In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry continues the "Like Jesus" series by exploring a side of Jesus that often gets overlooked: his capacity for joy and enjoyment of life. From attending dinner parties to turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, Jesus modeled a faith that wasn't only about seriousness and sacrifice — it included genuine delight in food, friendship, and celebration.

James reflects on how observing Jesus was central to discipleship for the original followers, and how that same practice applies to us today. He weaves in a personal story about rediscovering the joy of reading during a recent trip, and connects it to the wider cultural epidemic of loneliness, making the case that gathering with others and savoring ordinary pleasures is itself a spiritual practice.

The episode closes with a meditation on eternity beginning now — the idea that fully inhabiting the present moment, with all its play, rest, and connection, is itself a taste of the eternal life Jesus promised.

In This Episode:

• Why Jesus attended dinner parties and weddings — and what it teaches us about discipleship
• The story of Jesus turning water into wine at Cana of Galilee (John 2)
• How observing Jesus' daily life shaped how the disciples followed him
• A reflection on loneliness and the importance of gathering with others
• Why "balance" may be the wrong goal — and what to pursue instead
• How enjoying the present moment connects to eternity

In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry launches a new series called "Like Jesus," exploring how the practices and postures of Jesus can shape everyday discipleship. This week's focus: the pause.

James turns to John 8, the story of the woman caught in adultery, where religious leaders bring her before Jesus and demand judgment under the law. Rather than answering immediately, Jesus kneels and writes in the dirt — a deliberate pause before he speaks. James reflects on what that moment reveals: not passivity, but restraint born of intention. Jesus may well have felt anger at how the woman was being used as a prop in an argument, but he chose to respond rather than react.

From there, James offers practical, everyday ways to practice the same kind of pause — taking a breath, counting to yourself, naming that you're not ready to respond, or simply stepping away from a conversation until you can return to it with clarity. He's honest that this isn't always easy, and that sometimes patience runs thin. But the invitation stands: when we pause long enough to notice what's underneath our anger — hurt, fear, defensiveness — we create space to respond the way Jesus did, in a way that disarms rather than escalates.

This is a short, practical word for anyone who's ever said something in the heat of the moment they wished they could take back — and a gentle nudge toward a more intentional way of engaging conflict, news, and difficult conversations.

In This Episode

• The launch of the "Like Jesus" series on the Dulin Weekly Podcast
• John 8 and the story of the woman caught in adultery
• Why Jesus paused before responding — and what that pause accomplished
• Practical ways to pause: breathing, counting, naming your limits, taking a break
• How pausing helps you recognize anger, hurt, or defensiveness for what they are
• An invitation to practice presence over reactivity in daily life

In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry launches a new series exploring what it looks like to follow the "Jesus model" of everyday discipleship. He begins with a practice that sounds simple but proves surprisingly hard: being fully present where you are. Drawing on Gospel stories of Jesus stopping for Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus, James explores how our minds constantly wander — on autopilot in conversations, in prayer, even while driving — and what it takes to truly listen, both to the people in front of us and to our own bodies. He shares honest moments from his own pastoral life, including the pull to greet a first-time visitor while someone else has stopped him to talk, and invites the Dulin community to call him out when he seems distracted. It's a practical, personal look at presence as a spiritual practice modeled by Jesus himself.

In This Episode:

• Launching a new series on practices Jesus modeled for everyday discipleship
• Why "being where you are" is harder than it sounds — autopilot minds in conversation, prayer, and driving
• How Jesus was fully present with people like Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus
• Listening to others without listening "in order to respond"
• Listening to your own body — tension, tiredness, hunger — as a form of presence
• A candid, personal example from Sunday mornings at Dulin
• An invitation for the congregation to call James out when he seems distracted

When a car delay turned into a week of walking instead of driving, Pastor James Henry discovered something worth sitting with: a car gets you somewhere, but walking reminds you that you already are somewhere. In this reflection, James traces how an ordinary inconvenience — losing access to his own car for several days — opened up unexpected encounters with neighbors, pollinator gardens, and six different Lyft drivers, each with a story of their own. He weaves these small moments into a bigger point about presence: how easy it is to treat life as a series of destinations to reach rather than places we're already standing in. Whether you're behind the wheel, walking to the grocery store, or simply moving through your day, James invites listeners to notice that the path itself — not just the arrival — is where we live out our journey alongside Jesus.

