Your Pastor Reads Books Podcast

with Heather Weber
  • 4.6 (10)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Your Pastor Reads Books Podcast

Renewing the reputation of "pastor" one thoughtful conversation at a time. Here, pastors talk about the books they're reading that shape them in their journey of following Christ and in their spiritual care for others. yprb.substack.com

  1. APR 3

    #31 (S5) Microchurch, Family Crisis & Henri Nouwen’s Clowning in Rome

    “My growing love for the clowns in Rome made me desire to clown around a little myself and to speak about such foolish things as being alone, treasuring emptiness, standing naked before God, and simply seeing things for what they are. I came to feel that in this full, imposing, venerable, and busy city there must be a very deep desire to live out the other side of our being, the side that wants to play, dance, smile, and do many other useless things." -Henri Nouwen On this episode, my guest Rebecca Johnston* talks about making the adjustment to pastoring solo during a crisis in her family. When trouble hits, we all need to remember what is most important and return to the grounding and sometimes “foolish” practices that help us stay anchored in the life of faith. Our discussion of Henri Nouwen’s book Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer and Contemplation provided a great frame for our conversation. 01:30 Planting Microchurches 12:30 What is “dinner church”? 17:20 Pastoring through a spouse’s mental health crisis 27:29 About Henri Nouwen and Clowning in Rome 31:45 Four “clown-like elements for the spiritual life. 33:00 What does celibacy as “embracing emptiness” mean for single and married folks? 34:45 How celibacy teaches the church about God’s nature. Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:**Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer and Contemplation *Rebecca is an intentionally co-vocational church pastor, ordained minister, grad student, mom of two, and proud midwesterner. You can follow her house-church renovations on IG. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    50 min

  2. FEB 27

    #30 (S5) Enchanted Ministry, Confessions for Pastors & John Hendrix's The Mythmakers

    "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -C.S. Lewis Sometimes ministry seems absolutely impossible. And it is, when we rely on our own strength and skillsets. What does it look like to keep coming back to the transcendent Source at work in our lives—God who wants to bring resurrection and new life to the world? I explore this question with my guest, Mandy Smith, a pastor and award-winning author and speaker. Our conversation is inspired by two books. First, Mandy’s own Confessions of an Amateur Saint: The Christian Leader’s Journey from Self-Sufficiency to Reliance on God and John Hendrix’s graphic novel, The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship between C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:**Confessions of an Amateur Saint: The Christian Leader’s Journey from Self-Sufficiency to Reliance on God by Mandy SmithThe Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry by Mandy SmithUnfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture by Mandy SmithThe Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien (A Graphic Novel) by John HendrixThe Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John HendrixThe Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. LewisTolkien On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. TolkienThe Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. TolkienHow (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor by James K.A. SmithA Secular Age by Charles TaylorRe-Enchanting the Text by Cheryl Bridges Johns *Follow Mandy on IG and learn more about her ministry at https://thewayistheway.org. . Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    56 min

  3. 11/18/2024

    #29 (S4) Glass Ceilings, Gendered Socialization & Susan Harris Howell's Buried Talents

    The stereotype of gender differences in natural ability in math and science persists despite evidence to the contrary. Boys are often told in subtle ways that success in these areas reflects their essence and will continue; girls, that theirs is due to effort and is, therefore, less certain. Girls often receive less attention and instruction even though their success equals that of boys. Since girls’ self-confidence is buoyed by feedback, the relative absence of it diminishes their self-perception as talented in these “masculine” subjects and decreases the likelihood they will continue in them. Textbooks confirm that women rarely rank among the achievers. -Susan Harris Howell, Buried Talents My conversation with Crystal Martin is inspired by Susan Harris Howell’s Buried Talents: Overcoming Gendered Socialization to Answer God’s Call. Crystal, who led a national network for women in ministry, helps unpack Howell’s assessment of how we arrived at a gender “gap” between men and women in church leadership roles and responsibilities. Crystal also helps us consider the kind of flourishing that could be achieved for both women and men if only the church can overcome the limiting effects of gendered socialization. 01:49 State of women in ministry in the church15:55 on Crystal’s reading life18:41 Buried Talents conversation Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:**Buried Talents: Overcoming Gendered Socialization to Answer God’s Call by Susan Harris HowellUp Home by Ruth J. SimmonsYour Vocational Credo by Deborah Koehn LoydNorthern Seminary *Follow Crystal on IG. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    46 min

  4. 10/17/2024

    #28 (S4) Campus Ministry, Driving in the Dark, & Tish Harrison Warren's Prayer in the Night

    "God isn’t a sadist who delights in using agony to teach us a lesson. But in the alchemy of redemption, God can take what is only sorrow and transform it into the very path by which we learn to love God and let ourselves be loved. This is the strange (and usually unwanted) way of the abundant life–the dying necessary to bring resurrection." -Tish Harrison Warren, Prayer in the Night In seasons of grief, confusion, or overwhelm when we don’t know how or what to pray, the centuries-old prayers of the Church can comfort and anchor us in hope. My conversation with Jennie Crumpler* is inspired by her life as a campus minister serving on the collegiate staff of New Life Christian Fellowship in Blacksburg, Virginia, and by Tish Harrison Warren’s Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep. Jennie and I reflect on what it means survive dark seasons and walk with others as they do the same. 01:00 Campus ministry conversation14:57 Prayer in the Night conversation Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:** Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wison-Hartgrove Northern Seminary *Follow Jennie on IG. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    47 min

