What if we've been reading the Gospels wrong? In this powerful conversation recorded live at the 2025 Wild Goose Festival, theologian and author Jennifer Bashaw challenges us to flip the script on familiar Gospel stories. Instead of focusing solely on Jesus's death, Bashaw reveals how Jesus consistently positioned himself alongside society's scapegoats—women, the poor, infirm and the outsider. Through this lens, we discover how Jesus exposed the scapegoating mechanisms that create victims in the first place. This episode will transform how you read Scripture and help all of us recognize the dangerous patterns of scapegoating still playing out in our communities today.

Key Takeaways

Recognize the Pattern: Learn to identify when political, religious, and social leaders use scapegoating tactics—blaming marginalized groups (immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, racial minorities) for complex societal problems. These tactics distract from problem solving and accountability.

Amplify Silenced Voices: Move beyond speaking about marginalized communities to creating space for them to speak for themselves. 

Choose Companionship Over Control: Jesus modeled walking alongside the vulnerable rather than exercising power over them. This challenges us to examine where we seek dominion versus where we offer genuine solidarity—in our congregations, places of worship, families, workplaces, and communities.

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Jennifer Bashaw | jgbashaw.com
Professor, minister, theologian and author of Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of the Victim Available on Amazon

Ellen Corcella | ellencorcella.com
Author of Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma and ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is the host of the Faith & Resilience Podcast, exploring the sacred values that anchor us through contemporary turbulence, trauma, and anxiety.

Discover healing and hope in Ellen's powerful book: "Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma."

Purchase Options:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/walk_with_me_ellen_corcella
• BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/walk-with-me2
• Website: www.ellencorcella.com

Connect with Ellen:

• Upcoming events: https://www.ellencorcella.com/events-1
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ellencorcella
• Helpful Resources: www.ellencorcella.com/help-ptsd-grief-trauma-suicide

About the "Wild Goose" Festival -  www.wildgoosefestival.org
The Wild Goose Festival is an annual gathering that brings together people from diverse backgrounds to explore the intersection of faith, justice, music, and art. It serves as a space for meaningful dialogue about faith-inspired social justice and community building.

What happens when you wander into an open-air festival seeking spirit and justice and find a whole community committed to using music, art, conversation and community to engage faith-inspired social justice. This episode explores how encounters with poetry, music, people and community can transform our understanding of ourselves, our despair and lead us to the sacred spaces where healing happens.

Join Faith & Resilience host Ellen Corcella as she shares her serendipitous encounter with Rev. Tara Eastman at the Wild Goose Festival. Tara is and Host of the Podcast “Holy Shenanigans.” Tara asked me to speak with her about how poetry, art, music, theology, and the sacred intersect to guide us on our faith journey.

In this episode, Rev. Corcella shares the Holy Shenanigans, Podcast Episode “Finding Faith & Resilience,” through an encounter with Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese.”

Ellen Corcella - Author, speaker, faith leader and ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Host of the Faith & Resilience Podcast explores the complexity of our lives while illuminating paths towards healing and hope, examining the sacred values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma and anxiety of our contemporary lives.

Tara Eastman - Host of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Warran, PA, is engaging, curious, energetic, and searching for God through encounters with music, art, poetry, community and the other.

Holy Shenanigans Podcast

• Website: https://holyshenanigans.buzzsprout.com/ 
• Follow on Facebook and Instagram

Discover healing and hope in Ellen's powerful book: "Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma."

Purchase Options:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/walk_with_me_ellen_corcella 
• BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/walk-with-me2 
• Website: www.ellencorcella.com 

Connect with Ellen:

• Upcoming events: https://www.ellencorcella.com/events-1 
• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ellencorcella 
• Sign up for the Faith & Resilience Newsletter 
• Helpful Resources: ellencorcella.com/help-ptsd-grief-trauma-suicide   

About the “Wild Goose” Festival

The Wild Goose Festival is an annual gathering that brings together people from diverse backgrounds to explore the intersection of faith, justice, music, and art. It serves as a space for meaningful dialogue about faith-inspired social justice and community building.

Mary Oliver Resources

"Wild Geese" - Essential Reading

Mary Oliver's beloved poem "Wild Geese" speaks to themes of belonging, acceptance, and finding one's place in the world.

