Join Pastor Ginger Isum in conversation with Renie Morris, certified spiritual director and lay leader for the Tennessee Valley District of the Holston Annual Conference, as they explore what it means to "keep it real" in prayer.

In this episode of Wheeler...Beyond Sunday, we continue our series on prayer by addressing the pressure many of us feel to pray "the right way". Ginger and Renie discuss how our unique personalities, life stages, and circumstances should shape our prayer practices—not conform to someone else's spiritual rhythms.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why "pray as you can, not as you can't" is transformative advice

• How everyday activities like baking bread, knitting, folding laundry, and walking can become sacred prayer time

• The difference between spiritual direction and therapy, and how a spiritual director can help you discern God's movement in your life

• Practical ways to develop prayer rhythms that fit your real life—not an idealized version

• Why it's okay to address God in ways that feel authentic to you

• How labyrinths, breath prayers, and centering prayer can help when words fail

Whether you've struggled with journaling, felt guilty about your prayer life, or wondered if there's more to prayer than Sunday morning, this honest conversation offers permission to meet God exactly as you are.

Welcome back to Wheeler Beyond Sunday! In this week’s episode, Pastor Ginger is joined by her "BFF" and special guest, Pastor Patrice Wells from Liberty Hill United Methodist, for an honest and refreshing conversation about prayer.

As Wheeler begins a new five-week series on "Prayer Pressure Problems," Ginger and Patrice pull back the curtain on the struggles even clergy face when it comes to connecting with God. They dismantle the myth that prayer requires a "special voice" or eloquent words, instead defining it through a beautiful and simple lens: Keeping company with God.

From the "crop duster" prayers of daily life to the profound "dark night of the soul," this episode explores why we often put too much pressure on ourselves and how to find our way back to a natural, sacred dialogue with the Divine.

Highlights include:

• The "Prayer Voice" Myth: Why we don't need to pray like the "saints of old" to be heard.

• The Power of Silence: Learning from Ginger’s New Mexico desert experience and the beauty of just being in the same "room" as God.

• Prayer as Transformation: Moving past the "effectiveness trap" to see how prayer changes us rather than just our circumstances.

• The Theology of Breath: A powerful look at how every breath we take is literally an utterance of the Divine name.

• Navigating the Wilderness: Honest reflections on praying through grief, loss, and the times when words simply won't come.

Whether you feel like your prayer life has hit a wall, you're struggling with the "busyness" of life, or you just need to be reminded that God is as close to you as your own breath, this episode offers a warm and grace-filled space to breathe and begin again.

Join the conversation as we learn to take the pressure off and simply enjoy the companionship of the Father!

Scripture Reference: Luke 5:16 (and Jesus’s various withdrawals to prayer throughout the Gospel of Luke)

Wheeler Beyond Sunday is a podcast where we continue the conversation from Sunday morning, diving deeper into the sermon and exploring what it means to live out our faith throughout the week.

Welcome back to Wheeler Beyond Sunday! In this week's episode, Amanda, James, Jill, and Derek dive deep into Ginger's powerful sermon on breakthrough prayer, based on Luke 3:21-22 and 4:1-13.

As we step into the new year, the team explores what it truly means to pray for God's guidance and surrender our will to His. They discuss the challenge of living into our prayers versus simply saying them, wrestle with the age-old struggle of giving up control, and unpack the profound mystery of Jesus being fully human and fully divine.

From personal prayer practices in the car and shower to Wesley's Covenant Prayer, the conversation gets real about why it's so hard to let go and let God. The team also examines Jesus's baptism and wilderness temptation, discovering fresh insights into His humanity and what it means that God, through Jesus, has experienced everything we experience.

Highlights include:

• Why "your will be done" is harder than it sounds
• The power of breakthrough prayer in both personal and church life
• Wrestling with Jesus's humanity in the wilderness
• Wheeler's new church-wide breakthrough prayer initiative
• The importance of dreaming big dreams without limits

Whether you're struggling to surrender control, looking for a fresh start in your prayer life, or wondering what it means to be part of a "set apart" community, this episode offers honest conversation and practical encouragement.

Join the conversation and share your own breakthrough prayer experiences with us!

Scripture Reference: Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13

Wheeler Beyond Sunday is a podcast where we continue the conversation from Sunday morning, diving deeper into the sermon and exploring what it means to live out our faith throughout the week.

Welcome back to Wheeler Beyond Sunday! 🎙️ We're kicking off 2026 with the story of the Magi and their journey to meet Jesus — a story packed with great expectations.

In This Episode:

• Why winter might be the worst time to make New Year's resolutions (and why we do it anyway)
• The three hawks that circled like the Trinity on moving day
• Amanda's beach notebook moment: "I can hear you calling. What is it?"
• How Janie and Deb poured from full cups into empty ones during camp week
• Derek's story of being unwelcome but finding Jesus in a Chicago church
• Sarah's Wednesday night dinner origin story at Wheeler
• What it means that the Magi — outsiders, Gentiles, foreigners — were welcomed by Mary and Joseph

📚 Scripture & Resources Referenced:

• Matthew 2:1-12 (The Magi's journey)
• William Barclay's Daily Bible Studies Commentary

Sermon Excerpt: Pastor Ginger shares her hawk/Trinity moment and asks: "Do we expect to meet Jesus when we wake up in the morning? At the grocery store? In the homeless person standing on the street?"

