Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Well you're not alone. In today's episode, we're going to unpack that question, exploring how the Bible helps us to process this contradiction. We'll also discuss how to weather the difficult moments in our own lives, and then how we can sit with others with empathy and love when they are moving through tough times. —ResourcesSarah Bessey: Miracles and Other Reasonable ThingsPeter Enns: Odds and Enns SubstackBema Disciples...

Sometimes a shared felt experience is worth looking at in a new light. So in today’s episode, we’re looking at the coronavirus pandemic in the context of the Exile story from the Old Testament.Walter Brueggemann says that when we go through a community-wide trauma like the exile, we tend to move through three stages: interpretation, reflection and anticipation. Together, we can consider what felt true in the collective trauma of Covid over the past four years; and how the Israelites lear...

Get ready, we’re talking about all the things. Feminism, Sodom and Gomorrah, patriarchy, inclusivity, hell, sexual identity, and the Barbie movie.It was a crazy emotional week and we found it impossible to talk about one thing without all the others. Ultimately, in today’s episode, we’re looking towards God's heart for the oppressed and his radical inclusion and empowerment of all people. This is how we know that God is good for everyone. And this is what we are so passionate about. We a...

Have you ever gotten waxed, had a panic attack and then met God? Have you ever “prayed” about your partner and then realized you were complaining and that is why God gave you BFFs? Have you ever wanted so badly to pray like you were seven years old again? Well don’t worry because SO HAVE WE!In this episode, we share some stories that have become cornerstones in our prayer life. We talk about how God is always present and pursuing us, so the entry point to prayer is super easy. Also, we laugh ...

Here is a quick imaginative prayer exercise that you can try for yourself, in real-time, while you're listening. This is a method of connecting with God where you envision yourself stepping into a story from the Bible to encounter Jesus.The beauty of this approach to prayer is that you don't have to say anything out loud, you don't have to be creative, or find just the right words. You don’t have to know the Bible inside and out. This practice we’re about to do together is meant for you to si...

It's our very first interview! We're honored to chat with Aaron Thomas, founder of Seeds and Water Collective, about his journey through prayer, the importance of Sabbath rest, and how deconstruction has shaped it all. Over the past 22 years, Aaron has been a teacher, coach, pastor, and entrepreneur, coming alongside church planters, pastors, nonprofit leaders, and marketplace entrepreneurs across the United States and Europe. He is passionate about identifying and creating pathways for resto...

We’re taking on the hermeneutics of self-creation, which is a fancy way to say how we interpret our self to ourselves. We all have a story that we believe about who we are, and that story impacts the way we present ourselves to others.In today’s episode, we share some of our own stories and how we have chosen to “re-story” ourselves as we have looked for healing. We also share some of the pathways and tools we’ve used along the way, in hopes that they might be helpful in your own journey. Get...

The Bible offers an alternative or sometimes even opposing narratives to our post-modern culture context. While the world offers us value systems based on consumerism, nationalism, capitalism, and celebrity, the Bible is quite literally Gospel, which is from the Greek for “good news.” In today’s episode, we compare and contrast these narratives and examine what Gospel means in our current context, with the help of Gabriel Fackre’s framework for narrative theology, which we will be unpacking o...

In today’s episode, we explore theology, using Dorthee Soelle’s definition, “an invitation to think deeply about God.” Everyone has a theology, even if they don’t realize it. We want you to feel empowered to take ownership over your personal theology.Throughout our discussion, we dig into the differences between orthodoxy and theology. We also look at personal stories that kickstarted the development of our own theology.— Theology is ever evolving, even in the Bible— God is safe— God’s heart ...

In this episode, we explore how we implicitly interact with our theology and how using different metaphors can give us a renewed access point with God. Sometimes we have to use our hard and painful moments to sense God’s nearness. This is a valid and important experience to note and be curious about in your life! That’s because God is so very near to our suffering, as we talked about in Episode 01. However, there is a case to be made for why and how we can also access God’s nearness in the be...

In this very first episode, we’re examining the story of Easter juxtaposed with one of our personal stories. Each of us has been through a lot, and have had the opportunity to deconstruct our faith. At this point in our journeys, we still think there’s something beautiful to hold onto: we’ve found that looking at the story of the Bible through a new lens can bring much healing and life.When it comes to the Easter story in the Christian faith, we both believe that all of human suffering is hel...