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.

The Embodied Spiritual Life

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, and healing, we are aglow with the warmth of Christ’s love. That is good news."

Healing Our Original Wounds

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 language? How do our lives transform when we've been impacted by another story? As you listen, become aware of the ways wisdom has been shared with you.

Transformed by Story: Finding Grace in Relationship

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 Mindfulness. 

Amy speaks of tradition: not a treasure chest sealed shut and unchanged but an openhanded gift that stays alive precisely because its practices and teaching adapt to a new time place and context. The advent season is here now and the season of Christmas will soon follow after that. There will be much handing down, handing over of gifts. There will be rituals that have been on pause that perhaps this year can finally be resumed. will we revel in the sameness? in the treasure chest that finally gets unlocked after 20 months of a pandemic? Or will it look look and feel different now as it is handed over and shared after so much of our communal and global life has changed?

Tradition in Practice: Encounters With the Living God with Amy Oden

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 experience with the mystical. Perhaps there are Living Words around you even now, not text but image that is drawing you in in the same way. Can we pause long enough to first receive the invitation and then follow through?”

Sacred Texts as Doorways: Turning Words into Wisdom with Rabbi Chava Bahle

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 Churches and cross-racial appointments in urban, rural and suburban churches. Helping groups develop their common vision has been a central ingredient in all his vocational experiences. Hee-Soo Jung was elected to the United Methodist episcopacy in 2004 and currently serves as bishop of the Wisconsin area.

Elijah’s Cave of Transformation with Hee-Soo Jung

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.

Encountering a Loving God through Prayer with Roberta Bondi

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

Reclaiming the Good News of the Gospel with Juan Carlos Huertas

This month's podcast episode features Regina Laroche as she bears witness to the healing and transformation that can come when we risk stepping into the wounded places in our neighborhoods and in our world. Regina cultivates food, connections, and community in her work with DIASPORA GARDENS, Planting Connections, Planting Hope, and the St. Mark Giving Garden. These integrate farming or gardening with art, cultural identity, and celebration; and are dedicated to nourishing and healing earth, bodies, spirit, and communal relationships. The emphasis is on communities of color with histories of racialized trauma and land-related violence. Regina invites us to deepen our birthright connections to healthy land, healthy food, empowering traditions and resilience in ways that bring justice and repair to all.  These offerings draw on Regina's life of small-scale farming on the edge of Lake Superior, her mother's rural South Carolina upbringing, and her father's Haitian Afro-Caribbean culture. Regina is experienced in the creative dance and story work of InterPlay, is trained in spiritual direction, is an alum of the Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation, and holds a theatre degree from St. Catherine University. You can follow Regina’s work and offerings at www.diasporaonmadeline.com.


Be sure to check out Regina's latest offering called, "Seeds of Repair," which begins with a free online event on Sunday, February 26, 2023.

The Sacrament of Stepping into the Wounded Places with Regina Laroche

For this month’s Academy Podcast episode, in honor of March and the celebration of women’s history, we have chosen to highlight the life of Saint Teresa of Avila through the scholarship and spiritual guidance of Sister Kathleen Flood. Sister Kathleen bears witness to the courageous life of St. Teresa, whose devotion to Christ led her to become a reformer of the Carmelite order, a resister against the Christian nationalism of 16th century Spain and the Spanish inquisitions, and a profound teacher on the life of prayer.

An Illinois native, Kathleen R. Flood, OP, presently resides in Wisconsin. She became a member of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation (the Order of Preachers) in 1981, and served as a campus minister in Illinois and Wisconsin. She came to Nashville in 1988, serving for many years as University Catholic Chaplain at Vanderbilt University, as well as providing a ministry of spiritual direction, leading retreats, preaching, and teaching. Sr. Kathleen is a graduate of the Graduate Theological Foundation and holds the Doctor of Ministry Degree in Christian Spirituality. She holds multiple degrees and currently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Doctor of Ministry program at Drew University in New Jersey and is a long-time faculty for The Academy for Spiritual Formation.

