Empire is creeping into every aspect of our lives. As the rise of tyranny threatens to infect religion and control the way we live with imperial pressure and influence, how can we be strong enough to resist?   Kat Armas combines spiritual practices and biblical theology to hep us create authentic belong to God, ourselves, each other and creation. This conversation will help you break down pervasive ideologies and empower you to live out the larger values of community, belonging and peace in God’s kingdom.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging and Peace in a Dehumanizing World (Daily Hope and Strength to Resist the Rise of Tyranny)” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Additional resources to decolonize your faith: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien The First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament by Terry M. Wildman Listen to Bri Strensrud talk about the Christian response to immigration on Episode 67 and Liliana Reza talk about what’s really happening at the US-Mexico border on Episode 121. Follow: @kat_armas | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

The mission of Jesus is to be known by love, so why is the church known for hate? John Fugelsang attempts to answer that question in his New York Times bestselling book “Separation of Church and Hate.”   If you’re concerned about the integration of politics and religion or you’re frustrated with the hypocrisy of American Christianity, this conversation will offer ways to live with people who are acting in bad faith. When you have a better understanding of scripture, you can let that truth - and the life of Jesus as your guide - lead you to fight for mercy and love as you join in reclaiming Christianity from the extremists.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Join Mosaic’s livestream community on Sundays at 9:30 ET. Follow: @johnfugelsang | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Growing up on the streets of Uganda gave Peter Mutabazi insight into the needs of vulnerable children. After a stranger saw potential him and introduced him to the fatherly love of God, his life changed in a way he never thought it would. Through taking risks, learning to forgive and breaking negative patterns, Peter became the Foster Dad Flipper. Now as an adoptive father of three and foster dad to more than 40 children, he’s making a positive difference in the lives of many kids and families.   This episode will help you grow in compassion and empathy as you unlearn stigmas and assumptions you likely have about the parents and families who find themselves struggling to care for their children. It will also provide practical ways you can help the families around you who are in the foster system.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Love Does Not Conquer All: And Other Surprising Lessons I Learned as a Foster Dad to More Than 40 Kids” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Episode 75 with Lovelyn Palm: When the Adoption Mission Goes Wrong Episode 130 with Dr. Terence Lester: From Dropout to Doctorate Follow: @fosterdadflipper | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

There’s a difference between living intentionally and just being busy. The key is to live with purpose and Nona Jones will help you find yours.   As a former executive at Meta, YouVersion and PACE Center for girls, Nona has taken her knowledge and expertise to audiences like Good Morning America, Better Together on TBN, ESSENCE, the Global Leadership Summit, Gloo, Christianity Today, the Holy Post Media Company and more.   Today, Nona will remind us where our confidence lies and how we can stay faithful to our call.   TW: brief mention of SA and suicidal attempts   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab The Gift of Rejection, Killing Comparison and Success from the Inside Out from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Join Mosaic’s livestream community on Sundays at 9:30 ET. Follow: @nonanotnora | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

If you were raised in a James Dobson household or Babywise was handed to you when you became a parent, you’ve likely been influenced by the myth of Good Christian Parenting. Though it appears to ensure you will raise obedient, faithful children, this Christian Parenting Empire really operates out of control, behavior modification and performance - not only the part of the child, but on the parents’ success as well.   Kelsey Kramer McGinnis and Marissa Franks Burt aren’t here to replace one system of compliancy with another, but they do want to show you how false promises have betrayed an entire generation of evangelical families and how it’s influencing Christian society on a larger scale today.   RELEVANT LINKS:   Grab “The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Betrayed a Generation of Evangelical Families” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon!   Read more through Kelsey’s cultural historian perspective on her substack.   For all things Kids and Faith: Meredith Anne Miller’s substack, book and Becoming Church episode 5.   For parenting the Spicy Ones: Mary Van Geffen’s classes and Becoming Church episode 43.   Follow: @kelseykmcginnis | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Who is Jesus to you? Savior? Friend? Healer? Provider? Homeboy? Have you ever considered Jesus as a leader? Leadership experts Kat Armstrong and Lyle Wells propose that Jesus was the greatest leader of all time because he led with focus, purpose and approachability.   In their new book Easy to Follow, you can learn to lead like Jesus in a compassionate, sustainable way. Jesus’ example will teach you how to redefine success, discover how to build trust and inspire loyalty, create a healthier culture, and avoid the pitfalls of secular leadership that damage teams and compromise values.   This conversation with Kat will help you be more like Jesus, no matter your level of leadership.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Easy to Follow: Trading Toxic Leadership for the Way of Jesus” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Join Mosaic’s livestream community on Sundays at 9:30 ET. Follow: @katarmstrong1 | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

The world is divided spiritually, politically, racially and socially. Luckily there are leaders like Latasha Morrison in the world who champion belonging, advocacy, collaboration and community. She is bringing her wisdom and years of experience with Be The Bridge to help us acknowledge our blind spots and pursue restoration through listening with empathy, learning with humility and advocating for justice.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Brown Faces, White Spaces: Confronting Systemic Racism to Bring Healing and Restoration” and “Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Follow: @latashamorrison | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

