Pastor in the Hat Podcast
Fearlessly tackling tough questions about faith from a progressive Christian perspective. This production of First Presbyterian Church Concord, CA We dive deep into the doubts and uncertainties that many listeners face, offering thoughtful insights to help navigate the complexities of each one’s own spiritual journey. Hosted by Darryl McCollum Commissioned Pastor, PCUSA and author of “In All Things Grace”.
Pastor in the Hat Podcast
Finding Faith and Community with Pastor in the Hat
How do you find your spiritual core when life's journey takes unexpected turns? I'm Darryl McCollum, or as many know me, Pastor in the Hat from TikTok, and today, I invite you to walk with me as I recount my shift from decades in the Navy and AT&T to answering a calling as a commissioned pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA. This bi-weekly podcast episode is filled with personal stories, humor, and listener engagement as we explore the importance of community and love in our ever-changing culture. Today, you will hear about the creation of Praise in the Park, a nonprofit aimed at unity, and the uphill battles faced along the way. As we dig deeper, I share insights from my book, "In All Things Grace," encouraging us to confront our doubts and questions about faith head-on.
Ever wondered how modern science and biblical teachings can coexist? We'll navigate these complexities together, discussing the universe's age and evolving biblical interpretations. This episode also highlights an upcoming mid-August community event designed to combat loneliness through the simple joy of crafting and sharing a meal with our neighbors at Heritage and Plaza Towers. It's an opportunity for families to engage in meaningful service without the pressure of evangelism, fostering a sense of love and compassion. Join us and discover how small acts of kindness can bridge gaps and enrich lives.
The Pastor in the Hat Podcast is a production of First Presbyterian Church Concord, CA
no-transcript. So come on in and make yourself at home. We'll be waiting for you. I'm your host, darrell McCollum, but you might know me from TikTok as Pastor in the Hat, and this podcast, hopefully, will be dropping every other Friday, giving you a sneak peek into our faith journey, where we'll wrestle with the Bible, we'll tackle tough questions and confront our doubts and fears head on. We'll also dive into the relevance of religion today and the importance of relationships, community and love as they intersect with our ever-evolving culture. Now Google told me that I need to introduce myself in this first episode and since I can't disappoint the algorithms in Silicon Valley, here's a little bit about your host.
Speaker 1:This gig is my retirement job, and yeah, that's a thing. Instead of losing my marbles sitting on a couch or morphing into one of the walking dead, I decide to keep myself busy, and lots of people do this. Lots of retired people do this. Some folks hand out carts at warehouse stores. You've seen them. Welcome to Sam's Club. Others answer questions for the weekend do-it-yourself warriors at home improvement centers. It's on the plumbing aisle, you know number 12, left side, bottom shelf, all the way towards the center aisle. And then there are those at the pinnacle of the retired job category, and these are the golf course marshals. They ride around in golf carts on beautiful grassy knolls and they tell people like me that I'm six minutes behind pace, all the while collecting every stray golf ball on the course. Man, what a gig. Well, I didn't get to get that gig because before I retired, I became a commissioned pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA PCUSA for those of you that are into acronyms and I'm out of the San Francisco Presbytery and you know, before retiring from the Navy and AT&T which I did for those two jobs for a little over 40 years probably, helping people discover their spiritual core is super satisfying. I'm really enjoying this job, plus researching and answering questions about faith, life and culture intersections it's really just kind of fun for me. So this is not something I don't enjoy doing. This is a lot of good stuff. So if you guys have questions or comments that you want to have discussed on this show, please send them to us and I'll tell you how later. Okay, we really want to get engaged with you because you know, everyone doubts God sometimes I know I do and many of us have questions that we're too scared or too embarrassed to ask, and I think that's why the amazing folks here at First Press requested this podcast, you know, so we can answer those questions and engage with those kinds of fears, and we're going to try to keep this podcast humorous with stories, participation, guests and even from you listeners. My daughter reminded me that my stand-up comedy and improv comedy training will finally get its time to shine on the podcast stage.
