Excavate

Today we’re starting a 4 week series looking at specific references to women in the book of Revelation. These references are metaphorical and we found it interesting that female imagery is used in such a pronounced way in this final book of the Bible. Revelation tends to be a book that is confusing and intimidating to both read and interpret, so we’ll not only be looking at some particular passages in this series but also discussing general interpretation of apocalyptic literature as we go. Our first passage references the name of Jezebel, which has often been used to call a person or behavior a “Spirit of Jezebel.” So we’ll be looking at how the legacy of Jezebel is drawn upon in Revelation and what that means for our modern understanding. 

Read along with us:

Rev. 2:18-28

To dig in to the other episodes referenced, check out: 

Lady Wisdom | Season 2, episode 7

Jezebel, Politics + Power with Special Guest Kaitlyn Schiess | Season 2, episode 9

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To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group.

Whether you’re an avid women’s sports fan or not, the gift of women’s sports is the way it gives a clear picture of women in culture in both really wonderful and difficult ways. We believe that following the leadership of women athletes in their fight for pay equity, equal standards, and more can teach us all. We’re seeing it on display in the inaugural tip-off of a new women’s basketball league. So we’re going to talk about what’s bringing us joy and what we can learn from Unrivaled, along with a guest, Jerjuanna Cecille. Let’s dig in.  

Follow Jerjuanna’s content and podcast at @jerjuannacecille and @causeicanpod 

Follow Unrivaled at @unrivaledbasketball 

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

It’s the new year which means a fresh start and new goals. For some of us, this feels really exciting and for others it can feel overwhelming. This week we’ll set aside the language of resolutions and look at how our habits and rhythms form us. We’ll share some personal reflections and invite you to consider what new or more intentional rhythms might add to your days. 

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To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

At the start of the new year we are often thinking about starting fresh and decluttering our lives and our spaces. This felt like a great time to revisit our conversation with Desirae Endres and her work on minimalism and finding healthy balances that work for you. As we think about starting 2025 we may have goals for cleaning and decluttering our spaces, using our time more wisely, and generally being more intentional about how we use our resources. If we’re not careful, those goals can quickly pile up and become a burdensome new list of expectations. Desirae is an expert at getting to the heart of how things like minimalism and decluttering can best serve each of our lifestyles and seasons we’re in. She helps guide people to live with intention so we can make room for what matters most. 

Read along with us:

Luke 12:22-34

1 Timothy 2:9-10

Connect with Desirae and the Minimal-ish podcast on Instagram @minimalish.desirae and check out her website for a wide range of great resources https://www.desiraeendres.com/ 

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

This week we’re in part two of our second annual celebration of women’s storytelling to close the year with our personal “best of” books and movies. Women’s stories are worth telling, investing in, reading, and sharing widely. So we want to share some of the ones that have impacted us this year. Today we’re digging into movies and TV. We often pigeon-hole movies about women into either intense gritty stories about trauma, or light rom-coms. But in 2024 women created stories in every genre that reflected a breadth of imagination and human interest. We’ll recommend our favorites as well as highlighting the surprising depth of creative contributions this year.

Movie recommendations:

Documentary

Daughters (Netflix)

Power of the Dream (Prime)

Martha (Netflix)

Comedy 

Thelma  (Hulu)

My Old Ass (Prime)

Sci-fi/thriller 

Caddo Lake (Max)

Woman of the Hour (Netflix)

Drama

Rez Ball (Netflix)

Suncoast (Hulu)

Lee (VOD)

Civil War  (Max) 

TV recommendations

Comedy

Abbott Elementary (Hulu)

Girls5Eva (Netflix)

Hacks (Max)

Drama

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime)

Rom-com

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Sci-Fi/comic book

The Acolyte (Star Wars)

The Penguin

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

This week we’re kicking off our second annual celebration of women’s storytelling to close the year with our personal “best of” books and movies. Women’s stories are worth telling, investing in, reading, and sharing widely. So we want to share some of the ones that have impacted us this year. Today we’ll talk about books, why a diverse reading list matters so much and offer some favorites. Whether you’re an avid reader or not, we hope you’ll find something to connect with.

Check out our recommendations:

A Well Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

Coming Home by Brittney Griner

The fiction of Abby Jimenez

On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good by Elise Loehnen 

The Mystics Would Like a Word: Six Women who met God and Found a Spirituality for Today by Shannon Evans 

We recommend our favorite independent bookseller Hearts and Minds Books. Tell them we sent you or look to your favorite local bookshop!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

Last week we re-engaged the women of Advent. This week we’ll discuss practices to keep us rooted in the Scriptures as we navigate the season of Advent. In what is often a busy season, intentional rhythms will keep us attentive to God’s movement and attune us to the continued waiting of the people of God. Our hope is that this episode might provide practical tools and something you can incorporate into your daily and weekly rhythms.
Resources for engaging Advent:

Eternal Seasons by Henri Nouwen

Advent by Fleming Rutledge

God with us: Rediscovering the meaning of Advent by Gregory Wolfe

God Speaks Through Wombs: Poems on God’s unexpected Coming by Drew Jackson

Waiting on the Word: A poem a day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany edited by Malcom Guite

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

This week marks the beginning of Advent, the 4 weeks in December leading up to Christmas. Advent is a time in the Church calendar of reflection and preparation where we focus on themes of waiting and longing. To engage with this meaningful season, today we’re bringing back an episode from season 2 about the women of Advent. The nativity stories are filled with the presence of women. Women who are encountering the movement of God and acting in faith. Their stories are a great backdrop for us to engage with this season with courage and curiosity. 

Read along with us:

Discussion of women shepherds: Gen. 29:6,9, Exod. 2:16

Matt 2:1

Matt. 2:16-18, Jer. 31:22

Shop our Excavate merch store! https://excavatepodcast.myshopify.com/ 

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

This week we’re taking a minute to revisit an episode from Season 3 about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. We had the chance to see the Eras Tour in Toronto this month, and there is only one city left before the tour comes to an end. It has meant so much to so many people over the last year and a half, including us and our friends, so this felt like a good time to reflect on what the tour became and what the Church can learn about building community and connection. Let’s keep digging in.

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To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group. 

There is still a great deal to unpack and process as we make sense of our cultural moment and where we are as a nation and as the Church. In an effort to keep leaning in and engaging with the growth opportunities at hand, today we are talking about the topic of deconstruction. This is the work of re-examining beliefs and assumptions in order to find truth and meaning. We have both experienced our own versions of deconstruction, and many Christians have been wrestling with similar questions for the past several years. In this episode we will share in more depth about our journeys, and some of the insight and encouragement we would offer to those who are still in process or walking with someone who is. 

Read along with us:

John 8:31-47

2 Tim. 4:3

Gal. 5:22 

For further reading: Beth Moore’s autobiography “All My Knotted Up Life”

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @excavatepodcast

To support the podcast on patreon visit: www.patreon.com/excavatepodcast Our patreon perks include new content, zoom calls, and the opportunity for our higher tier options to invite us to your small group.