In our second conversation with marriage and family therapist Molly LaCroix, she again uses the lens of Internal Family Systems to teach us how to approach our own internal worlds with curiosity and compassion. She discusses her new book, Journey to Shalom, and how reimagining the sacred stories of scripture can help us build a bridge to our own internal world. If you loved our first conversation with Molly, don’t miss it!
Today we talk with Kristyn Komarnicki and Shae Washington of Oriented to Love, a dialogue program of Christians for Social Action. These dialogues are a brave space for Christians of different sexual orientations, gender identities, and theological convictions to pursue unity that is deeper than agreement, and to practice discerning the image of God in someone you disagree with. Kristyn and Shae teach us how to approach our own “other” with the posture of a learner and embrace the pain and vulne...
In today’s interview, Alice Fryling, one of the most influential voices in modern spiritual direction, shares her story and how she discovered the art of spiritual listening and spiritual direction. She explains that the essence of spiritual direction is listening. And when we listen to people, we love them - and love heals. It is a healing ministry. She describes the mystical experience of direction in which you come alongside another and help them listen carefully to the whispers and direction...
Today we welcome back one of our favorite guests, ethicist Dr. David P. Gushee! In this interview we dig more deeply into his story of being cancelled by the evangelical subculture after changing his mind on LGBTQ+ theology, and how he has rebuilt after evangelicalism. He offers a vision of Christian humanism in which the infinite value of the human moves back to the center of our theology. Throughout this conversation we explore different ways of practicing Christian community that help break t...
If you feel ecclesiologically homeless in the larger church landscape and unsure where you fit, but know that you’re not ready to give up on the church. If you want to be a part of reimagining what the church looks like for our current moment - this conversation is for you! Today we talk with Keri Ladouceur, cofounder of the Post-Evangelical Collective - a community built to help you reimagine a new way forward. Keri shares her story of being shattered by faith, when all of her ways of being fel...
Today Dr. Dwight Radcliff, Academic Dean for the William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies at Fuller Seminary shares his story, his calling, and own personal journey from CD burning youth pastor to hearing David’s cries in the voice of Biggie and Tupac. We learn about Dr. Radcliff’s “Hip-Hop Hermeneutic” - a bi-focaled lens that brings nitty-gritty full humanity to scriptural interpretation. Dr. Radcliff reminds us that if the word of God is alive, it’s full of emotion, and looking at s...
Have you ever felt like a ministry refugee? Like your spiritual home became uninhabitable and you were forced to flee? Today we interview Dr. Cameron Lee, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, who uses the image of “ministry refugee” to name the experience of so many who have lost their spiritual homes and are left feeling war-torn, traumatized, and lost. Dr. Lee uses his background as a marriage and family therapist to look at the church through the lens of a family system. Through this l...
In today’s interview, Chris gives voice to the deep feelings and burning questions of evolving faith. He describes the deep feelings of loneliness, the loss of identity and the wondering, “How did I get here?” Yet by embracing the mess and letting go of certainty, he unearthed a more beautiful vision of God’s love. By sharing his story, Chris reminds us that this journey of evolving faith is simply what honest faith looks like - and invites you to join him on that journey. Read Chris’s full Face...
How can you be a person of peace in a world that demands you take sides? In today’s episode, pastor Joel Fredrikson offers practical steps for navigating conflict and escaping the black-and-white, tribalistic mindset that dominates our (church) culture. In the face of a culture that views compassion and curiosity as weakness, he offers a different way of thinking about peacemaking that is rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus. He rejects the formulaic mindset of “3 Simple Steps to Peacemakin...
Do you wonder why Christians talk so much about love, but can fail to be loving when you need it most? Due to fear of vulnerability, Christians often struggle with being a supportive presence in one another’s lives during times of suffering. In this conversation with Molly LaCroix, a licensed marriage & family therapist, author, & speaker, we explore how to love God and others by loving all parts of yourself. By looking at the roots of our vulnerability, Molly offers practical ways to tr...
On her 31st birthday, Whitney Simpson had a stroke, and she experienced God in an MRI machine. In this conversation, Whitney shares how that moment led her into a deeply embodied spirituality. Her story invites you to use your body to listen for God - to know how your body and your spirit intertwine. She teaches you how to be present to yourself so that you can be present with God. Her gentle reminder is that it is impossible to be connected to your spirit and disconnected from your body. Today,...
As humans we are driven by the fundamental need to connect. In this interview, Krispin Mayfield, author and licensed professional counselor, uses attachment science as a framework to understand how that need to connect impacts the ways you interact with God. He describes the three attachment styles - Anxious, Shutdown, and Shame-based - and offers practical tools to heal your attachment with God. If you are longing to not only know that God loves you, but feel and experience that love, attachmen...
Today Esther sits down with Danielle Shroyer - spiritual director, author, speaker, and former pastor. We chat about her most recent book Original Blessing: Putting Sin in its Rightful Place and dig into questions like… What would it look like if you decided you wanted to let go of the idea of original sin? Can you believe in original goodness and still be an orthodox Christian? What does Genesis 3 mean if it doesn’t mean you are fundamentally broken? Why did Jesus come into the world if it wasn...
Today we bring you our conversation with Kristin Barnett, Operations Director of the non-profit Neighborly. Neighborly is a relationship-based poverty relief organization advocating for biblical justice. Their mission is to deinstitutionalize charity by helping you become friends with those at a disadvantage. Kristen shares the story of Neighborly and how it has grown and evolved by humbly listening to the needs of its people. She teaches you about Neighborly’s fundamental belief that helping wo...