Whether you're a resolution-maker or not, this episode will challenge you to live expectantly in 2026 — watching for God in creation, trusting His guidance even when it makes zero sense, and extending radical hospitality to everyone we meet. Pull up a chair and join the conversation. ✨

Welcome back to Wheeler Beyond Sunday! 🎙️ In this fourth week of Advent, James White, Amanda White, Derek Harding, and Jill Taylor tackle a question most of us have never considered: What if Mary had said no? We're taking a fresh look at Mary—not as a silent figure in a nativity scene, but as a courageous teenage girl who risked everything to say yes to God.

Why did God choose someone so young, so insignificant, from such an obscure place? And what does her story teach us about our own response to God's call? Whether you're making excuses about why you can't serve, clinging to control of your carefully planned life, or wondering if you're really equipped for what God is asking of you, this conversation is for you. Pull up a chair—we're getting honest about openness.

In This Episode:

• How Protestants view Mary (and why we're not quite sure what to do with her)
• Why God consistently chooses the humble and insignificant for His greatest work
• The real risks Mary took: death by stoning, social exile, poverty, and abandonment
• Was Mary "meek and mild" or a woman of fierce courage and backbone?
• Wrestling with free will: Did Mary really have a choice, or did God already know her answer?
• The excuses we make when God calls us (and why they don't work)
• How surrendering control challenges us—especially when we think we know best
• Recognizing and encouraging the "Mary" in others around us

📚 Resources & Scripture Referenced:

• Luke 1:26-38 (The Annunciation - Gabriel's visit to Mary)
• Romans 12:1 (Paul's call to be "living sacrifices")
• Reflections from Amanda's Advent Bible study on being "anointed by God"
• Historical context: Nazareth as an insignificant town of 300-400 people
• Elizabeth's role in affirming Mary (Luke 1:39-45)

Sermon Excerpt: Pastor Ginger shares the moment in her Advent study when someone asked, "What if Mary had said no?"—and how she'd never even considered Mary's free will before.

🎄 Advent Series: Stillness | Longing | Openness | Wonder

This conversation will challenge you to ask: What would happen if I said no to God? Who wouldn't hear about Jesus because I closed the door? If you've ever felt inadequate for the task God is calling you to, or if you're struggling to let go and trust His plan, this episode will encourage you to find the "Mary within you."

Welcome to a special episode of Wheeler Beyond Sunday! 🎙️

This week, Pastor Ginger and McKenzie Wyatt-Hartgrove (mental health therapist at Wheeler) have an honest, heartfelt conversation about the struggles many face during the holiday season. Recorded during a difficult time for Ginger personally, this episode gets real about grief, loneliness, addiction recovery, and finding peace when Christmas doesn't feel merry.

Whether you're missing a loved one this year, feeling isolated in your community, navigating sobriety during a high-risk season, or just struggling to find joy amid the chaos, this conversation is for you. Pull up a chair — you're not alone in this.

In This Episode:

• Why 89% of Americans report increased stress during the holidays
• How to navigate that first (or second) holiday season after loss
• When grief becomes debilitating and needs professional help
• The importance of boundaries and learning to say "no"
• Practical ways to honor loved ones during the holidays
• Supporting friends and family who are struggling (and what NOT to say)
• Finding community when you feel alone

📚 Resources & Service Announcement:

• Blue Christmas Service: December 21st, 6pm at Wheeler UMC (211 North Sandth Street, near Tri-Cities Airport)
• A quiet, reflective worship service for those struggling during the holiday season
• Statistics from the American Psychological Association (2023 survey on holiday stress)

This is not your typical holiday episode — and that's exactly why it matters. If you or someone you know is struggling this season, we hope this conversation brings comfort, validation, and practical support.

Welcome back to Wheeler Beyond Sunday! 🎙️

In this second week of Advent, James, Derek, Sarah, and Amanda dive into Pastor Ginger's sermon on "Longing" — and it gets real. We talk about the parts of Christmas no one posts on Instagram: feeling abandoned by God, being angry in the desert, and why it's okay to lament during the "most wonderful time of the year."

Whether you're grieving a loved one this Christmas, struggling with your mental health, or just feeling like God isn't listening, this conversation is for you. Pull up a chair — we're getting honest.

In This Episode:

• Personal stories of feeling forsaken by God (and what happened after)
• Why we're afraid to voice our deepest longings
• The Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote that changed how we see God's presence
• How writing laments (or listening to Lauren Daigle) can bring healing
• Who has "birthed Jesus" for you in hard times?

📚 Resources & Citations Referenced:

• Isaiah 64:8-12 (The prophet's lament after exile)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (1944)
• Fred Rogers on "looking for the helpers"
• Blue Christmas Service announcement (December 21st, 6pm)

Sermon Excerpt: Pastor Ginger shares her story of screaming at God in the New Mexico desert — and why God can handle it.