PlainSpoken

<p>Mark Maddox is representative of people who were raised outside of the Christian faith, but who was converted by encountering God through his Word and the Holy Ghost. A Navy veteran and successful worker in business, Mark answered a sincere calling and entered the Lord’s service through the Methodist tradition. When it came time to leave comfortable moorings and enter into the wilderness, Mark answered in faith.</p><p>Superintendent Maddox is based in the heart of Sin City, making the case for Christ to people very much like who he used to be. With a passion for discipleship, accountability, and church planting, he is leading his conference into a bold future in the Global Methodist communion. In this conversation, we cover many features of his story, how he came to Christ, how the Lord is leading his conference, and the ways in which he is faithfully stewarding that which the Lord has entrusted to him. How do we do ministry in a post-Christian context? How is the GMC benefiting him and the churches in his area? Link to the Western States Conference Website - https://westernstatesgmc.com/</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://plainspokenpod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">plainspokenpod.substack.com</a>

<p>American Christians have a problem: We don’t have a right approach to guilt, shame, grief, confession, or repentance. We want all the pleasant, sweet stuff. We shirk the hard work of sanctification, starting at the very beginning of faith. We need to reclaim foundational unpleasant practices rather than continuing to build upon the false foundation of sugar.</p><p>But we don’t magically know how to do that. It takes people in this generation doing the hard work of connecting us to those previous generations of Christians who knew how to activate these many scriptures around atonement for guilt. Ideally, all clergy can do this, but very few really can. We need leaders to painstakingly make the case that we have largely jettisoned something essential, equipping us to reclaim such life-giving practices.</p><p>In this conversation, Kelly McCuaig talks about his new book, “Good Guilt,” in which he does exactly what is required for this present moment. We talk about how fraught our general situation is, what the scriptures say about confession of sin, how the church should be centered around these practices, and important things to meditate upon if we wish to reclaim the form and power of righteousness.</p><p>Link to Purchase ‘Good Guilt’ - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.inviteministries.org/store/view/good-guilt/">https://www.inviteministries.org/store/view/good-guilt/</a></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://plainspokenpod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">plainspokenpod.substack.com</a>

<p>Stephen Rankin has a heart for small town churches and beautiful ideas. Or rather, he has answered a call to help people faithfully navigate a world of beliefs that don’t all fit together. He has done so as the chaplain of a major denominational academic institution, and now as a Texan United Methodist clergyman living in Kansas. His ministry is called the ‘Spiritual Maturity Project.’ </p><p>I’m not sure how mature I am, personally. I know I struggle with what I routinely perceive to be subtle apathy on the part of spiritual shepherds. Disaffiliation from the UMC exposed, to my mind, just how far the discernment of leadership has fallen. So in this segment I rail a bit against what I’m pretty sure are forces of darkness that we should have clarity about, asking Dr. Rankin to show me the way forward.</p><p>And he does, patiently. I won’t say that everything is figured out at the tail end of this thing. But I’ll tell you that it was a rewarding conversation for me, and many of you will enjoy it quite a bit.</p><p>Links:</p><p>Steve’s Substack - https://substack.com/@UClKEyHgztMvlsCG5DqnjwmA</p><p>Spiritual Maturity Project - https://www.spiritualmaturityproject.org</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://plainspokenpod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">plainspokenpod.substack.com</a>

<p>John D. Scott is a Methodist missionary working to benefit the people of Zimbabwe through a ministry called OneChild. As a missionary in the American and Irish contexts, he is now joyfully dedicating himself to the Lord’s movement among the people in southern Africa.</p><p>In this conversation, John talks about the work of OneChild, how it is that Christians around the world can make a lasting difference in such contexts, and how the Lord is weaving a tapestry right now for the good of his people. Resolve to have some optimism about the work God is doing, and pray with us that He will see fit to build us into a worthy edifice together!</p><p>Links:</p><p>AIM Missionary Page - https://aim2020.com/missions/</p><p>Linktree Page - https://linktr.ee/hopeforzimbabwe</p><p>OneChild Page - https://onechild.org/</p><p>OneChild Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/onechildglobal</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://plainspokenpod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">plainspokenpod.substack.com</a>

<p>Jeremy Barbee is a Global Methodist elder serving in New Home, TX. He is a normal, small town pastor. I wanted to hear the story of how it is that he came to be a part of my same covenant tradition and how it is that he is understanding God to be working at this moment in time. I really didn’t know him at all before this conversation.</p><p>I have, a few times, spoken with sample clergy in various contexts because I think leadership can be someone siloed and disconnected from the grassroots level of the church. It is important for me to feel the camaraderie of ministry that is so often lacking in the lives of clergy. And I want to facilitate that feeling of connection that was once to be found in Methodist clergy, in particular.</p><p>And because of this time spent, I now feel a brotherhood with another man who grew up in the church, whose journey in Christ led him to the Boston area, then to the Midwest. I met a man who has said ‘yes’ to Jesus even when that brought him into a lukewarm mainline tradition, and then when the GMC was born. I think a lot of you are going to like Rev. Barbee, his humility, his hunger for serving God rightly, his efforts at building up the GMC by attending General Conference. I hope he is an encouragement to you.</p><p>Links:</p><p>Jeremy’s Blog - https://jeremybarbee.wordpress.com</p><p>Faith Global Methodist’s Website - https://faithgmc.org</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://plainspokenpod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">plainspokenpod.substack.com</a>