Sacred Counsel

Brian and Meg interview Kevin Garcia, a mystic theologian, queer spiritual coach, and all-around amazing human being, and discuss picking your battles when going home for the holidays, and learning how to celebrate your whole self. We also answer a listener letter from a “validation addict” who wants to stop having to justify his sexuality to his family and himself. We also discuss Kevin’s amazing new book, “What makes you bloom,” coming out this January! This episode is filled with amazing nuggets of spiritual wisdom. Enjoy!

In this special episode, Brian and Meg tackle 3 very different listener letters, packing in all sorts of juicy counsel, covering: 

1. how to deal with conservative family members at Christmas-time,

2. how divorce impacts kids and some of our best advice on co-parenting, and 

3. How to work through harmful religious programing, replacing old thoughts with new thoughts.

Don’t forget to send listener letters to [email protected]!

Brian and Meg discuss Meg’s horrible Thanksgiving, and answer a listener letter about someone navigating big news about their partner’s sexuality, and trying to figure out how to feel about it or what she should do. We discuss how evangelicals can falsely blame any non-heterosexual sexuality on trauma, and how kink and sexual exploration can be healthy. 

Trigger warning- this episode mentions a rape.

We interview Eve from @eve_wasframed about her background in Bethel and her journey out of evangelicalism into atheism. We talk about stereotypes of atheists, evangelical shame around virginity and divorce, and other various highly relatable traumas of American evangelicalism. Find Eve on instagram at @eve_wasframed

Jo Luehmann takes us to church in this episode!! She preaches about why she refuses to abandon herself, how each of us are called to be liberators, why she ultimately left Christianity, the possibilities for beauty inside of the idea of “church,” her advice to those who remain Chrisitan, and creating safety for people to listen to their intuition. 

Jo Luehmann is a Colombian born and raised (former) pastor with a masters degree in ministry and theology. Jo speaks and teaches about decolonizing church, theology, spirituality and faith, as well as the importance of dismantling white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism both individually and collectively

Brian and meg answer a listener letter, and discuss open marriages, jealousy, putting off divorce for the sake of the kids, “God’s eternal plan for marriage,” and navigating the crushing shame that can come from getting divorced.

Dave Hayward, aka Naked Pastor, speaks with us about vulnerability in sex and spirituality, gives us wisdom on stepping out of sexual shame, and shares his most basic form of connection to the divine.

On this episode, Meg and Brian answer a listener letter from someone wrestling with everything they would lose from stepping into their more authentic self. They discuss the way that we can fixate on what we *might* lose, and miss what we are *already losing* by living in a state of dishonesty and failing to bring our whole selves into our relationships, and give some practical advice for having honest, difficult conversations!

This week Brian and Meg talk to Mike Maeshiro about his coming-out journey, his mission to affirm those who are not feeling validated for who they are, how deeply he desires to witness God coming out of the closet, and we get his take on the mega-church pastor Andy Stanley’s half-hearted gesture towards LGBT acceptance. We also answer a listener letter from someone dealing with judgmental family members and discuss why Brian loved the Sears catalogue as a kid.