Spiritual Directors Talking About Stuff
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com. Check out their ministries: Christopher: SteppingStonesLife.com and Maggie: RavachMinistries.org.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
S2:E30 Deconstructing Dads with Derek Myers and Jason Elam
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
In this episode, Christopher sits down with two of his friends, Jason Elam and Derek Myers, to talk parenting, specifically being a dad, through deconstruction. How do we teach our children about our faith while our own beliefs are constanting changing? How do our discipline techniques change? We talk about these questions and many others in this episode.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Jason's podcast, Messy Spirituality: https://messyspirituality.podbean.com/
Derek's Instagram, Your Favorite Heretics: https://www.instagram.com/yourfavoriteheretics/
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
S2:E29 Segregation, Race, and Equity in the Church, Part 2
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
This is a continuation of the conversation from Episode 28. In this episode, Christopher and Maggie sit down with Chrystal Brown, Chris Battle, and Mary Terry. Their bios are below. We discuss Chrystal's and Chris's experiences being Black in America and in the church, in particular. This is the second part of a two-part conversation. We also recorded this video, so you can watch that here: https://youtu.be/jYHFjikPkx4.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources Mentioned:
Racial Diversity in U.S. Congregations, 1998–2019 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jssr.12681)
Chris Battle:
Chris Battle is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He did his undergraduate studies at Morehouuse College in Atlanta, GA. He furthered his education with a Masters of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, he would later do a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Bible at Cincinnati Bible College. He has pastored congregations in Bowling Green, KY, Hackensack, NJ, Cincinnati, OH and Knoxville, TN. In 2018 his life trajectory changed when he began a community garden and started understanding the effect of food disparity in his community. This led to the creation of multiple community gardens, The Eastside Sunday Market and Battlefield Farm and Gardens. He presently is the Lead Pastor of the Underground Collective and he his wife Tomma are the parents of 20 children.
Chrystal Armstrong Brown:
Passionate about equity, justice, and inspiring the next generation of kingdom thinkers, Chrystal Armstrong Brown has served in nonprofits, ministries, and educational institutions across the country for fifteen years. She is a writer and consultant, currently completing her MBA in Leadership while working as the VP of Program Development for Emerald Youth Foundation in Knoxville, TN. She spends her weekends in urban ministry, cheering on the UT Vols, and creating adventures and memories with her three year old daughter, Keris.
Mary McMillan Terry:
Mary McMillan Terry’s desire to follow Christ in fighting racism led her and her family to the multiethnic Knoxville community where they live. She teaches on justice and racism. Her passion for equity in education has led her to volunteer and serve on the board at Shora Foundation (an after-school and summer program for children) and to serve in her children’s school system. She also loves hiking with her spouse and two sons and writing. Her poetry, nonfiction, and fiction have appeared in small-press journals and books.
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
S2:E28 Segregation, Race, and Equity in the Church, Part 1
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie sit down with Chrystal Brown, Chris Battle, and Mary Terry. Their bios are below. We discuss Chrystal's and Chris's experiences being Black in America and in the church, in particular. We cover alot of ground in this episode, so this is the first part of a two-part conversation. We also recorded this video, so you can watch that here: https://youtu.be/jYHFjikPkx4.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources Mentioned:
Racial Diversity in U.S. Congregations, 1998–2019 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jssr.12681)
Chris Battle:
Chris Battle is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He did his undergraduate studies at Morehouuse College in Atlanta, GA. He furthered his education with a Masters of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, he would later do a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Bible at Cincinnati Bible College. He has pastored congregations in Bowling Green, KY, Hackensack, NJ, Cincinnati, OH and Knoxville, TN. In 2018 his life trajectory changed when he began a community garden and started understanding the effect of food disparity in his community. This led to the creation of multiple community gardens, The Eastside Sunday Market and Battlefield Farm and Gardens. He presently is the Lead Pastor of the Underground Collective and he his wife Tomma are the parents of 20 children.
Chrystal Armstrong Brown:
Passionate about equity, justice, and inspiring the next generation of kingdom thinkers, Chrystal Armstrong Brown has served in nonprofits, ministries, and educational institutions across the country for fifteen years. She is a writer and consultant, currently completing her MBA in Leadership while working as the VP of Program Development for Emerald Youth Foundation in Knoxville, TN. She spends her weekends in urban ministry, cheering on the UT Vols, and creating adventures and memories with her three year old daughter, Keris.
