Academy Podcast

This month's podcast episode features Juan Carlos Huertas, who currently serves as minister of proclamation and the practice of justice at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE. Huertas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in Atlanta, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, where he majored in Religion and minored in Spanish—his first language growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is a trained spiritual director and committed to practices that move communities to liberation through shared wisdom, communal leadership, and contextual action. Juan is married to Shannon Perry Huertas. Juan and Shannon have three children: Seth, Isabelle, and Lucas

This month's episode features Roberta Bondi's exploration of prayer. Roberta is a writer, speaker, teacher, and retreat leader. She is Professor Emerita of Church History at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Roberta earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and completed two years of study at Perkins School of Theology. She holds Mater of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Oxford University. A weaver and spinner who is interested in women’s work with fiber through the ages, Roberta is the author of nine books and a longtime faculty member of The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Roberta’s lifetime of studying the desert mothers and fathers of the Early Church lends itself to the wisdom you’re about to hear-–that the whole of the Christian spiritual life is about growing in the knowledge of God’s love, and that we can’t love others if we don’t first know God loves us.

Perhaps it is because of Hee Soo’s formation and orientation to Confucianism and Buddhism that we experience a refreshing expansion on the story of Elijah 1 Kings 17-19. Have you had an experience like this? Where you set aside time to dislocate from your regular rhythms and give yourself over to a new road, the hospitality of strangers, and the provision of God? Hee-Soo Jung was born in Kwang hwa do, Korea. He came to the United States in 1982. His family was in the Confucian/Buddhist tradition and, at 16 years of age, he became the first converted Christian in his family. Hee-Soo Jung holds degrees from Methodist Theological Seminary, Dongguk University Graduate School in Seoul, Korea; Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California; Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, California and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, he has completed the Upper Room's Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation. His passionate leadership has been focused on Korean-American Chur

In this Academy Podcast episode, Rev. Larry Peacock reminds us of our essential nature as God’s beloved. Larry is the Director of the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Milwaukie, Oregon, has led retreats and workshops for groups and churches across the country and is the author of "The Living Nativity – Preparing for Christmas with St Francis," and "Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Sages, Psalms and Prayer Practices" and many articles on liturgy and spirituality. He pastored United Methodist churches in England, Michigan, and California for 30 years before moving to Massachusetts to become Executive Director of Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center. After being a participant in the Academy for Spiritual Formation, he became a retreat leader and faculty presenter for the Academy. He is trained as a spiritual director and has made pilgrimages to Assisi, Iona, Taize, walked the last 100 Km of the Camino de Santiago and taught at Boston University School of Theology. He is married to author Rev. Anne Broyles and

In this episode, we have the gift of hearing from Rev. Grace Imathiu, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois. Pastor Grace is a citizen of the world for whom ‘the world is her parish’. As an African who is married to a European and is raising an American son, Grace is fluent in three languages, was educated in Kenya, U.S.A., in England and Israel. She has preached in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Togo, Liberia, Denmark, Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, and all throughout the United States. Grace has a passion and gift for inspiring and nurturing prophetic communities of faith to live out loud the Jesus Story. For Grace, the quintessential expression of the resurrected Lord’s presence is a community whose very DNA is a radical hospitality which births a loving and a healthy tension that is ideological, theological, racial, ethnic and cultural. She thrives on diversity. Grace is married to David Jones and together they are the parents to Erik. Pastor Grace will invite us to hold the

Our host, Shalom, reflects at the beginning of the episode saying  “As I listen to this previously recorded lecture from Academy 38 in Nebraska in 2017, I’m struck by the bite size and yet weighty spiritual truth present in the text that bears witness to the Resurrection.”   Dr. Hy has a doctorate and post doctorate in the field of psychology. He has taught at numerous universities and his research and writing has been reprinted as a classic in a developmental psychology book. In his lecture, teacher Hy spends time deconstructing what it takes to participate in healing. are we first assaulted then instantly healed? do we move immediately from jarring  events to feeling free and confident? Teacher Hy, who is quoting Ronald Rollheiser, would say the difference lies in amazement versus pondering. Listen on dear ones. And as you listen, hold, carry and transform the tension that Naturally builds up from being a part of this world. May you experience God, yourself and your own pain in ways that will lead you to

Spring has sprung. New life is teeming. Resurrection Sunday and Easter tide are right around the corner. We also celebrate Earth day this month. Even as we witness biodiversity waning and people going hungry for lack of nutrition the earth is crying out. In this month's episode, we hear from Susan MacKenzie. Susan talks about sustainability as the long term environment where all things, all creation may flourish and achieve their highest purpose. Sustainability never sounded so good. Sustainability never sounded so much like the beloved community. How can buying locally sourced goods or eating seasonal produce or reducing single use plastic lead us to new life in mind body and spirit? How can these practices help us to build the beloved community? Susan speaks on this in more at a previously recorded 2019 Five Day Academy that took place in Iowa.

