Godspeed Institute

Godspeed Institute - Rev. Carol Richardson, Energy Healer and Teacher - 04/13/14

Rev. Carol Richardson is a Christian minister with a gift for healing and celestial communications.   Born to missionary parents on the equator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in three African countries and three different states in the U.S., Carol started out with an interest in public health, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas Christian University and her Master of Public Health degree from The University of Texas. During this time, she married, had two children, and was widowed at the age of 28.   Feeling called to Christian ministry after her husband’s sudden death by cerebral aneurysm at the age of 34, she received her Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt in December1993 and was ordained the following year into the Disciples of Christ Church.   Carol is now a practitioner at the Washington Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC, as well as a teacher at the Light Worker Training Institute, where she holds classes as well as an Interfaith Light Circle Meditation Group. She is the author of the books Aging Well – Be Your Best Self Forever, and Exodus 2012: A Mission to Save the Earth.   For more information, visit godspeedinstitute.com. 

Godspeed Institute - Rebekah Simon-Peter - 04/06/14

THE JEW NAMED JESUS - WITH AUTHOR REBEKAH SIMON-PETER  

In her new book, The Jew Named Jesus, Rebekah Simon-Peter says that "Jesus was born a Jew, raised a Jew, lived a Jew, died a Jew, and resurrected a Jew. He was no backsliding Jew, but an observant Jew. He honored and observed the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays. But most of all, he honored and observed the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, or what we call the Old Testament. How could he do anything but love his own people?”   Simon-Peter, an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, was born and raised a Jew, first Reform then later Orthodox. She challenges Christians to rethink Jesus’ identity as a Jew, and in the process, to consider ways traditional Christian theology has contributed to anti-Semitism.  Enjoy Caer Hallundbaek's lively interview with Rebekah Simon-Peter and recall the significance of Jesus' Jewish identity and how to better connect with it through scripture, dialogue and ritual. 

Godspeed Institute - Thomas Scirghi S.J. - 3/30/14

Thomas Scirghi S.J. is Associate Professor of Theology at Fordham University, focusing on areas including Sacramental theology, Liturgical theology and ritual studies. Previously he served as Professor of Liturgical Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.

He is a member of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, founded by St. Ignatius Loyola 450 years ago. Currently, his interests have turned toward “practical theology,” that is, an understanding of theology through both practice and theory.

He is co-author of the book ‘Living Beauty: The Art of Worship,’ and his journal articles include “This Blessed Mess: An Embodied Worship”;  “A Return to Noble Simplicity”; and “Go in Peace, Then What?”

Topics in this engaging hour include: Scirghi’s childhood experience of faith in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY; how he learned of the Jesuits; the remarkable story and legacy of Ignatius Loyola; the formation of the Jesuits; Ignatian values; finding God in all things; cura personalis; contemplation in action; social justice; the role of reflection; how Caer came to faith as an adult through the RCIA program of St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Manhattan; the spiritual journey in today’s world; how Ignatian principles apply today; baptism; marriage; Caer’s Tip for your Spiritual Toolbelt that you wrap around yourself each day:  St. Clare of Assisi; and more.

Godspeed Institute - Egyptian-American Poet Yahia Lababidi - 03/24/14

Yahia Lababidi is an Egyptian-American thinker and poet, nominated for a Pushcart Prize by World Literature Today magazine.

 Lababidi's first book Signposts to Elsewhere, was selected as a 2008 Book of the Year by British publication The Independent. Signposts was followed by well-received collections of literary and cultural essays, Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Belly Dancing; a book of poetry titled Fever Dreams; and a series of literary dialogues with Alex Stein, The Artist as Mystic: Conversations with Yahia Lababidi.

 Lababidi was chosen as a Juror for the 2012 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

 His latest is a remarkable new collection of short poems, Barely There, which he discusses with Caer in in this hour.

Topics include: How Lababidi left Egypt to come to the U.S.; when he began to write poetry; Rumi; poetry and spirituality; the relevance of poetry today and across cultures; love; surrender; the "well-ventilated soul"; explorations of his poems Embracing, We Let Go; Exchanges; Misread Signs; Unentitled; Stamina; Liberation; Mysticism; Egypt; and much more.

 For more information visit  Yahia Lababidi.  

Godspeed Institute - 03/16/14

Darrell Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement, and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, he is an internationally-renowned Biblical scholar and a widely known author of over 30 books on Biblical topics. The New York Times bestselling author of Breaking the DaVinci Code, his latest book is Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World.

Topics in this hour include: The reasons for writing Truth Matters, a book aimed at guiding youth; his story of coming to faith as an adult; the larger questions the church often doesn't answer for young people; depicting faith and Jesus in the media, including biblically-based films and the effectiveness of secular films; US culture and faith; whether Christianity is 'credible'; thoughts on providing youth a quake-proof foundation for a reasoned faith; youth leaving church and then returning later when they become parents; defending faith; and much more.

