Mindful Leader

Episode 3: A Mindful Discussion with Jeff Rainwater

My discussion on this Podcast is with Jeff Rainwater, currently the Superintendent for Congregation and Community Vitality for the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church.  

Jeff has served in the Arkansas, (legacy) Rocky Mountain and (since 2018) Mountain Sky Conferences.  A trained Aerospace Engineer, his passion is the local church.  

This discussion was intentionally timed to capture Jeff's thoughts before he steps out of his current position and returns to the local church at Hope UMC in Greenwood Village, Colorado.  

Elements of Jeff's current position will be reallocated between Annie Arnoldy and Betty Nguyen.  Their respective email addresses can be found HERE under the MSC Staff.  In particular Jeff mentions vitality grants, and Annie, probably AFTER Annual Conference in late June 2023 would be a good contact on possibilities here.  

Send me a note -- a link is behind this spam blocker HERE -- if you have a question for future guests (Al Strauss to be recorded on June 1st and the three co-lay leaders on June 9th).  If you have my cell phone, I kept my Utah (Area Code 801) number, text away.  Please -- text before calling -- am sure you understand!  Leaving a comment always works!

Please sign up HERE on Podbean or through whatever application you use to receive Podcasts for regular and automatic updates on new Podcasts.  Once I get to Podcasts Numbers 10 or so I will start being 'regular" in my distribution, but not yet.  

My personal website is HERE.  It has blogs and articles I have written (or am writing).  

This podcast recorded on Friday, May 26, 2023.  

 

Episode 2 -- An Interview with Bruce Berger

Bruce Berger is the current President of the Council on Finance and Administration for the Mountain Sky Conference.  

He has served both legacy Rocky Mountain and the new Mountain Sky Conferences.  Bruce worships at Park Hill UMC in Denver.  

If you have any thoughts you wish to share, do not hesitate to send me a note at dennis at mantuan dot org and I will try to answer it as quickly as practicable.  

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Podcast host Dennis Shaw is a musician, marathoner (Boston!), retired military officer, math modeler, and United Methodist Pastor. A keen observer of the human condition, he has degrees in music, quantitative methods (don’t ask!), theology and leadership. He will discuss with other leaders how to become engaged and present in our current leadership opportunities. Critical to leadership is strong self-awareness. Becoming authentic, empathetic, and aware will form the framework of all discussions.

November 25, 2018 -- Christ the King!

John 18: 33-37

 

We stand at the end of the church year.  It is New Year’s Eve in New York City and the ball has gone down and we are here to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  Who is Jesus for us?  Really for us?  What is our no equivocation answer?  He is King? 

 

If not, why not?  I expect while the scriptures are NOT John 3: 15-17, I will get to John 3: 15-17, particularly 17.  We can live according to the cynical values of Pilate or …. the choice is ours. 

United Methodist Women -- Scripture and Sermon

This is the Reverend Tiffany Eddy in her debut sermon at Hilltop.  Tiffany is an Elder in the Oklahoma Conference, and spent five years on active duty in the United States Navy.  She now lives in Bluffdale, Utah and is participating in Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

This was United Methodist Women Sunday.  Tiffany spoke to the subject of empowerment!  i clipped a smidgen at the end whenTiffany was concluding.  Forgive me please.  

What is the Church ... really?

 

Our District Superintendent preaching on Kick Off Sunday.  Great Sermon.  Great!  Looks at what the church really is supposed to be and then ends with an enormous question.  The silence in the podcast was the silence that morning.  

Season of Pentecost - Ephesians -- New Creation

Ephesians 4: 25-5:2

We are a new creation. 

Through a clear understanding of being that new creation, are now part of the body of Christ. 

Being part of that body calls on us to grow in love, not staying static but instead growing, growing, growing. 

The key is we are a new creation, putting away what we were, and embracing what is new

This Side of Easter: Making a Choice (May 13, 2018)

 

Ephesians 1 -- this is Mother's Day and we look at being a parent as a church.

Christ the King Sunday

 

Christ the King Sunday.  The last Sunday in the Church Year.  

Narrative Lectionary -- In Remembering, We Make a Faith Statement ...

This a mix of Genesis 1 and Psalm 8.  Both the choir and the praise band focused on the themes of creation and who are we?  My idea was to focus on the idea of through remembering, we are saying we believe.  I then moved to several "Continuity of God" ideas that connected our remembrance with anticipation ... 

Communion Sunday -- September 3, 2017

First Sunday back after nine weeks gone.  The sermon was from 1 Corinthians 11: 24-27 or so and focused on the "big idea" of communion itself.  Take, bless, break, give.  This is also the Sunday where Eugene Peterson (of The Message) meets Ned Flanders (of The Simpsons).  Little longer than I meant for it to be -- was shooting for more like ten to twelve minutes, but ... it takes a while to get the pace and feel back, right?  At least that is the story and I am sticking to it!