This is for the Metho-nerds and the Metho-curious. Jeff and Amy sit down with Meggan Macomber from Trinity UMC to talk about the nuts and bolts (and the many, many rules) of how our denomination works. Are we TOO structured? Probably. But do our rules speak volumes about how we view God and each other and how we see God working in our midst? Defini…

This time Jeff and Amy respond to the George Floyd murder trial and the guilty verdicts for Derek Chauvin. Justice is an essential part of faith, helping order the world closer to what God intends. So how is a Christian to respond, especially white Christians whose life experience can't fully understand how the African American community sees this?…

Suicide is already a problem in our society and there are signs the pandemic has made it worse. What should a Christian believe? And, just as importantly, what can we do to open dialogue with the people we encounter to help prevent it? As Jeff & Amy say in this episode, one of the best things you can do is to put the number for the National Suicide…

As COVID vaccinations spread through society, reactions range from great hope and liberation to... well... more complex emotions. One common one for younger recipients especially is a fear that someone else might need the precious shot more than them. In this episode, Jeff and Amy dive into ethics, asking how a Christian should respond to the vacci…

Join Jeff and Amy, two Pastors, talk about where they are mentally and spiritually after the most hectic week in the United States Government any of us have ever lived through. It's not only cathartic, but might even offer you some hope.

This episode tackles a big topic: where do we draw the line between inclusion and intollerance? When do we "agree to disagree" and when does it become complicity in sin? Warning: you won't find any easy answers here. But perhaps Jeff and Amy come up with a few tactics to help walk the fine line.

Christmas traditions are incredibly varied from place to place, even from family to family. Yet most still point to greater truth. Join Jeff and Amy for a conversation that involves a surprising amount of lighting things on fire-- or almost, anyway!

A surprising number of Christmas traditions have uncertain (and even unexpected) roots. For instance, ever wonder why we celebrate on December 25? The answer has nothing to do with Jesus' actual brith, but it DOES reveal something beautiful about what happened that night! Join Jeff and Amy as they discuss the "big, church-y" (their words) tradition…

This week Jeff and Amy answer a question about giving. It's not so easy to talk about money, probably because it is closely tied to our sense of wellbeing and carries way more emotional baggage than we usually realize. But giving is at the heart of being a whole person! And if you do it right, it comes from-- and reinforces-- a place of deep gratit…

From the scholarly to the deceptively simple! This week Jeff and Amy share their favorite children's books. You may be surprised at the depth of the Holy Spirit even in children's books you hadn't thought of as spiritual!

This week we answer a question from a church member: what's the deal with the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" in the Genesis creation story? How are we to take that? Did God not want us to know? What's going on there? Jeff and Amy revert into full seminary-student mode to search for the answer, or at least for more questions!…

This week Amy asks the questions to Jeff-- she thinks his new project on hope deserves some attention. So, listen in to hear about Jeff's research on hope. Then, check out his new blog looking to make what he's learned about hope accessible to everyone! You can find it at https://www.practicalhope.net…

So much of life is spent in the hallway-- no longer in one room but not yet in the next. This week is part two of the conversation with special guest Brenda Hogan and she, Jeff, and Amy talk about what the wise call "liminal" times. Spoiler alert: it's the perfect place to find true companionship with other people and with God.…

Ever disagreed with something you read about God? Good! This week Jeff and Amy have a special guest: an old friend who is now a new pastor and seminary student, Brenda Hogan. Brenda had just such a moment in one of her classes about the nature of the so-called "second coming." Join the conversation!

Jesus says to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. As of this recording, we've all had complex emotions and thoughts with President Trump in the hospital. So what does it mean to pray for someone with whom you disagree, who's recklessness has surely caused death from COVID in this case? This week we take on the question and end u…

So much is made about this idea of "hell," but when you study the Bible closely the common ideas don't hold up. More than that, though, the idea of hell as "eternal damnnation" is fundamentally harmful to your view of who God is. This week Jeff and Amy scratch the surface of the Biblical arguments but more importantly show why a healthier view of t…

Is it wrong to disagree with parts of the Bible? Scripture is a sacred document and truly a revelation of God. But how do we make sense of the terrible things that part of that too? The short answer is that the Bible is the story of people who got it wrong just as often as we do ourselves, and we can find God in their struggle as well as our own. T…

This week Jeff and Amy turn towards our spiritual journey. Joy is one of the main ways we see God day-to-day. But how do we find joy when everything around us seems so bad?

