Podcast

In this episode, Jeff Munroe interviews Rev. Jared Ayers, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in North Palm Beach, Florida and one of the writers for the Reformed Journal Blog. Jared recounts his experiences in ministry, starting with being the child of a pastor, sharing the gospel in Eastern Europe, and church planting in Philadelphia, to serving a large, politically diverse church population in a polarized America. He also shares some of his mentors and literary influences. 

In this episode, book review editor Deb Van Duinen interviews Nikki Grimes, poet and bestselling author of books for children and young adults, including the Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, the Coretta Scott King award honor books Jasmine's Notebook, Talking about Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Nikki discusses using her poetic voice for worship, as well as the origins of her latest book, Glory in the Margins: Sunday Poems.

In this episode, Jeff Munroe interviews Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell, co-pastor of the Second Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa and one of the original editors and writers for the Reformed Journal Blog. Steve chats with Jeff about his memories with his politically engaged father, his love for the Reformed Journal which began in his high school years, and his journey to co-pastoring with his wife, Sophie.

In this episode, Kate Kooyman has a family conversation with her uncle, Doug Brouwer and her cousin, Sarah Brouwer. Doug and Sarah are both ministers ordained by the Presbyterian Church, and they discuss Doug's book Chasing after Wind: A Pastor's Life and reflect on their experiences in ministry and the generational changes they have observed. 

In this episode of the Poetry Edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer about her poem "Bioluminescence." Rosemerry has been publishing her poetry daily on her website A Hundred Falling Veils for the last 10+ years, and is a co-host of the podcast Emerging Form.

In this episode, Jeff Munroe speaks with Rebecca Koerselman, professor of history at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa and contributor to the Reformed Journal Blog. Jeff and Rebecca talk about Rebecca's journey from high school history teacher to scholar and professor, where she gets inspiration for her writing, evangelicalism in the United States, and her history-informed perspective on political and social polarization in 2022.

In this inaugural episode of the Poetry Edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Dave Schelhaas about the origins of his poem "Perennial," which was celebrated in the poetry anthology "Final Exam: Poems About Teachers and Their Students."

In this episode, Jeff Munroe, editor at the Reformed Journal, talks with Kate Kooyman, author of the most viewed post in the Reformed Journal Blog, "I'm Sick of Appreciating Teachers." Kate is an ordained minister with the RCA, spent 10 years working in the CRC's Office of Social Justice, and currently serves as District Director for Michigan state senator Winnie Brinks. Jeff and Kate discuss Kate's path to becoming a minister, the role of social justice in Christian life, and…

In this episode, Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell has a conversation with April Fiet, co-pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Scottsbluff. April is the author of The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls and a lover of creativity and delight in life. Steve and April talk about a whimsical crochet project that caught the attention of the Washington Post and MSN, as well as the four "dances" of The Sacred Pulse. You can find more of April's work at aprilfiet.com.