If heaven is our ticket outta here and hell is our punishment for not living good enough lives, is the whole point of following Jesus just to prove that we can do a good job? What does it mean for our lives here on earth in the meantime?   Brian Recker is here to propose how maybe Christianity has leaned a little too hard on the existence of a literal place called hell and how it’s gotten in the way of what it really means to know, follow and live out the gospel of Jesus.   RELEVANT LINKS:   Grab “Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians back from a Spirituality of Love” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon!   Read “God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible” by Vaughan Roberts for a better understanding of how scripture is interconnected.   Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for podcast episodes.   Follow: @berecker | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

What if having the answers isn’t what God wants for you? What if knowing why you’re doing something isn’t as important as obediently doing it, just because God has laid it before you? Dr. Heather Thompson Day wants you to stop asking God to reveal himself to you and live a life with his spirit in you on display.   This conversation will challenge you to put down your hopes and dreams and goals - not to live a numb life of safety or insignificance - but to lay down your metrics of achievement so you can fully participate in the work God has already invited you into. Dr. Heather provides a lot of questions for self-assessment and self-awareness so grab a pen, open your eyes and start listening for God’s answer in unexpected places.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “What If I’m Wrong: Navigating the Waves of Fear and Failure” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Follow: @heatherthompsonday | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Have you even been faced with the decision to live on the street? Or considered what your home life would have to be like to make that choice? This powerful conversation with Dr. Terence Lester will give many of us a perspective we’ve never even considered - what it’s like to experience homelessness - and why not everyone finds home on the other side of the street.   This episode will help us see how we can work together to develop and support impoverished families in our local schools and neighborhoods. Because even if you believe you’re unaffected by the disparity of educational inequity, you could still be the one to make it better for one person.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “From Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Terrence’s other books: I See You, All God’s Children, When We Stand, Zion Learns to See Get involved in Love Beyond Walls in your local community. Follow: @imterencelester | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

What was Jesus like as a kid? What about Peter, James, John and Andrew? Have you every wondered how the personalities of the disciples led to them becoming the men we read about in the gospels?   Light of the World is a new animated film that helps fill in some of these gaps as the story of Jesus is told through the eyes of the apostle John - in his youth! Brennan McPherson, the director of the movie, is here to explain how this perspective came to be. Plus you’ll hear real time reactions from my daughters on what they thought of this new movie by The Salvation Poem Project.   RELEVANT LINKS: Watch the Light of the World trailer Light of the World resources + free children’s ministry curriculum Follow: @lightoftheworldmovie | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Women have a hard time liking - or trusting - other women, even in the church. There are narratives that declare women as competitive, catty, drama queens, jealous, controlling and emotional. When you pair those popular cliches with lived experiences of mean girls, it can be hard to believe in the possibility of healthy female friendships. Natalie Runion believes that not only is there a better option available to us but that, as Christian women, it’s part of our Godliy mission to change it for future generations.   The episode will help you advance your Christian love past tolerance, learn how to rewrite the words that have stuck to you, and continue abiding in Christian community when it’d be easier to walk away.   RELEVANT LINKS:   Grab “I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies that Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for podcast episodes.   Resources on flipping the script of words that have been spoken over you:   Flip the Script by Brittany Estes Becoming Church 39: Flip the Script   Glow Up: A Teen’s Guide to Flipping the Script by Brittany Estes Becoming Church 115: It’s Time for your Glow Up   Follow: @raisedtostay | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

How did you have fun as a kid? And what convinced you to stop doing it?! Today, Kari Esmail will be our Fun Coach to help us find our play personalities and remember the importance of connection and creativity. You don’t have to wait until you earn enjoyment, it may actually be the answer to your spiritual exhaustion.   This episode will help you reignite the light of God’s spirit within you so you can live life to the fullest as Jesus said we were created to do. Fun isn’t something you have to clear your calendar for or add to your to-do list when you learn how to incorporate fun into what you’re already doing.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Fun Because” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Find your Play Personalities with this quiz. Episode 119: Now You Can Stop Running with Terry Crist   Watch Kristin’s sermon on recognizing the signs of spiritual exhaustion.   Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for podcast episodes.   Follow: @karithefuncoach | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Many of the world’s issues could be solved with a willingness to listen and learn from other people about their culture, experiences and story. Jenn Suen Chen is inviting you to the table with an eagerness to help you figure out what to say and how to share through shaping, undoing, awakening and reshaping.   “Dim Sum and Faith” will help you examine where God has been present in every joy and trial of your personal narrative as you courageously trust in the spiritual formation of your journey.   RELEVANT LINKS:   Grab “Dim Sum and Faith: How our Stories form our Souls” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon!   Work with Jenn as a Spiritual Director.   Follow: @jennsuenchen | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

