Laity Space: Interview with Brian Myers

Episode 30 – Beyond Sunday Morning: Cultivating a Life of Worship

Worship is more than songs on Sunday, it's a whole-life response to the greatness and goodness of God. In this episode, Brian Myers and Rev. Jenn Stiles Williams welcome Sofia Friedley Fernandez, worship ethics specialist with the Institute for Modern Worship, to explore what true worship really is. Drawing from Romans 12:1, the theology of liturgy, and Sophia's own pioneering work in contemporary worship ethics, the conversation unpacks the difference between presence and performance, why we shouldn't show up to church empty, and how the patterns we rehearse on Sunday are forming us the other six days of the week. Show Notes * 1:25 — Sophia's three roles: worship, youth, and worship ethics * 6:11 — Defining true worship: presence, response, and open hands * 13:44 — Performance vs. authenticity in corporate worship * 19:00 — The ethics of emotional manipulation in worship spaces * 26:57 — Daily liturgy: how habits become character * 32:00 — Worship tethered to justice, mercy, and humility For more information on the year-long Awaken to Grace series, visit awakentograce.org [http://awakentograce.org]. Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley. Original music by the Institute for Modern Worship.

Episode 29 – Born of Fire: Pentecost and the Birth of the Church

Wind and fire. Many languages. Walls that simply ceased to exist. In this episode, Brian, Jen, and Derrick dig into the story of Acts 2 and what Pentecost means for the church today: the Spirit-empowered birth of a missional community, the call to multilingual gospel proclamation in an increasingly diverse world, and the partnership between clergy and laity that makes it all work. They explore what it really means to be an "Acts 2 church," why ordinary time is actually the point, and how Pentecost is less a moment to commemorate than a way of life to inhabit. * 0:30 – Introducing the Pentecost story * 3:04 – The Spirit's empowerment of the laity * 8:27 – Pentecost as a reversal of Babel: unity, diversity, and multilingual proclamation * 22:32 – Clergy, laity, and the partnership for mission * 34:37 – What it actually means to be an Acts 2 church For more information on the year-long Awaken to Grace series, visit awakentograce.org [http://awakentograce.org]. Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley. Original music by the Institute for Modern Worship.

Episode 28 – More Than Willpower: Finding Freedom in Self-Control

Self-control is one of the hardest fruits of the Spirit to talk about honestly . In this episode, Brian Myers and Rev. Jenn Stiles Williams welcome Rev. Magrey deVega, Senior Pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, for a rich conversation about why willpower alone keeps failing us and what the Spirit offers instead. Drawing on Greek Stoicism, Wesley's Holy Club questions, and the psychology of self-differentiation, they explore self-control not as restriction or punishment, but as a gateway to the freedom of our truest selves. * 0:11 — Introduction and episode overview * 2:53 — Self-control as strength: unpacking the Greek root and Wesleyan agency * 12:19 — Romans 7 & 8, the sound mind, and wisdom through Scripture * 16:10 — Wesley's questions, self-awareness, and the inner work of triggers * 27:35 — Daily practices, the subconscious, and solvatur ambulando * 36:57 — Closing reflections and prayer For more information on the year-long Awaken to Grace series, visit awakentograce.org [http://awakentograce.org]. Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley. Original music by the Institute for Modern Worship.

Episode 27 – Gentleness: Power Under Grace

Gentleness gets a bad reputation. It is often mistaken for passivity, timidity, or just being overly nice. In this episode, Brian Myers and Jenn Stiles Williams are joined by Rev. Will Newton to reclaim what Scripture actually teaches: gentleness as power under grace and strength directed by love toward restoration. From Psalm 23 to Matthew 18, they trace the biblical vision of the gentle shepherd, explore how gentleness disarms shame and fear, and offer practical norms for cultivating this often misunderstood fruit of the Spirit in our homes, churches, and public life. Show Notes * 00:30 — Gentleness introduced: strength, not weakness * 02:22 — Why gentleness is misunderstood today * 08:01 — A biblical vision of gentle power * 10:55 — Gentleness vs. mere politeness * 17:31 — How gentleness disarms shame and fear * 27:00 — Practical norms for cultivating gentleness For more information on the year-long Awaken to Grace series, visit awakentograce.org [http://awakentograce.org]. Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley. Original music by the Institute for Modern Worship.

Episode 26 – A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: The Beauty of Faithfulness

What does it look like to live faithfully when life is hard, boring, or uncertain? In this episode, Brian and Derrick welcome Mirhonda Silva, Co-Lay Leader of the East Central District, for a rich conversation on faithfulness as both a spiritual discipline and a fruit of the Spirit. Together they explore how God's unchanging character becomes the foundation for our own steady trust, what it means to steward our time and gifts in the everyday moments, and how honest doubt can coexist with persevering faith. From a brewery to a flooded home, their stories illuminate how faithfulness is less about grand gestures and more about showing up, again and again, in the small and the ordinary. Show Notes * 0:30 — Faithfulness as a fruit, not a feeling * 3:01 — God's character as the ground of Christian identity * 9:22 — Time as our most sacred, irreplaceable resource * 15:06 — Ordinary spaces as mission fields * 23:08 — Normalizing doubt within community * 33:10 — Faithful endurance without performance anxiety For more information on the year-long Awaken to Grace series, visit awakentograce.org [http://awakentograce.org]. Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley. Original music by the Institute for Modern Worship.