Conversing with Mark Labberton

Electricity underwrites nearly every aspect of modern life, yet decisions about power, cost, and control are increasingly opaque. New York Times energy correspondent Ivan Penn joins Mark Labberton to unpack how data centres, AI, utilities, and politics are reshaping the grid—and who ultimately bears the cost.
"The real focus is who pays and who gets paid."
In this episode with Mark Labberton, Penn reflects on his journey into journalism, his unexpected path into energy reporting, and how covering power revealed the economic forces shaping daily life.
Together they discuss electricity as a moral and economic issue, the rise of AI-driven data centres, nuclear power's return, utilities versus tech giants, consumer vulnerability, racial inequity in journalism, and faith as a commitment to truth.
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Episode Highlights
"The real focus is who pays and who gets paid."
"Electricity is the most important resource we have."
"The utilities once the Goliath have suddenly become a David."
"We wouldn't have need for any of this if you didn't build a data centre."
"To be able to stop abuse with a pen is a powerful thing."
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About Ivan Penn
Ivan Penn is an energy correspondent for the New York Times, where he reports on electricity, utilities, nuclear power, data centres, and the economic forces shaping the energy transition. He has covered energy and utilities for more than fifteen years and has previously worked at the Los Angeles Times, Tampa Bay Times, Baltimore Sun, and Miami Herald. Penn's reporting has examined nuclear plant failures, grid reliability, climate pressures, and the growing influence of technology companies in energy markets. A longtime journalist shaped by investigative reporting, he is also attentive to issues of equity, public accountability, and consumer protection.
Penn is a graduate of the University of Maryland and was the first black editor-in-chief of its student newspaper. He also holds a master's in global leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University.
His work reflects a commitment to accuracy, fairness, and public service journalism.
Learn more and follow at nytimes.com/by/ivan-penn
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Helpful Links and Resources
Ivan Penn – New York Times profile https://www.nytimes.com/by/ivan-penn
The New York Times – Energy and Environment coverage https://www.nytimes.com/section/climate
Three Mile Island nuclear plant background https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners https://www.naruc.org
PJM Interconnection electricity market https://www.pjm.com
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Show Notes
Childhood shaped by public-school educators and nightly news rituals
Early journalism roots as school weatherman and student editor
Becoming first Black editor-in-chief at University of Maryland paper
"It was a powerful thing that I was able to experience."
Early reporting career across major regional newspapers
Assigned to energy and utilities beat as apparent punishment
Broken Crystal River nuclear plant sparks investigative focus
Anonymous source meeting at a Chili's launches major reporting trail
NRC documents unlock public-records investigation
Rare use of anonymous sources, reliance on verifiable documents
Sixteen years covering nuclear, utilities, and electricity markets
Nuclear renaissance promised dozens of reactors, delivered only two
Return of nuclear amid AI-driven electricity demand
Rise of small modular and advanced reactor proposals
Debate over safety, fuel design, and reactor scale
Data centers driving exponential growth in electricity demand
"Anything connected to the grid plays a role."
Grid costs shared across homeowners, businesses, and industry
Tech companies argue for shared infrastructure responsibility
Consumer advocates argue data centers cause new costs
Utility regulation spanning local, state, and federal levels
"The real focus is who pays and who gets paid."
Tech giants eclipse utilities as dominant financial players
Consumer advocates outmatched by utility and tech resources
Journalism as faith-shaped commitment to truth and fairness
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#EnergyPolicy #ElectricityGrid #Journalism #FaithAndPublicLife #AIInfrastructure #Utilities #ClimateEconomy
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Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

When public life feels loud and divided, what does quiet faithfulness look like? In the US House of Representatives, every legislative day begins with prayer. This responsibility rests with the chaplain of the house and shapes the daily spiritual rhythms of the institution.
"Chaplains aren't combatants. We carry no weapon."
On January 3, 2021, Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben was elected by the House to be its sixty-first chaplain. She offers daily prayer and steady pastoral presence and care in one of the most visible and contested institutions in American life.
In this conversation with Mark Labberton, she reflects on vocation, pastoral identity, pluralism, crisis leadership, prayer in public life, and the quiet discipline of blessing those entrusted with leadership. She reflects on her early call to ministry as a teen, her formation as a military chaplain to the Navy, a defining season in Afghanistan, and her unexpected path to serving in the House.
Together they discuss confidential care, advising leaders, the ministry of presence, praying across differences, the history of prayer in Congress, and how to bless leaders without turning prayer into a tool of ideology.
