Get Your Spirit in Shape - United Methodist Podcast

“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is indisputably one of the most popular Christmas hymns of all time. When Charles Wesley penned the lyrics, however, the opening line read, “Hark, how all the welkens ring!” World-renowned Wesley scholar Paul Chilcote shares fun and interesting insights about a selection of Wesley hymns and explains how all of the 9,000 hymns written by The United Methodist Church’s most enduring and prolific hymn writer centers on one theme: love. Learn more about this episode at https://www.umc.org/en/content/stories-behind-the-songs-of-charles-wesley-get-your-spirit-in-shape-ep-130 Have questions or comments? Send an email to gysis@umcom.org.

What is gaslighting? What is cultural bias? What is implicit bias? We hear these terms in the news, on social media, perhaps even at church. Dr. Enger Muteteke who works with The UMC’s General Commission on Religion and Race, shares how understanding the terms and viewing them through a scriptural lens can help us build a culture of belonging in our congregations and communities. Learn more on our episode page.

We all have an inner critic, that voice in our heads that is sometimes quite loud telling us we are not good enough, we are not in control and even that we are not lovable. In his new book, “Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted life,” author Andrew Lang shares steps for how we as people of faith can expand through these constrictions to a place of healing for ourselves and offer healing to those around us.

After more than 20 trips to Africa to work primarily with vulnerable children who often lived in orphanages, Laura Horvath and her work with Healing Children Worldwide, has determined that centuries’ old wisdom about caring for underserved areas may need reimagining. Laura shares how the lessons she learned while working with communities across the globe have led her to engage in a radical initiative to unite and empower families.

When it comes to the Brothers Wesley, most people know John as the preacher and Charles as the hymn writer. What is less recognized, however, is how Charles, the younger of the two, was a trailblazer, often forging ahead of his brother. The Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote, world-renowned Wesley scholar, discusses the lingering influence of Charles’ lyrical theology on the Methodist movement and poses the question that Chilcote believes Charles would ask: What is the song that sings in your heart?

As a freshman at Memphis State University, Kyla Smith was shy and introverted when she joined her college’s Wesley Foundation chapter. Two years later, Kyla has been transformed into a leader who now believes she can take on anything, as evidenced by her role of traveling to United Methodist churches throughout the state to speak about the importance of campus ministries, a message she wants the entire denomination to hear.

Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes himself in ‘I am’ statements: I am the light of the world, I am the bread of life, and others. In this episode, we talk with the Rev. Matt Rawle about his new book ‘Jesus Revealed’ and how the ‘I am’ statements depict a beautiful mosaic that help us discover the person of Jesus and God’s narrative for our own lives.

In the mid-1700s, John and Charles Wesley were known as radical dissidents who had a lot to say about the church, faith and following God. The UMC’s General Commission of Archives and History’s chief executive, Dr. Ashley Boggan, shares why the Methodist movement message shared by John and Charles Wesley remains relevant almost 300 years later.

Helping men live a bold life of faith by overcoming isolation and anxiety is a passion for the chief executive of United Methodist Men.

In this re-release of a 2020 ‘Meet a Bishop’ episode  of Get Your Spirit in Shape, Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Episcopal Area and now President of the Council of Bishops talks about his knowledge of glass, his interest in every person’s story and his love for his work.

Leah Wandera, the first United Women in Faith deaconess in Africa, is working to bridge The United Methodist Church and the global community through her work in social justice advocacy and public health.

Loneliness, grief, anger, exhaustion and a longing for peace. United Methodist pastor and author Elizabeth Shulman says these emotions frequently surround families dealing with dementia. In her new book, Finding Sanctuary in the Midst of Alzheimer’s: A Spiritual Guide for Families Facing Dementia, Shulman offers steps for how caregivers, as well as members of the church community, can find and offer support for one another.

United Methodist and Enneagram master Suzanne Stabile shares how she uses the Enneagram to feel closer to God and how it can help us achieve more balance and wholeness in our daily lives.

People of faith cannot be effective and relevant in the world today if they are not well informed, says Tim Tanton, who oversees UM News. On today’s episode of “Get Your Spirit in Shape,” Tim shares details about the news agency of The United Methodist Church and shares why UM News is an important ministry in the church, one that can be trusted as a reliable source of information.

For more than 38 years, the Rev. Vance Lowe was a successful United Methodist minister, with churches growing and thriving under his leadership. What his congregations and those closest to him did not know was that Vance daily struggled with mental illness, which led to addiction and eventual hospitalization in a psychiatric ward. Listen as Vance candidly tells his story, sharing hope to those who, like him, live with mental health struggles, as well as suggesting ways United Methodists can combat stigma and offer help.