Saint Teresa of Avila on Growing in the Life of Prayer with Sr. Kathleen Flood

In this month's episode, Cláudio Carvalhaes asks us to consider how we understand ourselves and our faith in relation to the land. For over 50 years, we’ve commemorated Earth Day in April and yet investment in our planet feels like such an onerous task. What does it mean to recite “The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof” when it comes to honoring Earth Day? What is our task as followers of the way, who experience the fullness of God revealed in nature, when it comes to divesting of systems that wreak havoc on the earth?

Cláudio Carvalhaes is a theologian, liturgist, performer, artist, and activist. Originally from Brazil, he is the Associate Professor of Worship at Union Theological Seminary - New York City. He is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is the author of multiple books including, Liturgies from Below: Praying with People at the End of the World, Praying with Every Heart: Orienting Our Lives to the Wholeness of the World, and most recently, Inventory, Metamorphoses  and Emergenc(i)es: How Do We Become Green People and Earth Communities.

Examining Our Faith Relationship to the Land with Cláudio Carvalhaes

This month's episode features teaching from Wilkie Au during the first session of Two-Year Academy #40 in 2018. Wilkie explores how the stories in scripture can be a paradigmatic lens for viewing our current life experiences, helping us to see how God is showing up in our lives today and inviting us into a deeper felt knowledge of God's love for us. Wilkie reminds us that interacting with scripture using our full being—both our intellect and our imagination—can unlock deeper transformation of spirit.

Wilkie Au is a spiritual director and Emeritus Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where he taught in the area of Christian spirituality and coordinated the graduate concentration in spiritual direction. He is the author of the award winning books, By Way of the Heart: Toward a Holistic Spirituality and The Enduring Heart: Spirituality for the Long Haul. He has also co-authored several books with his spouse, Dr. Noreen Cannon Au, including God's Unconditional Love: Healing Our Shame, where they explore the topic of this podcast episode. Their latest book together is Aging with Wisdom and Grace. Wilkie's books have been translated into Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Korean and published in foreign editions in Great Britain, India, and the Philippines. Dr. Au has served as a member of editorial boards for scholarly journals and is a leader in the field of spirituality and formation for spiritual direction and pastoral ministry.

Internalizing God's Love through Scripture with Wilkie Au

In this month's episode, we hear from Safiyah Fosua. Safiyah was speaking on the topic of "Meeting God in Our Healing" from the 2021 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today's World, a one-year online program from The Academy. Safiyah shares the story of the Gadarene demoniac from the synoptic Gospels to help us understand how our relationship with fear is connected with our healing, both personally and socially.

Safiyah Fosua is a retired professor of spiritual formation at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University and former Director of Transformational Preaching Ministries at Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Safiyah and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Kwasi Kena, also served as missionaries to Ghana, West Africa, assisting the Methodist Church of Ghana in curriculum writing, leadership development, and local pastors’ education. Safiyah has served churches in Iowa, and New Jersey, and is in frequent demand as a preacher, speaker, Bible study leader, and worship designer for national events.

In addition to her professional teaching roles, Safiyah and her husband have two adult children and are the proud grandparents of two grandchildren. In spare moments, Safiyah writes prayers and Christian poetry, as well as engages the ancient practices of needle crafting, quilting, and batik.

Show notes:
Safiyah references the Adinkra symbol from Ghana called the Gye Nyame, which you can see and learn more about at http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra/gyen.htm.

The 2023/2024 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today's World begins August 24-26, 2023. You can learn more and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/sftw-2023/.

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.


SUPPORT OUR WORK
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can do so and learn more about how your gifts make a difference at academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Confronting Fear as a Path to Healing and Liberation with Safiyah Fosua

This month’s episode of the Academy Podcast features teaching from Amy Oden on the topic of “Meeting God in Our Longing” from the 2021 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today’s World. Amy explores the art of discerning between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death by paying attention to our deepest longings. She emphasizes that in our fast-paced and noisy world, practicing mindfulness, or pausing to listen within, can help us recognize what our soul needs and guide us in making the choices that will bring freedom and aliveness.

