This is my third incredible conversation with chaplain and grief guru J. Dana Trent (find her on Twitter!), and this one is simply a masterpiece of enlightened thinking. Her compelling book, Dessert First, is a flowing read on death, dying, and living fully with joy and purpose. We covered a lot of sacred ground once again like the pandemic, election, racism, and what it means to be a Christian. We are all grieving on some level so please take a listen and see what connects.

J. Dana Trent is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and professor of World Religions and Critical Thinking at Wake Tech Community College. An ordained Baptist minister and former hospital chaplain, her work has appeared on Time.com, and in Religion News Service, Sojourners, Religion Dispatches, and The Christian Century.

Her third book, One Breath At a Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Christian Meditation, was released January 1, 2019, from Upper Room Books. She is also the award-winning author of For Sabbath’s Sake: Embracing Your Need for Rest, Worship, and Community and Saffron Cross: The Unlikely Story of How a Christian Minister Married a Hindu Monk. Dana winds down from writing and teaching with episodes of The Young and the Restless as well as leading cardio and strength training classes for the YMCA.

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