We have been discussing the validity of not attending church and how that can be spiritually healthy. Sarah Stevens from the Beautifull Project shares here story about how she left the church--and why it has been so life-giving.

The Story of Self-Discovery

Dec 1st, 2018 17m 33s

An alternative reading of the prodigal son shows us that (maybe, just maybe) we need to be the younger son sometimes. [By Brandon Carleton]

When the Problem Is Actually the Solution

Nov 6th, 2018 34m 51s

The problem may actually be the solution to the problem. We must listen to and learn from the problem instead of automatically getting rid of it. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

It's the Motive that Matters

Oct 30th, 2018 40m 17s

Just because something looks good on the outside doesn't mean it's good on the inside. Sometimes seemingly significant things are fear-based and done to manipulate, while seemingly insignificant things are freedom-based and done for love. [By J

The Parable of the Sower

Oct 29th, 2018 23m 11s

Who is in? Who is out? Who is worthy of our time, love, compassion? Might we never fully understand the story of Jesus? [By Brandon Carleton]

God Doesn't Look Like God

Oct 24th, 2018 36m 49s

We often miss what God is doing and what God is saying because we don't think God should look like that. We don't think God should look like God. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

The Container and Its Contents

Oct 24th, 2018 29m 33s

We often use ideologies to cover over the painful inconsistencies in life. What if the inconsistencies didn't need to be covered over? What if there was beauty and meaning found in them? [By Jason Holtgrewe]

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Oct 22nd, 2018 19m 13s

What does godliness look like? Sometimes it looks "unclean" or it looks like sin. Sometimes it looks small and weak. Sometimes it looks like failure. [By Brandon Carleton]

The Arrogance of Converting

Sep 4th, 2018 26m 50s

Pastors often say, "Go and tell people about Jesus." But what Jesus do they mean? [By Brandon Carleton]

Expectations vs. Reality

Aug 16th, 2018 22m 14s

We often only interact with the idea of people, who we expect them to be, instead of interacting with who they truly are. [Brandon Carleton]

Responding from the "First Half" of Life

Jul 30th, 2018 21m

When anxiety, fear, or other painful and difficult situations arise, we tend to revert to our thinking marked by the "first half" of life instead of staying in the "second half" of life. [By Brandon Carleton]

The Spirituality of Atheism

Jul 19th, 2018 21m 37s

Anyone can teach us anything. Atheists can teach us a lot about how to navigate the world in a healthier way. What can we learn from atheists about sprituality? [By Brandon Carleton]

What Do We Do With Paul?

Jun 19th, 2018 21m 37s

The Bible has done a lot of harm to Christianity and the world as a whole, especially Paul's writings. When a sacred text gets used to cause harm, what do we do with that? [By Brandon Carleton]

Embracing Life's Exceptions

May 8th, 2018 28m 11s

We so desperately want to make life "work," that we give ourselves only to the rule, the order, or a formula. But life is often lived in the exceptions. God embraces the exception. So should we. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

Love Over Loyalty

May 8th, 2018 33m 14s

Loyalty has it's place. But we're meant to evolve from loyalty to love. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

95/5 - Rethinking How We Navigate Conversations

May 2nd, 2018 18m 17s

Brandon talks about how most of our conversations are about what we disagree about, not what we agree about. [By Brandon Carleton]

Raising Girls to be Brave Not Perfect

Apr 24th, 2018 30m 51s

Sarah Stevens, Executive Director of Lead(h)er, talks about her amazing work mentoring women through Lead(h)er. Listen to learn about her essential work in the Quad Cities. Listen to be inspired and challenged about the importance of women ment

Following Rules--So You No Longer Need To

Apr 20th, 2018 41m 58s

Rules, laws, obligatory practices, limit situations, etc., have their time and place. And we need to live them. But they're not an end to themselves. We're always meant to move beyond the "letter of the law" to what's actually life-giving. We'r

New Life Needs the Wounds

Apr 9th, 2018 28m 25s

The resurrection isn't as much about believing what happend then but living what's happening now. How might we live it? We often idealize or romanticize what new life looks like. The reality is that Jesus' new life included and needed the scars

The Hero's Journey

Apr 9th, 2018 41m 2s

We tend to celebrate celebrities instead of classic heros and heroines. "The Hero's Journey" is a classic story of how someone "wakes up" to who they are and what their actual life is about. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

The Hero’s Journey

Apr 9th, 2018 41m 2s

How Paul Pimped a Butterfly

Mar 28th, 2018 36m 1s

The Apostle Paul's story is a great lesson on the journey from the first-half of life to the second-half of life. The same is true of Kendrick Lamar. [By Aubrey Barnes]

Grieving Our False Identities

Mar 22nd, 2018 38m 18s

One of the movements that characterizes the first-half of life to the second-half of life is the congruence between who we are and what we do. We have to grieve our false identities in order to live our true identity. [By Jason Holtgrewe]

We're All (Dry) Drunks

Mar 16th, 2018 26m 14s

Richard Rohr says: "Wisdom seeing has always sought to change the seer first, and then knows that what is seen will largely take care of itself." In this episode, we talk about three ways or movements that are about changing ourselves--so we ca