In this month’s episode, we hear from Marjorie Thompson author of Soulfeast, a spirituality classic and best seller. For many church workers this is a seminal book on spiritual formation. Marjorie is ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA and brings to her ministry over 30 years of experience in retreat work, teaching and writing, and Christian spiritual formation. Marjorie considers writing a central dimension of her vocation. For 12 years Marjorie served as director of Pathways in Congregational Spirituality with the Upper Room. In that position, she was chief architect of Companions in Christ, an innovative small group resource series for adult spiritual formation. Currently she works freelance, offering retreats, lectures and spiritual guidance. Marjorie deeply supports the Academy for Spiritual Formation and has served as faculty for both Two Year and Five Day models. In this episode we hear a portion of one of her lectures to church leaders in 2017.

In this month’s episode, we hear from Rabbi Chava Bahle at a Two-year Academy in Nebraska on the topic of Hebrew Spirituality and Holy Texts. Chava Bahle is a twice ordained rabbi and maggid, a Jewish inspirational storyteller. Her current work is to live into the teaching of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, her teacher, of blessed memory, who taught that we can and should find nourishment in traditions other than our own. She earned her Doctor of Ministry from Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, where she focused on mystical aspects of interreligious dialogue. Chava writes book reviews for academic journals, and since a brain injury in 2018, focuses her life on study and prayer. She is currently pursuing study for an ethical biography of German expressionist actor Conrad Veidt. Rabbi Chava explains that to imitate God is not only to give life, but to Sustain, nurture, and enhance life. Our host, Shalom, asks, “Perhaps sacred texts are doorways, invitatioons the Holy One urges you to pass through into an ex

In this month's episode we hear from Luther Smith on the topic of meeting God in our justice seeking. Luther Smith is an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, longtime Academy faculty person, and a member of The Academy Advisory Board. Luther spent 35 years of his career as an activist, scholar, and professor at Candler School of Theology, and he is known to be an authority on the life and theology of Howard Thurman. Luther is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at Candler and his current research focuses on the writings and correspondence of Howard Thurman, advocacy on behalf of children, and a spirituality of hope. What Dr. Smith shares is perhaps an antidote to the egregious ways we we exploit and water down the sacrifices and struggles of Civil Rights activists and movement leaders every January. May these words of Dr. Smith root and ground you as we move beyond proclaiming justice with our lips, and into proclaiming justice with our whole embodied lives.

In this month’s episode we hear from Amy Oden on the topic of tradition and what we are handing over to those who follow. Born and raised on the prairies of Oklahoma, Amy has found her spiritual home under the wide-open sky. She earned her PhD in Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University, writing her dissertation on Augustine. Over the last 30 years, she has served on the faculties of Oklahoma City University, Saint Paul School of Theology and Wesley Theological Seminary where she also served as Dean. She now is an itinerant professor, teaching at several schools in the areas of theology and history of Christianity and spiritual formation. She is also a spiritual director, companioning people as they listen for God in day-to-day life. Amy is committed in her scholarship to illuminating ancient voices for Christian life today, introducing spiritual practices that can ground and nourish lives of following Jesus into the world. Her most recent book is Right Here, Right Now: The Practice of Christian M

In this month’s episode, we hear from Ray Buckley on the topic of "Bearing Witness." Ray offered the following teaching at Five Day Academy in 2019. Ray is the interim Director for the Center for First Nations Spirituality and longtime faculty member of The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Ray has served the United Methodist Church as a staff member of the United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People Communication Office, and Director of Connectional Ministries and Native Discipleship for the Alaska Missionary Conference. Ray is the author and illustrator of a number of story-books and studies on Native peoples for children and youth. His stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals and books around the world. Ray and his brother, Rick, make their home in Palmer, Alaska. Ray’s teaching invites listeners to consider what it means to embody witness. How does our speech change when we've encountered another culture? How is our imagination shaped by another's lang

This month's podcast features Elaine Heath, Academy faculty, Upper Room Books author, and so much more. Elaine’s scholarly work is interdisciplinary, integrating pastoral, biblical, and spiritual theology in ways that bridge the gap between academy, church, and world. And it’s because of this approach that I’m excited for her words to us today that were a portion of her time with Academy 34. Her current research interests focus on community as a means of healing trauma, emergent forms of Christianity, and alternative forms of theological education for the church in rapidly changing contexts. In addition to having served as Dean of a Divinity School and Professor of Evangelism, Elaine is co-founder of the Missional Wisdom Foundation, and more recently she co-founded Neighborhood Seminary, a contextualized model of missional theological education for laity. Elaine's episode reminds us, "We are already God’s joy, God’s delight — even before we embark on our respective journeys toward reconciliation, reparation,