This week Jeff and Amy answer a question about what it means to "love thy neighbor," a question which is surprising controversial in how Jesus (and John Wesley) answers it.

This week Jeff and Amy talk about protesting. It's a big topic right now as protests continue in many parts of our nation. But this conversation focuses on a story from a couple of years ago, so perhaps the distance will help us see more clearly. At issue is the question of ethics: when is political action helpful and when does it cross a line to c…

This week the podcast has a new name and an expanded audience. Welcome to "Jeff & Amy At the Well!" Jeff Slater is the pastor of Trinity United Methodist and Amy is Pastor of South Gate UMC in Lincoln, Nebraska. Get to know them both by way of their "call stories." Pastors always seem to have a story of God calling them, but the real truth is that …

It's embedded in our songs, our cultural understanding, and encoded in the text of our faith. But what is the deal with the cross and the death of Jesus? Did Jesus really have to die? And did God really orchestrate that - demand it even? Tune in to hear Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee talk about they "why" of the cross and tackle the question "Did God r…

Following up to last week's episodes on "what about demons" - Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee dive in to the second part of the question that came from Sharla: what about ghosts? And haunted houses? Be they spooky or nostalgic, we all have an interesting relationship with the other side. Does this have room in Christian theology? Maybe more than you thi…

Do you love movies like the Exorcist? How about Paranormal Activity? Well, even if you don't (that would be Jodi-Renee), demons and the personification of evil have long been a part of the Christian story. This week, a listener asked Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee about their thoughts on demons - the kind of Biblical lore and the kind that evoke images…

Pastor Jeff had his own question for the podcast this week. In the midst of all that's going on the world and in our own communities, important questions are rising to the surface. And in the places that it intersects with faith, things can get really murky and interesting. This week, Pastor Jeff posed the question "Does everyone have free will?" -…

A listener sent in a question on one of Jodi-Renee's favorite topics to talk about: The Enneagram! The question: Is the Enneagram a useful tool for spirituality? And Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee had to ask "is any personality test good for spiritual development?" In a world where you can take an online quiz to discover what kind of cheese you are or …

It's another interesting week here in the offices at Trinity UMC in Lincoln. This weeks questions seemed to tag team in the most thoughtful way. Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee ruminate on the idea of prayer -- if it works, what is it, how do we do it which led to question two: the use of hallucinogenics in spiritual practice. You definitely don't want …

We're going for the big questions now! Sara wrote in to ask about sin: what is it? We don't really talk about it in the mainline churches and we never stop talking about it low-church and congregational circles. So what's up with it? Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee start to unpack the top layers of this question in this episode of Ask Pastor Jeff Anythi…

This week's question was timely and an interesting topic for all of us. In light of so many things going on the world and the Church's reputation for being both a force of good and of ill, what is the role the Church should take in political stance and action? Listen in as Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee cram in a lot of thought into their thirty minute…

This week, Niki sent in a great question about reincarnation and really digging down to this: Can I believe in more than one path to God and still call myself a Christian? Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee dove right in and had some interesting (and sometimes humorous) conversation on these two connected topics. As usual, we want to thank the TUMC worship…

Episode 5 is here with a question from Mary Jo: why do Catholics pray for the dead? We also meandered down the theological thought trail of "why do Catholics pray to the dead?" With a quick virtual drop in from the wise and thoughtful (also known as Pastor Jeff's spiritual director) Dr. Philip St. Romain, Pr. Jeff and Jodi-Renee get their own preco…

Pastor Jeff brings his own question to the table in this episode of APJA. With so many stories in culture about miracles, healings, and supernatural events sparked by the Holy Spirit, where are we seeing the wind blow in our corner of the world? In our church? And what does it even look like? Tune in to hear Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee talk about th…

Can you just choose to be happy? And what if you live with major depressive disorder? In this episode of APJA, Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee get personal with their stories and talk about what it really means to choose your attitude. If you or a loved one are living with depression and you need support, we can help you get in touch with resources and …

In Episode 2 of Ask Pastor Jeff Anything, Pastor Jeff and Jodi-Renee knock around two perspectives on a burning question - If God has a plan for everyone's life, why do some people suffer and others...not so much? With some insights into how we approach the Bible and two very different life stories to bear witness, tune in and tell us how this conv…

Welcome to the first episode of Ask Pastor Jeff Anything! In this kick-off conversation, Pastor Jeff and his ministry sidekick Jodi-Renee talk about the massive upheaval to church, culture, and life as we know it that seems to happen every 500 years. And guess who's due....

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