No one truly has a Biblical Perspective. We read scripture through the lenses of our own culture, experience and education - which means we often interpret through individualism, patriarchy and even exclusion.   Pastor Zach Lambert has new lenses that will help us understand the Bible better: Jesus, context, flourishing and fruitfulness. Even if you’ve been kicked out of youth group or church multiple times - like Zach! - you can increase your Biblical literacy to engage with curiosity and learn to stop using out of context verses as Bible bombs you throw to end a conversation.   RELEVANT LINKS:   Grab “Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon!   Additional Tools for Biblical Literacy: Bible Project videos The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble The Bible App with different translations The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible How Can I Believe the Bible sermon by Pastor Kristin Surprised by Scripture by N.T. Wright Inspired by Rachel Held Evans Marty Solomon’s episode: Asking Better Questions of the Bible How the Bible Actually Works by Pete Enns Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by Brandon O’Brien     Follow: @zachwlambert | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Let’s face it: a beautiful, shiny, happy life sometimes feels more lackluster, dull or unfulfilling. When the world is frightening and the mental load is too much, when working to fulfill the needs of others leaves you without time to take care of yourself or when the hope you had for that particular prayer goes unanswered… it can be hard to love your life.   Rachel Awtrey, host of the “Real Talk with Rachel” podcast is bringing her bestie energy to the show today. This episode will help you redefine joy so you can find it in the messy, mundane and magnificent moments in life. God really is present in the details and by the end of this conversation, I hope you’ll be able to see him there more clearly.   RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “Love Your Life (Even when you Don’t Like it All the Time)” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for each episode.   Follow: @rachel.awtrey | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

When a 90s church kid from an immigrant family finds herself accidentally speaking out against mainstream church ideologies, the natural path to advocacy is comedy…right?! It was for Kristina Hart, who has learned to use humor as an open door to conversations that really matter.   This episode breaks down dating as a single adult, deconstructing traditional gender expectations, what happens when you stumble into political activism and the importance of choosing to see someone else’s humanity.   RELEVANT LINKS: Get your own “I’m a love your neighbor” shirt Kristina’s favorite Iranian + Persian creators to follow: Nazanin Nour + Nazanin Boniadi   Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for podcast episodes.   Follow: @itskristinahart | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

While others call him a prophet, he calls himself a poet. He’s also now a published author, here to talk all about the poems and essays in “A Rebellion of Care,” his moving manifesto that will invite you to embrace your humanity and live fully alive.   David and I talk about sustainability, social change, hyper-capitalism, pervasive loneliness, the epidemic of social isolation and mental health in men, as well as the exhaustion many Christians feel trying to cling their faith in this politically divisive timeline.   If you’re ready to use your cynicism for good and join in the rebellion against struggle and suffering, the wisdom of David Gate if waiting for you.     RELEVANT LINKS: Grab “A Rebellion of Care” from our Becoming Church resource list on Amazon! Sign up for Kristin’s newsletter to get reflection questions for each episode.   Read more from David on his Substack, A Rebellion of Care.   Follow: @davidgatepoet | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Immigration news is changing as quickly as we change the channel. It’s hard to keep up with accurate information, especially when misinformation spreads just as quickly. And does it really even matter? Should we care about what’s happening at the United States/Mexico border if we don’t live anywhere near there? Do we need to be informed about refugee policy if it doesn’t affect us?   Liliana Reza, the director of Border Engagement for World Relief, believes that it’s the responsibility, and the call, of all Christians to care about immigrants. This episode will provide information, correct terminology, resources, additional education and advocacy options. I pray you walk away with insight into who the people are that are coming into the USA, what the experience of crossing the border is like and what the Bible has to say about immigrants.   RELEVANT LINKS:   World Relief Information on Immigration Policies   How to be an Advocate for Immigrants   Resources + Advocacy with Women of Welcome (including Border Immersion Experiences)   Perspective Poem: Home by Warsan Shire   Follow: @lilireza | @kristinmockleryoung | @mosaicclt

Christianity is shaped by a mix of things: culture, time, leadership, politics, media and personal experience. But somewhere along the way, one specific expression of Christianity went off course and became a new thing, Christian Nationalism.   If you’re unsure about what Christian Nationalism even is, this episode will help you understand how it’s an off-shoot of Christianity. If you’re looking for language on how to talk with family members about this combination of faith and politics, this episode will provide you with language and resources that will help you stand confidently in your beliefs while also navigating those relationships. This is an important conversation for all Americans right now, even if you’re not a Christian, because it’s a political movement that is changing and creating the country we live in.   Thank you for doing the first step of listening to learn. My prayer is that God will reveal your next step - whether it’s in continued education, advocacy or joining the fight with your voice. I also encourage you to keep learning from the accounts and additional interviews below:   ADVOCACY GROUPS: LKN Troublemakers (local to Charlotte) Red, Wine & Blue (Find your city to make good trouble)   ADDITIONAL EPISODES ON CHURCH & POLITICS: Now What? (How to Move Forward Together When We’re Divided on Everything) with Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland I Think You’re Wrong but I’m Listening with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers How to be a Christian Post-Election with Ben Cremer OTHER PODCASTS TO LEARN FROM: Pantsuit Politics (Sarah Stewart Holland + Beth Silvers) Faith Adjacent (Erin Moon, Jamie Golden + Evan Dodson) Be the Bridge (Latasha Morrison) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Sharon MacMahon (Sharon Says So) Jessica Yellin Mosheh Oinounou (Mo News) Women of Welcome Little Justice Leaders