This month's podcast features teaching from Dan Wolpert at Two-Year Academy #39 in Malvern, PA in 2018. He and his wife, Debra, co-taught the topic on Spirituality and Embodiment. The clips in this episode are excerpts from the final lecture of that session. Dan, is author of multiple spiritual formation books, and is Executive Director and co-founder of MICAH, the Minnesota Institute for Contemplation and Healing, spouse, partner, ally, activist, dad. Dan has been a student of the spiritual life since age 21 and has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation in numerous settings. In addition to his retreat and teaching work, Dan provides counseling and spiritual direction services at MICAH. Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

Today’s conversation features Christopher Carter, Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair & Department Diversity Officer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. Christopher Carter’s teaching and research focuses on philosophical and theological ethics, Black and Womanist theological ethics, environmental ethics, and animals and religion. He approaches religious studies as a liberation ethicist committed to exploring how the moral economy of U.S. religious thought and culture impact the everyday lives of marginalized populations, particularly African American and Latinx communities. He is active in the leadership of the American Academy of Religion where he serves as a steering committee member of both the Religion and Ecology and the Animals and Religion Group. Professor Carter is also a pastor within the United Methodist Church and currently serves as an assistant pastor at Pacific Beach United Methodist Church. He is married, and, together with his spouse, they have one child, Isai

In this episode, our host, Claire, is joined by Jenny Booth Potter. Jenny is the Co-Host and Producer of The Next Question, a video-based web-series devoted to expanding the imagination for racial justice. In the first season, the show has already hosted conversations with Nikole Hannah-Jones, Rachel Cargle, Andre Henry, and Brené Brown, and includes co-hosts Austin Channing Brown and Chi Chi Okwu. You can find out more about The Next Question at www.tnqshow.com. In addition, Jenny has led anti-racism trainings for churches and spoken at conferences such as CCDA, FILO, and the World Vision Pastor’s Gathering. She is also on staff at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL as a creative producer where she writes, develops, directs, and produces creative content for Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association. She enjoys creating spaces for people to connect and be transformed by the power of story. Listen on, beloveds, and as you listen, breathe, expand, grow, learn, transfor

In this episode, we’re joined by Cole Arthur Riley, who is a writer, speaker, and liturgist. She currently serves as the Content and Spiritual Formation Manager for a Center for Christian Studies at Cornell University called Chesterton House. In her role, she produces and curates written content for spiritual formation and leads care and spiritual support for staff and students. While working for an Episcopal church, she became enamored with both Anglican and Catholic liturgical traditions, finding beauty in written prayer as well as the embodied experience of Eucharist and prayer services. Cole is the creator and writer of Black Liturgies—a project seeking to integrate the truths of Black dignity, lament, rage, justice, and rest into written prayers. You can follow the project on Instagram @blackliturgies. Broaching topics of spiritual practice, embodiment, expanding liturgy to speak to Blackness, the limitations and concerns of social media, and so much more, Cole and Claire spoke as colleagues, companion

In this episode, we’re joined by Safiyah Fosua, beloved Academy faculty and one of our four renowned teachers for our new one-year online offering, Spiritual Formation in Today’s World, that begins February 25, 2021. Learn more about Safiyah and the other faculty, curriculum, and sacred spiritual rhythm the one-year offers by visiting academy.upperroom.org and consulting the schedule for 2021. Claire's conversation with Safiyah was pure delight, and we're so excited to get to share it with you in this first month of 2021. Safiyah invites introspection, honor of the past, and hope for the future.

December's episode is a compilation of the best moments of 2020 from Claire's podcast conversations with Lisa Yebuah, Dan Wolpert, Ben Boswell, Amos Disasa, Frank Rogers, M Barclay, Lanecia Rouse, and Amy Stroup. Of course, we hosted many more conversations than these in 2020 with Academy leaders and friends—conversations that challenged us to act, opened us to joy, and reminded us that justice and mercy are the children of Love. The excerpts from the conversations in this “best of” podcast are just a few of our favorites, many of them memorable moments that changed our own thinking, feeling, and being in the world. In the end, we’re simply grateful. Grateful we can hold this space for holy and healing conversation; grateful we can talk about hard things, real things, big things; grateful we can show up, again and again, in the presence of the Holy One asking to be transformed for the healing and transformation of the world.

Today’s conversation features Luther Smith, who is an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, longtime Academy faculty person, and a member of The Academy Advisory Board. Luther spent 35 years of his career as an activist, scholar, and professor at Candler School of Theology, and he is known to be an authority on the life and theology of Howard Thurman. Luther is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at Candler and his current research focuses on the writings and correspondence of Howard Thurman, advocacy on behalf of children, and a spirituality of hope. He is married to Helen Pearson Smith and lives in Stone Mountain, GA. They have four children and five grandchildren. Whether you know Luther and have had the honor of learning both from and with him or today is your very first introduction to his life and work, you’re in for a treat. Our host Claire McKeever-Burgett says of him, “Luther served as faculty at the first Five-Day Academy I attended in 2014 and from that time on, he’s