People Who See

Today we interview Amanda Waldron - a Faith Deconstruction & Reconstruction Mentor + Clinical Social Worker. You can find her at the intersection of mental health, social work, and theology. She supports thoughtful Christians and communities who are wrestling through big doubts and questions and hope to stay within the Christian faith while finding more ease and wonder in the process.  Her goal is to help people ask different questions and widen the lens of what can be possible in their Christian faith. 

If you've found yourself in the midst of a big deconstruction, if someone in your life is deconstructing, or if you're just wondering what all the fuss is about - this interview is for you!

Learn more on her website here or follow Amanda on Instagram @heyamandawaldron

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

In this interview, self-described pastor + spiritual misfit Joy Vetterlein shares her story of moving from poster child for Christianity to spiritual misfit - from growing up in the church and working in ministry to embracing a faith free of religious rules. If you have ever felt like you just don’t fit in the versions of Christianity you’ve been handed, Joy is here to help you name your experience, feel a little less alone, and embrace your identity as a spiritual misfit. 

Find Joy on her website or on Instagram.

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

How does trauma affect your soul? How does it affect the way you care for your soul? And how do you even begin to care for your soul? How can you show up for someone else in the midst of their trauma? What’s the difference between trauma and just a difficult situation? And why isn’t the church acknowledging we need trauma-informed care? Are there ways in which the trauma of women and the stories they tell about it are ignored, especially by the church? Can spiritual direction be a critical part of our healing from the spiritual element of trauma? Our guest today, spiritual director Daniele Evans helps us answer these questions and more, so if you've been longing for a safe space to explore, we hope you find this conversation healing. 

To connect with Daniele, visit her website here!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

TW: suicide, self-harm 
In this Interview, Lesli Hudson-Reynolds gives us the gift of their story and helps us more fully understand the complex nature of our relationships with the church. They help us understand that for many, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, the church is not only a place of hurt but of trauma, and choosing to return to church is a long, slow, and complicated process of wrestling with trauma and choosing to risk vulnerability. They offer us practical suggestions to overcome the fear and be better companions to those who have experienced trauma in the church. Lesi shares with courage and grace and we’re grateful to Lesli for their story. 

To learn more about Lesli’s work with Posture Shift, visit their website here!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world
License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

In our final installment of our church series, Pastor Joel Fredrikson challenges us to reject the formulaic, one-size-fits all understanding of the life of faith and instead learn to embrace the long, slow work of ministry that embodies the fierce love of Jesus. He encourages us to use Love as our litmus test for authentic faith and community, and to unravel our cultural values from the way of Jesus. 

In part 3 of our “Why Church?” series, Sara Nelson talks about her journey in ministry as a whole person - as a woman, a mom, and a social worker, and how all of those identities allow her to truly love people as they are. She teaches us about a practical kind of love that drives her ministry and rejects formulas for faith. Sara reminds us that the church should unify rather than divide, and that we are so much stronger together than we are apart. 

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

In part two of our series, “Why Church?” we talk with Pastor Oscar Mata about how the church can fulfill Jesus’s final prayer for his church by cultivating a diverse but united church, and how we can become agents of change so that the church can begin to value what its people actually need: love & belonging over performance & perfection. 

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

In part one of our series, “Why church?” Pastor Matt Morrison teaches us about church history, gives us some context for the once-every-500-years-church-reform moment we’re finding ourselves in, and helps us to imagine (and maybe even help create!) a more vital, faithful, and inclusive church even in the midst of an ever-changing world.

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world

License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC

In our quick season two opener, meet our new cohost, Melissa, hear about our September church series, and get a sneak peak of some of the amazing guests we have coming for you in season 2!

Bye-bye Season One, Hello Season Two!

In this quick episode, we say goodbye to Season One and have some special announcements about Season Two, our summer break, and the big changes to come. Be sure to listen and we’ll see you in September with some exciting changes for the People Who See Podcast!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/your-own-world
License code: 1WX6GFMRRZEGMYVC