What does it look like for indigenous people to worship God with the fullness of who they are? In this interview, Dr. Kenny Wallace shares his story as an African-American Choctaw Pawnee who is living out his Christian faith in the way that was gifted to him as an indigenous person. Dr. Kenny helps us explore what it means for indigenous people to worship God in ways that honor their culture and identity. Dr. Kenny graciously answers our questions as we dive into the messiness of exploring racis...
Today we sit down with Dr. Vince Bantu, Assistant Professor of Church History and Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Vince shares his story of growing up in racially segregated St. Louis with the idea that he needed to leave his culture and context behind in order to truly follow Jesus. He helps us unpack the ways whiteness has overtaken our understanding of what it means to be Christian. Dr. Vince powerfully reminds us that there is no way of following Jesus that is un cul...
Today Beth and Esther sit down with one of their favorite seminary professors Dr. Larry Caldwell to talk about how we can interpret the Bible in culturally relevant ways. Whether you’re a person in ministry wondering how to make the gospel relevant in your context or a person who’s always been intimidated by biblical interpretation because you’re never sure if you’re “doing it right,” this conversation is for you! Dr. Larry helps us unpack questions like how do we honor and value the way other p...
Does God’s call to love our enemies apply even to our theological enemies? In this conversation, Dr. David Williams, president of Taylor Seminary, helps us to expand our notion of hospitality to include welcoming the theological stranger. How do we, as Christians, display the reality of God’s kingdom in the way we treat each other? How do we earn the right to speak the truth by listening well? Does our listening show our love, or our desire to win the theological argument? And what is at stake i...
In this episode, co hosts Esther and Melissa sit down to talk about People Who See’s Beloved Cohort. Esther shares the story of how she designed the cohort and what it has meant to her to begin to see herself as the Beloved of God. She shares who she designed the cohort for, and how she believes beginning to see oneself through Eyes of Love changes everything. Melissa shares her experience of being a part of the Beloved cohort, and how finding an identity rooted in Belovedness has helped her exp...
If you are wondering how to remain Christian after Evangelicalism, this interview is for you. Today we sit down with renowned author and Christian ethicist Dr. David P. Gushee as he shares his story of being forcibly propelled from Evangelicalism after calling for LGBTQ+ inclusion. Through his book After Evangelicalism, Dr. Gushee helps us to expand our vision of what Christianity can be, and charts a theological course for those of us wondering what’s left after evangelicalism. You can connect ...
Today we interview Amanda Waldron - a Faith Deconstruction & Reconstruction Mentor + Clinical Social Worker. You can find her at the intersection of mental health, social work, and theology. She supports thoughtful Christians and communities who are wrestling through big doubts and questions and hope to stay within the Christian faith while finding more ease and wonder in the process. Her goal is to help people ask different questions and widen the lens of what can be possible in their Chris...
In this interview, self-described pastor + spiritual misfit Joy Vetterlein shares her story of moving from poster child for Christianity to spiritual misfit - from growing up in the church and working in ministry to embracing a faith free of religious rules. If you have ever felt like you just don’t fit in the versions of Christianity you’ve been handed, Joy is here to help you name your experience, feel a little less alone, and embrace your identity as a spiritual misfit. Find Joy on her websit...
How does trauma affect your soul? How does it affect the way you care for your soul? And how do you even begin to care for your soul? How can you show up for someone else in the midst of their trauma? What’s the difference between trauma and just a difficult situation? And why isn’t the church acknowledging we need trauma-informed care? Are there ways in which the trauma of women and the stories they tell about it are ignored, especially by the church? Can spiritual direction be a critical part ...
TW: suicide, self-harm In this Interview, Lesli Hudson-Reynolds gives us the gift of their story and helps us more fully understand the complex nature of our relationships with the church. They help us understand that for many, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, the church is not only a place of hurt but of trauma, and choosing to return to church is a long, slow, and complicated process of wrestling with trauma and choosing to risk vulnerability. They offer us practical suggestions to ...
In our final installment of our church series, Pastor Joel Fredrikson challenges us to reject the formulaic, one-size-fits all understanding of the life of faith and instead learn to embrace the long, slow work of ministry that embodies the fierce love of Jesus. He encourages us to use Love as our litmus test for authentic faith and community, and to unravel our cultural values from the way of Jesus.
In part 3 of our “Why Church?” series, Sara Nelson talks about her journey in ministry as a whole person - as a woman, a mom, and a social worker, and how all of those identities allow her to truly love people as they are. She teaches us about a practical kind of love that drives her ministry and rejects formulas for faith. Sara reminds us that the church should unify rather than divide, and that we are so much stronger together than we are apart. Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https:/...
In part two of our series, “Why Church?” we talk with Pastor Oscar Mata about how the church can fulfill Jesus’s final prayer for his church by cultivating a diverse but united church, and how we can become agents of change so that the church can begin to value what its people actually need: love & belonging over performance & perfection. Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC...
In part one of our series, “Why church?” Pastor Matt Morrison teaches us about church history, gives us some context for the once-every-500-years-church-reform moment we’re finding ourselves in, and helps us to imagine (and maybe even help create!) a more vital, faithful, and inclusive church even in the midst of an ever-changing world. Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC...
In our quick season two opener, meet our new cohost, Melissa, hear about our September church series, and get a sneak peak of some of the amazing guests we have coming for you in season 2!
Bye-bye Season One, Hello Season Two! In this quick episode, we say goodbye to Season One and have some special announcements about Season Two, our summer break, and the big changes to come. Be sure to listen and we’ll see you in September with some exciting changes for the People Who See Podcast! Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC...