Episode Highlights
"I had a sense of call to ministry when I was about fourteen."
"Chaplains are where it matters, when it matters, with what matters."
"What is your theology of ministry?"
"It is the ninety-nine who were leaving the room that needed the shepherd."
"God is on his throne. He hasn't stepped down."
About Margaret Grun Kibben
Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben serves as the sixty-first chaplain of the United States House of Representatives. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she previously completed a thirty-five-year career in the US Navy, including service as the twenty-sixth chief of Navy chaplains and director of religious ministry for the Department of the Navy. In that role, she advised senior naval leadership and oversaw chaplains serving sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen around the world. She holds degrees from Goucher College and Princeton Theological Seminary and earned a doctor of ministry focused on theology and leadership. Her ministry has included deployments overseas and senior-level advisement in complex, pluralistic environments.
Helpful Links And Resources
Office of the Chaplain, US House of Representatives: https://chaplain.house.gov
US House Chaplain YouTube Channel (Daily Prayers before Sessions) https://www.youtube.com/@USHouseChaplain
January 6, 2026 Prayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQLhXt3gWBg
Show Notes
Call to ministry at fourteen; early clarity of vocation
Presbyterian upbringing and the influence of youth pastor Blair Mooney
Visit to the Naval Academy and discernment of Navy chaplaincy
Integrating Christian ministry with military service
"Chaplains aren't combatants. We carry no weapon."
Serving people in uniform, not serving an institution as ideology
Four core capabilities: provide, facilitate, care, advise
Religious pluralism in the armed forces; more than 200 faith traditions
Protecting sacraments, holy days, and dietary practices in deployment settings
Facilitating worship for traditions not one's own
Confidential communication and priest-penitent privilege across beliefs
"There is 100 percent confidentiality."
Advising commanders on ethics, conscience, and moral complexity
Early overwork, burnout, and lack of pastoral identity
Mentorship and formation in the first years of service
"What is your theology of ministry?"
Doctor of Ministry studies and theological self-understanding
Afghanistan deployment as convergence of preparation and calling
"There wasn't a day… that I didn't have a sense that God had prepared me for that particular moment."
Retirement discernment and formation of Virtue in Practice
Unexpected invitation to serve as Chaplain of the House
Bipartisan search process and interview experience
Ministry of presence during extended floor sessions and late-night votes
January 6: emergency, prayer, and calm in uncertainty
"It is the ninety-nine who were leaving the room that needed the shepherd."
Daily opening prayer as constitutional tradition since 1789
1774 Continental Congress and Psalm 35 as precedent
Political interpretation of prayer across American history
"Pray for and not pray on the members."
Crafting public prayer that blesses without excluding
"God is on his throne. He hasn't stepped down."
#MargaretGrunKibben #HouseChaplain #FaithAndLeadership #MinistryOfPresence #MilitaryChaplaincy #Prayer #ChristianVocation #Conversing
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

As we approach Ash Wednesday and the 2026 Lenten season, Makoto Fujimura's vision of slow art, hospitality, and kenotic creativity invites us to resist the speed, fear, and fragmentation of this cultural moment by learning again how to pay attention, to rest, and to become people capable of holding one another with care even amid grief, violence, and uncertainty.
In this conversation, fine artist Makoto Fujimura reflects on art, trauma, hospitality, and the slow practices that help us remain human in fractured times.
"I wanted this book to serve as a portal… to recognize something as maybe ordinary or as extraordinary as holding your granddaughter."
Together with Mark Labberton, Fujimura reflects on art as generativity, kenosis, and the healing practice of attention.
Together they discuss slow art, Ground Zero and trauma, Japanese aesthetics and hospitality, dandelions and attention, Sabbath rest, and self-emptying love. They explore how making art helps people remain human amid violence, polarization, and technological acceleration.
Episode Highlights
"I wanted this book to serve as a portal… to recognize something as maybe ordinary or as extraordinary as holding your granddaughter."
"We are not just making… we are being made."
"God is indeed the host."
"Art is… a way for us to navigate our complex times."
"It is okay for me to give my life away."
About Makoto Fujimura
Makoto Fujimura is a contemporary artist, writer, and cultural thinker known for "slow art" rooted in Japanese Nihonga painting traditions. His work explores generativity, culture care, theology of making, and the relationship between beauty and suffering. Having lived and worked near Ground Zero after 9/11, his artistic practice reflects themes of trauma, hospitality, and new creation. He is the author of Art Is: A Journey into the Light and other books on art, faith, and culture.