"Devotions" Poetry Collection

"Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver" (2017) is a comprehensive collection spanning Oliver's acclaimed career, featuring poems that explore nature, spirituality, and the sacred in everyday life

• "The Summer Day" - Famous for the line "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
• "The Journey" - About finding courage to leave what no longer serves you

In this powerful episode, Ellen Corcella explores the concept of resilience through the extraordinary life of Congressman John Lewis. Drawing from the Latin root resiliere ("to leap back"), she examines how faith can be the foundation for bouncing back from life's most challenging circumstances and achieving our goals. Through Lewis's example of getting back up after every beating, arrest, and setback during the Civil Rights Movement, listeners discover practical ways to build resilience in their lives.

Key Topics Covered

• The Etymology of Resilience: Understanding resiliere - "to leap back"
• John Lewis's Faith-Fueled Resilience: From sharecropper's son to Civil Rights icon
• Bloody Sunday (March 7, 1965): Lewis's remarkable courage at the edge of Edmund Pettus Bridge
• Core Faith Beliefs That Build Resilience: 
  • God's unconditional love
  • The divine spark in everyone
  • Hope as eternal possibility
  • The Beloved Community vision
• Seven Keys to Building Resilience: 

1. Worldview and transcendence
2. Feeling loved and secure
3. Meaning and purpose
4. Flexibility
5. Discipline and taking care of basics
6. Planning for the future
7. Seeking support

Scripture Referenced

Romans 5:1-5 - Paul's teaching on how suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope

Find "Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma" by Ellen Corcella

Purchase Options:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/walk_with_me_ellen_corcella
• BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/walk-with-me2

Connect with Ellen Corcella

• Website: www.ellencorcella.com
• Sign up for the Faith & Resilience Newsletter
• Visit for support resources on grief, PTSD, suicide, and loss
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ellencorcella
• Support Resources: ellencorcella.com/help-ptsd-grief-trauma-suicide

Upcoming Events

Wild Goose Festival Workshop

• Event: "Resilient Faith" workshop with Ellen Corcella
• Dates: August 28-31, 2025
• Website: wildgoosefestival.org/convo-hall-2022-Resilient Faith Workshop
• Special Offer: Use Ambassador Code A-EC for $50 off Adult Weekend Tickets

Resources & Links

John Lewis Resources

• "How the images of John Lewis being beaten during 'Bloody Sunday' went viral" - The Conversation
• "John Lewis: Love in Action" - On Being Podcast with Krista Tippett (2013)
• National Archives: John Lewis - March from Selma to Montgomery

Additional Resources

• Julia Cameron's tools for creativity and "The Artist's Way": juliacameronlive.com

How You Can Help

• Like this episode
• Subscribe to the Faith & Resilience Podcast
• Share with others who might benefit from this message
• Leave a review to help expand our community of resilient faith

Closing Thought

"We must never give up. We must never give in. We must never give out. We must keep the faith and keep our eyes on the prize." - John Lewis

Remember: You have within you the capacity to get back up. Your faith can be the foundation that helps you leap back, again and again, into the fullness of life God intends for you.

The Faith & Resilience Podcast explores the complexity of our lives while illuminating paths towards healing and hope, examining the sacred values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma, and anxiety of our contemporary lives.

Episode Summary

In this inspiring episode, host Ellen Corcella explores the extraordinary life of Mother Frances Cabrini, drawing from the recent film "Cabrini." Despite facing enormous opposition from church and city officials, this poor immigrant nun arrived in New York City in 1889 and built the largest charitable organization in the world. Working in the disease-ridden slums of Five Points Manhattan, she established nearly 70 hospitals, schools, and aid institutions across multiple continents in just thirty-four years. Ellen examines how Mother Cabrini's life serves as an antidote to our contemporary sense of futility, demonstrating that through faithful persistence and prophetic imagination, we can become architects of hope rather than empires of outrage.

Key Lessons We Can Learn from Mother Cabrini

Faith - Mother Cabrini lived with confidence in what was hoped for and assurance of what she did not see. Her actions stemmed from steadfast trust in God and love of God's people.

Tenacity - Mother Cabrini did not take "no" for an answer. 