Mary McMillan Terry:
Mary McMillan Terry’s desire to follow Christ in fighting racism led her and her family to the multiethnic Knoxville community where they live. She teaches on justice and racism. Her passion for equity in education has led her to volunteer and serve on the board at Shora Foundation (an after-school and summer program for children) and to serve in her children’s school system. She also loves hiking with her spouse and two sons and writing. Her poetry, nonfiction, and fiction have appeared in small-press journals and books.
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
S2:E27 Deconstructing to Freedom with Jason Elam
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie talk to Jason Elam, who hosts a podcast called Messy Spirituality, and is an author and good friend of Christopher's. We discuss Jason's faith journey, deconstruction, why the church is so opposed to (actually afraid of) deconstruction, and what is faith? We hope you enjoy the episode.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Jason's Podcast https://messyspirituality.podbean.com/
Before Your Lose Your Mind, with a chapter by Jason, edited by Keith Giles
Core vs Periphery: https://groupleaders.org/curriculum-feed/core-vs-periphery
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
S2:E26 El Camino de Santiago with Jan & Ernest Taylor
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie talked with two of Christopher's long-time friends, Jan and Ernest Taylor, about their experience walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley.
Jan & Ernest's blog, Taylors on Camino
Americans Pilgrims on the Camino
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
S2:E25 A Conversation with Kevin Baldesare
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie discuss talk to Kevin Baldesare about his faith journey, how his faith is so important in his life, and a bit about what his life is like as a gay Christian.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Renovus, organization for gay Christians to find safe community - Renovus.org
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
Lost World series by John Walton
The Bible Project - https://bibleproject.com/
Peter Enns - Bible for Normal People podcast - https://peteenns.com/podcast/
Silence, Movie
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
S2:E24 The Uncontrolling Love of God: A Conversation with Dr. Thomas J. Oord
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
Welcome back to Season 2 of Spiritual Directors Talking About Stuff. We're so glad you're here! We have so many great episodes lined up for you.
Today, we have Dr. Thomas J. Oord who will talk to us about open and relational theology and the uncontrolling love of God. This conversation was so live-giving and brings so much hope to a world where we often wonder Where was God in this terrible situation or that catastrophe or that disaster? Dr. Oord helps us understand this in a way that makes sense.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Books & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
The Uncontrolling Love of God
God Can't
Open and Relational Theology
Center for Open & Relational Theology at Northwind Theological Seminary
The Oldest Known Coptic Icon: Christ and Abbot Mena
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
S1:E23 A Conversation with Sara Martin (Season Finale)
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie speak to Sara Martin who describes herself as an exvangelical. In this episode, Sara describes her faith journey that led her down the path of deconstructing her evangelical upbringing to where she is now.
This is our final episode of Season 1. We hope you enjoy it and will return with us in the Fall for Season 2. We are already recording episodes for Season 2. They're really great, and we're excited about bringing them to you.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Sara's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC49ikLIIIwWj74BySg9M8OA
Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara_martin24/
Sara's website: https://www.sara-martin.com/
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
S1:E22 Women in the Church with Jenn McMillian
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie speak to Jenn McMillian. Jenn is the family ministry director at Buckhead Church (https://buckheadchurch.org/) in Atlanta, Georgia. We talk about Jenn’s journey as a woman in ministry.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org
Tuesday May 11, 2021
S1:E21 Taking the Bible Seriously but not Literally, Part 2 (Final)
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
In this episode, Christopher and Maggie discuss Marcus Borg's book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously, but Not Literally.
Christopher and Maggie are spiritual directors that like talking about spiritual things. Spiritual direction is a listening ministry that creates a sacred space for you to listen to God, see where God is at work in your life, and grow in awareness of who you were created to be. We would love to hear from you! Email Christopher and Maggie at SDTASinfo@gmail.com.
Spiritual Directors International directory: https://www.sdicompanions.org/find-a-spiritual-director-companion/
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time my Marcus Borg
What Do We Do With the Bible? by Richard Rohr
The Bible Tells Me So by Pete Enns
What is the Bible? by Rob Bell
Irresistible by Andy Stanley
The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault
Our ministries:
Christopher: Steppingstoneslife.com
Maggie: Ravachministries.org