In this episode of In The Waves, I talk with Meredith Miller about how parents can nurture a healthy sense of faith within their kids—even and especially as their own sense of faith continues to evolve. We discuss the importance of expanding the language and metaphors we use to talk about God with children, and why our frameworks and assumptions about parenting need to be interrogated. Meredith offers a beautiful word of blessing to all parents and caregivers seeking to foster a life-giving spirituality—for themselves and for their families.

Meredith is a pastor, parent, and writer with over 20 years experience in children’s ministry and curriculum. For 5 years prior she was Curriculum Director for the children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Illinois, and has been involved with the work of the Fuller Youth Institute since 2007. Meredith holds a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary, as well as a B.A. in Religious Studies and Spanish Language & Literature from Westmont College. Her upcoming book, Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kids Don’t Have to Heal From, will be released in August of this year. Find her on Instagram at @meredithannemiller.

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.

In this episode of In The Waves, I talk with poet David Gate about the risks of communication, how God takes on these risks, and how we reflect the Divine when we do the same. We explore the nature(s) of “truth” and what it looks like to engage sacred text without colonizing impulses, and David shares several of his stunning poems.

David Gate is a poet, writer, and visual artist that hails from London, UK and now resides in the midst of the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. His work centers around care for the individual (heart, mind, body, and soul) and nurture of community (culture, earth, and environment, the dignity of others, and spiritual communities).

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.

In this episode of In The Waves, I talk with Dr. Amy Peeler about the gender of God and common objections to God being anything but male. We discuss the use of masculine language in sacred texts, the importance of Mary in understanding the nature of Jesus’s maleness, and the implications of a theology that elevates men over women.

TW: In our conversation, we share an excerpt from Dr. Peeler's book that brings up the topic of rape, so please care for yourself well.

Amy Peeler is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Associate Rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Geneva, IL. Author of Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans, 2022), her other major research interest is the Epistle to the Hebrews on which she is currently writing a commentary. In addition to her passion for teaching the Bible and spending time with family, she enjoys running, CrossFit, and hiking in the UK.

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.

In this episode of In The Waves, I talk with my friend Michael McRay about the ways shame has been a constant companion in our lives. He shares the impact of sexual assault and purity culture on his experience of sexuality and what it has looked like for him to live into a healthier, freer story. We also explore the powerful connection between peacemaking and our own inner healing work, how learning to live a better story for ourselves is part of healing the world.

Trigger warning: In this episode we discussion sensitive topics including sexual assault, bullying, and a suicide attempt, so please care for yourself well.

Michael is a Nashville-based facilitator, mediator, and story-practitioner. He’s the author of multiple books, including I Am Not Your Enemy, which won the 2020 Best Book Award in Social Change from the American Book Fest. His story-work has taken him the world over, including places like Northern Ireland, South Africa, Rwanda, Israel and Palestine, and U.S. prisons. He’s the founder of Becoming Restoried, a community helping people identify their stories and live into new ones.

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.

In this episode of In The Waves, I talk with musician Derek Webb about the various Dereks that have been, the painful/blissful loss of certainty, and what it looks like to hypothesize truths in real time. I also tell Derek a somewhat embarrassing story that demonstrates just how complicated my brain is—but also what a true fan I am.

A 20+ year music industry veteran, Derek Webb has sold millions of albums as a founding member of Texas-based folk/rock band Caedmon’s Call and ruffled political & spiritual feathers alike during his nearly 20-year solo career. He is also founder of the revolutionary tribe-building platform NoiseTrade (acquired by Paste Magazine in 2019), MiddleClassMusician.com, an online course crafted to teach artists how to make both music & money, and The Airing of Grief podcast, discussing stories of spiritual de & reconstruction. In 2021, Webb embarked on a journey to conceptualize, write, and record his new album, The Jesus Hypothesis, live and in real-time through the membership platform, Patreon. Here, patrons get a unique insider’s look at the process of making an album and exploring belief through livestreamed writing sessions, demos of the songs, and behind-the-scenes commentary in a bi-weekly podcast.

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.

In this limited run podcast, Dr. Mallory Wyckoff brings in conversation partners to explore how their life and faith interface with a particular chapter from her book, God Is. Together they explore their expanding sense of Self and the Divine, and why it all matters. 

As you listen to this and other episodes, be sure to send questions and comments to [email protected], so we can explore them together in the final episode.