Imagination - Mother Cabrini possessed what theologian Walter Brueggemann described as "prophetic imagination" - the ability to see beyond current limitations to envision what can be healed, restored, or created in God's world. 

Call - Mother Cabrini understood what is required of people of faith - "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God." Micah 6:8

Courage - Mother Cabrini did not conduct risk assessments or calculate odds of success. She was simply a determined spirit to proceed.

Resources

Find "Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma" by Ellen Corcella:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/walk_with_me_ellen_corcella
• BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/walk-with-me2

Connect with Ellen Corcella:

• Website: www.ellencorcella.com
• Sign up for the Faith & Resilience Newsletter
• Visit for support resources on grief, PTSD, suicide, and loss
• Email: [email protected]
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ellencorcella

Upcoming Events:

• Ellen will be offering a workshop "Resilient Faith" at the Wild Goose Festival, https://wildgoosefestival.org/convo-hall-2022, August 28-31, 2025
• Use Ambassador Code A-EC for $50 off Adult Weekend Tickets

Ellen Corcella – Author, speaker, faith leader, and ordained minister with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. Ellen’s new book, Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma, illustrates that when we embrace our own woundedness, we can become sources of healing and hope for ourselves and others. Learn more at www.ellencorcella.com  

In this episode, Ellen explores how our greatest strength isn't found in external measures of success but in our spiritual foundation, something that can never be taken away. She also delves into practical ways to connect with our spiritual core, and how to support others through difficult times.

I would love for you to visit me at www.ellencorcella.com, check out my blog posts and subscribe to my twice monthly Faith & Resilience Newsletter for additional information and insights on faith, spirituality, trauma, loss and resilience. 

Visit my author page and learn more about Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma at Bookbaby.com, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other major online and retail bookstores.

Finally, I would love to meet you at the Wild Goose Festival

• When: August 28-30, 2025
• What: Four-day Spirit, Justice, Music and Arts Festival
• Ellen's Workshop: "Resilient Faith" - Interactive session on enhancing our resilience through practices like meditation, mindfulness and prayer.

In this episode, Ellen Corcella, author, speaker and ordained minister, explores the values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma and anxiety in our lives. Rev. Corcella lifts up a countercultural faith perspective on generosity in which we are encouraged to be open to sharing, giving and integrating with others and our community. 

The podcast shares ways in which generosity opens our hearts to ourselves, each other and our communities. 

1.     Generosity loosens the grip on our hearts, allowing us to enter the world in grace and to offer unconditional love. 

2.     We begin to see others not as competitors for scarce resources, but as fellow human beings deserving of dignity and care. 

3.     We start to ask different questions, i.e., instead of asking "Do they deserve this?" we can begin to ask, "How can I help?" 

4.     When we operate from an abundance rather than scarcity, we are better able to live with confidence in things hoped for and the assurance of things not seen.

5.     The practice of generosity increases our capacity for empathy and compassion

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and leave us a review, we would love to hear from you.

Links and Resources

·      If you need resources on spiritual well-being, trauma and grief, please visit  https://www.ellencorcella.com/find_Help 

·      Visit my author page for more about Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma, and the ways we can learn to live with - rather than run from - our trauma. 

·      Walk with Me is available at Bookbaby.com and, if you prefer, for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other major online bookstores. The eBook is available on all major platforms.

The Faith & Resilience podcast will be released on the second and fourth Thursday of each month and is produced by Resonate Media Production, producer Loren Richmond, Jr.

Again, a big thank you for listening. 

In this episode, Ellen Corcella, author, speaker and ordained minister, explores the values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma and anxiety in our lives. Rev. Corcella lifts up the selection of Robert Francis Prevost, as the successor to Pope Francis. To be known as Pope Leo XIV, the new Pope’s first words to the assembled crowd outside of St. Peter’s Basilica were “Peace be with you.” Pope Leo XIV’s words harken back to Jesus’ words when he greeted his followers in the upper room after his resurrection. The peace spoken aloud by Jesus and Pope Leo XIV is not just about the absence of conflict, it is also about centering ourselves in God’s abiding love,
allowing us to remain true to our sacred values and to respond to the world’s chaos from a space of reflection and wisdom. The podcast offers simple and effective steps we can take to restore and renew a sense of internal peace including:

1. Taking time each day to reset ourselves through mindful breathing and centering prayer.

2. Set meaningful boundaries to preserve our peace whether that is time in nature or controlling the endless flow of information through social media and elsewhere; and

3. Take time to know and cultivate the sacred values that bring genuine value and well-being to our lives and the lives of our neighbors, through prayer, reading devotionals, sacred texts, and attending to the sacred in community and helping one another.

