Every time Deborah and I attend a retreat at Laity Lodge, we think of numerous people we wish had been there. Laity Lodge’s speaker have a reputation for theological depth, a gift for being honest and caring in relationships, and deep admiration for the ethos of the Lodge. We so often want Laity Lodge to have a broader audience.
“We so often want Laity Lodge to have a broader audience.”
Which is why I’m excited to announce The Echoes Podcast, designed to share this legacy with people outside of the Canyon, even people have never been to the Canyon. It is hosted by the editor-in-chief of Echoes magazine, Marcus Goodyear, and our managing editor, Camille Hall-Ortega. In every episode they have rich conversations with a new guest about faith or culture or both.
Some episodes of the podcast discuss faith openly and directly. You’ll even hear clips from Laity Lodge archives, including Howard Butt Jr. If you like those clips, you can also stream full retreats on the Laity Lodge website. Other episodes lean into specific stories of people loving their neighbors because we believe stories of common grace, neighbors loving neighbors, speak for themselves.
Years ago, Howard wrote, “God cannot be very far from someone honestly confronting his own experience, because we are made in the image of God, and the more we examine this image, the greater the possibility that we will recognize the One who conferred it.”
For example, Elizabeth Cruz is a licensed clinical social worker and project manager at San Antonio Affordable Housing. She explains the realities facing too many working families in our country—and walks us through a program that restores homes instead of condemning them. She is the sort of uncelebrated leader we hope to highlight more and more—a neighbor serving the people around her.
They also talk with Corey Widmer about the church in America. What does it mean to be a Christian in our country today—and what does it look like for the church to serve as the body of Christ? Corey serves on the Foundation’s theological advisory council and leads retreats at Laity Lodge. His episode may feel like a theological conversation you might have as you hike to Circle Bluff.
So many stories God is giving us to steward! You can listen to them. You can hold them in your hand, like you are doing right now. We hope you’ll share them with others so these seeds of inspiration can travel as far and wide as possible to honor the work God is doing in the world through people—through the laity.
How do we find true belonging in our communities, and what responsibility do we have to help others do the same?
Words are powerful. They shape our relationships, influence how we see ourselves, and impact how we experience the world.