Although I was raised in the church, most of my young life was lived in a mental hell and although the people in my church were trying to be helpful, all they had to offer was over-spiritualized solutions, which didn’t help much, if any. In this episode I’m joined with Justin Stumvoll, who has a similar experience to mine. He shares about the emotional hell he grew up in and how he found ways to cope and eventually began to heal. He and his wife, host a podcast called, “The Connect Life,” where they talk about the messy things of life. They also work full-time as life consultants, helping others work through the messy parts of life to find relief, freedom and hope.

Connect with Justin.

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

What if we lived as if Jesus meant the things He said? That’s the question that Shane Claiborne has been asking for over 20 years. Shane is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author.  Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia.  He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.

Learn more about Shane.

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

Where is God in the midst of the absurdity of life? Every one of us have experienced loss, hurt, pain and injustice and at times, it is difficult to reconcile those events in our life with the goodness of God. I know I’ve been there many times and fought my way through the confusion with frustration, anger and hurt. We’re joined today by my friend, Eric Hyde, who is a licensed therapist in the state of Oklahoma and practicing Orthodox Christian. We take a look at the book of Job and Ecclesiastes to try and make sense of these complex questions. While there aren't any straight-forward answers, there are a few conclusions we can make from these overlooked books of the Bible.

Follow Eric's blog: https://ehyde.wordpress.com/

Learn more about Orthodoxy:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blNhjfac5FM

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUzgrIahs6w

       The Orthodox Way & The Orthodox Church (both by Timothy Ware)

       Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy (by Andrew Stephen Damick)        

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

It has been an incredible journey growing, learning and engaging in these conversation the last 12 weeks. We will be taking a break from now until January 9, 2023, when season 2 will launch. I’m already in pre-production and production for the second season and look forward to diving into some more touchy topics and hearing stories of grace. A few topics we’ll be talking about next season include: raising Children in the faith, revival culture, LGBTQ issues, porn and some popular Christian phrases, such as “to be in the world but not of the world.” If you have any suggestions that you would love to hear discussed, please reach out to me by emailing me at [email protected].

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for listening and supporting this first season. I am excited for the future of the podcast and offering ways for us to connect in community.

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

All of us have secrets we wish weren’t true. Things in our lives that we don’t like or with we didn’t feel, but we do. When in that position, shame can easily find its way into our hearts, with tempts us to hide and hiding leads to mental distress. While the church is intended to be the safest place to talk about the shameful parts of ourselves, all too often people don’t feel free to be honest. In this episode, I talk with my friend Brit, who held many secrets from herself and others for years. Certain aspects of herself that she didn’t like - having an affair, living with an eating disorder for over a decade and withholding the fact that she is attracted to both genders. When life caught up to her, she was placed in a position to come clean, and she did. The reward and freedom she experienced far outweighed the darkness of concealing her secrets. Her story is one of courage and honesty and I believe her sharing the truth of her life will invite you into the same.

Connect with Brit: https://www.briteaton.com/ 

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

If you've been around Christian culture for any length of time, I'm sure you've experienced moments where you were going through something difficult and you were met with the cheap answer, "God's got this" or "just trust God." While people are well-intended with those statements, they don't actually invite us into deeper connection and the ability to bear with one another. Those type of simplistic answers can actually lead people into more confusion, frustration and shame. Aside from that, it has the potential to really distort the nature and character of God. In this episode, I’m joined with my friend, George Wood, once again, as he speaks from an authentic and raw way about he understands God being enough… or not.

Learn more about George: https://www.georgeawood.com/

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

Unfortunately, much of church culture in our country has produced a dictator-type leadership structure, which as lead to a lot of control, manipulation, fear and abuse. In this episode we go a little deeper than simply church hurt, but instead we address entire systems that have been established that are in their nature abusive. I’m joined by my friend, Caleb Hyers to discuss some of the signs of a cult-like church. This was an interesting conversation considering Caleb has been on receiving end of being accused of being “cult-like” and I’m on the other end of the spectrum, feeling like I was affected by controlling and domineering churches. If you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, it’s important that you process the pain, injustice and hurt. Find a safe person that loves you and freely share your pain, anger and tears. That’s healthy. 

Connect with Caleb.

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What does it mean to be a man, and a Christian man at that? This week I talk to my good friend, Ron Cecil, who is a masculinity coach about our journey into manhood growing up in the church. We hit on some of the core values of what it means to truly be a man. I had no idea where this conversation would go and was pleasantly surprised at how freeing and clarifying this conversation was for me. Regardless of your gender, I believe this conversation will help you understand yourself and the men in your life a little better. 

Connect with Ron Cecil.

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Book a session with Joey: joeytalks.com 

Produced by Joey Papa Media.

How do you relate to a friend or loved one who walked with you in your faith and has decided to leave it? While this podcast is not about deconstruction, my friend Tim, is a prime example of someone who was the poster-child Christian, who has deconstructed, years ago, and is now an agnostic-atheist. The funny thing is, my love and friendship with Tim has not changed at all! His thoughts, his process and his conclusions are fascinating and I think you will be challenged and encouraged by our conversation.  

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

Sexuality in Christian culture is typically overly condemned or hidden, to the point of moral failure. In this episode, I talk with Shannon Ethridge, a Christian sexologist, who was a forerunner in the purity culture movement and has since reflected on some of the teachings and has adjusted her approach to leading a life that is healthy, when it comes to sex and sexual expression. If you’ve carried shame and guilt over all-things related to sex, this episode will speak directly to your heart. It’s raw, honest and at its very core, liberating. 

Learn more about Shannon here.

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.