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 Mindfulness."
Show notes:
The 2024 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today's World begins February 1-3, 2024. You can learn more and apply at academy.upperroom.org/event/sftw-2023/.

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.


SUPPORT OUR WORK
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can do so and learn more about how your gifts make a difference at academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Listening for the Way That Leads to Life with Amy Oden

This month, the Academy Podcast features Ray Buckley's teaching from the 2021 Spiritual Formation in Today's World. His Lecture on Reconciliation. As an indigenous person in North America, Ray speaks with authority about what it takes to be reconciled across walls meant to keep people and creation apart. Let us consider what it will take for indigenous folks, and all historically marginalized people, to have more access which leads to equity in all areas of life.

Ray Buckley is the 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 of multiple books and resources for all ages. 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 the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of Alaska.

The 2024 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today’s World begins February 1-3, 2024. You can learn more and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/sftw-2023/.

Show notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support our work

If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Reconciling Across Walls of Fear with Ray Buckley

This month, the Academy Podcast features Luther Smith's teaching from Academy 29 in Burlingame, CA. His lecture on "Faithfulness within Conflict" reminds us that conflict should be embraced as a pathway to healing. Ultimately, Dr. Smith invites us to deal with conflict because “Our obedience requires it." The question he asks us is, "will we engage conflict confidently and creatively, or will we find ourselves unprepared?” Listen on, dear one, and as you listen, breathe deeply and expand gently for our world is in deep conflict and, as Luther suggests, it has always been.

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. 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.

JOIN US
If you would like to hear Luther Smith teach in person, he will be one of our faculty presenters for Spirituality in Practice: Embodied Imagination for Life and Liberation. This newest offering from The Academy for Spiritual is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/spirituality-in-practice2024/ 

Show Notes:
Order Luther Smith's new book Hope is Here: Spiritual Practices for Pursuing Justice and Beloved Community.

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Faithfulness Within Conflict with Luther Smith

This month, the Academy Podcast features Claire K. McKeever-Burgett as she discusses the sacred people, places, and experiences that shaped her new book, Blessed are the Women. Step into the holy conversation of what it means to be - not just a woman - but human - one who is loved, and listened to by the Divine. Blessed indeed are the ones who hear women in the Bible for they, like Christ, will see the Divine Mother face to face. Listen on Beloveds. 

Claire K. McKeever-Burgett is an author, creative contemplative, and spiritual leader who has dedicated her life to bridging spirituality and social justice. With a background in English and Professional Writing from Baylor University and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, she has served as a clergy, led congregations, and facilitated transformative writing, movement, and liturgical practices centered on healing and embodiment. A mother, certified birth and postpartum doula, and a yoga, dance, and martial arts instructor, Claire lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. She writes regularly on Substack, and her book, Blessed Are the Women: Naming and Reclaiming Women's Stories from the Gospels (February 27, 2024), shares stories of women from the Gospels in their words, with their own names, interwoven with Claire’s personal story of growing up as a woman with a vision and a voice in a conservative, Southern Baptist, male-dominated world. Claire’s writing invites people to pray, dance, sing, and create along with women in ways that help them heal from religious and theological trauma and find a place of welcome and peace within a reimagined, woman-led faith.

Those familiar with the Academy Podcast will also recognize Claire as a former host of the podcast. Claire is an alum of Two-Year Academy #41 and previously served on staff as Associate Director for The Academy for Spiritual Formation.

JOIN US
The Academy for Spiritual Formation presents Spirituality in Practice. This newest offering is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/spirituality-in-practice2024/. 

SHOW NOTES
Order Claire K. McKeever-Burgett's new book Blessed are the Women at https://www.clairemckeeverburgett.com/book.

