In this episode Val and Nathan open up with a refresher courses on the theories of faith development that have impacted their growth the most and break down a theory that is less about stages of faith and more cyclical in nature. This stage theory breaks down 1. Order 2. Disorder 3. Reorder. They give many examples in pop culture, nature, theology, and myth that illustrates that cycles of birth, death, and rebirth can be found virtually everywhere. This cycle reminds us that Jesus didn't begin the cycle of birth, death, and resurrection, but rather is one sublime manifestation of this pervasive phenomenon. Val and Nathan further talk about why we resist this cycle in our own lives, why this cycle is absolutely necessary to our growth and transformation, and how the cycles of order (birth), disorder (death/suffering), and reorder (rebirth/resurrection) can be found most significantly in our own lives as our own ideas, expectations, paradigms, and desires evolve ever upward.  Books referenced in this episode:  Stages of Faith by James Fowler, A Different Drum & The Road Less Traveled (3 book series) by M. Scott Peck, Faith After Doubt by Brian McLaren, Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, Universal Christ by Richard Rohr, and episode 33 of Latter Day Struggles (for Valerie's Sunstone Symposium Lecture on Stages of Faith Development and Why we as a church are stuck).  ******* Contact Valerie at info@valeriehamaker.com to get on a waitlist for one of her space limited processing/support groups mentioned in detail in this