Achieving peace is always a process and a practice. Each time we choose love over fear, compassion over judgement and calm over reactivity, we strengthen our capacity for peace. If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and leave us a review, we would love to hear from you.

Links and Resources

I would love you to connect with me at www.ellencorcella.com, check out my blog posts and subscribe to the Faith & Resilience Newsletter for additional information and insights on faith, spirituality, trauma, loss and resilience.

 Connect with us by visiting my author page for more about Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma, and the ways we can learn to live with - rather than run from - trauma, stress, grief and anxiety. The book is also available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other major online bookstores. 

This podcast will be released on the second and fourth Thursday of each month and is produced by Resonate Media Production, producer Loren Richmond, Jr.

Again, a big thank you for listening. 

In this episode, Ellen Corcella, author, speaker and ordained minister, introduces the podcast’s goal – explores the values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma and anxiety in our lives. Rev. Corcella take a look at the spiritually exhausting demands of secular life, those external factors that have little to do with who we are as children of God. The question is how can we begin to anchor ourselves in times of stress, worry, uncertainty and confusion. Rev. Corcella reminds us that we are loved by God, that we are God’s beloved and no one and no thing can take God’s love away from us.  While this is not an easy process, Rev. Corcella encourages us to reject the world’s efforts to define and assess the value of our lives and to take time to nurture our spiritual values of love, compassion, generosity and compassion.  

Please like and subscribe to receive information about upcoming episodes.  Leave us a review, we would love to hear from you.

Links and Resources

Visit my author page and learn more about Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma at Bookbaby.com. The book is also available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other major online and retail bookstores.

Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World, by Henri J.M. Nouwen and more about Nouwen can be found Here.

I would love for you to visit me at www.ellencorcella.com, check out my blog posts and subscribe to my twice monthly Faith & Resilience Newsletter for additional information and insights on faith, spirituality, trauma, loss and resilience. 

This podcast is produced by Resonate Media Production, producer Loren Richmond, Jr.

In this pilot episode, Ellen Corcella, author, speaker and ordained minister, introduces the podcast’s goal – to explore and cultivate the values that anchor us to who we are and who we can be despite the turbulence, trauma and anxiety in our lives. Rev. Corcella talks about how we see hope, how hope has motivated individuals throughout history to advocate for justice, fairness, and better treatment of each other even when it seems impossible and how hope motivates us as individuals and communities of faith to continue to lift up love, compassion, hospitality and generosity in a world that often disregards these values.  

Please like and subscribe to receive information about upcoming episodes. 

Links & Resources

More information on Henri Nouwen can be found at https://henrinouwen.org/ .  Nouwen’s thoughts on hope can be found in his book -- Henri J. M. Nouwen (2009). “Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith”, p.16, Harper Collins.

Ellen Corcella is a former New York City prosecutor, who left legal practice, entered the seminary and worked almost ten years as a hospital chaplain caring for critically ill and injured patients. Her forthcoming book Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma, will be released sometime in May 2025. Please let us know what you think @Chaplain_Ellen @ellencorcella.com. To learn more, check out www.ellencorcella.com and sign up for the twice monthly Faith & Resilience Newsletter for more information and insights on faith, spirituality, trauma, loss and resilience.

This podcast is produced by Resonate Media, producer Loren Richmond, Jr.

Ellen writes and speaks about the intricate relationships between faith, spirit, trauma, and resilience. Aiming to unearth pathways for deeper faith integration and heightened resilience in times of adversity, she urges us to embody love, mercy, courage and hospitality. Ellen’s forthcoming book, Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma, illustrates that when we embrace our own woundedness, we can become sources of healing and hope for ourselves and others. Learn more at www.ellencorcella.com.