Speaker 1:With over 60 years of life experience and lots of friends that are older than me, there are plenty of personal stories to share that I hope will resonate with you and be relevant to this discussion about faith. For instance, in 2013, a bunch of us from different denominations got together to start a nonprofit called Praise in the Park, concord. I was board president for six wonderful years and during that time, especially the beginning, I felt compelled to write a book about church unity. Why? Because some churches backed out of our event when they found out that our headliner, matt Marr, a Catholic, was going to lead us in the first year. Yep, you heard that right. Some folks just couldn't set aside their dogma for one day to celebrate our shared love for Jesus. So, of course, I did what any 21st century person would do I posted a Facebook rant. That's right. I ranted, and that rant eventually turned into a short self-published book called In All Things Grace, a layman's take on church unity. Now, this journey of church unity has led me to explore potentially harmful beliefs that had been around for hundreds of years in the Christian faith and it's you know. I've learned that I need to try to love people as Jesus does and I'm not really good at it, and I don't think any of us are. That's a tough nut to crack, but we should try and I also learned to prioritize community over myself, you know so expect stories, hopefully relevant ones, that will help us understand that we're in this together.
Speaker 1:We'll aim to answer all your questions using scripture and solid external sources. All your questions using scripture and solid external sources. Advances in knowledge over the past few centuries have made us have to renegotiate our understanding of biblical texts. How do we account for that 14.3 billion year old universe? Right, but it's okay that we renegotiate. In our next episode, is the Bible True? We're going to look at examples of how the Old and New Testaments have been interpreted differently over the ages and by some people that you may not have expected. Spoiler alert we are not the first generation to do this. I hope this teaser brings you back, because our goal is to spark thought-provoking discussions and keep the conversation going with you.
Speaker 1:We're going to strive to deepen faith while examining new advancements in knowledge to better understand God's plan for us, and we'll also highlight events that strengthen our community and show love to our neighbors. Speaking of which, in mid-August we got a fantastic opportunity for families of all ages to combat the epidemic of loneliness right here in our neighborhood. We're going to gather on campus and make paper flowers and other crafts. Then we're going to visit residents of the Heritage and Plaza Towers across the street. Now these wonderful people have expressed to us that loneliness is a huge part of their lives and not a comfortable one, so we're going to combat that loneliness by having a sing-along and a hot dog dinner a perfect balance and chance to bond and serve our community with love. This is not going to be a time of going out and preaching Jesus to folks. This is just getting together as a community and helping one another.
Speaker 1:If this sounds like it's interesting to you and your family as an opportunity to teach the next generation how important it is to serve one another, you can contact us on Facebook, instagram or our website. Just search for First Presbyterian Church Conquered on Google. We'll pop up. And thank you for tuning in to the first episode of the Pastor in the Hat podcast. We hope that this was just the first of many. So be blessed, stay safe and keep well. God bless.
Speaker 1:Why do you wear color to me? I recognize how you can't get to me. So tell me, why do you wear color to me? I'm losing out On everything you color to me Now. Now they're really good. I love to be.
Speaker 1:Oh, come on, come on. They call in. Hear their cry. I'm looking. Join my side Fast, where he's gone In all this pain. I'm inside of the car of my day.
Speaker 1:So tell me, why do you wake up? Out of me, I reconcile. Are you banding to me? So tell me, why do you wait? Call out to me, I'm waiting. Now, I'll never leave. Call out to me People with the justice. The land drives in the flood. All penitents and refugees. Remember my spillboard. Let your heart be broken. Here's the mental change. My compassion's deep for those who call my name. So tell me, why do you wait? Come out to me, I'll reconcile All your bad intentions. So tell me, do you wake up and call out to me I'm with you now. I'm mad at you and call out to me. Why do you wake up and call out to me? I read the child. Are you mad at me? So tell me. I reckon I'm Like a man in tears, so tell me. Why do you wake? I love to be. I'm waking now. I've never Woke. I love to be Woke on a bed Woke. I like to be what's called a man. I'd like to be what's called a man. I'd like to be.
