SPEAKING
Teaching
Visit my Classes & Retreats page for a full listing of classes, workshops, and retreat offerings.
Download my CV for a full list of past classes, workshops, and speaking engagements.
"rooted in god's creation"
adult forum lecture for earth day 2026
chapel of the cross in chapel Hill, NC
Christianity has a rich history of holy women and men (beyond just St. Francis!) who understood their role not only as guardians and stewards of creation, but as students of the natural world, and friends and allies to their fellow creatures. Join us as we reflect on stories from across the centuries that inspire a deeper sense of awareness about our connections to one another and to all of God's creation.
advent series 2025
"sacred time: seasons & liturgical cycles"
3-week Sunday adult forum series
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in durham, NC
Advent is a season when the tensions between sacred and secular time are especially felt. In the midst of a cultural season marked by the hustle & bustle of shopping, parties, and a seemingly neverending to-do list, our liturgical tradition calls us into a time for quiet contemplation, calm expectation, and self-emptying.
Drawing on wisdom from church history, the Scriptures, the Christian monastic tradition, and an agrarian understanding of ancient time, this class invited participants to attune themselves more intentionally to the flow of sacred time, regardless of whatever "season" they might find themselves in. Over the course of three weeks, we looked at how the church's ancient liturgical cycles of daily, weekly, and yearly prayer - rather than being yet another item on our to-do lists - are meant to re-connect us to creation, and call us into embodied postures of rest, restoration, and a deep sense of our "enoughness" in God.
This class is designed to be a 4-week series that ideally also includes a week 2 session focusing on the weekly liturgical cycle. All of my classes are customizable and will be adjusted to meet both the logistical and formational needs of specific communities.
other recent classes
"The Extraconical Gospels: The Gospel of Mary"
The Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill, NC
May 2026
Co-led with The Rev. Joe Mitchell. An exploration of the history of The Gospel of Mary and its historical context, with discussion of some possible interpretations.
"The History of Holy Week (with Tenebrae)"
The Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill, NC
April 2026
A introduction to the ancient history of Holy Week practices and the medieval Daily Office, followed by a revised Tenebrae service designed to capture its monastic character.
"Returning to God: Rest, Repentance, & Resistance"
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cary, NC
March 2026
A Lenten quiet day introduces practices of rest and repentance as a way of engaging with themes from the congregation's recent study of the Baptismal covenant.
"What Makes Episcopalian Episcopalian?"
St Luke's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC
January 2026
First session of an adult confirmation class exploring the history of the Episcopal Church and what makes our tradition unique from other expressions of Christianity.
"Praying the Hours and the Daily Office"
St James Episcopal Church, Skaneateles, NY
May 2024
Co-led with The Rev. Joe Mitchell as part of an Episcopal 101 adult confirmation class, introducing the history of praying the hours and how to practice it today.
"Advent Series: Embodied Faith"
St James Episcopal Church, Skaneateles, NY
December 2023
Exploring some of the most common barriers we experience in our current cultural context to fully experiencing and embracing the incarnational faith of Jesus.
Week 1: Christianity & The Marketplace, Week 2: Christianity & Spirituality,
Week 3: Christianity & The Arts, Week 4: Christianity & The Body.
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podcast appearances
Episode 158: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Folly
June 15, 2025
A Jew and a Gentile Walk into a Bar...Mitzvah
In this episode, the Jew and the Gentile are joined by our dear friend Kristen Leigh Mitchell, theologian, singer/songwriter, and possessor of all knowledge of Star Wars, for a deep dive into Dietrich Bonhoeffer's work "Of Folly." "Folly," writes Bonhoeffer, "is a more dangerous enemy to the good than evil." Think any of this is important for today? Start listening at the 10:15 minute mark to skip our opening mishigas.
Episode 151: The Power of Music
December 5, 2022
A Jew and a Gentile Walk into a Bar...Mitzvah
For this episode, we are joined by spiritual director, artist-theologian, musician, part of the rebel alliance, and a traitor, Kristen Leigh Mitchell. A gifted artist and brilliant theologian (and a graduate of one of the only two seminaries the Gentile acknowledges), Kristen guides us on a journey exploring the healing and spiritual power of music. Start listening at the 17:50 mark to skip our opening mishigas.
