Pod Strangely Warmed

Methodist history is full of surprises. From the founding of the AME Church and the Central Jurisdiction to the women clergy who helped shape our church, there's a lot most of us never learned. Dr. Natalya Cherry and Dr. Emily Nelms Chastain join POD Strangely Warmed for a fun, nerdy and refreshingly honest look at the parts our history leaves out. Along the way they bust a few myths, share some stories you won't hear in Sunday school and remind us why knowing where we came from helps us live out our faith today. This is Part 1 of our conversation, so stay tuned for Part 2! Resources Mentioned in This Episode UMC Social Principles https://www.umc.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-believe/our-social-positions The United Methodist Book of Worship (free online resources) https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/book-of-worship Discipleship Ministries Worship Resources https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) https://www.gcah.org/ General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) https://www.gbhem.org/ General Board of Global Ministries https://umcmission.org/ General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) https://gcsrw.org/ General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) https://www.gcorr.org/ The Wesley Works Digitization Project (John Wesley's sermons online) https://wesleyworks.ecdsdev.org/index.html Scripture Mentioned in This Episode Romans 5:5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5:5&version=NRSVUE Genesis 12:1–20 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12:1-20&version=NRSVUE 1 Corinthians 13:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13:13&version=NRSVUE For more content from the Horizon Texas Conference, follow our social media channels! Website - htcumc.org Facebook - @HTCUMC Instagram - @HTCUMC TikTok - @horizontxumc YouTube - @htcumc Spotify - Horizon Texas Conference

Christians will not always agree, but disagreement does not have to end in division. Rev. Dr. O. Wesley Allen Jr. and David Taylor join Rev. Daniel Hawkins to consider how intentional dialogue can help us listen across our differences, approach difficult conversations with humility and hold our convictions without losing connection. Following an evening engagement with Dr. Allen at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, this conversation looks beyond the pressure to win an argument and asks what it means to remain curious, value relationships and make room for voices different from our own. Whether the disagreement involves politics, theology, church life or a conversation around the family table, this episode invites Christians to practice a way of speaking and listening rooted in love of God and neighbor. LEARN MORE about Rev. Dr. O. Wesley Allen Jr.: https://www.smu.edu/perkins/facultyacademics/facultylistinga-z/allen Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence: https://pcpe.smu.edu/ Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smuperkinscenterforpreachi7022 The Homiletic of All Believers: https://www.wjkbooks.com/bookproduct/0664228607-the-homiletic-of-all-believers/ For more content from the Horizon Texas Conference, follow our social media channels! Website - htcumc.org Facebook - @HTCUMC Instagram - @HTCUMC TikTok - @horizontxumc YouTube - @htcumc Spotify - Horizon Texas Conference SCRIPTURE REFERENCES 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 | One Body with Many Members Paul describes the church as one body made up of many members, each valued and needed. Read in the NRSVue: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012%3A12-27&version=NRSVUE 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known." Read in the NRSVue: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013%3A12&version=NRSVUE 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 | Food Offered to Idols Paul considers how knowledge, freedom and being right should remain guided by love and concern for others. Read in the NRSVue: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%208%3A1-13&version=NRSVUE Matthew 22:39 "And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Read in the NRSVue: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022%3A39&version=NRSVUE Matthew 7:12 | The Golden Rule "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Read in the NRSVue: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207%3A12&version=NRSVUE

This week, POD Strangely Warmed comes to you from Cedarbrake Retreat Center, where clergy from across the Horizon Texas Conference gathered for the Do Justice Retreat. The three-day gathering created space for worship, spiritual formation, honest conversation and discerning how the church can faithfully pursue justice together. Kristin Warthen is joined by Rev. Debra Crumpton and Rev. Julie Harding for a conversation about the connection between justice and discipleship. They discuss the courage to speak up, the importance of seeing every person as made in the image of God and the spiritual practices that help keep justice work from becoming isolating or exhausting. If you care about justice but do not know where to begin, this episode offers a practical and hopeful reminder: start by listening for God, take the next faithful step and do not do it alone. Book mentioned in this episode: Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith by Dr. Selina Stone For more content from the Horizon Texas Conference, follow our social media channels! Website - htcumc.org Facebook - @HTCUMC Instagram - @HTCUMC TikTok - @horizontxumc YouTube - @htcumc Spotify - Horizon Texas Conference

For Maye and Isaac Saenz, cheering for the Dallas Cowboys has always been about more than football. It is a family tradition rooted in shared Sundays, memorable road trips and the joy of experiencing the game together. In this episode of POD Strangely Warmed, they share how Cowboys fandom became woven into their family's story. Maye reflects on raising her children with Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. and keeping Christian faith at the center of their home. Isaac shares how those family traditions shaped his life and his journey into professional sports media. Together, they explore how faith, family and football can bring people together, carry us through disappointment and remind us that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. Follow Isaac Saenz's work https://www.facebook.com/footballforeverhq/ https://www.instagram.com/footballforever https://x.com/fballforeverhq For more content from the Horizon Texas Conference, follow our social media channels! Website - htcumc.org Facebook - @HTCUMC Instagram - @HTCUMC TikTok - @horizontxumc YouTube - @htcumc Spotify - Horizon Texas Conference

Bestselling author and historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins Rev. Kristin Warthen and guest co-host Rev. Raegan Gilliland to discuss Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made. The conversation explores how Christian media, consumer culture, and messages about women's roles have shaped the faith of generations of Christian women. Kristin Kobes Du Mez traces connections among holiness traditions, evangelicalism, power, submission, and the promise that the right beliefs and behaviors will lead to happiness and success. These themes are central to the book's historical examination of popular Christian culture and white Christian womanhood. The discussion then turns toward deconstruction, doubt, and the difference between questioning a religious system and abandoning God. Together, the guests consider how churches can make room for curiosity, complexity, accountability, and a faith that remains honest when simple answers no longer work. Buy Live Laugh Love: https://kristindumez.com/books/live-laugh-love/ Follow Kristin on socials:https://www.instagram.com/kkdumez/ https://www.facebook.com/kkdumez https://www.youtube.com/@kristinkobesdumez3072 Learn more: Visit Kristin Kobes Du Mez's website Subscribe to Du Mez CONNECTIONS Use the Live Laugh Love book-club discussion guide Follow The Convocation Unscripted For more from the Horizon Texas Conference UMC: Website - htcumc.org Facebook - @HTCUMC Instagram - @HTCUMC TikTok - @horizontxumc YouTube - @htcumc Spotify - Horizon Texas Conference