Godspeed Institute - Ashok Gangadean - 02/23/14

Carole Hallundbaek speaks with Ashok Gangadean, a Professor of Philosophy at Haverford College, Haverford, PA. He is Founder and Director of the Global Dialogue Institute, and Co-Convenor of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality. His work includes two central focal points: awakening global Consciousness; and identifying of logos, or grammar, to help it manifest. His books include Meditations of Global First Philosophy: Quest for the Missing Grammar of Logos... Meditative Reason: Toward Universal Grammar... and more. Topics in this informative hour include: hat global consciousness is, according to Gangadean; the shift toward consciousness we are going through as human beings; the ‘lens’ through which we all perceive life, culture, religion and other categories; our challenge in sharing the sacred across cultures and lenses; The World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality; how being disconnected from the eternal, sacred mind leads us to limit and objectify ourselves and each other; the concept of putting or keeping people in ‘boxes’; logos, or the Word, from the Greek; the relationship between Logos and the Global Mind; the perennial quest to decipher 'the universal code' at the heart of eastern and western thought; the essence of language and consciousness; what is the significance of language; factors that contribute to or end global suffering; and more. For more information, visit www.awakeningmind.org

Godspeed Institute - Carolyn North - 02/16/14

CREATION MYTHS AROUND THE WORLD

Carole Hallundbaek explores consciousness, Celtic standing stones, and creation myths from around the world with guest Carolyn North. She is the author of 11 books, most recently VOICES OUT OF STONE, with Natasha Hoffman and IN THE BEGINNING: Creation Myths from Around the World, with artist Adrienne Robinson. Carolyn works as a healer and uses movement and sound as her modalities to help balance the subtle energies of body, mind and spirit. She considers the balancing of energy in the individual person, in the community and in the world to be her work. Topics in this hour include: the sharing of creation myths around the world; the need for creation myths and the purpose they serve; North's readings from Algonquin, Mayan and Japanese creation stories; the similarities discovered as the authors gathered from diverse traditions, including the concept of creation from an original void or nothingness; the appearance and symbols of the divine in myth; eternity and the consciousness of time in creation story; Voices Out Of Stone, her latest book; the standing stones in Carnac, France; North's visits to the stones and the messages they bestowed for realignment and healing of our world; the meeting of her co-author who was drawn to the same journey and place; how they compiled their book; the earth-spirit consciousness; how her journey has influenced her work; more. 

Godspeed Institute - Chantel Wright and the Songs of Solomon Inspirational Ensemble - 01/14/14

Pastor Chantel Renee Wright loves God, Music and Children—and her life is dedicated to the pursuit of all three. She is the founder and director of the non-profit organization, Songs of Solomon: An Inspirational Ensemble, Inc., and her exquisite gospel choir fires up the soul and transforms hearts, one performance at a time.

The Ensemble has toured the United States and Canada and has performed with opera’s great Jessye Norman and with Elton John at Radio City Music Hall. Today the Ensemble finds itself as a mainstay at the world famous Carnegie Hall. But most of all, the choir is committed to spreading the Good News.

Wright is pastor and founder of Pneuma Ministries in Harlem, and lends her gifts to the vocal music department of the Steinhardt School of Music at New York University. Prior, she served as Director of the Girls’ Choir of Harlem; Artistic Director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra Youth Gospel Choir; and is a recipient of the New York Times Teachers Who Matter Most award. A native of Chicago, she received her formal education at VanderCook College of Music.

For more information, visit godspeedinstitute.com

 

Godspeed Institute - Interspirituality with Mirabai Starr - 12/22/13

What is Interspirituality?  It is a term you may be hearing more often these days – while your spellcheck may be telling you it does not exist. But there is a growing awareness of interspiritual wisdom and expression, and joining us to talk about it in this hour is interspiritual practitioner Mirabai Starr.

Mirabai Starr is an adjunct professor of philosophy and world religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos.  A writer, speaker and translator, she is well known to readers for her acclaimed translations of the mystic works Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross, and The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life by Teresa of Avila.

Her latest book is God of Love, a passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Godspeed Institute - Happy Birthday Rumi! An Hour with Dr. Jawid Mojaddedi - 12/15/13

Happy Birthday Rumi! An Hour with Dr. Jawid Mojaddedi

We celebrate the anniversary of the death of beloved Sufi mystic Rumi with an engaging and educational hour about Sufism and Rumi's work.

Dr. Jawid Mojaddedi is associate professor in the Department of Religion at Rutgers University where he offers courses on Rumi, Sufism, and Islam. A native of Afghanistan, he was raised in Great Britain where he completed his education, and in the US continued postdoctoral research at Columbia University and Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study.

He is the author of The Biographical Tradition in Sufism and Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature. For his translations of Rumi’s Masnavi, he was awarded the Lois Roth Prize for excellence in translation by the American Institute of Iranian Studies.

His latest book, which we explore in this hour, is Beyond Dogma: Rumi's Teachings on Friendship with God and Early Sufi Theories.

Beyond Dogma has been published in the U.K. and is now available in the United States.

For more information, visit www.godspeedinstitute.com.