Growing Up Christian

Our guest this week is author and pastoral counselor Sara Hall. In her book, “Tasting Dirt: When You’re Disappointed with God,” Sara details the life-changing traumatic events that nearly took her faith and her life. Not only did she grapple with abuse, depression, and shame, but she did so almost completely alone. With the exception of a few loving individuals, her church “family” was nowhere to be found when she needed them the most. Today, Sara works as a pastoral counselor where she strives to provide the spiritual and emotional support that was absent during the hardest times of her life. We hope you find her story as though-provoking and encouraging as we did, and that you’ll check out her book, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Dirt-When-Youre-Disappointed/dp/B08P1H49NZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=52SQ6R35C8UP&dchild=1&keywords=tasting+dirt&qid=1627942490&sprefix=tasting+dirt%2Camazon-devices%2C232&sr=8-3

On this edition of Friday Fellowship, we're joined by one of Casey's favorite people in the world, Davis Shinn! I'll go ahead and say it - this episode probably isn't for everyone... If you came here looking for an intellectual discussion, maybe try again next week. If you were hoping for bourbon-fueled nonsensical banter, then you're in luck! You'll hear about how Davis and Casey became friends through Craigslist, weed stories, and the legendary Dave Matthews Band tour bus catastrophe. We had a ton of fun with this episode, and we hope you do, too!

This week, we’re joined by writer, podcaster, and deconstruction coach Micah J. Murray! He hosts a fantastic show called the “Existential Happy Hour,” and offers support to people looking for healthy, authentic spirituality in the wake of religious deprogramming. Follow @micahjmurray on Twitter and Instagram, visit his website at www.micahjmurray.com, and stream the “Existential Happy Hour” wherever you listen to podcasts!

Our guest, this week, is a podcast prodigy if there ever was one! Stephen Henning is one of the founders of HighLine Media Network, and cohost of some phenomenal podcasts, including Ravel, K(no)w Normal People, and Whiskey Bench. We get into some off the wall topics while talking about Stephen's upbringing and journey towards his own understanding of faith, and it felt like we laughed the entire way through. We hope you have as much fun with this conversation as we did, and that you'll check out Stephen's shows on social media and your podcast platform of choice! Find them on Instagram at:

@ravelpod

@knowpeoplepod

@whiskybenchpod

@highline.network

This week we're joined by Carina Davis, who you might know as either @deconstructingblack or @deconstructingcolors! The three of us sat down to talk about her long journey away from evangelicalism, historical and doctrinal holes in the Biblical narrative, and positive and negative aspects of the U.S. of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Carina is a vibrant, thoughtful, and overwhelmingly gracious person, and I think you're going to love her perspective on those topics. Enjoy the episode, and subscribe to @deconstructingblack and @deconstructing on Instagram!

This week we're joined by sketch comic, musician, and TikTok sensation, Mr. Beard! We cover everything from his homeschool co-op, waiting tables for LA's stuffiest rich pricks, and the long road to social media prominence. This might be the most we've laughed during an episode, and I think you're going to, too!

Subscribe to Mr. Beard on TikTok (@mrbeard), Instagram (@mrbeardofficial), and YouTube for all sorts of hilarious videos! Here is one of our favorites to get you started: https://youtu.be/grxbo7W3NR4

Our guest this week is singer-songwriter and former member of Caedmon's Call, Derek Webb! Derek has earned both the applause and the ire of the Christian music industry, over the years. He has been a central figure in the deconstruction movement for many years, and has challenged many of the contemporary church's ideals and sentiments through his music.

Derek is also in the middle of an ambitious project with his fans. He is streaming the writing and recording of his next album, "The Jesus Hypothesis," in real time for his subscribers. If you'd like to learn more about his music, or become a supporter of the new album, visit www.derekwebb.com, or subscribe to his Patreon at www.patreon.com/derekwebb!

On this episode of Friday Fellowship, we're hanging out with professional cosplayer, OnlyFans extraordinaire, and Casey's wife of 11 years, April Gloria! We cover some fun topics like purity culture object lessons (you know, like how a girl who's kissed a boy is like chewed gum), "crossing the line" in Christian relationships, the all-consuming inferno of teenage jealousy, coming to terms with and embracing your sexuality, and the never-ending cringe factory that is an E-girl's inbox. We had a blast hanging out with April, and definitely suggest checking out her work on Instagram (@_aprilgloria), Facebook (www.facebook.com/aprilgloriacosplay), Twitch (twitch.tv/aprilgloria), and OnlyFans (www.onlyfans.com/aprilgloria).

This week, we're joined all the way from Norway by Peter Espevoll, one of the founding members of Christian death metal band Extol (Century Media & Solid State Records). In the late 90's and early 2000's, there was a real groundswell of creativity in the Christian heavy music scene, and Extol was one of the keystone bands from that era. However, surviving and thriving in an emergent genre like faith-based metal is not exactly a walk in the park. In spite of Extol's success, life on the road and in the studio was a struggle, to say the least. In this episode, Peter talks about the excitement of being a signed band on tour, how a disastrous tour lead to the end of his music career, his struggles with anxiety and mental health, the deconstruction of his faith, and falling in love with music again after years of negativity. We enjoyed hanging out with him, and we're very excited to tell you about the debut single from his new music project, HRADA! Check out "Gospel Oak" at the link below, or anywhere you listen to music, and subscribe to their youtube channel to stay up to date on new music!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJmqPjgUzwg

This week, we're joined by actor, writer, and comedian Jonathan Braylock, who you may recognize from his roles on fantastic shows like Netflix's Astronomy Club and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as the 2016 romantic comedy How to Be Single! He comes from a conservative Christian household, and like many of us, he has painstakingly re-evaluated his faith over the course of many years. Jonathan has a fascinating story, and we covered a lot of ground: off limits entertainment, the diminishing returns of apologetics, getting started in show business, and all the fun ways to keep the peace with religious family members. We had a blast talking with him, and if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and watch Astronomy Club on Netflix!

If you're enjoying the show, Sam and I would love to hear from you! Leave us a review on iTunes, and join in the conversation on our Discord. You can find the link on any of our social media pages. We'll see you there!