Poema Podcast

Dr Theresa Larson joins me today. Dr Larson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of Movement Rx, a physical therapy and wellness company that offers support to wounded warriors and individuals with health and movement issues. She has just released her first book, a memoir called 'Warrior' Today Theresa shares her own powerful story of overcoming grief and bulimia nervosa, how she overcome demands for perfection, in life, healthy, and career, and discovered a warrior spirit within herself In the process, she discovered the rhythms and science of what a healthy life, and person wellness, looks like - for both her, and all of us. Dr Larson shares great practical advice, on personal wellness & some basic tips on how to live a healthier life, and discover our own inner warrior, even in the midst of struggle.

Nish Weiseth, author, speaker, mom & fan of Dr Pepper, joins me today. With great vulnerability, Nish shares her own powerful story, including her struggles with depression, and how this shaped both her faith & her creative life.  Nish also shares how she discovered the incredible power of story to shape lives, and began a website as an expression of this. A site which took her on the path to a writing & speaking career, and writing a book 'Speak' on the power of story. Nish is insightful, fun, down to earth and authentic, and has so much wisdom to share with us. You can find more of Nish's work at nishweiseth.com

Rob Bell, NYT Bestselling Author of Love Wins & several other books, international speaker, podcaster & former Pastor, joins me today.  We discuss major events in Rob's spiritual journey (including a Midnight Oil concert), what hope is, and where he sees both culture and the church progressing in the coming years.  We discuss in depth his new book 'How To Be Here' and what it means to be fully present in our own lives, how to create the life we want for ourselves & the world, sabbath, and why sometimes being true to your calling means staying in your crappy job. Rob has so much wisdom and insight into living a meaningful, deeply spiritual life and it was such a blast to talk to him. Have a listen, and let Rob inspire you.  You can find Rob's work (and yes, I think you should read/watch/listen to everything he's done) at RobBell.com

Anita Wing Lee, Periscoper, communicator & writer, joins me today to talk about a really important cause. The Soul Of Humanity is a book of stories, photos and creative work surrounding the story of refugee crisis, with all profits going to aid awareness and give direct support to the refugees themselves.  Their project is on Kickstarter, and today Anita shares about the genesis of the project, it's importance, and invites you to contribute to this potentially life-saving project. 

Shane Blackshear of the 'Seminary Dropout' podcast joins me today, to share his own powerful story of being a seminary dropout, then pastor & planting a church. He shares lessons he's learned about faith, and what led him to start his 'Seminary Dropout' podcast.  We talk about what it really means to be a 'minister', the role of church & what 'church' really means, as well as the creative process & artistic integrity.  Come & join us!

Today philosopher, poet & theologian Pete Rollins & I discuss the problem of certainty in our spirituality & daily lives, why we need to critique our faith and how important it is to confront the truth of who we are to have true spiritual growth.  We discuss Pete's 'Atheism For Lent' project and how it critiques Christianity, the idea of our faith as a magic trick with a pledge, a turn and prestige, our own holy ghosts, and also touch on Pete's vision & hope for the church.  Finally, Pete and I talk about the political situation in the US right now, chronological snobbery, learning lessons from history and the bigger problems behind the surface of American culture. It's one of the most fascinating, thought-provoking, challenging interviews you'll hear - Pete speaks with such wisdom, intelligence and grace. Come and join us.

Today pastor & author Andy Gray shares his own powerful story, and talks about the revolutionary yet Biblical idea of Shema.  Shema means to hear, and Andy passionately explains how God wants us to hear His call to live lives overflowing with God's love. A love which was to be on our lips every morning, and which we were to teach to our children, and to be creatively expressed in our daily lives. Andy also discusses the creative process behind his book 'The Karma Shema Drama', and how he overcame dyslexia to write a book which has had an impact on many people around the world.

Today I host pastor, speaker & author Steve Chalke. Steve shares the powerful story of how Oasis Trust - a network of churches, schools and more - started and the impact it's had on individual's lives. He outlines his vision of what church can and should be, and what our part can be in that. Finally, Steve speaks passionately and honestly about LGBT inclusion, how important is for the church and the world, and how we can begin to build a more inclusive church. ***** You can connect with Steve on Twitter at @SteveChalke. His church are running a conference about inclusive church - 'Open Church' - in central London soon. You can find out more about that & book tickets at the Oasis website.

Today is the second & final part of my series on repentance. In this episode I unpack the true meaning of the word 'repent' & reflect on what this might mean for us. Ending with a message of hope, and a challenge as to how we might respond. ***** This series part of this months #synCREATE theme of repentance.

Today is the first of a two-part series on Repentance, unpacking & exploring sin, and what we really mean when we use that word. Because our understanding of sin is fundamental to understanding repentance. This series is linked to this months #synCREATE theme of repentance. Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2 tomorrow!

Lorna Kopp (aka Lorna Faith) is my guest today. Lorna, a writer, author & coach, shares her story and we talk about the importance of vulnerability in creating authentic work. We also discuss how her faith has impacted her creative work, and the power of encouragement. 

Today I'm joined by writer, blogger, painter & author Pamela Hodges. Pamela shares her unique story - including when she met Bono - and talks about maintaining authenticity & artistic integrity in our creative work. Finally, Pamela talks about about her struggles with faith, dealing with loss, and how she encourages her cats to express themselves creatively. 

Andi Cumbo is an experienced writer, coach, author and editor, and a good friend. Today on the podcast she shares her powerful & challenging story, with wisdom about creativity, calling, and how this ties in with her spirituality, and her life running a farm. Andi has so much wisdom to share about creativity, spirituality, calling & living a balanced life, and I know you'll really benefit from her words today.  ***** You can connect with Andi online at @andilit or andiit.com 

Today I talk to my good friend, writer, blogger & coach Christine Niles, about writing and the creative process.  Christine has years of blogging & writing experience, and like me has spent a lot of time coaching writers. She's seen the ups & downs, the challenges, the failures & the successes, and has a lot of wisdom to share on things like finding your voice, overcoming writers block, and overcoming resistance and beginning your writers journey.  ***** As a special exclusive for "James Talks" listeners, you can access her three week mini-course "Start To Write" for free - the course is three weeks of daily writing prompts, tips, and daily reminders to get you going on your writers journey, and highly recommended! You can access this special offer at: http://riverofthoughts.com/jamestalks/ Start your writing journey today!

The series on calling concludes with a call to action - talking about how we don't need to have permission to pursue our calling, the role of wise counsel, and challenging us to have the courage to step out & embrace the life we were created for. 

We've discussed what calling is...but how do we discover our calling? Today in this series I talk about following our curiosity, and listening to that ache inside of us. Our callings often reside both in the things we are curious about, or in the inner aches, desires, longings deep inside - and we need to learn to listen to both

In part 3 of this series on calling, I explore the a simple but forgotten truth about calling - that callings can, and should, be fun. To be enjoyed. To be something we ultimately find joy in.  We may not initially want to do what we're called to, but if we're really called to it, then it will become joy to us.

Before we begin exploring what our calling is & how to pursue it, we need to ground ourselves in the right place. In part 2 of my series on calling, I explore how often put our security in our calling or vocation - and how if we are to really thrive, we need to place it somewhere else. ***** This series is part of the #synCREATE month on calling. You're invited to create anything related to calling, and share it with the hashtag #synCREATE - get creating today