Seekin' Deacon

I am honored and priveledged to have spent some time with North Carolina Diocese Bishop Sam Rodman. We discuss his memory of being baptized as a child at four years old with his two sisters, being the middle child. This serves not only as vivid memory of the church but the community that was present in Blanford.

He shares a recent baptism story and how the child began to cry, but then grabbed the cross, which calmed her down.  It i...

The Rev. Liam Barr shares his practices of trying to step away from tension and how it has taken over our world. He makes us ponder how we can step away and empty our mind and soul and center. This will result in a release. He asks: How do we limit our access to social media? We lose ourselves when we fall into a space of reaction—the art of slowing down and processing the evocative things that show up through God.  

We would like ...

Growing up in a programmatic church, Rev. Liam Barr gained a different view of church in Costa Rica. The church has depth and meaning related to "who" as a human he is, and possibly trying to dissolve the limitations we have placed on God. The term Pura Vida was adopted by a famous Costa Rican character in a film, which ultimately means pure living/pure life, and was embraced by the culture. The deep relationships built in Costa Ri...

We join the Rev. Liam Barr, Curate serving at Holy Innocents in Henderson, North Carolina. Liam shares that the world is a disorienting place as he questions who he is and how he can do the work and serve. He is five months into being an ordained Priest and is loving the job he is doing in both the Latino community and the "Project Hope" initiative through the NC Episcopal Diocese, at the campus of St. Mark's in Raleigh. He explain...

Ekklesia Church in Raleigh holds a common ground and welcomes the LGBTQ community, and a love of teaching. A person who was LGBTQ shared with Curtis early on in a moment of humility that they did not want to be a burden to the church. At that moment, he decided the church was "all in" on whatever support they could and did give. 

Curtis speaks to the rhythm and cadence of spiritual practices and how they change with the season. He ...

Curtis discusses how he and his co-pastor, CJ, approach scripture differently. Curtis looks at it from a more musical and artistic view, while CJ, who played quarterback at UNC, views it in a more didactic manner. He goes on to explain how no single person can give a single voice to the Gospel. The church features guest speakers who represent different viewpoints. This former St. Mark's campus is now part of a new initiative launch...

Please join Curtis Mulder, co-pastor at the Ekklesia Church of Raleigh. The church recently moved from a growing and beautiful community that used high school space to St. Mark's, a new community that shares space with non-profits and other ambassadors of love. Curtis shares his Canadian roots, his grounding in teaching, loving, and leading music programs and how they marry with scripture  He was called to move to Raleigh 15 years ...

Journey through this final episode with the Rev. Ginny Wilder as she returns home during Hurricane Hugo and spiritually plays Amazing Grace on the front porch of her home in South Carolina. This is a time of beauty with the community and neighbors coming together to sing and laugh. Meeting singer/songwriter Fran McKendree, provided inspiration and he took her under his wing. This revealed that something was in fact "there" around m...

Friend, in this episode Rev. Ginny is open about soul searching and "soul caring". She shares her practices around keeping healthy boundaries in place and how to be authentic. She left the summer before her senior year of high school to go to boarding school, this allow her to be in full rythme of who she can be but did not realize it at the time. It was a gift from her parents. She shows the importance of being in the right relati...

In this episode we spend time with the Rev. Ginny Wilder, she is the Priest serving at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She shares her journey growing up in Summerville, South Carolina. She was raised in an Episcopal Church and a loving community. She journeys on and has a vulnerable conversation with her family that she is gay. She is confronted with this in college as well. She is an acclaimed musicia...

We continue letting go with Fr. Mawethu. We dive deep into his spiritual practices and the anchor of the Episcopal Liturgy as part of his journey. Running is a way to feel euphoric and practice a discipline of self-care—the gift of sharing a Psalm each day with his family and reflecting on it together. St. John's has healed his wounds and offered a very creative space. It is a low church with a friendly and welcoming environment. T...

We explore the landscape and spiritual journey that has both shaped and changed the Rev. Canon Fr. Morales over the years. Silent prayer has been so important in his past practices of a daily three-hour devotion that has taken place for fifteen years. The importance and influence of the Carmelite order, a very human prayer that embraces the contemplative life, our needs to be grounded and to have reasons to pray. Explanation and wi...

This episode explores Canon Franklin Morales's journey around vocation and, ultimately, priesthood. The void inside him that something was missing, and his memories of the joys that church offered him in the past. There were signs placed in front of him during the youth phase when he became more involved in teaching Sunday School and serving as an Acolyte. He pondered and desired to get married and have a family, and how that stray...

The Rev. Canon Frankin Morales of the NC Episcopal Diocese of Latino Ministry discusses his rich journey of growing up in Venezuela. His Grandpa took him under his wing and introduced him to the robust Catholic Church and the importance of the catechism. He also discusses his relationship with the maternal figure, the Virgin Mary, the never-ending presence of prayer, silence, and obedience, and the repetition of this cadence in dai...

The Rev. Jemonde Taylor leans into the history of St. Ambrose. The explanation of the honeycomb and its ties to the community environment, St. Ambrose of Milan, the first Dr., and the honey tongue preacher. Fr. Taylor explores the ancient text and how the family continues to provide his grounding for ministry, faith, and mission with the community. Fr. Taylor's spiritual practices reflect the conversation with God and the slow proc...

The Rev. Jemonde Taylor explains the forward-thinking of St. Ambrsose and the Jazz Mass. He also explores the impact of how music speaks to the people and the basis of beauty in liturgy. The churches DNA is one of embracing black music and how it has reached out effectively to a younger demographic. A beautiful intergenerational service is offered and established through the art of jazz. The original roots of the Jazz Mass go back ...

Fr. Jemonde Taylor from St. Ambrose Episcopal Church examines the Christian Church and the strain on the church. The taking of non-Christians for enslavement and the millions of Africans forced to be taken from their homes and also from their land. What are we doing to disrupt that? Fr. Taylor shares practices at St. Ambrose and in the community, the dualistic nature of black vs. white in scripture, and how to dispel these myths. T...