Faith Matters

Bishop Karen Oliveto was just eleven years old when she felt a powerful spiritual call to ministry, and her Methodist congregation lovingly nurtured that call as she grew. But years later, as a young seminary student, she found herself facing something she had long tried to ignore: her sexual orientation. She pored over scripture, shed endless tears, and wrestled with God. And she says that when she was finally able to accept this part of herself, she felt a peace that passes all understanding. She went on to become the first openly gay bishop in the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Oliveto has spent much of her ministry loving people who weren’t sure they could or should love her back. When she was assigned to congregations across the West, some called for her removal, and others threatened her life. So she began a practice of sitting outside each church before entering, not knowing what awaited her behind those doors, and praying for an undefended heart. Again and again, her genuine love softened hearts, and over time, many who had come prepared to oppose her became her friends.
At last year’s Gather conference, Tim and Aubrey got to sit down with Bishop Oliveto to hear about what she learned through these experiences and to explore themes from her book, Together at the Table, which offers a path for being in loving community across deep differences—for experiencing unity without uniformity.
We are so grateful to have experienced Bishop Oliveto’s warmth and wisdom firsthand.
If you are interested in more conversations like this, the Gather Conference put on by the Lift+Love Foundation is happening November 13-14 in Provo, UT this year. You can go to liftandlove.org/gather to register, and use code FAITHMATTERS26 for 20% off!
Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!

It was just over a decade ago that I experienced a profound season of doubt. I began questioning nearly everything I’d believed, and the spiritual practices that had sustained me felt completely empty. Scripture especially became painful to engage, a reminder of my unbelief. Where I’d once found comfort and connection, I now found spiraling questions and fear.
Discovering the work of today’s guest had so much to do with my reconnection to our sacred texts.
Vanessa Zoltan earned her Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, where she now teaches courses on chaplaincy. She’s the author of Praying with Jane Eyre, and together with Casper ter Kuile (who joined us at Restore this year,) she co-created the wildly popular podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.
Vanessa approaches spirituality from a secular Jewish perspective, and her warm, witty, down-to-earth nature has drawn millions of listeners to Lectio Divina, the ancient practice of sacred reading. Inspired by Simone Weil’s idea of experimental certainty, Vanessa invites us to practice sacred reading with beloved works of literature—approaching them as if they were sacred—to discover the gifts of this centuries-old spiritual practice.
For me, this became a source of wisdom and connection while my faith flickered. And eventually, it became my way back into scripture. Today, Lectio Divina is one of my most treasured spiritual practices and steadiest ways of connecting to God and my purpose.
In this conversation, we explore what makes something sacred in the first place, why this kind of reading belongs in community, and we get personal and practice Lectio Divina together in real time. 
I can’t wait for you to hear this episode.
—Aubrey
Find even more sacred practice how-tos from Vanessa and HPST here!
Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!

Today we’re sharing a conversation with Paige Crosland Anderson, an award-winning abstract artist who wrote a beautiful essay for Wayfare Magazine’s special Advent issue.
Paige builds her paintings in layers: she paints, paints over the paint, sands everything down, and paints again until the piece emerges often in unexpected ways. She suspects our lives work in a similar way; from the studio to the daily work of raising children, God seems to work through this pattern of creation and repair—and we’re invited to participate.
In this conversation, we explore how in big ways and small, this pattern creates a seedbed of hope in a world of uncertainty. Paige’s invitation today is that when you’re looking for what’s yours to do, in a world where suffering outpaces anything our hands can do, to start moving—because inspiration, she says, comes to people who are already on the move.
We’ve also included a reading of Paige’s essay from this special Advent issue at the end of this episode if you want to stick around. And if you’d like to celebrate advent this year, this special issue will make a beautiful guide and companion with art, poetry, and thoughtful reflections to make this season meaningful. Become a  paid Wayfare subscriber by October 31 to receive a copy in the mail, or order individual issues at our new storefront here.
Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!

Today we’re excited to welcome back Thomas McConkie to celebrate a new season of another Faith Matters podcast he hosts: One Heart, One Mind. Together, we dig into the story of Mary and Martha, which he recently explored in an episode there.

Drawing on decades of contemplative practice, Thomas’s read of this story is that it may be inviting us to discover the kind of presence that allows us to carry the stillness of Mary into the action of Martha. It’s a new understanding that means we don’t have to leave divine presence—whether we’re at the Savior’s feet or getting dinner on the table.

In this conversation, we also talk about how easily even an invitation to grace can become another item on our spiritual checklist—another way to feel like we’re falling short. Thomas invites us instead to turn toward that wound with compassion, and to remember that transformation doesn’t have to begin with fear, shame, or even striving for self-improvement. It can begin with the recognition that we are already and completely loved.
Thomas has a remarkable gift for helping us slow down and experience these ideas rather than simply think about them. We loved this conversation, and we hope you will too.

You can find Thomas' book At-One-Ment here, and find even more from him at LowerLightsWisdom.org.

Thomas also shared his insights into the Mary and Martha duality in an episode of Proclaim Peace, a portion of which has been adapted for print and included in the brand-new print issue of Wayfare specially created to accompany your Advent and Christmas celebrations. Get your copy here, or become a Wayfare subscriber by October 31 to receive one in the mail — and take a look inside the issue here!
Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!

If Isaiah has ever felt impenetrable, start here. With Come, Follow Me taking us into Isaiah over the next couple of weeks, we’re sharing a special crosspost from Proclaim Peace, which is another Faith Matters podcast that we produce with Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
In this episode, Jen and Patrick sat down with Reverend Adam Russell Taylor, president of Sojourners, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to social justice and peace.
Today they are exploring Isaiah 58, which Adam calls his favorite text in the Old Testament. It's a chapter about fasting and about what happens when religious devotion stops changing hearts. The people in this story are fasting faithfully and getting frustrated that God doesn't seem to be noticing. They learn that a meaningful fast has more to do with who we feed, who we make room for, and how we treat each other.
Adam shares some ideas for making our own Latter-Day Saint Fast Sundays more meaningful, and a simple prayer practice he’s returned to for years. 
We hope that this episode helps Isaiah feel less distant and moves you to become a "repairer of the breach" like Isaiah calls for in this chapter.
Find Reverend Taylor's book A More Perfect Union on Bookshop.org or on Amazon.
Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!