Recorded Conversations

Today's episode features yours truly, Danielle Kingstrom, lifting off the superficial positivity and venting out frustrations. Are you just as irritated and infuriated by the global fakeness fuckery that is spreading faster than the Coronavirus? Get comfy, I go off. Enough with the sugar-coating, it's time for tough love. Our liberty is at stake as well as our dignity. Pay attention!

Today's guest is Kyle Butler. He is a former congregational preacher who has evolved not only his faith but his mode of delivery. I'd like to call him a social preacher. Kyle had an early life ministering in the church, ordained at just 21 and pastoring over the church he grew up in by 26. In 2008, he began a spiritual transformation that led him to embrace a revelation of grace and God's unconditional love. It was this trajectory that led him to understand that he could free himself of the religious dogma to fully embody love and share the message of unconditional grace.

This conversation dives deep. We begin by Kyle sharing the story of his love and reverence for church and God and what turning points in his life revealed a bigger picture than he was prepared to imagine. From there, Kyle helps me understand his position presentation without argumentation. I confront Kyle about something he shared on his social media that rubbed me the wrong way, initially. He breaks down why he doesn't feel obligated to state his cause and argue with scripture or translation to convince someone of what he believes.

"I want you to be at peace. But if you believe that God has a fire pit and he's gonna throw people inside that fire pit one day—if that gives you peace—I don't care anymore. If that gives you peace, that's perfectly okay because I don't have to live in your head."

The conversation continues as we both share why we don't care about the labels. Kyle's controversial claims begin revealing themselves in statements such as: "I don't think God cares what we think about God."

Kyle reveals an interesting perspective on politics—one that I happen to agree with.

"We do not have to take this so seriously. I don't think there's a politician alive who is fighting for you the way you fight for them... They're not going to charge the chambers and demand justice for me."

As Kay Fairchild once said, "love is never offended." If you can listen without offense, you might be able to compassionately consider the perspective of Kyle Butler.

To connect with Kyle Butler:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmiMWmqjmz4Z8gwDSOjStlQ

https://kylelbutler.com/

This episode explores a concern tweeted by Matt Walsh and asks further questions about the Church. During a pandemic, isn't a church the one place you expect to see open, administering to its flock? What kind of sheep have we turned into?

This episode welcomes Provost Professor Fritz Breithaupt. He is a professor at Indiana University Bloomington. He founded and directs the Experimental Humanities Laboratory at IU and is the author of The Dark Sides of Empathy. This conversation focuses in on how empathy is impacted by a global pandemic. Can we suffer an empathy exhaustion? Does anxiety make us empathetic, or less? How do empaths handle this kind of devastating crisis? If we are unable to provide relief for another, does that impact our empathy extension overall? Can isolation impact our empathy? These questions and others are discussed in this episode.

To connect with Fritz Breithaupt and keep up with his ongoing work, check out these websites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Alwin_Breithaupt

https://germanic.indiana.edu/about/core-faculty/breithaupt-fritz.html

https://indiana.academia.edu/FritzBreithaupt

Find The Dark Sides of Empathy on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sides-Empathy-Fritz-Breithaupt-ebook/dp/B07JM516GQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+dark+sides+of+empathy&qid=1585670435&sr=8-3

Philosophy from an allergic reaction. What's the pandemic doing to us? The importance of connection and a new kind of intimacy. Are we prepared? Why is the lie of lack winning out? What is fear and how can we push back against it? Do we need a scapegoat or do we need compassion? What does changing our minds reveal? Have we seen repentance on positions of the pandemic? Is that a demonstration of humility?

This week's episode welcomes Nora Speakman to the conversation. Nora is a writer, podcaster, and speaker. We discuss her upcoming book, Underdeveloped Love, and her new project with Alexander John Shaia: Shaia-Speakman House.

To connect with Nora:

https://www.noraspeakman.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Shaiaspeakmanhouse/

You can find Nora on Facebook, and her podcast "The Nora Speakman Podcast" is available wherever you get your pods.

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 34 welcomes Julie McVey. She’s the author of Why I Left Church to Find Jesus: A Personal Odyssey. We discuss Julie’s journey through transformation and how it impacted her lens on life. Why was she accused of being “deceived by the devil” and what happened after she was warned that she was “going to get into trouble”? From ECT to Universalism, Julie shares her “Messy Musings.”

Julie lives with her loving husband, two precious sons, and two devoted dogs in sunny Southern California. She received a Master of Science degree from CSUN in 1999. She sees herself as a fellow traveler among many on a transformational journey. Her passions are family, relationships, creative awareness, and spiritual discoveries. She finds writing to be therapeutic and a wonderful way to share her humanity, her heart, and her journey with others.

Her book is available at Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Left-Church-Find-Jesus-ebook/dp/B082CXQRJK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2SRKDPK11WICT&keywords=why+i+left+church+to+find+jesus&qid=1584205095&sprefix=why+i+left+church+%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-3

To connect with Julie, please visit her website.

https://www.julieview.com/?fbclid=IwAR2OiX-CVbkMgkFtUhfA_ARwRrzVFu9BrlwzXHEwY2tTf59uRUdd_QW1MEc

Episode 33 welcomes writer and podcaster Ben DeLong. He is the author of There’s a God in My Closet: Encountering the Love Who Embraces our Skeletons and the host of The God in My Closet podcast.

The conversations focus on the premise behind Ben’s book, which is that God loves us and all of our skeletons and nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Our discussion begins by unfolding Ben’s previous porn addiction. He bravely confronts his addictions by entering into a shame-free space surrounded and embraced by a loving God of grace. From facing the depressed elephant in the room to walking on eggshells, and greeting the truth of our redeemable quality, Ben shares his story of understanding the self by greeting the Inner Child and learning how to heal his wounds knowing he was never forsaken or abandoned.

We also talk about politics, presence, and Ben shares a few practices that have helped him learn to eat from the Tree of Life and why eating from the Tree of the Knowledge Between Good and Evil isn’t as nutritious as we think.

Listeners, I ask that you please compassionately consider the perspective of Ben DeLong.

You can learn more about Ben and connect with him through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ben.delong.73

Or by visiting his website:

https://www.bdelong.com/about

This episode welcomes Dr. Alexander John Shaia to the conversation. Meet the author Danielle has been talking about and quoting for the last 9 months.

We discuss Shaia’s book Heart and Mind: The Four-Gospel Journey for Radical Transformation, his new Publisher House with Writer and podcaster Nora Speakman, and we dive into an erotic understanding of the Gospels.

Alexander John Shaia:

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Alexander grew up as part of a large extended family that had emigrated from Lebanon a generation previously. He grew up with the ancient traditions of Maronite Catholicism and was expected to become a priest, a family tradition since the year 1300. Alexander was led otherwise.

He attended the University of Notre Dame and received a degree in Cultural Anthropology. Next came a Master's in Counseling Education, a Master's in Religious Education, a graduate certificate in Pastoral Psychotherapy, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. His training includes time in Switzerland with Jungian analyst, and founder of Sandplay Psychotherapy, Dora M. Kalff. Returning to the United States, years of retreat ministry, private practice, teaching, leading trainings and study continued to build on a life-long practice of prayer.

Beginning in 2001, Alexander's professional life changed from being solely a speaker to also becoming an author. From his primary work as a psychologist, spiritual director, and liturgist, he has moved to be a widely sought teacher, trainer, and inspiring keynote speaker.

Please visit http://quadratos.com/ for more on Alexander and Heart and Mind.

Alexander can also be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderJohnShaia/

On this episode, Danielle talks about the most recent books she has read and how they have impacted her erotic lens.