Failing Boldly

Conversation with Freedom Singer Rutha Mae Harris

I’m honored to have Rutha Mae Harris as my guest for this week’s podcast.

Ms. Harris is a retired teacher who lives in Albany, Georgia, but she’s perhaps more widely known as one of the original Freedom Singers, a group of activitists and musicians who worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the early 1960s. The group traveled across the country raising money and awareness for SNCC and their work during the Civil Rights Movement and also providing inspiration for all who would listen. The pinnacle of her work with the Freedom Singers was to sing at the March on Washington, which happened 55 years ago today.

Ms. Harris shared many inspirational stories of her work with SNCC and her memories of that day in this conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Conversation with Rev. Broderick Greer

My guest for this week’s podcast is Reverend Broderick Greer.

Rev. Greer is Canon Precentor at Saint John's Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. At Saint John's, Broderick coordinates ministry to people in their 20s and 30s, oversees the Cathedral's daily and weekly liturgies, and assists the Dean with stewardship and development. Also has a strong national presence where he has spoken on matters related to history, black and queer theology, and racial justice. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Teen Vogue, On Being, and The Washington Post.

In our conversation we discussed a wide range of topics including what it means to have an incarnational faith and the difference between welcoming and inclusive.

Conversation with Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren

My guest for this week’s podcast is Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren.

Judge Lerner-Wren pioneered the first therapeutic mental health court in the United States, dedicated to the safe decriminalization of people with mental illness and neurological disorders. She recently wrote a book entitled A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America's First Mental Health Court.

In our conversation, Judge Lerner-Wren discusses her own story of becoming a judge and mental health advocate and her passion for social justice, particularly on behalf of those who live with mental illness.

Conversation with Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann

My guest for this week’s podcast Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann.

Rabbi Lizzi catalyzed the founding of Mishkan Chicago, a new Jewish faith community that describes itself this way: An unconventional kind of community, a cross-community community, designed to enhance the Jewish landscape in Chicago and create a new way in.

Lizzi has received many honors because of her work including being a 2016-2017 Schusterman Fellow, a 2018 winner of the Lippman Kanfer Fellowship in Applied Jewish Wisdom and listed as one of the Top 20 Real Rabbis by myjewishlearning.org.

In our conversation, Lizzi reflected on the joys and challenges of founding of Mishkan and what it means to create a space for those who felt on the fringes of the Jewish community; what perseverance and resilience means for her and its connection to her faith; and the practices that keep her going.

Conversation with Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell & Jason Byassee

My guests for this week’s podcast Rae Jean Proeschold Bell & Jason Byassee.

Rae Jean and Jason have recently wrote the book, “Faithful and Fractured: Responding to the Clergy Health Crisis,” a book that seeks to answer the question why are pastors in such poor health and what can be done about it? Rae Jean is associate research professor of global health at the Duke Global Health Institute and the Duke Center for Health Inequalities and Jason is the Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Hermenuetics at Vancouver School of Theology and the author of several books and a contributing editor to the Christian Century.

Jason and Rae Jean reflect on the unique vocation of being a pastor, the true joys of the job but also the distinct challenges that can lead to poor emotional, spiritual and physical health. This is a really good conversation not only for clergy but for those who work with and care for them.

Conversation with Lisa Sharon Harper

My guest for this week’s podcast is Lisa Sharon Harper.

Lisa is a prolific speaker, writer and activist and is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by convening forums and experiences that bring commonalities toward a just world. Ms. Harper is the author of several books, including The Very Good Gospel, recognized as the "2016 Book of the Year" by Englewood Review of Books, explores God’s intent for the wholeness of all relationships in light of today’s headlines.

This was a very open and honest conversation and Lisa shares her thoughts on numerous topics including the nature of shalom, her growing up in the conservative evangelical world, the 2016 election. I think I can safely say that when you’re done listening, you won’t ask yourself, what does Lisa really think?

Conversation with Olympian Brian Hansen

My guest for this week’s podcast is Olympic speedskater Brian Hansen.

Brian is a 3-time Olympian, including competing in the 1500, team pursuit and mass start events. Brian won an silver medal in team pursuit in 2010.  

We talked about his Olympic experiences, what it takes to stay in elite condition, and how he responds to setbacks.

Conversation with Jonathan Eig

My guest for this week’s podcast is Jonathan Eig. Eig’s book “Ali:A Life” was published last year and is considered the definitive biography of Muhammad Ali. The book won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing

Ken Burns calls Jonathan Eig a "master storyteller." Eig is the author of five books, three of them New York Times best sellers. Eig is a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, where he remains a contributing writer. Eig has also written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Slate.com, among others.

Jonathan now lives in Chicago and we had a chance to sit down and talk about his career as a writer and explore the fascinating life of Muhammad Ali. I hope you enjoy it.

Conversation with Jennifer Knapp

My guest for this week’s podcast is Jennifer Knapp.

Jennifer is a singer, author and activist who recently released her latest album Love Comes Back Around, her sixth album in a music career with two distinct sections. After releasing three contemporary Christian albums in the late ’90s and early 2000s, which garnered her two Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination, she took a break from music and moved to Australia before resuming her career in 2009. The following year, she came out as gay and released Letting Go, her first mainstream album. Set Me Free followed in 2014, in conjunction with a memoir, Facing the Music: My Story.

In this episode, we talk about her career in contemporary Christian music, vulnerability, and her own fond relationship with failure.

Conversation with Rev. Lillian Daniel

My guest for this week’s podcast is Rev. Lillian Daniel.

Lillian Daniel is a noted preacher, teacher and writer and she jokes on her website that while she has taught preaching at a number of schools, including Chicago Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School, she can’t be held responsible for everyone who falls asleep in church.

Her new book, Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don't Belong To is generating international conversation about the changing religious landscape. ​It continues the theme of her 2013 book When ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ Is Not Enough about the growing number of people who claim "none" as their religious preference.

In this episode, we talk about her books, what it means to apologize and confess, and explore the state of the mainline church.

You learn more about her by going to her web site lilliandaniel.com.