You are on the path with Jesus. So is everyone else you meet along the way.

In This Episode:

• Why a delayed car delivery became an unexpected spiritual practice
• The difference between a car that gets you somewhere and walking that reminds you you are somewhere
• Noticing a neighbor's pollinator garden — something invisible from behind a windshield
• Six conversations with Lyft drivers and the stories they carried
• Reframing life as a path with Jesus, not just a destination to reach

What if the way you start your morning could reshape your entire day? In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry of Dulin United Methodist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, shares how renewing his daily gratitude practice — noticing the aroma of coffee, the warmth of a cup in his hands, the simple gift of a new day — has grounded him in a season that had started to feel rote. James walks through his own morning ritual of naming at least ten things he's thankful for, and how that small discipline carried into a coffee gathering with local clergy, a walk to the office, and the ordinary rhythms of a Wednesday. He connects gratitude to enoughness: when we start from thankfulness, we stop grasping for more and recognize what's already ours to hold. This episode offers a gentle, practical invitation for anyone feeling spiritually depleted or stuck in autopilot — pick a number, start small, and let gratitude reshape how you receive your everyday life.

What did John Wesley really mean by "perfection"? In this week's Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry unpacks one of Methodism's most misunderstood questions: "Are you going on to perfection?" Drawing on the Greek word teleios(meaning "complete" or "whole" rather than "flawless"), James explores how reframing perfection as wholeness, healing, and living from a foundation of love can transform how we understand discipleship, grace, and our own imperfect journeys. A reflective, honest look at what it means to grow in love—not flawlessness—in this life.

What does it look like when a church dares to dream together? In this milestone episode marking his one-year anniversary as pastor of Dulin United Methodist Church, James Henry invites the congregation into a season of collaborative vision-casting. Drawing on the prophet Joel's words about dreaming dreams and seeing visions, James reflects on a year of ministry — from the Ministry of Hope food outreach that serves over 300 people monthly, to Appalachia Service Project trips, to partnerships like Rebuilding Together and a possible collaboration with Habitat for Humanity — while looking ahead to small-group conversations and a congregation-wide survey launching this fall. Rather than dictating a top-down plan, James frames discipleship and outreach as a shared discernment process: what is the Spirit stirring up in this community, and how can everyone help "be Dulin Church" both inside the building and out in the world? A warm, forward-looking reflection on collaborative leadership, congregational vision, and what it means to grow together as the body of Christ.

What does mission really mean — and why does relationship matter as much as the work itself? In this episode of the Dulin Weekly Podcast, Pastor James Henry checks in from Greenbrier County, West Virginia, where he and fifteen others from Dulin United Methodist Church are serving alongside Appalachia Service Project (ASP), making homes warmer, safer, and drier for families across Appalachia.

James reflects on ASP's origin story — one neighbor helping another — and how that simple act of love grew into a ministry now reaching thousands of volunteers and families each summer. He explores ASP's core identity as "a relationship ministry with construction on the side," drawing parallels to how Jesus modeled healing not through distant miracles but through personal connection — with the marginalized, the excluded, and even a Roman centurion. James shares how, time and again, it's been him who is transformed by these mission encounters, not just the homeowners being served.

The episode widens out from Appalachia to ask what mission looks like at home: volunteering with Ministry of Hope, teaching Sunday school, serving coffee fellowship, tending the memorial garden. James reminds listeners that the call to "be Dulin Church wherever you are" isn't reserved for week-long trips — it's lived out in everyday acts of welcome, presence, and love for neighbor.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• The history and mission of Appalachia Service Project (ASP)
• Why ASP describes itself as "a relationship ministry with construction on the side"
• How Jesus's ministry models relationship-centered healing and inclusion
• The mutual transformation that happens in mission work — for the served and the server
• Practical, local ways to live out mission at Dulin Church (Ministry of Hope, Sunday school, fellowship, hospitality)
• Loving God and loving neighbor as the twin center of Christian faith