If on your journey, you are stuck because you think you don’t deserve anything from God, you are going to love the next story in Luke 7:1-10.The story starts off with Jesus entering Capernaum, a town in Galilee. The Jews in this area were not a

Chapter 9: Hope for a Shame Filled Judger

Apr 8th, 2020 23m 8s

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into

Loving Your Enemies Ain't Easy

Apr 8th, 2020 12m 31s

My friend Karen is one of the happiest, craziest people I’ve ever met. I’ve never had a discussion with her where I didn’t end up feeling better. She is the most free-spirited person I’ve ever known. If there is any person I’d describe as full

Better Than #Blessed

Mar 22nd, 2020 13m 16s

7. Better Than #Blessed(Luke 6:17-26)When I lived in North Carolina, I taught English to migrant workers, and I had the privilege of meeting some of the most amazing Christians I’ve ever known. I would often come home from work and find present

If It Doesn't Feel Like Rest, It's Not

Mar 21st, 2020 15m 23s

6. IF It doesn’t Feel Like Rest, It’s Not(Luke 6:1-12)Anza was a young Mexican mom who came to my English classes. I invited her to church and she was thrilled to join me. Her first Sunday in the Hispanic church, she watched everything I did an

Problem Kids, Drunks, Traitiors, and Other People Jesus Likes Hanging Out With

Mar 20th, 2020 25m 20s

5. Problem kids, drunkards, traitors, and other people Jesus likes hanging out with.(Luke 5:12-39)Tears suddenly welled up in Celeste’s eyes. I was shocked. Why was this confident, beautiful business woman crying? I had simply told her I though

Freak-out Worthy Acceptance

Mar 20th, 2020 13m 46s

4. Freak-out-Worthy Acceptance(Luke 4:38- 5:11)I wish I could go back through time and hand-deliver this book to all of the survivors I’ve known through the years. I’d write a personal apology in the front of each book.It would say, “I’m sorry

Homeless and Full of Peace and Hope

Mar 20th, 2020 26m 18s

3. Homeless and Full of Peace and Hope(Luke 3)Jeanette is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet. She is AH-MAZING. Every time I see her, she encourages me more than most anyone I have ever known. When I think of what it means to be a

The Virgin Mary and Hope For Your Not-So-Holy Struggles

Mar 19th, 2020 26m 7s

So...chapter two. We’ve been together for a few pages; it’s time for me to make things really awkward. Let’s talk about sex and religion! I promise, no matter what you have going on in your sex life, there really is hope for you in the story of

Peace Hope and Doubts

Mar 19th, 2020 25m 4s

I have a good friend, Liz, who grew up going to a Catholic church. She tells me not to talk to her about religion. She says she generally hates Christians, but I’m “OK” with her because in her words, I’m not “weird about my religion.” Usually,

Fighting church Frustration: Intro to John

Apr 25th, 2019 17m 24s

It is no secret that I am wrestling with frustration over problems in American church culture. I see a lot of hurt in the world and a lot of broken systems that are supposed to be addressing those hurts but are instead causing hurt. What do I d

Rising Above Shame Culture After Divorce

Apr 17th, 2019 32m 12s

In this interview, my friend Elaina openly shares some of the hurt and shame that was heaped on her in church culture after getting a divorce. She also shares how she learned to rise above it, in a powerful example and lesson for us all about h

How Context Freed Me From a Comically Ridiculous Trap

Apr 10th, 2019 16m 27s

I once tried to "imitate the mind of Christ" in my own strength. It was a comical and painful trap. If I had read the entire letter where this challenge is found, I would have been freed and empowered.

The Freaking Awesomeness of Cultural Context

Apr 3rd, 2019 15m 21s

In this episode, I talk about my struggle with trying to live up to religious ideals that I was never good at, especially all of those conferences on the Proverbs 31 woman, ugh! When I studied the culture of the stories of Jesus, I found a much

Reading the Bible Through the Filter of Religion vs. Faith

Mar 26th, 2019 14m 31s

Most of the ugly parts of religion are caused by seeking to control what is uncontrollable. This leads to fear which promotes all kinds of evil. Jesus showed us how to live in faith and free ourselves from religion. When we read his stories to

Listener's Rum and Cola for the Soul Ad

Mar 25th, 2019

A devoted listener wrote this spoof ad for my podcast and blog perhaps inspired by some actual rum and cola. We had a lot of fun producing it. I love that she thought of me!

Jesus Isn't Like That! Why I Am Still a Christian

Mar 19th, 2019 18m 9s

A look at the hurt American church culture has caused and how I believe that Jesus taught us a better way.

Freedom From Addiction

Jan 1st, 2019 33m 11s

Charity began her recovery process at His Mansion Ministries and continues to grow through Celebrate Recovery Intro and outro music by Claudius Cooper

Freedom from Shame

Dec 5th, 2018

In this interview, I talk to a survivor of sexual abuse and her journey as a Christian to find complete freedom from shame and regret.Intro music is by Claudius Cooper

Reading the Bible for Yourself...How it Changes Everything

Nov 16th, 2018 34m 53s

In this episode, I mention the Blue Letter Bible app which is a helpful free app available for free. There is also a Kindle download of the Bible from the same makers. They keep it free by promoting a lot of religious products, but the app is g

Churches Suck at Building Community and Millennials Are Our Hope!

Nov 1st, 2018 32m 25s

In this episode, I continue discussing the issues of community brought up in the interview with Nathan and Amanda. I think American church culture is far from what Jesus intended and I want to be different.

Real Life Struggles of a "Model Christian Couple" part 2

Oct 25th, 2018 32m 25s

In this episode, Nathan and Amanda talk about how their struggles impacted their relationship with each other, God, and other people. They talk about hurtful things in church culture for people who are struggling. Specifically, quick fixes, and

Real Life Marriage Struggles of a "Model Christian Couple"

Oct 25th, 2018 30m 59s

Nathan and Amanda Felkel have been married for five years. In this time, they have been through a lot of struggles, including mental illness and Amanda being diagnosed with a seizure disorder (which was a misdiagnosis and she thankfully has bee

Freedom from Religions Condemnation, The Woman Caught in Adultery

Oct 4th, 2018 30m 5s

Some fundamentalists take exception to the common belief that John did not write the story of the woman caught in adultery. However, the fact that the early church clung to this story shows how important it was to them which means it demonstrat

Introduction to Rum and Cola for the Soul

Oct 4th, 2018 10m 57s

Reading the Bible the way that your high school English teacher taught you to read literature reveals a whole different Jesus than the one most of American church culture is following. We like to say that Christianity is a relationship not a re