"God is about relationships not religion." That was a quote from my guest, El, that really stood out for me. We spent much of the discussion exploring what it means to "talk to God" and how this thing we call "religion" was actually never part of God's plan. El believes that God loves all of us and we were created to be in an on-going, intentional relationship with our creator. At this point, if you are an atheist or not very "religious" you may be starting to roll your eyes. But I have to say, even as someone who considers himself an atheist, I deeply enjoy these conversations about faith and God.

This came up numerous times throughout the episode, but the more I learn and grow, the more I realize how thin the line is between science/logic and God/faith. We often like to make it a very binary dynamic where either you believe in God or you believe in science. You either believe the thoughts in your head are explained by a physiological process including neurons and hormones, or you believe those thoughts are a voice from your creator trying to nudge you towards your true purpose in life. What I loved about El, is that she has a very open and exploratory relationship with God. She believes it is possible both could be true. Science does explain the literal mechanics of how we think, but that does not preclude God from existing and being the ultimate energy that generated the mechanics that allow us to form those thoughts.

The reason El has so much passion about her faith and love for God is because she has seen first hand how it changed her life. She went from someone who feared God and was angry with life, to someone who she describes as a "irrepressible silver-lining spotter with a compulsion to say the stuff most other people only say in their heads. A cheerleader & image bearer, helping you see who God created you to be." This was a truly delightful and insightful conversation, that made me think about my relationship with "God" in ways I had not before.