What do you do when every voice claims to have the truth?

In our current political division, social unrest, and conflicting perspectives, it’s hard to know what – or who – to trust. In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, Rev. Trudy Robinson and Rev. Dr. Hannah Ka turn to an unexpected voice: the prophet Micah.

Though written over 2,700 years ago, Micah’s words feel strikingly relevant today.

The female pastors of First UMC of San Diego explore:

• Why prophets spoke out against power
• The tension between personal and social holiness
• How we choose which voices to trust
• The danger of using faith to justify power
• What it truly means to walk humbly with God

This conversation is based on Micah 3:4-12 and is the first of three conversations surrounding Micah’s well-known proclamation to “walk humbly, love kindness, and do justice.” Because in times of uncertainty like these, Micah’s words remind us that faith isn’t about certainty – it’s about humility, justice, and courage.

Reflection Questions:

1. Where have you seen gifts used with integrity, even when it costs you something?
2. What does “walk humbly” look like in positions of power, influence, and leadership?
3. What makes you realize that you must be humble before God?

Continue the Discussion:
There’s so much more to discuss when it comes to Micah’s concept of walking humbly with God. Join one of our groups to keep the discussion going: In-Person Convergence, in the Chapel on Sundays at 12 PM, or our Patreon Online Community.

Timestamps:
00:00 When Truth Feels Impossible to Find
02:17 Micah’s Warning: Corruption, Power, and Silence
04:56 Personal vs. Social Holiness
06:03 Why Ancient Times Feel Like Today
08:20 Speaking Truth to Power (Then and Now)
11:12 The Cost Living Your Calling vs. Pleasing People
15:37 Listening to the Voices That Are Silenced
17:42 Christian Nationalism & Micah’s Warning
21:22 Power vs. Love: How Do We Discern Truth?
25:14 Closing Reflections & Discussion Questions

Apostle Paul: Was he right or was he wrong? Have Christians misunderstood him for centuries?

That’s what Revs. Trudy and Brittany explore in this conversation of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast. Join the two female pastors as they talk Apostle Paul, resurrection, salvation, end-times theology, Christian nationalism, and what matters most in following Jesus today.

The Apostle Paul is one of Christianity’s most debated figures. Some Christians deeply value Paul’s letters. Others struggle with how his words have been used to exclude, shame, or harm people. Can both be true?

Together, they explore:

• What Paul may have meant in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
• Why resurrection still matters in a hurting world
• How Paul is used for “us vs. them” religion
• The danger of focusing only on heaven instead of justice now
• Christian nationalism and eschatology (end-times theology)
• What Jesus prioritized above theological certainty

In this third and final conversation of our “The Grace of the Passion Series,” we’re reminded that faith isn’t about getting every doctrine perfect. But instead, it’s about loving God and loving neighbor.

Join the conversation with these reflection questions:

1. How do you connect Jesus’ life and his resurrection?
2. How does your belief in the resurrection change the way you see the future? Your life?
3. What are the details of your theology that you are hesitant to let go of?

Need a conversation partner? Chat online with our Patreon community or join Convergence, our in-person discussion group that meets Sundays at 12 PM.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro: Was Apostle Paul right or wrong?
04:08 Why Paul focuses on resurrection, not Jesus’ life
08:32 Do Christians overemphasize personal salvation?
10:20 Was Paul misunderstood and taken out of context?
16:12 Christian nationalism & end-times theology
19:12 We don’t have to take everything literally
22:23 Hope requires action, not belief alone
28:21 We don’t have to get it right—what matters most

What if faith isn't about having clarity, but about showing up even when you don't understand?

In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, Revs. Hannah and Brittany explore the story of Doubting Thomas in John 20:19-25 and offer a powerful reframe: What if Thomas wasn’t lacking faith but longing for a deeper, personal encounter with Christ?

Using their theological imagination, they make a case for Thomas’ deep faith in Jesus, arguing that perhaps his doubts weren’t in the risen Christ but the lack of spiritual growth in his fellow disciples.

As part of our series “The Grace of the Passion,” we reflect on how Jesus meets the disciples behind closed – in fear, grief, and uncertainty – and how that same presence meets us today … if we open ourselves to tension and uncomfortable emotions.

The conversation dives into:

• Doubt, grief, and spiritual FOMO
• Why emotions are essentials to faith – not obstacles
• Moving from “either/or” thinking to a “both/and” faith
• Experiencing the risen Christ in everyday relationships
• Letting go of the pressure to “have it all figured out”

Maybe the question isn’t: “Do I believe enough?” Maybe it’s: “Am I open to encountering Christ in a new way?”

Reflection Questions:

1. Where in your life do you feel like you have to have everything figured out?
2. What helps you stay connected to God when you’re unsure or struggling?
3. When have you felt like Thomas, left out of something meaningful or sacred?

