makes graphs about religion, but what Ryan does is so much more than making graphs. As a social scientist, Ryan studies the macro-level forces that are shaping churches across the nation--mostly in mainline Protestant denominations. The data that Ryan studies doesn’t show a surge of people coming back to mainline religious institutions, so what does that mean for churches?

This week, Chris and Eddie have an important conversation about leadership with Tod Bolsinger, senior congregational strategist and associate professor of leadership formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Canoeing the Mountains, a book about adaptive leadership.

It’s hard to believe that we’re wrapping up three seasons of The Weight, but here we are! Eddie and Chris are joined by producer Cody Hickman to talk about some of the highlight episodes for each of them this year--including conversations with Mac McAnally, Alice Matagora, and Austin Carty. This season, we’ve listened to conversations about music, mental health, parenting, faith, and history. We’ve heard a hopeful word about the future of the Church, and we’ve been given moments for reflection and contemplation.

Mississippi’s history with slavery, segregation, and racism has deep roots, and has caused--and continues to cause--immense turmoil and violence. We like to think we’ve moved past it, but we haven’t. There is still work to do, and we can begin that work by looking to the leaders of the past, and take to heart what Jesus has tried, over and over again, to teach us.

How do churches adapt to the world we’re in today? How do institutions with inherited traditions of membership and specific roles to play in a community change to actually fit their current context? Today’s guest, Lisa Greenwood, has a few ideas. Even if you’re not a pastor, this episode provides some thoughtful ways to engage the people around you and to help you better serve your community.

Our world is increasingly polarized, and public discourse often leads to anger. The Church used to be at the center of these conversations, but Scott Black Johnston sees the church as becoming more decentered: stepping to the side, offering critique--or praise--and adding to the conversation. He talks about the current pervasiveness of anger with gentleness and grace, and challenges everyone to take a step towards temperance--being calm and encouraging, listening, and valuing each other.

In her role at Onsite, Mickenzie is the producer and cohost of the Living Centered podcast and is the host of Onsite’s emotional wellness webinars. Although she is not a therapist, she is an advocate for mental health and dealing with and working through trauma, because trauma is something everyone experiences, and it affects us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.