Sandbox Cooperative Podcast

We're live on location in Houston for the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Youth Gathering. Each day of this gathering there are themes, and today's theme is Hope. Here are a few of our thoughts and some insights from a variety of youth and adults at the gathering.

We're live on location in Houston for the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Youth Gathering. Each day of this gathering there are themes, and today's theme is Grace. Here are a few of our thoughts and some insights from a variety of youth and adults at the gathering.

We're live on location in Houston for the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Youth Gathering. Each day of this gathering there are themes, and today's theme is Love. Here are a few of our thoughts and some insights from a variety of youth and adults at the gathering.

In our contentious society, it seems like we really have no idea how to share our thoughts, ideas, fears, hopes and dreams. How can we do this better? We’ve had several fascinating conversations with professional communicators recently, and over the next few months, we’ll be sharing these conversations. Part one of this series contains our conversation with Karen Ortloff, a psychologist at Bluestem with powerful insight into good communication.

We featured a conversation with Samir Selmanović a few weeks ago in Episode 62. We had so much fun with him, that we figured it was time for another round! Samir is a “secular pastor for business leaders” and focuses on the humanization of business. He loves his home country of Croatia, the streets and humans of New York City, and the changing seasons in Central Park, which sits next to his apartment where we caught up with him last year. Learn more about Samir at Wisdom Workroom.

Have you ever been asked the question, “Where are you from?” One way of thinking about that question could also be “When you come back to yourself, to your core, Where are your roots?” Things like our family, our religious traditions, or even the town where we grew up can have a significant impact on the way that we think or the things we do. But those things don’t have to define us.

A lot of religious traditions teach that you are lacking, that you are not enough. But others teach that you already have “it.” You have what you need. Perhaps the job of a leader in a community is to help bring that to the surface – to help bring your gift and strength forward so you can share it. And maybe when that happens we can live more abundantly – right now.

In Episode 62, we talk with Samir Selmanović about how meals and other rituals sit at the center of relationships that help us continue to learn and grow. (Note: this episode does contain explicit language) Existence is sacred; nothing is ordinary; work is intimacy. As a “secular pastor for business leaders” Samir is focusing on the humanization of business. Samir loves his home country of Croatia, the streets and humans of New York City, and the changing seasons in Central Park, next to which he lives with his wife Vesna and daughters Ena and Leta. When the going gets tough, Samir goes into his kitchen and cooks up kindness for family, friends, and strangers. Learn more about Samir at Wisdom Workroom.

“Wait until you get to the real world.” Many of us hear that phrase as a young person, but what do we miss if we discredit youth and don’t hear their voices? Youth aren’t waiting for the real world (because where else would we live?). They’re in it and have valuable insight to share in our conversations.

For today’s episode, we’re revisiting our live event with Science Mike McHargue. To dig deeper, visit SandboxCooperative.com and click on the discussion tab. Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an author, podcaster, and speaker who travels the world helping people understand the science of life’s most profound experiences. His bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century. Mike hosts Ask Science Mike, a weekly question and answer podcast helping hundreds of thousands explore the questions they’ve always been afraid to ask. He cohosts The Liturgists Podcast with his friend Michael Gungor. With over a million downloads per month, The Liturgists Podcast is reshaping how the spiritually homeless and frustrated relate to God. Mike lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife Jenny and two daughters. More about Science Mike at mikemchargue.com, theliturgists.com, @mikemchargue.

We’re excited to share our conversation with Melissa Rogers. Melissa recently served as special assistant to the president and executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, during the Obama administration, and is currently a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. She has also served as executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and is an expert on things like the First Amendment’s religion clauses, religion in American public life, and the interplay of religion, policy, and politics. We caught up with her by phone a few months back and had a great conversation about religion and politics. Yes, it is possible to do! More than that, it’s probably more important than ever to have conversations like these as we seek to build stronger, more connected communities. Learn more about Melissa and her current work at The Brookings Institution.

Our guest for today’s episode is Jason Storbakken. Jason spent nearly ten years as the Director of Compassionate Care at The Bowery Mission where he oversaw programs and provided pastoral care to the poorest and most vulnerable New Yorkers. As minister to the homeless, he learned what it means to truly be part of a beloved community. Since we talked with Jason last summer, he has taken a position as pastor at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship in New York City. The church is part of the historic peace church movement, oriented toward peace and social justice, non-violent resistance, and faith formation as key themes of Christian witness. Learn more about Jason and his current work at ManhattanMennonite.org or find Jason’s book, Radical Spirituality: Repentance, Resistance, Revolution at OrbisBooks.com

From preparing for a test to cheering on your favorite sports team, superstitions are all around us. Why do we believe them? Can they be helpful? And at the end of the day, what do we do with them?

Steve Wiens is a pastor, host of the podcast This Good Word, and an author. Steve talked with us about his latest book, Whole: Restoring What is Broken in Me, You and the Rest of the World, how stories can help bring meaning to our experience, and the idea that everything in the world is moving toward wholeness and restoration. Learn more about Steve at SteveWiens.com.

Every Monday Night for decades the Reverend Vince Anderson and his Love Choir have had a standing gig, currently at the Union Pool in Brooklyn, New York. He shares a brand of music he calls “Dirty Gospel” – a raw, earthy style of gospel music. Over the years he’s grown community with this gig, being asked to perform weddings, funerals and baptisms for the people who gather at the bar. Vince has been featured on NPR, he’s collaborated with the 9 Beats Collective that we featured in Episode 38 and Episode 39, and he also shares his music with other faith communities in New York City.

In today’s episode, we talk about thankfulness. What does it mean to be thankful? Should we be thankful for everything? And is thankfulness something we can learn and practice?

In today’s episode, we talk with Regina Mustafa, founder of Center for Interfaith Dialogue on Islam, and previous Sandbox Live Event guest. Regina talks with us about having difficult conversations, and why these conversations are especially valuable today. Learn more about Regina’s work with CIDI at CIDImn.org

In today’s episode, we talk with Christopher King, founder of We Are Marcus, a virtual character development program designed to nurture students of all backgrounds. Based on his own experience and positive role models, Chris wanted to give kids the same kind of experience he had, using technology and other tools at his disposal. Learn more about We Are Marcus at WeAreMarcus.com If you’re a teacher, school leader, or work for a church or community organization, consider trying out the program. Sign up for a three month trial at WeAreMarcus.com/signup.

On today’s episode, we talk with John Creasy who is the Associate Pastor at The Open Door Church in Pittsburgh, PA. John also serves as the director of Garfield Community Farm, and has worked to create an ecologically diverse neighborhood farm on nearly three acres of land at the top of the Garfield neighborhood. This farm serves to educate the local church on our call as Christians toward environmental sustainability and to provide healthy organic produce to those of lower income in the Garfield neighborhood.

When tragedies hit or hot-button issues come front and center, we seem to have the same “conversations” over and over again with the same rehearsed talking points – rehearsed, because we’ve done this before… Sometimes it feels like the divide is just a little too wide to know how to work through things together. We’re stuck culturally and as a society. How do we get unstuck? Can we get past ideologies that fit on a bumper sticker or internet meme and understand each other? Despite our differences, and the real problems that sit at the center, are there some real things that we can learn from each other? Where Do We Go From Here? – Martin Luther King Jr We also referenced Paul Schroeder’s book, Practice Makes Purpose. Check it out at SixPractices.com