September 24, 2022
Trigger Warning: non-graphic discussion of hell/hades.
Today Dez and Josh go over Luke 16:19-31. This is a parable about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus in the afterlife. Dez talks about the discomfort involved in the passage because it seems to show depictions of hell, which carries a lot of baggage for many, many people. They also talk about the socio-economic implications of the parable.
- Dez Valdez is a Seminary Student at Claremont School of Theology and the Youth Ministry Coordinator at Prince of Life Lutheran Church in Oregon City, Oregon.
- Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
September 17, 2022
Today Stori is joined by Devin and Valerie to discuss Luke 16:1-13. A story that starts out looking like a parable many of us have heard before, takes a surprising turn with an instruction from Jesus to “make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth.”
The trio dives into this enigmatic text that seems to defy understanding and wrestle it through to share their thoughts and questions - are there times that we are called to break the rules when the game is rigged?
- Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Devin Valdivia works for an art company, drinks too much coffee, and has two cats, and is a member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church.
- Valerie Valdivia is a freelance artist and illustrator, impressive book nook creator, coffee shop frequent flier, and a member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church.
September 10, 2022
Stori and Jesse talk about 2 scriptures today - Luke 15:1-10 and Psalm 51. They both have mixed feelings they have over this Psalm in which the author (attributed to King David) kinda gives what feels like a PR apology after he sins violently against Bathsheba and her husband. They discuss the parables of the lost sheep and coins and who those might represent. They also talk about what restorative justice might look like in our non-ideal reality.
- Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Jesse Christopherson is Pastor at Milwaukie Lutheran in Milwaukie, Oregon.
September 3, 2022
This week Anna and Rayah dig into Luke 14:25-33 where Jesus urges his followers to count the cost of following him into his next steps. This passage is often read as a test of loyalty - those who don't give up everything aren't the true believers. But is that really the point Jesus was attempting to make here?
- Anna Hoesly is a Co-Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Rayah is a local community member and theology nerd in Milwaukie, Oregon.
August 27, 2022
Today Dez and Marshall discuss Luke 14:1, 7-14. This is a lesser talked about passage where Jesus encourages people attending a party to have humility in their assumptions as to the importance of the attendees. He also encourages those throwing parties to not invite their friends and relatives and instead invite the poor and marginalized.
Dez and Marshall talk about transactional relationships and explore different ways of thinking about our relationships with people when they dont seem to have anything to offer us.
- Dez Valdez is a Seminary Student at Claremont School of Theology and the Youth Ministry Coordinator at Prince of Life Lutheran Church in Oregon City, Oregon.
- Marshall Wattman-Turner is a Pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
August 20, 2022
Today, Sara and Rayah talk about Luke 13:10-17. In this story, Jesus breaks the Sabbath and heals a woman of a decades-long affliction and that really seems to make some of the church leadership angry. The discussion centers on rules and systems - why are some rules okay to break and how do we identify when those times come up? When do we uphold the system and when do we abolish it?
- Sara Gross Samuelson is a Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Rayah is a local community member and theology nerd in Milwaukie, Oregon.
August 13, 2022
Today Stori and Josh dive into Luke 12:49-56. This passage comes up a lot today, in a period of political upheaval and rise in christian nationalism - Jesus says that he came not to bring peace, but a sword, but what does that mean?
Josh talks about Pax Romana and Stori talks about peace that is enforced by those in power isnt usually true peace for those who are subjected to that power.
They discuss the ways that keeping peace may be much easier than making peace, as making peace requires division in a society where marginalized people live under the threat of violence by those in power.
- Stori Long is a Pastor and Social Media Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
August 6, 2022
This week we have a re-release of an episode from Anna and Jesse. They talk about John 12:20-33 and the cycle and necessity of death, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or institutional, and how it feeds new life...when we have the courage to let it.
- Anna Hoesly is a Co-Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Jesse Christopherson is Pastor at Milwaukie Lutheran in Milwaukie, Oregon.
![Everything is Meaningless]()
July 30, 2022
In today’s episode Dez and Rayah talk about Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23. Dez shares a bit about the background of the book and the author, Kohelet (who is NOT King Solomon). They both find comfort and affirmation in the feelings the writer expresses - he seems angsty and frustrated, two emotions many christian churches discourage people from acknowledging.
Dez and Rayah talk about this passage especially in light of the many civil rights that are directly under attack by the Right and how it feels like all that work to get them was meaningless. They talk about how often framing things in the here and now vs the legacy mindset can help re-insert meaning - knowing that people are fighting for you when you’re under attack is meaningful, even if a victory doesn’t feel like it’s in sight.
- Dez Valdez is a Seminary Student at Claremont School of Theology and the Youth Ministry Coordinator at Prince of Life Lutheran Church in Oregon City, Oregon.
- Rayah is a local community member and theology nerd in Milwaukie, Oregon.
July 23, 2022
Today Sara and Josh sit down to discuss Luke 11:1-13 and Genesis 18:20-32 - The Lord’s Prayer and a prayerful conversation between Abraham and God about Sodom and Gomorrah. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a very fraught passage that many christians use to enable their own bigotry and they take a few minutes to condemn this interpretation before they move on to their main focus - prayer.
For many Christians in our western, capitalist society prayer often turns into a formula to get the material things they want in a transactional way. Sara and Josh take prayer to a deeper place of meaning and shaping ourselves into relational beings.
They leave us with the question - For whom would you go toe to toe with the Almighty for?
- Sara Gross Samuelson is a Pastor and Organizer at Storyline Community in Milwaukie, Oregon.
- Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.
