Deconstructing Mamas

"Deconstruction is an opportunity to deepen your faith, not just a rejection of what you believed in the past."

The author of those beautiful words, Angela J. Herrington, a fellow deconstructing mama of FIVE and a faith deconstruction coach, walks us through how unhealed trauma informs our ability to trust ourselves. We walk through how difficult and necessary it is to be on this journey to heal ourselves and the beauty that's on the other side of that healing.  Listen in as we take the water slide that leads to life (and not the slippery slope that we are often warned of).

Angela's heart comes alive when she holds space for others on their deconstruction journey. If you're longing to ask questions about faith, God and what you believe, WITHOUT BEING JUDGED, Angela is the person for you. She is feisty and thorough and if you want to get a "free coaching session along with us, this episode is exactly what you need to spend your time doing! We sighed and said "YES" more times than usual, which says a lot for us. Talk about peeling back some layers that we didn't know were there. WOW!  Hope you listen in!!

You can find Angela at the following places:

Website:  www.angelajherriington.com

Facebook:

Angela J Herrington
The Faith Deconstruction Cafe 

Instagram:  @angelajherrington

Pinterest:  @angelajherrington

Twitter:  @angherrington

Linked In:  Angela J Herrington

YouTube:  Angela J Herrington

In this episode, Cassie Gottula Shaw, a fellow deconstructing mama and brilliant faith researcher, walks us through something she's deemed "faith Jenga."  Listen in as we chat through the blocks of our faith, the carefully constructed faith towers we build, what we do with the blocks we want to pull out and throw away, and what we can work with the ones we want to keep going forward as we rebuild our new faith structure. She says this: "I finally took out that last block in my “faith Jenga” tower  and it all came crashing down. I expected it to hit the ground, but it didn’t." Listen to find out what happened instead.

Cassie is passionate about faith, motherhood, mental health and especially self-discovery and self-love. She's equal parts fiery (she's got one burning in her soul) and grace (she will make you feel safe and very much loved). It's a shorter interview this time around, but chock full of so many "mic drop moments" that you will be rewinding and taking notes. You definitely don't want to miss out!

You can find Cassie at the following places:

Website:  www.cassiegs.com

Facebook:  Girl I've Got You and Lovely Rites 

Instagram:  @girlivegotyou and @lovelyrites

This week on the podcast, we dive deeper with Pete Enns as we continue to navigate the tricky tightrope of parenting while deconstructing toxic religious systems and reconstructing our faith with love and freedom. One of the big questions we ask each other is this: WHAT IS SEEPING IN?

You definitely don't want to miss out on the sarcastic and very funny banter between Pete and Lizz and Esther's somewhat futile attempts to bring the two of them back in line (insert funny emoji here).

SHOW NOTES:

Pete Enns, wife to one, dad to Lizz and her two siblings, and completely doting grandpa, tells stories about the messy Bible and what it means to read it with both eyes open to its problems and challenges, and to its promises and possibilities.

He is author of several books, and the cohost for "the only God-ordained podcast on the internet," The Bible for Normal People and in his spare time, a Biblical Studies professor at Eastern University.  According to Wikipedia (WOW!  He has arrived!), Peter Eric Enns is an American Biblical scholar and theologian. He has written widely on hermeneutics, Christianity and science, historicity of the Bible, and Old Testament interpretation.

You can find Pete at the following places (often with his cat Marmalade):

Website:  www.peteenns.com

Podcast:  The Bible for Normal People 

Facebook:  Pete Enns

Instagram:  @peteenns

Twitter:  @peteenns

Amazon:  Peter-Enns

#ad

"We need to embrace better questions when we try to help relationships thrive, rejecting shame and judgment, and instead focusing on love, respect, and boundaries that encompass the entire expression of what it means to be human and healthy. "

In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Brittany Meng of the Bam Blog,  dives deep with us into the toxic nature of purity culture. 

SHOW NOTES:

Brittany is a mom of five, military wife, fellow sojourner in "curious faith" land, crafter and Etsy shop owner, brilliant and brave author of Unexpected and the hostess extraordinaire of the Motherhood Metamorphosis podcast. She has a heart for special needs, self-care, spiritual growth and raising kids without losing your mind!

Brittany's gentle, but very firm spirit brings both grace and truth to a subject that is tricky at best and horrific at worst. You don't want to miss the out on hearing why she believes there is something so much better than the question, "Are you pure?"

Put on your life preserver and jump right on in!!

Website: The Bam Blog

Podcast: Motherhood Metamorphosis

Facebook: Brittany Meng the Bam Blog

Etsy: GiftsByBrittanyGrace

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Faith before doubt is about correct beliefs.  Faith after doubt is about revolutionary love.  Love is our ultimate goal."  (Faith After Doubt)
 
In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Brian McLaren, author of that quote, 
is a stalwart in the arena of faith and deconstructing.  Brian wisely and warmly guides us gently through the four stages of childhood/faith and how to work through them in ourselves and in our own parenting.

Plus, you'll find out his secret passion (hint: has something to do with sea wildlife...).

Plus plus, find out what's more important than being "cool."

You don't want to miss it!

