Tara and author, pianist & activist EDJ consider the power of mercy in a conversation about deconstruction from fundamentalist conservative evangelical religion, embracing feminism, breaking free from purity culture  and learning how  forgiveness can flip tables of harm and bring unexpected healing in a Evangelical Deconstruction Journey.

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EDJ / Eady Jay loves to write about spirituality, sexuality, family, health and music. She has a degree in Christian Theology, 30ish years of senseless celibacy under her belt (wink), personal experience in weight-loss of 65 pounds, and years of professional experience building a business as a piano teacher. She is also a loving daughter, sister, aunt, wife and parent who cared for her terminally ill mother and is raising a child born with a cleft lip and palate.
Over the years she has deconstructed the concept of hell leading her down the path of universalism. Then she deconstructed purity culture and many of the “isms” and became a queer-affirming, feminist. She is still on an Evangelical Deconstruction Journey (EDJ), reforming ethics rooted and established in the God who is love, grace and truth personified.
EDJ is this writer’s initials and an acronym for Evangelical Deconstruction Journey. Eady Jay is a pseudonym derived from the initials EDJ.

Poem of the Week:

What if?

Sometimes my mind spends most of the time replaying, creating and taunting with ideas that worry, ideas that cause scurry, ideas that wander and whine.

Instead of thinking on what isn't sinking. 

Instead of pondering what is fine.

Instead of focusing on what is present, 

what is pleasant and what is kind.

Sometimes my mind likes to wander to places that are dark and cold.

Taking me to places with unfriendly faces. 

The places where defense is gold.

Instead of thinking, on what is today. 

Instead of cherishing what I hold.

Instead of drawing attention to beauty, 

to what is sweet and bold.

Sometimes I think I need to stop, and think of things that

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The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

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Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is a pastor, podcaster and host of Holy Shenanigans since September of 2020. Eastman combines her love of ministry with her love of writing, music and visual arts. She is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program and the Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary. She has served in various ministry and pastoral roles over the last thirty years in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of America). She is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren Pennsylvania. She has presented workshops on the topics of faith and creativity at the Wild Goose Festival. She is a trainer for Soul Shop Suicide Prevention for Church Communities.