The Podcast Made Flesh

Agnes Chen is a Mom to 4 beautiful babes, a Registered Nurse, and the founder of Starlings Community, a not for profit committed to co-creating a community that advocates for healing supports for children who have been impacted by society’s stigma of a parent’s addictions. Although she spends much of her free time volunteering at local Calgary organizations working to influence the creation of trauma-informed Governments, she most loves spending her free time exploring with her family and laughing with friends. https://www.starlings.ca/ Christina Conroy is a prof at Ambrose University. From her Ambrose biography she "works in the area of contemplative and constructive theology with expertise in residential school history (and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada) as well as indigenous-settler relations. Current research interests include the intersection of neuroscience, epigenetics and trauma with Christian theology."

David Goa’s work, rooted in the Orthodox Tradition, focuses on deepening the capacity of the faithful to think through the gifts of the Christian tradition: the spiritual life, the theological traditions, and our responsibility to the public world. Four themes are at the centre of his concern: the Incarnation, the Trinity, the spiritual life as a journey toward wholeness, and the meaning of Ecclesia in service to the life of the world. We ask him about what it means to be in relationship with those of different faiths. He was the founding Director of The Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life Curator of Folklife and Head of Collections at Provincial Museum of Alberta (now Royal Alberta Museum). Check out his current online exhibition U Encounter: What it Means To Be Human And find more of David’s work at www.davidgoa.ca

Laura Beth is a preacher, speaker, author, and creative artist focusing on "working with churches in seasons of change and transition, or working with churches to give tired, hardworking pastors much-needed breaks." She is on track to graduate from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN with an MDiv and has been ordained through University Baptist Church (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) in Bloomington, IN. She is the author of Shattering Masks: Affirming My Identity, Transitioning My Faith published under the name Laura Bethany Taylor. You can find out more information about Laura Beth’s work at www.laura-bethany.com

In this episode we talk to Pastor Jeremiah Bašurić about embodying the kind of community Jesus created and what a diverse community requires. Hospitality and truth-telling, celebration and kenosis, conflict and a radically transformed imagination - they are all needed. We talk about living in uncomfortable community and more than anything, Jeremiah reminds us all about this good news that holds these deeply incisive conversations. This is a good news conversation if ever there was one. Jeremiah Damir Bašurić is currently a Chaplain at The Mustard Seed and a Commissioned Pastor at mosaicHouse Church, a multi-cultural Christian Reformed church plant in Edmonton. From his Croatian father he has developed a love for soccer. From his Filipino mother he has developed a love for singing. When he is not eating Filipino food or playing music, you can find him hiking in the mountains with his Canadian-Dutch-Frisian wife Sarah, who is a registered nurse. You can find Jeremiah’s writing as a columnist with the Do Justice Blog,a publication on justice issues with a Reformed Accent. https://dojustice.crcna.org/columnists

In this episode we talk about public health, vaccines and how we are all undeniably intertwined. What might our embodied faith have to say about this? This is a global conversation for our times, so we invited Heather Bensler, a registered nurse and a tenure-track instructor at the UofC in the Faculty of Nursing to talk to us about how public health functions and how these vaccines came to be. Heather has a background in public health, medical missions, and obstetrics nursing. She is a Jesus follower and looks for ways to connect her faith with her work. During the pandemic she has worked with 19toZero, a coalition of healthcare professionals working to address Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy. We know that not everyone agrees about health measures and vaccines and we know that the pandemic has taken a toll on our interconnected society in every possible way. We know also know that vaccine hesitancy is often not helpfully conflated with anti-vax sentiments. And we have all experienced having bad motives assigned to us if we think differently than someone else. And that never feels good. So in the spirit of having good conversations, we hope you find this episode a space of grace-filled communication about fraught and important things . For excellent information on vaccines, Heather recommends: www.19toZero.ca www.Christianandthevaccine.com

Zaak and Jacqui speak with Dr. Kyle Jantzen, Dean of Arts and Science at Ambrose University, about what kind of response a follower of Christ might have when faith is being embodied and that faith is really not good. Dr. Jantzen is a professor of history, specializing in the history of church and state in Nazi Germany. He also researches on Christian responses to the Holocaust and is interested in the wider subject of religion and nationalism. You can find out more about his work and thoughts at: https://kyletjantzen.wordpress.com And for a deeper dive into the history of the church in Nazi Germany check out his book: "Faith and Fatherland: Parish Politics in Nazi Germany."

In this episode Zaak and Jacqui wanted to talk about philosophy - specifically the existentialism that undergirds some of our individualistic tendencies in our culture. So we asked Glen to talk to us about Søren Kierkegaard - sometimes called the father of existentialism - and about Kierkegaard's faith and how this might inform our own fleshed out faiths. Glen Graham is an Assistant Professor at Burman University and Director of the Centre for Peace and Justice. His area of specialty is the philosophy of religion. He has published research on the Canadian philosopher George Grant. His doctoral dissertation explored Soren Kierkegaard's philosophy of love.

In this episode we chat with Pianist, Composer and Arranger, Jennifer Oikawa - the creator of The Podcast Made Flesh's amazing music. We talk about the drive to create music, how it is a wholly embodied artform and what this year has been like for artists without audiences. "Jennifer Oikawa is a Los Angeles-based pianist with experience performing in a vast array of musical settings and genres, including regional and touring musical theatre work in musician, rehearsal pianist and conductor roles; producing two independent jazz trio albums, directing and playing in sacred settings, performing with singer-songwriters and providing live music for private events." You can find The Jen Oikawa Trio on itunes and CD Baby and more information about her work at www.jenoikawa.com

In our first episode of Season Two we talk with Brad Jersak about Mary, Jesus' mom. We talk about her role in the story, in the church throughout history and what paying attention to her might mean for a fleshed out faith today. "Brad Jersak is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. He is the Dean of Theology and Culture at St. Stephen's University (New Brunswick)." He's written many books including: The Pastor: A Crisis Co-written with Wm. Paul Young A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel In: Incarnation and Inclusion, Abba and Lamb Coming Soon: A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way Find more about Brad Jersak’s work at www.bradjersak.com

This summer we asked a couple of The Podcast Made Flesh listeners to help us with practices and prayers that help to refocus our hearts, minds AND bodies. This prayer was written and led by Jenica Groot-Nibbelink, Campus Minister at Fanshawe College in London, ON. Jacqui and Jenica recorded it long-distance but were able to share the sounds of nature, being serenaded by the birds.

This Summer we asked a couple The Podcast Made Flesh listeners to help us with practices and prayers that help to refocus our hearts, minds AND bodies. This is a contemplative prayer practice that engages our senses offered by Jessica Dell Andrews. Jess is currently studying for ordained ministry, focusing on Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapy.

Author of "IN - Incarnation and Inclusion, Abba and Lamb," Brad Jersak talks with Zaak and Jacqui about the incarnation, sin, salvation, heaven, and... the stories. This is a gift conversation from a cherished theological thinker. https://bradjersak.com/ https://bradjersak.com/product/in-incarnation-inclusion-abba-lamb/ https://ssu.ca/staff-faculty/ https://www.ptm.org/holy-week-covid-monday-meditation-cleansing-our-temple-brad-jersak

Mike Hogeterp, the Director of the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue, joins Jacqui and Zaak to discuss an incarnate faith - and what that looks like in the public square. We dive into the propensity of Christians of all stripes to articulate theological principles without putting flesh to them. This conversation is about embodying the public good, and justice – which is love done in public (Cornell West) and we don’t shy from asking, what will be required as we follow this Living Christ in his work of reconciling all things. https://www.crcna.org/PublicDialogue

In this episode, we talk with Community Advocate Cara Milne of MPowered Planning and Robyn Garrido, a 3rd year Disability Rehab student at the U of C, about what it means to build inclusive communities for Every. Body. Questions about personhood, community, and how we can enflesh these across big differences and needs are all brought to bear in this frank and full conversation. Cara Milne is the owner of MPowered Planning Ltd, a business that promotes positive and valuable roles for people with disabilities. Cara provides training and consulting that is innovative and practical for both families and agencies. She is the author of "Building Community: Practical Ways to Build Inclusive Communities for People Who Are Vulnerable." www.mpoweredplanning.com Robyn Garrido studies Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at the University of Calgary. She has worked as a respite worker and is now working as a group aide for children with disabilities.

Zaak and Jacqui talk to their friends Brad Andrews and Jeff Loomis about money, investment, economy, wealth, things that we hear about all the time but perhaps rarely think about in the context of a Christ-following faith. This conversation might just be the tip of the iceberg for you about what could be imagined about how an embodied gospel might shape this aspect of our lives. Brad Andrews is a social innovator, impact investor and equality advocate. You can find his work at www.hummingbirdimpact.com Jeff Loomis is the executive director of Momentum https://momentum.org

In this conversation, we hear from Justice and Reconciliation Mobilizer Shannon Perez about what it means to live and worship as an embodied creation, from inside a broken system. This episode draws the connections between history, land, bodies, politics, and our faith in a loving God, and we are asked whether we are willing to take the time needed to heal the relationships that are broken. Shannon Perez is the CRC’s Canadian Ministries' Justice and Reconciliation Mobilizer. She provides staff support to the Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee and fosters leadership among congregations for reconciliation and right relationships with our Indigenous neighbours. Shannon is a member of the Sayisi Dene First Nation, and lives in Winnipeg with her husband and children. https://www.crcna.org/indigenous

Val Lieske, Artistic Director of Fire Exit Theatre talks to us about art, its role in culture-making and what the heck is Christian culture anyways. She helps us explore why we don’t have to be afraid of hard stories that matter and what it takes to bring something from a page to embodied life. Val Lieske is the Founder and Managing Artistic Director of Fire Exit Theatre, an Associate Director of Theatre at Ambrose University, as well as a freelance writer, director, producer and performer. www.fireexit.ca

A conversation with three women of different ages on what it means to live their faith out in their own bodies. Zaak and Jacqui go past the surface level to ask Anya Olson, Janna Hart, and Cherie Tetz what it means that God loved flesh so much that he became it, thus affirming all of our bodies.

A conversation with church planter, community organizer and justice advocate Rohadi Nagassar on how church is changing, how it needs to change and how the enfleshed community of believers bringing their whole selves might heal our hearts. Rohadi Nagassar, Leader of Cypher Church, Board Member for Act Alberta: The Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta www.cypherchurch.com www.actalberta.org www.soulcoats.com

Why in the World? Zaak and Jacqui ask each other why understanding the Incarnation has captivated their imaginations.