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

SUPPORT OUR WORK
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Conversation with Claire McKeever-Burgett and Shalom Agtarap

This month, the Academy Podcast features Elaine Heath's understanding of neighborhood shalom. Her lecture from Academy 40 speaks to us of hopes and expectations, of well formed theology that is undone by lived experience. Knowing about Jesus and experiencing the compassion and presence of Jesus in the neighborhood is nothing short of transformational. Listen on, dear one, and as you listen, breathe deeply and expand gently.

Elaine Heath’s vocational journey includes having served as Dean of the Divinity School at Duke University, and the McCreless Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology.  She is a pioneer in new forms of theological education. In that capacity Heath is co-founder and former President of Neighborhood Seminary. The author of thirteen books, Heath is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and served in pastoral ministry prior to her academic ministry.  She lives with her husband at Spring Forest, an intentional Christian Community and farm in rural North Carolina where she serves as Abbess.

JOIN US

The Academy for Spiritual Formation presents  Spirituality in Practice. This newest offering is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/spirituality-in-practice2024/. 

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Neighborhood Shalom with Elaine Heath

This month, the Academy Podcast features Grace Imathiu teaching at the Indiana Five-Day in 2021. Grace illuminates the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, a title she challenges because parables cannot be contained. Grace explores the story through different lenses to reveal a God of reckless abundance who shows us how our life together could be despite our histories.

Rev. Grace Imathiu is 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. 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 was married to David Jones, who recently died in March 2023. Together, they are the parents to Erik.

JOIN US

The Academy for Spiritual Formation presents  Spirituality in Practice. This newest offering is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply at academy.upperroom.org/event/spiritua…-practice2024/.

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

God's Reckless Abundance with Grace Imathiu

This month, the Academy Podcast features Lucretia Berry and Ben Bowell's teaching from an online Academy Day Apart in 2021 called, Courageous Curiosity: Cultivating an Antiracist Spirituality. In this enlightening conversation, Lucretia and Ben share their personal stories of Christian faith formation and its intersection with antiracism. Together, they offer profound insights into the importance of examining our stories as we seek to dismantle racism, inviting us to engage in deep soul work for true transformation.

Lucretia Berry is the founder of Brownicity - Many Hues, One Humanity (brownicity.com), a non-profit dedicated to advocacy, education and support for racial healing and antiracism that hosts thousands of learners committed to an antiracism learning journey. She is a wife to Nathan and a mother of three little girls. A former college professor, Lucretia designed an onboarding course and authored the accompanying study guide called, What LIES Between Us: Fostering First Steps Toward Racial Healing. She is the Antiracism Curriculum Specialist for Community School of Davidson (NC), a contributor for (In)courage.me, and a TEDx and Q Ideas speaker (Charlotte). Lucretia finds joy in prayer, dark chocolate covered almonds, and dancing!
 
Ben Boswell is the senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC where he serves at the intersection of strategic leadership, spiritual formation, and social justice. He is a preacher, pastor, author, civil rights leader, and sought-after public speaker. Ben is also a former infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard, a graduate of Marion Military Institute (AA), Campbell University (BA), Duke Divinity School (MDIV), and Saint Paul’s School of Theology (DMIN) where his doctoral thesis was “Identifying Whiteness: Discerning Race through Spiritual Practice in the White Dominant Church.” During his doctoral studies, Ben also completed the Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation (#39). He is the author and founder of Confronting Whiteness (confrontingwhiteness.com/), a group that aims to transform people racialized as white into anti-racist practitioners. Ben loves craft beer, movies, running, spending time outdoors and being with his family.

JOIN US

The Academy for Spiritual Formation presents  Spirituality in Practice. This newest offering is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply at academy.upperroom.org/event/spiritua…-practice2024/.

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Courageous Curiosity: Cultivating an Antiracist Spirituality with Lucretia Berry and Ben Bowell

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, this pilot episode of From the Well centers around the concept of The Beloved Community. Drawing from talks by Kathryn Damiano, Luther Smith, and Jane Vennard, we focus on the role of deep listening in the work of personal and community transformation. Feel free to comment and share! 

Episode 1 - Listening and The Beloved Community

This month, the Academy Podcast features Shively Smith's teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the profound spirituality of the New Testament. In this episode, Dr. Smith explores the diversity within early Christian texts, emphasizing how the spirit of new life and love was interpreted across various cultures, languages, and geographies. She encourages listeners to reflect on the spiritual and social implications of the crucifixion, urging us to consider who stands with us at the cross and who we wish were there. Tune in to be challenged, inspired, and invited into deeper reflection on the intersections of faith and society.

Shively Smith is Associate Professor of New Testament and Director of the PhD Program at Boston University School of Theology. She is also Resident Scholar and an itinerant elder at the historic Metropolitan AME Church of Washington DC. Since the age of 16, Smith has been a student of the Bible and other sacred texts. Dedicated to the life of the mind and journey of the spirit, she goes about her work as a scholar and teacher of biblical texts and histories with hopes of making a difference by speaking informed, courageous, and spirit-filled truths. Smith says: “I'm proud to have studied and collaborated with some of the most committed and educated scholars, teachers, and preachers in theological education, the Church universal, other religious traditions, and beyond. Each day, I aim to grow in my understanding and faith to create bridges for people from different walks of life to talk to each other.” For more information, go to https://www.shivelysmith.com/about.

You can hear more from Shively in her session on Spirituality and Scripture at the first session of The Academy's new hybrid offering mentioned below!

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The Academy for Spiritual Formation presents Spirituality in Practice. This newest offering is a unique six-session hybrid model that consists of three immersive, five-day in-person retreats and three online one-day retreats plus monthly two-hour online practice sessions to support integration of learnings and nurture community. Spirituality in Practice is structured to provide an in-depth spiritual journey while keeping the time and financial commitments at more manageable levels. We are accepting applications now. Session 1 begins September 6, 2024, in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). Find more details and apply here

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

New Testament Spirituality with Shively Smith

This month, the Academy Podcast features Juan Carlos Huertas' teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the topic, "Attentiveness to the Word." In this episode, Huertas dives into the rich world of prophetic literature, exploring how the ancient texts of the Bible connect to the realities of our lives today, emphasizing how scripture mirrors modern challenges in justice, leadership, and kinship. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that invites us to engage more deeply with scripture, justice, and our role in building a more equitable and loving world.


Juan Carlos describes himself as a follower of Jesus, husband, dad, spiritual director, and pastor. Currently he is Minister of Proclamation and Practice of Justice at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE. Previously, Juan Carlos was the pastor of Grace Community United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. Juan says what God has called him to do in his ministry is, “To work as Jesus would have us work to make a difference in our community, to work together for peace and justice.” Juan is married to Shannon Perry Huertas and they have three children, Seth, Isabelle, & Lucas. For more information, go to https://www.firstplymouth.org/juan-carlos-huertas.

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We're excited to announce that the next Two-Year Academy begins November 2, 2025. A website and online application for Academy #43 will be available in the very near future. If you want to be one of the first to know when registration is open, please complete this simple form to give us your name and contact information so that we can inform you as soon as the application is ready. Link to Form: https://forms.gle/X63WN8RHtAvLDWLL7

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Attentiveness to the Word with Juan Carlos Huertas

This month, the Academy Podcast features Molly Vetter's teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the topic, "Spirituality and Embodiment." In this episode, Molly Vetter reflects on the intersection of scripture, art, and spirituality, inviting listeners to see how sacred traditions and personal experiences converge in daily life.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that invites us to see our faith embodied in everyday life, to find the sacred in art and community, and to live faithfully—even when it challenges institutional norms.