  5. 06/25/2024

    #27 (S4) Embodied Ministry, Redefining "Wins" & David Fitch's Reckoning with Power

    "It is an all too familiar story....A church leader starts out with a deep sense of trust and dependence upon God. They are surrendered....But, as the ministry flourishes and numbers grow, as is inevitable under God's power, organizing ministry becomes strained. The struggle to make decisions efficiently takes over. The pastor who once lived "under" God's power begins exercising increasing control and 'power over' under the pretext of getting things done for God." -David Fitch, Reckoning with Power In evangelical ministry spaces, there’s often an emphasis on defining ministry wins by numbers—attendance, bank balances, baptisms, salvations, buildings, and campuses. There’s nothing wrong with big numbers. Or small ones. But what happens if our big numbers entice us to exercise power in worldly ways, rather than in godly submission to one another? My conversation with pastor Seth Major* is inspired by his ministry in a historically neglected neighborhood in Peoria, IL, and by David Fitch’s Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It’s on the Wrong Side of Power. Seth breaks down for us how Fitch distinguishes between two main postures Christians often take toward power: the use of worldly power over others to compel what we believe is on God’s agenda or submission to one another under Christ’s Lordship as a group discerns the will of God together. 01:10 Ministry in Historically Neglected Neighborhoods18:50 Reckoning with Power Discussion Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:** Reckoning with Power: How the Church Fails When It’s on the Wrong Side of Power by David Fitch Pursuing God’s Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups by Ruth Haley Barton *Follow Seth on IG or Reachway Church Your Pastor Reads Books is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the show, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. YPRB host Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about her coaching, pastoral direction, and creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. And, subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min

  6. 05/20/2024

    #26 (S4) Modern Worship, Church Community as Witness & James K.A. Smith’s How Not to Be Secular

    "There’s no undoing the secular; there’s just the task of learning how (not) to live—and perhaps even believe—in a secular age. -James K.A. Smith, How (Not) to Be Secular Christians might try hard not to “be secular,” but there’s almost no escaping the impact of secularism on the way we think about ourselves and the ways in which we find (or make) meaning out of our lives. My conversation with pastor Andrew Meher* is inspired by James K.A. Smith’s How (Not) to Be Secular. Andrew breaks down for us, in simple terms, the ways in which practices of the Church can help us resist our tendency toward an individualized and secular worldview. Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links: A Secular Age by Charles TaylorHow (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor by James K.A. Smith *Follow Andrew on IG or at The Plant Church. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    45 min

  7. 04/04/2024

    #25 (S4) Reading in Retirement, Ministry Rejection, Reconstructing Faith & N.T. Wright's Paul: A Biography

    “Every book has a soul, the soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and dream about it.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Angel's Game We catch glimpses of the life of the Apostle Paul within the pages of the New Testament—his letters and the book of Acts. My conversation with pastor Tom Jacobs is inspired by N.T. Wright’s book, Paul: A Biography. Tom does a deep dive on Wright’s book, illuminating Paul’s conversion on the Damascus road and the extent of his torture and suffering for the sake of the gospel. Wrapped up in that conversation is more about the ministry rejection every pastor faces and the process of “reconstructing” after we’ve deconstructed faith. Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:* Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Allure of Liturgy for a New Generation by Winfield Bevins Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon The Complete Grimms Fairy TalesPaul: A Biography by N.T. Wrigh tDes Moines Anglican Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    50 min

  8. 01/11/2024

    #24 (S3) Ministering with Gratitude, Theology for Kids & C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy

    Have you ever wondered how to teach theology to toddlers? Or, why some pastors are able to engage in ministry with so much gratitude despite its inherent challenges and sorrows? I hope you enjoy this conversation with church planters Austin and Amy Gannett* from Greenville, South Carolina. It’s inspired by C.S. Lewis’ book, The Horse and His Boy, a classic novel for all ages that offers us glimpses of the beauty and truth of the Christian faith. Resources Mentioned & Affiliate Links:* Tiny Theologians and Tiny Theologians Podcast ABCs of TheologyBible Study Schoolhouse The Horse and His Boy by C.S. LewisT he Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien Becoming C.S. Lewis (3-Volume Set) by Harry Lee Poe Malcom Guite StoreThis Day: Collected and New Sabbath Poems by Wendell Berry *Follow Austin and Amy’s ministry at Trinity Church Greenville, or follow Amy on IG. Links to her Tiny Theologians and Bible Study Schoolhouse are above. Get full access to Your Pastor Reads Books at yprb.substack.com/subscribe

    53 min
See All (32)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Renewing the reputation of "pastor" one thoughtful conversation at a time. Here, pastors talk about the books they're reading that shape them in their journey of following Christ and in their spiritual care for others. yprb.substack.com

Information

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada