The Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have Podcast Regina V. Cates

Guest: Reverend Britt Skarda, M.Div.
I am joined by Reverend Britt Skarda, a retired United Methodist pastor of thirty-four years who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. We discuss how Jesus would encourage conversation about the need for many Christians, and the Christian Church overall, to return to the essence of his teachings: to love God and love our neighbors. We discuss the importance of expanding the conversation around issues such as abortion, women’s rights, the idea of a male God, and political narratives that are being used to divide in the name of Jesus.

Guest: Reverend Kirby Ingram
Reverend Kirby and I discuss: The concept of spiritual consciousness, or knowing ourselves as spiritual beings on great human adventures, has been around for centuries. Expressing as our divine self in everyday life is the fundamental goal of all world religions. We know we are living as our conscious/awake self each time we live the Golden Rule and treat others and all life as we want to be treated. The result is a life of joy.

Guest: Lauren Haze, Professional Dancer and Wellness Expert
We discuss the important ways breathing deeply adds to the quality of our life.  We talk about being mindful and connected with both the present and our bodies, to help eliminate stress and anxiety. How the simple act of calling in light energy and love frequency with our breath reminds us that our bodies are home to our eternal soul. And that we can, with mindfulness, be our best selves in every moment.

The goal of all world religions is the pursuit of truly knowing who we are and our reason for being. We are physical beings capable of fantastic feats of strength and endurance. We are intellectual beings who create scientific, medical, and technological marvels. We are emotional beings with an extraordinary capacity for sensitivity. We experience ourselves and our surroundings through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. In addition to the physical, emotional, and intellectual capacities and the senses by which we perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside our body, a higher wisdom exists within us.

Guest: Johanna Bruner, Nurse Practitioner
We discuss that different types of viruses are found in different parts of the world and they don’t spread without us. Such as the case with the deadly Ebola Virus Disease found in Africa that can spread throughout the world from one person. We discuss the science behind the development of vaccinations and the desire of scientists to prevent the spread of disease, because scientists want for other people what they want for their own families.  

Guest: Steve Hasenberg, spiritual psychotherapist
Empathy is our Jesus-like superhero power because when we are empathetic we know what it feels like to be afraid, or to have joy, or to grieve. But empathy is not the same as sympathy. Sympathy is easy to express because it is a concern for others that is more from the head, while empathy is a heart-connection to what other people go through. When we are empathetic, we put ourselves emotionally in another’s shoes. Like Jesus did.