Episode 59: Choice & Redemption: Theology & Star Wars
January 18, 2018
A Jew and a Gentile Walk into a Bar...Mitzvah
In this episode, the Gentile goes AWOL but the Jew persisted. Guest host Kristen Leigh and special guests The Rev. Joe Mitchell and Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz, discuss the theological implications of the Star Wars Universe. Yeah, that's the kind of stuff we do here!
Episode 42: Until We Are Strangers No More
September 14, 2017
A Jew and a Gentile Walk into a Bar...Mitzvah
Is loving your neighbor the basis for morality? Or is it the love of the stranger in your midst? We knew we would need some help doing the heavy lifting in this episode, so we invited Russ and Kristen from Love in a Dangerous Time to help us out. The fodder for our conversation was drawn from the Gentile's recent sermon "Until We Are Strangers No More."
Episode 96: True Calling - A Look at the Discernment Process
August 7, 2017
Love In A Dangerous Time
When we Christians feel that God wants us to do something in particular, like becoming a minister, starting a homeless shelter, becoming a tutor, painting a mural, or reading the Bible cover to cover, we say that we are "called." Today, Kristen and Russ discuss the whole idea of calling, which is part of a class Kristen is currently teaching with Rev. Frank Dew. Read More
Episode 94: Bushwick Abbey: Music, Art, and Gentrification in NYC with Rev. Nell Archer & Vince Anderson
September 25, 2017
Love In A Dangerous Time
Many recent church plants are flourishing as alternative worshiping communities made up of people who normally wouldn't be caught dead in church. Kristen spoke with the leaders of Bushwick Abbey in Brooklyn, a collaboration between powerhouse blues singer Vince Anderson and the Rev. Nell Archer, Episcopal priest and vicar of Iglesia de Santa Cruz, a Dominican congregation. Read More
Episode 92: Re-Thinking the Church Before It Was Cool
with church pioneer Rev. Frank Dew
August 31, 2017
Love In A Dangerous Time
In 1985, the Rev. Frank Dew planted a small Presbyterian church in Greensboro, NC called "New Creation" that focused on relationships, community, and social justice. This was one of the earliest manifestations of an "emerging church," before anybody knew what the "emerging church" was. It was genuine, it was prophetic, and it was rooted in the Gospel. Read More
Episode 90: The Servant Leadership School - A Model for Faith and Activism with Dr. Ruth Anderson
August 14, 2017
Love In A Dangerous Time
Our guest today is Dr. Ruth D. Anderson, director of an adult faith formation program in Greensboro, NC that has become a hub for ecumenical community and activism by seeking to empower and encourage individuals from every denomination and walk of life to live their inner and outer lives in accordance with the core values of the Gospel. Read More
Episode 89: Conversion(s): At the Bottom - I'm Going to Do This
August 7, 2017
Love In A Dangerous Time
For the past year or so, we've occasionally done an interview series called "Conversion(s)," in which people of faith tell their stories about how they got there. The idea is that there are many moments of conversion in each of our lives, when we have "growth spurts" toward understanding and faith coupled with big changes in how we do the work that comes with these new levels of growth. Read More
Episode 54: Singing from the Depths
February 8, 2016
Love In A Dangerous Time
We've got a musical episode for you, one that focuses on both the Christian music scene, and the NOT-Christian music scene. The artist is Kristen Leigh, who now lives in North Carolina, and has been performing around the country for several years. I met her when we were working together on the 2012 Wild Goose production team. Read More
preaching
"Adam, Eve, and the Root of Temptation"
Sermon on Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-17 & Matthew 4:1-11
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Asheboro, NC
March 1, 2020
"What Is Clean and Unclean? A Brief History of Dirt"
Sermon on Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-25
Faith Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC
September 2, 2018
"Eyes to See and Ears to Hear Transfiguration"
Sermon on Matthew 17:1-9
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Asheboro, NC
February 26, 2017
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"I Will Be Who I Will Be: Moses & the Quest for a True Calling"
Sermon on Exodus 3:1-15
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in the Bowery in New York City
March 3, 2013
"Turning Towards Forgiveness: On the Challenges of Communal Life"
Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35
James Chapel at Union Theological Seminary in New York City
September 14, 2011