Helpful Links And Resources
Art Is: A Journey into the Light https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300273656/art-is/
Makoto Fujimura Website https://makotofujimura.com/art
International Arts Movement https://iamculturecare.com/
Art and Faith: A Theology of Making https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300285482/art-and-faith/
Show Notes
Lifelong friendship, artistic influence
Slow art as resistance to acceleration
Minneapolis demonstrations; dignity across legal status; 50,000 people marching in extreme cold as witness to human worth
"I was holding Jane."
Art as portal into ordinary life
Making and being made simultaneously
Scientist father, generative language framework
Kamakura childhood aesthetics
Insider–outsider identity formation
Japanese language, visual thinking, layered perception
Ground Zero studio years after 9/11 shaping imagination, community awareness, and artistic responsibility
Hospitality as artistic and theological practice
Survivor identity discovered through conversation with Columbine survivor
"God is indeed the host."
Attention, "minute particulars," and gratitude amid suffering
Dandelions meditation: beauty in unwanted places; seeds surrendering to wind; healing compacted soil; overlooked gifts of creation
Slow art practice: pausing, observing, letting meaning emerge rather than forcing conclusions
Sabbath, rest, and imagination as resistance to productivity-driven identity
Kenosis paintings, gold, generosity, and self-emptying love as cultural antidote
"It is okay for me to give my life away."
#MakoFujimura
#SlowArt
#CultureCare
#FaithAndArt
#Hospitality
#Kenosis
#CreativeProcess
#SpiritualFormation
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Singer-songwriter Jon Guerra joins Mark Labberton to explore devotional songwriting, public faith, and the tension between the kingdom of Jesus and American cultural power. Through music and reflection, Guerra considers how art can hold grief, courage, and hope together in turbulent times.
"Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one."
In this episode with Mark Labberton, Guerra reflects on songwriting as prayer, the call to love enemies, and artistic courage in moments of cultural crisis.
Together they discuss devotional music, George Herbert's influence, the Beatitudes and American culture, citizenship and immigration imagery, increasing polarization, suffering and grace, and the vocation of Christian artists.
Episode Highlights
"Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one."
"When Jesus says to love your enemies… he is giving us a means of survival."
"This is not sentimentality… the only way to resist becoming what one hates."
"My songwriting… would be a means of coming into contact with the invisible God."
"Beauty puts us in contact with invisible things."
About Jon Guerra
Jon Guerra is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas, known for devotional music that blends poetry, theology, and contemporary cultural reflection. His albums include Little Songs (2015), Keeper of Days (2020), Ordinary Ways (2023), and American Gospel. Guerra has also composed music for film, including Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019). The son of immigrants from Cuba and Argentina, his work often explores themes of citizenship, prayer, justice, and the teachings of Jesus. His songwriting draws inspiration from figures like George Herbert and Howard Thurman, and seeks to connect spiritual devotion with public life.
Helpful Links and Resources
Jon Guerra website: https://www.jonguerramusic.com/
American Gospel album: https://jonguerra.bandcamp.com
A Hidden Life film: https://www.searchlightpictures.com/ahiddenlife
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman: https://www.beacon.org/Jesus-and-the-Disinherited-P1781.aspx
The Porter's Gate: https://www.portersgateworship.com/
Show Notes
Devotional songwriting
George Herbert influence on the pursuit of prayerful craft
"Music for attending to the soul."
Monday morning prayer music framing devotional practice
Beauty and invisible realities in artistic experience
American Gospel song introduction and cultural critique
Beatitudes inversion in American culture
"How do I give Christ a say in this conversation?"
Love Your Enemies composition and album Jesus
Howard Thurman's influence on enemy-love theology (Jesus and the Disinherited)
Emotional formation through news, anger, and public life
Death of ego and kingdom discipleship
Kierkegaard and faith beyond ideology
Worship as reordering power
Kingdom of Jesus song and Pilate encounter
Allegiance to a greater kingdom beyond nationalism
Citizenship as foreignness imagery
Immigrant family background shaping songwriting
Citizens song written after 2017 inauguration
"Come to you because I'm confused."
Five-four musical structure expressing disorientation
Groaning beauty and Romans 8 resonance
Artists as "holy fools" naming reality
Moltmann and theology near the cross
Simone Weil: gravity and grace reflection
"Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one."
