Better on the Inside

Jenai Auman is an absolute delight! I really enjoyed our conversation, which was filled with a lot of joy, even though it was about something terrible: spiritual abuse. Jenai and her family have a story all too familiar: going from excited church planters to wounded exiles, hobbling out of a community they loved and wanted to protect. While she is still healing, Jenai is telling her story and creating something beautiful from the ashes of her experience. And honestly, the future of the church belongs in the hands of folks like Jenai Auman.

Want to connect with Jenai? You can find her and everything she's doing at https://www.jenaiauman.com/ or @jenaiauman on the socials.

If you want to continue the conversation, you can join the Better on the Inside Facebook Group or follow @jonpyle on Twitter.

Corey Winfield is an Eagle. I tease him about it, but he truly flies above all the mess and sees the world from a unique (often higher) perspective. We worked together at CityChurch but eventually Corey's story sent him away… and got very interesting.

Tracey Gee is a BOSS! I met her through Twitter and found her leadership insight and coaching invaluable but also accessible. So often “leadership” is a buzzword that doesn't really help most people or even a term that feels icky to some, especially in the church world. But that's not Tracey.

If you want to continue the conversation, join our Facebook Group http://Facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside

Very few people have experienced the inside of the "Evangelical Industrial Complex" quite like Dave McGinnis. As a kid who has grown up in the church (running a video switcher for the Christmas Program and switching transparencies for worship) with two parents & a wife on staff and also worked for churches himself, Dave has a unique perspective on the issues facing the church and how it could (potentially) be better on the inside. When you know how the sausage is made, when you've seen behind the curtain and experienced several hurts and calamities, how do you move forward with church? I don't know. But we have to do better!

We get into some really good topics: politics, nationalism, #ChurchToo, Toxic Masculinity and more. You can find Dave on Twitter (@dav_mcg), where he is super duper insightful and often posts fun stuff about movies and pop culture too.

Want to continue the conversation? Hang out with us over on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside

I get to talk to a man I consider a celebrity: Tyler Huckabee! 

Tyler is someone I sincerely appreciate because he approaches complex issues with a great deal of nuance. Hearing his take on deconstruction was EXTREMELY helpful and instructive. Tyler is a reporter and breaks down deconstruction, this movement critiquing toxic religious systems, but why he's worried we won't go far enough. What does this have to do with "switching jerseys" and "redecorating the house"? You'll have to listen to find out. Plus we have a choose your own adventure-like question, explore Tyler variants and dive into the tension Jesus creates.

Tyler is the Senior Editor at Relevant Magazine and you can find him on Twitter at @tylerhuckabee

Want to continue the conversation: join our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside

Volunteer Guru Mary Ann Sibley joins me for our first ever LIVE show! She is amazing. When I asked the question: "who should I talk to about volunteer burnout?" several people pointed me toward Mary Ann... and she did not disappoint.

Not growing up in the church, she has been willing to ask the questions and try the things that "churches don't do". Mary Ann also has led a toxic volunteer culture herself, so much of her wisdom is hard-won through blood, sweat and tears. I am thankful for her humility and insight. Whether you're a volunteer yourself, a church leader or someone who has been chewed up and spit out by the church machine Mary Ann brings tremendous truth, care and wisdom that will help you. She unpacks what makes toxic cultures toxic and what makes healthy cultures places people LOVE to serve.

Like, subscribe and if you want to keep the conversation going, join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside

*We have some technical difficulties at the beginning of this episode that distract me for a moment, so please bear with us

Why does evil exist? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why God why?

Have you ever asked God those questions? I know I have. At 20 years old, my entire life ahead of me, I was diagnosed with cancer.

My question was WHY?  WHY GOD WHY?  Why would you do this to me?  Why would you allow this to happen to me?  I am a good person.  I don't break any laws.  I don't treat others poorly.  My life has barely started and I have so much to do. Why me?

Maybe you didn't get a cancer diagnosis but something else happened and you found yourself asking the question WHY.

Even if you’ve never asked God out loud, I imagine you’ve asked WHY too. Maybe it’s why you left the faith. Maybe it’s why you never started. But when we face painful hardships in life most of us ask WHY?

When we face painful hardships in life most of us ask WHY? And it’s a good question. Our pain and suffering lead us to seek answers. This is part of the human condition. Maybe you were told that these questions were inappropriate for God. Or disrespectful. Or that they were silly and unanswerable. Maybe you were even made to feel bad for asking the question. Perhaps when you asked this question, people in your life responded with empty platitudes and hollow answers like: God never gives you more than you can handle. Or my least favorite: everything happens for a reason.

Have you ever heard that before? Doesn't it just make you so mad. When you’re really hurting, these responses to our pain and suffering so often don’t help. These answers rarely bring us hope.

I may not have an answer for YOUR WHY today, but I can offer some help. Through a story in the Scripture and through my personal story, I want to help you when you face pain and suffering. I want to give you HOPE! I can’t take away your pain or remove your suffering, but I can help you find hope. But you have to make a choice.

I caught Jonathan Carone on Tik-Tok and I immediately wanted to have him on the show. His podcast, Unlearning Youth Group, has really connected with people deconstructing and wrestling in their spiritual journeys... but ALSO folks currently serving at a church and even leading Youth Ministry. When Jonathan realized that he had to "un-learn" some unhealthy theology that was hurting his own personal relationship with Jesus, he invited all of us on the journey with him. This is big for the church, but more importantly it's massively critical for people as they try to follow Jesus without sacrificing their mental health.

Check out his podcast Unlearning Youth Group (https://shows.acast.com/unlearning-youth-group) and hire him at his website (https://jonathancarone.com/)

Join the Better on the Inside Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside and keep the conversation going.

Her perspective will be challenging for you, regardless of where you're coming from. And I think it is incredibly important to move out of our comfort zones, interrogate our beliefs, and imagine a different kind of church.

Wanna continue the conversation? Check out the Better on the Inside Facebook Group.