SHOW NOTES:

Brian McLaren, husband to one, father to four, doting grandpa to five, former pastor to many, author of a boatload of books, and wise, WARM, spiritual mentor to millions tells story after story about his evolving faith journey and walks us carefully through to the end goal of faith expressing itself in transformational love, for both us and our kids.

Brian D. McLaren is an author of several books, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a core faculty member of  The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Website:  www.brianmclaren.net

Facebook:  Brian D. McLaren

Instagram:  @brian_mclaren
Twitter: @brianmclaren 

OTHER MENTIONS:

Walter Brueggemann

#ad

"I can't see a way through," said the boy.
"Can you see your next step," said the horse.
"Yes," said the boy.
"Just take that," said the horse.

(Charlie Mackesy) 

In this BONUS SUMMER episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Erica Garthwaite, friend of Lizz and Esther (and part of their book club) brings her mic-drop wisdom to the table when it comes to navigating difficult topics with your kids as you deconstruct and they have questions.

SHOW NOTES: 

Erica is the "Solomon" of our day. Wisdom emanates from every word that she shares and you will wish you could have coffee and pick her brain about all your parenting issues. She is a wife to a stay-at-home husband, a high-level marketing genius and a mom to two young children (one who asks a ton of hard questions).

This podcast episode is chock full of messages that will make you sigh with relief and give you lots of new ways of interacting with your kids through this whole rethinking and rebuilding your faith journey. We are so grateful to share this episode during the time in the summer when everyone is still in the "heat of it," but gearing back up for the start of the school year (except you Aussie folks...what's up with you?). Enjoy this BONUS and remember, it's not too long until Season 2 begins.

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Charlie Mackesy 

Glennon Doyle

Messiah University

"Life is always moving. You have permission to move with it, to leave behind the things that do not serve you, and become someone new, someone more like you, more like your true self."

In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Liz Milani, author of that quote, author of the PracticeCo app (daily devotionals that are holistic, inclusive and cliche-free) shares her  heart with us and our need to discover and connect with our true selves.

SHOW NOTES:

Liz is one-of-a-kind. Her tender, yet very passionate heart, along with her ability to laugh, while at the same time, communicate sacred truths is just what you need to experience.  She is a wife to one and a mom to three, her littlest having a special love relationship with cursing (find out more about that on our episode). Liz has done the hard work of leaving behind a toxic theology and the abandonment of herself because of it and has the mission to help others along their own paths toward freedom and wholeness.

This podcast episode is chock full of messages that will make your heart sing, come alive and give you so much hope as you navigate the journey of deconstructing, parenting in the middle of it, but also how you, as a human, have permission to find out who you are, what you love and connect in ways that bring authenticity and vulnerability to the table of life.

Liz has a way of asking questions that make you dive deep and feel hopeful. Buckle up.  It's an incredible way to round out our Season One.

Instagram:  @thepracticeco  

Facebook: The Practice Co 

Website:  www.thepracticeco.com 

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

David Levithan

"Parenting may be less about raising our children and more about raising ourselves. It compels us to break our own cycles of shame and pain as we bring healing to our own childhood."

In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Cindy Wang Brandt, author of that quote, cohost on the Parenting Forward podcast and author of Parenting Forward, really digs deep into the subject of religious trauma and how that plays out in parenting. How can we heal ourselves, make good boundaries with our families of origin and give ourselves grace and space in the process? 

SHOW NOTES:

Cindy is the guru when it comes to deconstructing and parenting. She is a wife to one and a mom to two.  She has done the hard work of helping parents unpack and heal from their own religious trauma so they can raise children with healthy spirituality.

This podcast episode is packed full of so many nuggets of wisdom, but Cindy breaks it all down super practically. So if you are starting this journey or are in the middle or even far along, this podcast episode has something special just for you.

Facebook: Parenting Forward
Raising Children Unfundamentalist Group

Instagram:  @parentingforward 

Twitter:  @cindywangbrandt

Website:  www.cindywangbrandt.com

Parenting Forward Conference

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Pete Enns

"You can't love and control at the same time."

In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Jared Byas, author of that quote, cohost on the Bible for Normal People podcast and author of Love Matters More, not only tells us what brought him to the place of deconstructing and reconstructing his faith, but speaks about the impact it has had on his parenting. There are so mic drops moments where Jared unpacks what it really means to love well and why we cannot love and control people (and especially our kids) at the same time and how our view of God plays into perhaps why we may have fallen into this trap in the first place.

SHOW NOTES:

Jared is a husband to Sarah and a father of four kids. He's a serial question-asker and ideas explorer. His favorite phrases are “Ok. But why?” and “Is there another way?”

His passion is to explore new ways of being Christian and help people translate all of life’s big questions into a life full of meaning and connection.

Some of the topics he finds himself drifting to most are:

• What does it mean to live life well?
• How might we open new ways of living for people?
• How might Christianity help us create meaning in our lives today?
• What is the Bible and what do we do with it?

This podcast will perhaps give some of the answers to those questions and then some. It's a must-listen if you find yourself in a place where you are trying to love well in the middle of deconstructing and reconstructing your faith.

Facebook: Jared Byas

Instagram:  @jaredbyas

Website:  www.jaredbyas.com 

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Bible For Normal People

God Can't by Thomas Oord

Soren Kierkegaard

Jean-Paul Sartre