I want to share with you today my two favorite podcasts. These are the two podcasts I listen to the very day they are released. I have been following both of these women for many years and their words and the sound of their voices feed my soul. I commend them to you as brief respites to help recenter your daily life.
The first podcast is by Kate Bowler. Kate is Canadian and a professor at Duke Divinity School. She teaches classes on the history of the North American Church. I first heard her name after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and wrote an opinion article for The New York Times in 2016. The article went viral, and I eagerly awaited her book Everything Happens for A Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved. The book did not disappoint. I was so excited when she started a podcast last year. Kate interviews people - everyday and famous folks - who have overcome great disappoint and grief in the name of love and hope. When I have faced difficult times or am simply having a bad day, Kate reminds me that I am normal. I can name my pain honestly. I can also honestly know that God is with me.
Here's the introduction to each episode that I listen to every time for encouragement and to make myself smile (and yes, she changes it slightly once in a while which is fun to catch!):
"Look, the world loves us when we are good, better, best. But this is a podcast for when you want to stop feeling guilty that you’re not living your best life now. We’re not always having the juicing spree of our lives. I used to have my own delusion of living my best life now. I’m a Duke professor, wine and cheese enthusiast, wife and mom. Instagram gold. Then I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. That was four years ago and I’m still here. And now I get it. Life is a chronic condition. The self-help and wellness industry will try to tell you that you can always fix your life. Eat this and you won’t get sick, lose this weight and you’ll never be lonely. Believe with your whole heart and God will provide. Keep this attitude and the money is yours. But I’m here to look into your gorgeous eyes and say, hey, there are some things you can fix and some things you can’t and it’s OK that life isn’t always better. We can find beauty and meaning and truth, but there’s no cure to being human. So let’s be friends on that journey. Let’s be human together."
I love Kate's episode this week with the Bishop Michael Curry (who preached Prince Harry and Megan Markle's wedding in 2018). Also, her interview with Anthony Ray Hinton is also not to be missed! I promise you will be encouraged by both of these conversations.
You can also follow Kate on Instagram where she shares her Canadian humor as well as weekly prayers on our behalf.
The second podcast is by Emily P. Freeman. I do not remember how I stumbled on her podcast but I found it early in her endeavor and have listened to every single episode at least once. The episodes are short, often less than ten minutes. They center my thoughts and help me prioritize my next right step, hence the name The Next Right Thing.
Emily's post this week is a perfect place for you to begin: if I can't see the big picture for my life, how can I imagine a "medium picture" instead. If I have learned anything this year, it is that we have no idea what the future holds. What if I didn't get distressed trying to know what the next year holds for me, my family, and my work, but instead sought to imagine the next ninety days? That seems very doable to me and perhaps to you as well!
Emily is also founder of the Hope Writers community which is what encouraged me to start this very blog. I am reminded by Emily that I have words to share, and I simply need to start writing.
Thank you for joining me on my journey and reading my blog. Thank you for all of the weekly encouragement and support. I plan to continue writing and sharing, so stay in touch! And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy listening to Kate and Emily.
