Welcome to Winter 2021…

We all hoped to say goodbye to the heartache, confusion, isolation, and pain 2020 ushered in...well that lasted 6 days. Whatever your politics, the events of January 6th left us all with no doubt...Winter has come (a nod to all of us who were obsessed with GOT). 

Winter is a time when the earth goes dormant. Trees have lost their leaves to hunker down and bear the winter storms. Snow falls (in some places), cold sets in, and the isolation in COVID season seems unending.

Winter can be harsh...it can also be majestic and breathtaking. Join us as we kick off Winter 2021 with deconstructionist Phil Drysdale. In this NEW episode, we talk about 

• Stories and why they are important…Spirituality is a way of framing meaning. It is a way of trying to give meaning to whatever the hell is going on right now and what it means to be human in the midst of it
• We look at data asking Phil what data around deconstruction should be paying attention to and why?

Phil’s unparalleled humor drew us to his Instagram page and led us to this conversation! 

COVID still rages and winter is harsh... but we can still start 2021 off with laughter, deconstruction, and storytelling! 

STAY SAFE AND COME DANCE IN THE SNOW WITH US!
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SEASON 2 HERE WE COME...Launching January 25, 2021

Thank you for joining us in our Rookie Year - Season ONE  was a ride. 

We are learning as we go, and yes, we made many mistakes. This first season was healing for us as well as so many of you. It was challenging, adventurous, and filled with NEW connections. Both Holland and I made (much-needed) NEW friendships with many of you this season. Thank you...this community is an OASIS in the desert. 

Thank you for connecting with us via the podcast, Instagram, direct messages, zoom calls, emails, and in person. So many of you have shared your story with us, bringing community and connection. We are grateful to be on this journey together.

Time is the most valuable asset you have. Heck, it's the most valuable asset we have as well! We commit to consistently providing content that checks these boxes:

• Storytelling - we believe in the art of healing through narratives. We think Jesus knew something of this hearing art!
• Bold
• Thought-Provoking
• Tangible in our 21st-century context 
• Practical to everyday life
• Speaks to Social Justice

Check out our website for a line up of guest joining us!
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A HOLIDAY GIFT! Gretta Miller joins the conversation offering the gift of her VOICE. Gretta is no stranger to desert spaces. In this episode, Gretta’s haunting melody and searing insights are a gift in our unprecedented pandemic Holiday season. Her new song “Curious Woman” has been on repeat in our homes.

Listen in as Gretta shares the inspiration behind her lyrics. You might just walk away from this episode with a new favorite song, wisdom, laughter, and JOY! 

“Curious Woman the revolution is your joy”...This song is for ALL curious humans. The revolution of love is upon us. Are you curious about it?

AND ALSO THAT IS A WRAP FOR SEASON ONE! Thank you for joining our rookie year! Time is the most valuable asset we have. Holland and I commit to continuing the emotional, time-intensive, and intellectual labor needed to provide life-giving and transformative content. We believe in the healing power of narratives - apparently, Jesus did too! Here at Desert Voices, you will find our content: 

• BOLD
• THOUGHT-PROVOKING
• RELEVANT TO YOUR 21st CENTURY CONTEXT
• AND PRACTICAL TO YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

We shall see you again in January. Until then connect with us on social media @desertvoices_SC

Join us in imagining a world that prioritizes collaborative power and human flourishing!

“We can’t create what we cannot imagine” - Lucille Clifford

Listen to Curious Woman By Tow'rs here! 

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2020 is the year of contagion! If something is contagious it spreads from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact. It is infectious! 

Contagion is top of mind right now, so let's talk about how contagious COURAGE is! Courage spreads from one person to the next. When you witness courage it has a way of touching our soul and transforms how we live. 

Join in the conversation as we share stories of courage and offer a toolbox to tap into your passions. What are you passionate about and where is Divine Goodness inviting you to contribute to human flourishing? Courage has the power to heal us and connect us together. It gives us the oomph we need to live into our passions? Courage helps us imagine a more beautiful world and inspires us to co-create it!

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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In Episode 16 we fall off our chairs laughing as Shanda brings down the house sharing her childhood nightmare of being “Left Behind” with Kirk Cameron!

We narrow in on why our faith has shifted and what it’s like living from a new perspective. Shanda takes us on a journey describing how fear motivated her to pursue a relationship with God––fear is highly motivating–– so, what happens in your faith when fear is dismantled and melts away?

Come find out!

PLEASE NOTE: We really let our hair down in these two episodes and depart from our usual PG-13 language, especially as Sierra’s story gets raw.  Listen at your own discretion. Get ready to go deep, cry, and laugh!

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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Episode 15: Part 1 with my sisters opens up with childhood memories of Shanda and I terrorizing Sierra. If you need a good laugh, LISTEN IN. You will crack up along with us as we remember the good ol’ days driving the “maxi pad,” army crawling through parks, and surprise attacks!

The story arcs in this episode as we move from laughter to tears. Sierra opens up about her raw, rocky, and unique journey into parenting. You get to join the intimate conversation as Sierra describes being a first-time mom and finding out her daughter has Down Syndrome and congenital heart disease. Sierra powerfully takes us on her spiritual journey through Sadie’s two open-heart surgeries, ICU, and what it was like for her to experience God in the midst of fear.

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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I am afraid of this episode.

Holland and I boldly explore the practical implication of the “Sinner's Prayer.” A prayer we never questioned and preached for years...until... 

Join the conversation as we examine the connection between saying the “Sinner’s Prayer” and belonging in the family of God. Who belongs? Who’s in? Who’s out? 

 What happens when you put a face to the “statements of faith” you profess?

In this thought-provoking episode, we take you behind closed doors into conversations with my pastor that have changed my perspective...conversations that change what we think about the nature of God and end up changing how we live in the world.

This episode does not offer answers. Instead, we participate in the ancient art of healing through storytelling. You get to decide what to do with the stories.

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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EXHALE…

2020 is a global gut-punch … add the 2020 Presidential debates and election to it, and as news anchor, Jake Trapper so eloquently put it, “That was a hot mess, inside dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.”  However you voted last week, this week is about the EXHALE. 

Some of us are celebrating, some of us are somber. Wherever you land this week this episode is FOR YOU. Exhale with us.

Yoga trauma specialist (and one of my closest friends) Dana Brechtel takes us on a journey. In this episode we don’t just talk about spiritual groundedness, we get to experience it together. Dana’s voice of peace walks us through a guided meditation (which you can also do in motion while walking, jogging, or driving), offering us the chance to metabolize the stress and emotions of the last few months. 

Come experience the desert with us in this profound and pivotal episode.

“The Body Keeps the Score” - emotions live inside your body, and if you do not metabolize them they will metastasize creating toxicity. 


Let’s exhale. Let’s focus on connection. Let’s get grounded...TOGETHER.

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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Friends, we are moving into election week, and we have committed to SLOW OUR ROLL. 

In this episode we explore what slowing our roll looks like:

• What does it mean to move at the pace of peace?
• How do we live anchored to our true nature of empathy & compassion...especially during election week?
• How do we reduce the noise in our lives and also stay informed?
• What are creative and effective self-care practices this week?

Join in on an important conversion around self-care and the 2020 elections!

MUSIC
Micah Bournes - Water (featuring Lucee)

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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Yep, we are doing it. It's time to boldly explore the relationship between abortion and faith. Is it as cut and dry as we think? Are there clear answers? If you are a person of Faith how does your love for life inform your vote? Can you vote for a pro-choice candidate and still claim to love life?

A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website. 

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