Rev. Molly Vetter is passionate about many things: building community with unlikely and diverse people, making the church more boldly welcoming, and caring for the earth. Since 2019, she has served as Senior Pastor of Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, a congregation with a rich legacy of thoughtful engagement on social issues and incredible worship gatherings in which to connect to the grace and mystery of our God. Molly received her Masters of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and studied Art History for undergrad at Boston University. In her personal and professional life, she loves planning events and trips, and enjoys experiencing them, too. She loves designing and making things, especially out of fabric or food or the internet. Outside of the local church, Molly has served in several leadership roles in the broader United Methodist Church and stays active in organizations that serve the local community. She volunteers with the Grain Place Foundation, a non-profit that will inherit and continue her family’s organic farm in central Nebraska. Molly lives with her husband, Matthew Parker, and their son Jonah. Molly is an alum of Two-Year Academy #41 and will serve as Retreat Leader for upcoming Two-Year Academy #43.

Artwork & Photos from the episode:

The Trinity — Kelly Latimore: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/products/the-trinity

That they may have life — Corita Kent:
https://collection.corita.org/piece/64-24

Enriched bread — Corita Kent:
https://collection.corita.org/piece/65-02

Welcome Sign — Noah Purifoy:
https://bit.ly/3BKvF3V

Toilet Bowl Sculpture — Noah Purifoy
https://bit.ly/3Y32fG2

Sitting in The White House — Noah Purifoy:
https://bit.ly/3ByXyfr

White/Colored — Noah Purifoy:
https://bit.ly/3BsD5bZ

Claremont School of Theology Cross — Sam Maloof:
https://bit.ly/3XPVMho

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We're excited to announce that the next Two-Year Academy begins November 3, 2025. A website and online application for Academy #43 will be available in the very near future. We’ll be sharing those details in the coming weeks. If you want to be one of the first to know when registration is open, please complete this simple form to give us your name and contact information so that we can inform you as soon as the application is ready. Link to Form: forms.gle/X63WN8RHtAvLDWLL7 

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Spirituality and Embodiment with Molly Vetter

This month, the Academy Podcast features Barbara Brown Taylor's teaching from a Five-Day in Alabama in 2022. In this episode, Barbara reflects on the spiritual significance of twilight, exploring how this threshold time between light and dark mirrors our own journeys through faith, transformation, and the unknown.

Join us for a compelling discussion as Barbara invites us to embrace the sacredness of liminal spaces, to find divine presence in moments of transition, and to open ourselves to the mystery that twilight holds. Discover how twilight can be a teacher in the journey of descent and transformation, where we are invited to live faithfully in the tensions of life.

Barbara Brown Taylor is a best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest.  Her first memoir, Leaving Church, won an Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association in 2006.  Her next three books earned places on the New York Times bestseller list.  Taylor has served on the faculties of Piedmont College, Emory University, Mercer University, Columbia Seminary, Oblate School of Theology, and the Certificate in Theological Studies program at Arrendale State Prison for Women in Alto, Georgia. Her latest book, Always a Guest, was released in October 2020 from Westminster John Knox Press.

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We're excited to announce that the next Two-Year Academy begins November 3, 2025. Lear more at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/two-year-43/. The online application for Academy #43 will be available in the very near future. If you want to be one of the first to know when registration is open, please complete this simple form to give us your name and contact information so that we can inform you as soon as the application is ready.

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Exploring Liminality in Faith and Practice with Barbara Brown Taylor

This month, the Academy Podcast features Rubén Ortiz's teaching from the 2022 online Academy Day Apart retreat called “Hope in a Time of Despair: Advent Through Immigrant Eyes." In this episode, Rubén Ortiz shares his personal journey as a migrant, weaving together stories of family, faith, and transformation. Through the lenses of familia, nepantla (the in-between spaces), and diaspora, Rubén reflects on the spiritual lessons he’s learned through migration and exile. Drawing on biblical narratives, his own experiences, and the themes of Advent, Rubén explores the creative and transformative potential of waiting, belonging, and building bridges across cultures.

Join us as Rubén invites us to expand the boundaries of our hearts, see the vast ocean of possibilities in migration, and discover how faith shapes a life in motion.