Hashtags
#JonGuerra
#DevotionalMusic
#LoveYourEnemies
#ChristianArt
#AmericanGospel
#PublicFaith
#Jesus
#Gospel
#SpiritualFormation
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.

When federal agents kill civilians and public outrage sweeps the nation, who gets to define justified force and who gets to hold power accountable? The killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti have sparked protests, national shutdowns, and fresh debate about what security should look like in America.
Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary for counterterrorism at the US Department of Homeland Security, joins Mark Labberton for a wide-ranging conversation about fear-based governance, moral responsibility, constitutional guardrails, and what faithful leadership looks like in a moment of political crisis.
"Cruelty is a deterrent."
In this episode with Mark Labberton, Neumann reflects on how Christian faith and public service shaped her national security career and why recent forceful immigration enforcement and lethal encounters challenge constitutional limits and moral clarity.
Together they discuss the moral and political meaning of the Minneapolis killings, trauma and vocation, immigration enforcement and democratic consent, fear-driven leadership, and how citizens and faith communities respond when institutions break down.
Episode Highlights
"Cruelty is a deterrent."
"I realized how much my hope and trust had been in man."
"We wrapped the flag around the cross."
"We see sufficiently, but not transparently."
"This is not normal, and this is not okay."
About Elizabeth Neumann
Elizabeth Neumann is a national security expert and former assistant secretary for counterterrorism at the US Department of Homeland Security. She served across three presidential administrations, including senior roles during the George W. Bush and Trump administrations, and worked extensively on counterterrorism, prevention of political violence, and domestic extremism. A frequent public commentator and congressional witness, Neumann has become a leading voice on the moral and constitutional dangers of fear-driven governance. Her work bridges public policy, trauma studies, and Christian ethics, particularly where political power collides with faith commitments. She is the author of Kingdom of Rage, a deeply personal and analytical account of extremism, nationalism, and the cost of unexamined allegiance.
Helpful Links and Resources
Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Rage-Christian-Extremism-Peace/dp/1546002057
Show Notes
Elizabeth Neumann's experience growing up in North Texas
Faith and party loyalty culturally fused
"To be a Christian meant you were a Republican."
Early fascination with politics and government service
University of Texas, late 1990s political climate
George W. Bush campaigns as formative training ground
Entry into White House work through campaign victory
Faith-based initiatives before September 11 reshaped national priorities
September 11 as lived experience, not abstraction
Crossing the 14th Street Bridge as the attacks unfolded
"We were under attack," and nothing felt safe
Fog, confusion, smoke, radios, and unanswered phone calls
Trauma before resilience, fear before context
Learning endurance from older colleagues who said, "We will get through this."
Trauma as vocational fuel
Hypervigilance, workaholism, and mission-driven identity
National security as moral calling rather than career ambition
Warning from a CIA colleague: rebuild a cadence of normal life
Vigilance versus fear-driven overwork
Marriage, family, and a season of spiritual deepening
Scripture as disruption: Jeremiah 17 and misplaced trust
"I realized how much my hope and trust had been in man."
Public policy confidence challenged as spiritual idolatry
Russell Moore sermon and the shock of naming Christian nationalism
"We wrapped the flag around the cross."
Cultural Christianity exposed as formation, not gospel
Deconstructing politics without deconstructing faith
Becoming comfortable with ambiguity and moral gray
Labberton on seeing "through a glass darkly"
Interpretive humility versus certainty culture
Returning to government during the Trump administration
Saying yes out of mission, not agreement
Guardrails inside government: translating impulse into lawful action
Illegal orders, pressure, and survival mode governance
Lafayette Square as turning point
Peaceful protesters met with militarized force
Optics over constitution
Immigration enforcement reframed as cruelty-based deterrence
"Cruelty is a deterrent."
ICE, CBP, and DHS operating outside traditional norms
First, Second, and Fourth Amendment violations described
Warrantless searches and administrative authority
Law enforcement trained for war zones policing civilian streets
Rapid ICE expansion without vetting or adequate training
Fear rhetoric inside agencies creating enemy mentality
Officers taught to expect violence from the public
Predictable escalation and preventable deaths
Moral injury to agents and terror inflicted on communities
"This is not normal, and this is not okay."
Democracy requires consent of the governed
Public trust collapsing when law breaks the law
Call for stand-down, retraining, and accountability
Faithful resistance as moral clarity, not partisan alignment
#ElizabethNeumann #FaithAndPolitics #NationalSecurity #ImmigrationCrisis #MoralCourage #PublicFaith
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.