We invite you to reflect on this conversation with someone you trust, online with our Patreon group, or in-person at our weekly Convergence Discussion Group.

Limited on time? Jump ahead:

Timestamps
00:00 What if faith isn’t about clarity?
00:26 Welcome + Episode Overview
00:48 Reading John 20,19-25 (Doubting Thomas)
02:29 Is Thomas really “doubting”?
05:44 Grace, grief, and missing out (FOMO)
07:11 Jesus meets us in fear and emotion
10:50 Faith as relationship, not certainty
15:09 Ongoing faith vs “one moment” belief
19:10 Living in tension (key insight)
22:18 A new question for faith
23:02 Reflection questions + closing

What if faith isn’t about pretending everything is fine—but about telling the truth?

In this episode of the Perspectives Podcast from First United Methodist Church of San Diego, Rev. Brittany and Rev. Trudy explore what it means to not be okay and why that honesty might be the beginning of real hope.

After Easter, when celebration fades and real life sets back in, many of us are left carrying grief, doubt, exhaustion, or unanswered questions. Drawing from Luke 24:13–32 (The Road to Emmaus), this conversation reminds us that even Jesus’ followers wrestled with disappointment, confusion, and loss.

In Part 1 of our series “The Grace of the Passion,” we explore how God meets us not when we have it all together but when we’re willing to be real.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why “I’m fine” culture can harm our faith and mental health
• The courage it takes to face grief, disappointment, and change
• Why resurrection hope doesn’t erase present pain
• The importance of community when life feels overwhelming
• What happens when we avoid grief—and why it eventually catches up
• How God meets us in confusion, not just in clarity

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of deep emotional pain and mentions of suicide. If you are in crisis, please call 9-1-1 or visit your nearest emergency room. You are not alone.

Reflection Questions:

1. What are you carrying right now that you’ve been trying to hold together on your own?
2. When has a season of “not being okay” led to growth?
3. When have you felt that God was absent or hard to recognize?

Continue the conversation by reflecting with someone you trust or join the Perspectives community online via Patreon or in person at the weekly Convergence Discussion Group.

Limited on time? Jump ahead to these pivotal moments.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro – Is it OK to not be OK?
00:34 Special content note & episode overview
3:26 Why the Road to Emmaus story matters
7:34 When hope dies after disappointment
10:09 You’re not OK – and that changes how you see things
15:04 Rethinking suffering, faith, and God’s role
19:07 Faith, mental health, and the danger of “just be OK”
21:10 The pressure to pretend in culture and church
23:17 Standing still in grief
24:58 “If you don’t sit with your grief…”
26:43 Reflection questions and closing

In this Lenten episode of Perspectives, Revs. Trudy D. Robinson and Dr. Hannah Ka explore Matthew 26:6–13, the story of the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus—and the uncomfortable truth it reveals about us: Why do we deflect when truth feels painful? Why do we “help” in ways that actually protect our own comfort?

As the disciples criticize what they call waste, one woman embodies a radically different response: acceptance, courage, and costly love.

This conversation invites us to confront a difficult question: Are we avoiding the truth… even when we know it deep down?

Join the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego to explore:

• Why we instinctively deflect in moments of discomfort
• How “helping” can sometimes hide our own agenda
• The difference between surface peace and truthful love
• What it means to accept reality—even when it hurts
• Why love, in the way Jesus models it, always costs something

This is part of our Lenten series, The People of the Passion, where we reflect on the figures surrounding Jesus’ journey to the cross—and what they reveal about who we are today.

Continue the conversation by reflecting with someone you trust or join the Perspectives community online via Patreon or in person at the weekly Convergence Discussion Group.

Reflection questions for Lent:

1. When have you had a meaningful experience you didn't know how to interpret?
2. Where do you notice yourself deflecting to avoid conflict or protect yourself?
3. What helps you with acceptance?

Limited on time? Jump ahead to these pivotal moments.

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction: Love, discomfort, and deflection
01:04 Scripture Reading – Matthew 26, verses 6–13
02:09 Why this story resists easy explanation
04:23 The disciples’ deflection vs. the woman’s clarity
06:20 How the story changes across the Gospels
13:44 Deflection as a human survival instinct
16:52 A modern story: when “helping” hides our agenda
21:55 The cost of love & Lenten reflection questions

Was Jesus resurrected in body or spirit? Does it matter? What does it mean for us today? That’s what Revs. Trudy D. Robinson and Brittany Juliette Hanlin discuss in this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast.

Throughout Lent, this series—The People of the Passion—has focused on the individuals surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, not just as historical figures, but as mirrors for who we are today.

This week, we turn to a brief but powerful passage: Matthew 27:62–66, where religious and political leaders seal Jesus’ tomb to prevent what they call “deception.” But beneath the surface is a deeper question: Who gets to control the story of resurrection?