Take a look at Rubén's presentation slides here: https://bit.ly/rubenortizacademy

Rev. Rubén N. Ortiz, M.Div., is the Latino Field Ministries Coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). He a two-time immigrant: Cuba to Ecuador (1993) and Ecuador to USA (2000). With studies in music, communications, and theology, Rubén has served as a pastor for more than two decades as well as a Spiritual Director. He is often called upon as a consultant, advisor, and resource facilitator and is passionate about promoting the wellbeing of congregations and pastors. Rubén was a participant in Two-Year Academy #32 (a Spanish and English bilingual Academy) and is also part of the Academy Advisory Board. In his ministry with CBF, he works with Latino congregations and partners and provides leadership to FAMILIA, CBF’s Latino Network. Rubén and his wife, Xiomara, are “empty-nester” parents of Natalia Sofia and Daniel Andrés.

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We're excited to announce that the next Two-Year Academy begins November 3, 2025. Learn more about Two-Year Academy #43 and apply here: https://academy.upperroom.org/event/two-year-43/

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Advent Through Immigrant Eyes with Rubén Ortiz

In this episode of The Academy Podcast, we share an important update: a hiatus and reimagination of our podcast journey. Join host Shalom Agtarap as we reflect on the gifts of the new year, the wisdom of the Magi, and the importance of rest and discernment.

While we pause to prayerfully envision the future of this offering, we encourage you to revisit past episodes and share your feedback in this survey to help shape what’s next: https://bit.ly/academypodcast2025

Thank you for being part of this transformative community. Keep listening—to life, to creation, and to the still, small voice guiding us all. For updates and to stay connected, visit Academy.UpperRoom.org.

We look forward to returning with renewed vision and purpose.

Shalom Agtarap is a graduate of Two-Year Academy #29 and has served on multiple Academy leadership teams, including the upcoming Two-Year Academy #43. She is an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church who builds community through relational organizing. Her roots are in the church but they are watered by many streams as she intentionally cultivates connection across racial/ethnic lines, religious traditions, and socioeconomic backgrounds for the common good. Shalom lives in Tacoma, Washington with her spouse and three children.

JOIN US

We're excited to announce that the next Two-Year Academy begins November 3, 2025. Learn more about Two-Year Academy #43 and apply at  https://academy.upperroom.org/event/two-year-43/

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources

Support Our Work
If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Pause, Reflect, Reimagine: An Update on Our Podcast Journey

This month’s podcast features teaching from Roger Owens at Two-Year Academy #36 in San Antonio, TX where he taught on “Traditions of Christian Spirituality.” Walking us through the Ignatian spiritual practice of “Examen,” Roger illumines an age-old exercise that is applicable and perhaps even essential in our modern lives.

Featured on this podcast before, Roger continues to offer us guidance and wisdom in the way of spiritual formation, reminding us that when we pay attention we can be open to true transformation.

Paying Attention: Ignatian Spiritual Practice

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 been a friend and wisdom guide, a breath of fresh air, a beacon of hope.” They gathered via Zoom in late summer to talk about everything from Howard Thurman to what keeps them grounded in these strange times. May their conversation offer you further insight, deeper inspiration, and abundant hope.

Conversation with Luther Smith

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.

Conversation with Safiyah Fosua

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, companions, and friends in this liminal space of spirituality and justice, prayer and protest, worship and work.

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

Claire references The Showings of Julian of Norwich: A New Translation by Mirabai Starr.

For more information about Cole's work, visit her website https://blackliturgist.com and her Instagram @blackliturgies.

Conversation with Cole Arthur Riley

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, transform.

Conversation with Jenny Booth Potter

Welcome to The Academy Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sharing rich content for the purpose of spiritual growth. The Academy Podcast is brought to you by The Academy for Spiritual Formation, an international ministry of The Upper Room. The Academy is dedicated to creating safe space for people to connect with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world. To learn more about our Five-Day and Two-Year retreat offerings, visit academy.upperroom.org. We’re glad you’re here.

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