In this episode, Jenai Auman covers her personal experience of feeling othered within the church, and how that led her to write the book "Othered". She discusses the biblical themes of othering and marginalization, and how God pursues and cares for the marginalized. Jenai also shares insights on building healthy communities that welcome and embrace those who are different, centered on the "hesed" or steadfast love of God. We talk about the importance of self-compassion, forgiveness, and creating space for people to be in process as they journey together. Whether you’ve been othered or are lear ..read more

What would you do when all you’ve known disappeared? When the construct of your spiritual life was removed? Well, what Tony Jones did was enter wild places. In it, he found a new connection to God, to his dogs, to nature, and the world that is teeming with life. In this conversation, Tony shares about the ups and downs of ministry and family life and recalibrating his identity as he moved out of the vocational role as a pastor and into wild places. Join us as we discover the God who sees us and is with us even in creation  Tony Jones speaks, writes and podcasts from Minnesota, where he l ..read more

I can’t imagine coming home from preschool and being christened into the drug trafficking business by your father. But Dana Trent can because that’s exactly what happened to her. In this conversation, Dana and I discuss her story growing up with two mentally unwell parents as told through her excellent memoir Between Two Trailers.Dana shares experiences with childhood trauma, identity formation, and spiritual practices that aid healing. We discuss the role of Christian community in supporting mental health through practices like active listening, vulnerability, and meeting basic needs. She emp ..read more

There is a loneliness epidemic. We’ve lost our ability to connect to one another. In this conversation with Bryan Loritts we discuss the importance of enduring friendships. God's primary way of shaping people is through relationships with others and the Bible places a high premium on relationships, seen in concepts like the Trinity and salvation. Jesus modeled community by choosing 12 disciples to be with. We talk about the idea that friendships are important for accountability, correction and preventing isolation that can enable moral failure and the importance of being open and vulnerable wi ..read more

In this conversation, Rich Villodas and I focus on Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and what it means to follow the narrow path. We discuss how the Sermon on the Mount helps navigate cultural diversity, the differences between the narrow path and broad way of living, Jesus' teachings on topics like the Beatitudes, money, anxiety, and individualism vs communal life. We also talk about issues like peacemaking, witnessing one's faith, cultivating presence, and navigating spiritual forces that draw us away from God's kingdom. Throughout, Rich emphasizes how following Christ's difficult ..read more

Politics is a dirty word for a lot of people. We think about strife, conflict, waging war for power. But is there good news in politics? Well Ross Kane thinks so. In this conversation, we reflect on his latest book The Good News of Church Politics. Ross discusses how politics is about organizing common life and decision making in communities, large and small. He talks about how Jesus navigated politics skillfully in the Gospels. He also describes how congregations can cultivate "politics of love" by starting with caring for their own members and moving outward in concentric circles to care for ..read more

Christian extremism is on the rise in the United States. Elizabeth Neumann joins us to talk about what is happening, why it’s happening, and provides some pathways back to peace. She discusses how some churches have shifted away from Jesus' message of love towards a message of fear, grievance, and a desire to assert cultural power. She outlines the factors that have gotten us to this place like uncertainty, rapid social changes, and unmet needs for belonging and significance that can make people vulnerable to radicalization. However, the church can also provide healing and peace through commun ..read more

I have been a missionary and have trained and sent many missionaries. One of the things that we forget about is preparing for longevity. We often rely on ourselves, our own strengths and abilities to work for God. We have to figure out a way to work with God, be connected with Him, and follow His lead. In this conversation Jeremy and Monica provide insights into a healthy missional spirituality. They discuss their backgrounds in church planting, experiences with burnout, and insights on balancing mission and contemplation. They explore various spiritual practices that can be done individually ..read more

The world is noisy. It’s hard to listen, to pay attention, and attune to God. Jay Kim helps us do just that in this conversation. Jay shares his journey of learning to tune out distractions and align their life to God's frequency through daily habits of prayer, scripture reading, and creating space for listening. We talk about hearing God speak through diverse communities, listening and speaking across differences, and cultivating empathy through curiosity in conversations. Jay offers practical tips for incorporating rhythms that promote detachment from technology and create space to listen to ..read more

Often we look at communities which look broken and dysfunctional and we take them on as a problem to be solved. But long term change requires presence, love, and hope. In this conversation, Amy Williams, a hope dealer in Chicago talks about her experience living in a neighborhood with gang violence, visiting kids in jail, and doing youth ministry work for years. There is hope in the community and many of the solutions come from within that same community. We talk about the importance of listening to understand others, developing compassion, and finding identity and hope in God. So join us as w ..read more