The female pastors wrestle with:

• Why the resurrection has been reduced to something overly literal and what we lose as a result
• The tension between faith, mystery, and the need for certainty
• How institutions (then and now) shape narratives through doubt and control
• Whether resurrection is less about what happened to Jesus—and more about what is still happening in us

This conversation invites us to move beyond proving resurrection…and instead, to live it.

Continue the conversation by reflecting with someone you trust or join the Perspectives community online via Patreon or in person at the weekly Convergence Discussion Group.

Reflection questions for Lent:

1. What significance does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you?
2. How does that understanding of resurrection appear in your daily life?
3. How does the resurrection impact your relationship with others?

Limited on time? Jump ahead to these pivotal moments.

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction: Does the resurrection make sense?
01:43 Scripture Story: Matthew 27, verses 62 to 66
03:18 Is resurrection controversial—or just assumed?
05:00 “Death doesn’t have the final say” – what really matters
07:06 Why we’ve lost the mystery of resurrection
10:46 Resurrection as personal transformation (hope, joy, love)
15:15 Controlling the narrative: doubt, power, and the sealed tomb
19:28 Why Jesus’ story survived—and why that matters
24:18 Resurrection is not just for you
27:45 Reflection questions + closing

Privilege might feel like a modern conversation, but Scripture has been asking the same question for centuries: What do we do with the access we have that others don’t?

That’s what Revs. Brittany and Hannah explore in this episode of Perspectives as they continue the Lenten conversation series: “The People of the Passion.” This week, they focus on the story of Joseph of Arimathea in Matthew 27:57-61: A wealthy disciple who quietly uses his status, resources, and connections to honor Jesus after the crucifixion.

Joseph wasn’t one of the twelve disciples. He doesn’t preach, perform miracles, or stand in the spotlight. Instead, he does something quietly courageous: He approaches the Roman governor Pilate, asks for Jesus’ body, and provides a dignified burial.

His story raises powerful questions that feel strikingly modern:

• What do we do with the access and privilege we have?
• When is quiet action more powerful than public recognition?
• How can ordinary people use their influence for good?

Joseph’s story reminds us that much of discipleship often doesn’t happen on stage. Sometimes it happens out of the spotlight in unseen moments when someone uses what they have to make life more humane for others. And sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is simply use what we’ve been given to make someone else’s life better.

Continue the conversation by reflecting with someone you trust or join the Perspectives community online via Patreon or in person at the weekly Convergence Discussion Group.

Reflection questions for Lent:

1. What doors are open to you that may be closed to others?
2. What risks come with using privilege for the sake of others?
3. How can privilege be used to restore dignity rather than reinforce power?

Limited on time? Jump ahead to these pivotal moments.

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction: Is privilege a modern issue or a biblical one?
00:36 Scripture Reading: Matthew 27 verses 57–61
02:04 The surprising disciple: Who is Joseph of Arimathea?
05:18 Jewish burial law, Roman rule, and cultural tension
06:50 Courage and access: How Joseph used privilege to approach Pilate
10:12 Quiet discipleship vs. spotlight ministry
12:59 The unseen work that sustains communities
14:38 The dignity of the forgotten: What about the other crucified men?
17:10 When privilege becomes responsibility
20:08 Lenten reflection questions & wrap-up

What if a horror movie could teach us something about faith? In Sinners, music becomes a spiritual force that’s powerful enough to bring people together, challenge oppression, and even pierce the veil between life and death.

In this episode of Reel Theology: Where Film Meets Faith, Rev. Brittany and Rev. Trudy explore the film Sinners and uncover the powerful spiritual questions hidden beneath its supernatural story. It’s a haunting movie that weaves together music, history, theology, and horror into an unforgettable masterpiece.

Set in 1930s Mississippi, the film navigates faith, family expectations, and the cultural power of music in a deeply segregated society. What begins as a story about a juke joint and blues music soon unfolds into a layered reflection on temptation, survival, oppression, and spiritual power. It’s a vampire film, but it’s also about so much more: ancestral memory, cultural resilience, and the sacred power of music.

In this conversation, the female pastors explore themes like:

• The relationship between music and spirituality
• Why religious institutions sometimes fear artistic expression
• African American spiritual traditions and Hoodoo
• The history of Black music as resistance and survival
• Theological ideas like temptation, evil, and process theology
• How oppression shapes community, identity, and belonging

Ultimately, the film points toward a powerful truth echoed in Christian faith: Even in the presence of evil, racism, and death — nothing can separate us from the love of God. Watch the conversation and join us as we ask: What can a supernatural film teach us about faith?

Want to connect with others about this discussion? Join our Patreon community online!

Sinners has been nominated for a record-breaking 16 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screen Play, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Achievement in Casting

Sinners also received nominations for: BAFTA Awards, Critics’ Choice Movies Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, and SAG Awards.

A Note About Awards: While widely praised by critics for its storytelling, cinematography, and cultural depth, Sinners has also sparked conversation about which films receive major awards recognition and why.