Desert Voices: Spiritual Conversations: Recent Episodes
Shaleen Kendrick & Ryan Lambros
Desert Voices is a RESOURCE HUB to help you thrive in desert spirituality. We boldly explore spirituality through curiosity and critical thinking to contribute to human flourishing. Come thrive in the desert!
This newest episode from Desert Voices tackles some deep and intense subjects, blending education, critical thinking, and spirituality. Hosted by Shaleen Kendrick, a culture coach, mystic, and theologian, the episode explores human nature, communication skills, and spiritual grounding with a focus on integrative living to flourish in all areas of life.
Shaleen and abolitionist educator Jill Elizabeth weave personal experiences and professional insights into a powerful narrative that calls for persistence in seeking justice and peace. They hope to inspire and encourage listeners to see and act with compassion and strength.
The conversation delves into current socio-political issues, including the war on Palestine and the psychological effects of labeling atrocities. It examines the neurological and physiological responses to trauma, both firsthand and secondhand, and discusses how these responses influence our ability to engage with and understand global events.
The episode challenges listeners to bear witness to the suffering and complexities of the world while maintaining well-being through self-regulation and critical thinking. It brings to light the importance of empathy and justice, themes that resonate deeply with social activism and theological inquiry.
Listeners are encouraged to engage with the content, reflecting on how their own nervous systems react to the world's struggles and learning how to manage these reactions constructively. The podcast, fitting for those interested in deep, spiritual conversations about humanity, aims to provoke thought and action toward social change and growth.
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Dive deep into the heart of critical thinking with the latest episode of the Desert Voices podcast, where we untangle the complex web of human nature, communication, and spirituality to cultivate well-being.
Join Jill, a gifted abolitionist educator, and Shaleen, a passionate culture coach and theologian, as they explore the continued and pressing issue of the Israel-Gaza war through the lens of critical analysis and empathetic solidarity.
This episode helps us define and better understand the criteria for genocide with a focus on the recent charges against Israel but also invites listeners into a profound reflection on our collective responsibility towards global crises. Through candid conversations, personal insights, and a compelling call to action, we're challenged to confront our perceptions and engage in meaningful dialogue. Tune in to be inspired, educated, and transformed as we journey together towards integrative living and flourishing communities. Don't miss this powerful exploration of empathy, justice, and the human spirit on Desert Voices.
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Part 3: War on Gaza...Continued conversation with Jill Elizabeth
The episode's heart lies in its unwavering focus on humanizing the conflict, guided by Jill's extensive knowledge and empathy. As we navigate complex topics from oppression to international law, their conversation remains grounded in a shared humanity and a dedication to peace and liberation. This episode of Desert Voices is not just a podcast - it's a call to movement, encouraging listeners to engage, learn alongside us, and contribute to a world where every voice is heard and every life is valued.
Join us in another compelling and crucial conversation, and be part of a movement towards a more just and compassionate world.
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Part 2: A journey into empathy, understanding, and meaningful action.Would you want to increase your capacity for empathy?
Come explore the neuroscience of empathy with us and do exactly that.
Episode 74: "What Does Expansive Empathy Feel Like?"
Join us for focused discussions on the Israel-Hamas War, seeking understanding and action for peace and human rights. Special guest Jill Elizabeth, an expert in abolitionist education, will guide us through historical insights and empathetic perspectives. Let's dig into how to support those affected and contribute to global well-being.
Join us in a series of concise yet powerful discussions, each zeroing in on a crucial topic.
Our collective aim? To nudge the moral arc of the world, inch by meaningful inch.
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Learn alongside us about the Israel-Hamas conflict…
War: How Did We Get Here & How Can We Help!🕊️
“Over the years, Dalia's curiosity would fuel her empathy. It helped her understand…” - The Lemon Tree
The goal for this short series is rooted in curiosity. We desire to understand better how the world got here and ask questions about what we can do as individuals and as a collective to promote peace well-being, and advocate for human rights in the face of the deadly war happening between Israel and Hamas.
With her experience in abolitionist education and history, we have invited Jill Elizabeth to facilitate a historical and educational discussion encouraging empathy and exploring what we can do to help humans from a world away.
This complex, deadly conflict demands historical context, awareness, compassion, and dialogue for peace and human rights.
These next few episodes will be short discussions focused on one topic designed to help us participate in pushing the moral arc of the world forward...even if just by an inch.
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We all have superpowers, most of which go unnoticed and untapped. Join the continued conversation starting in Episode 69.
This episode centers the gentle, healing voice of Anne Garner joined by Kerry Connelly and Cassidy Hall. Together we discover a superpower WE ALL HAVE...the power of presence.
Are you curious to discover how to unleash your superpower into the world today and participate in healing? Come find out!
JOINED BY:
Kerry Connelly
Cassidy Hall
Rev Anne Garner
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Part 2…Two beautiful conversations about queerness, spirituality, & eroticism.
So…What is it… what is the EROTIC, and how does EROS promote well-being? Is it pornographic or is it so so so much more?
Come find out.
This episode featuring author, contemplative, filmmaker, and scholar Cassidy Hall dives into the erotic, specifically the root word EROS and the embodiment of it.
JOINED BY:
Kerry Connelly
Rev Anne Garner
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Are you interested in engaging with the word queer differently and understanding how queerness promotes well-being?
“You're about to listen to an episode discussing queerness, queer life, and queer expressions. In this episode, I share my experience of being queer in my sexuality and in the ways my queerness has opened me up to my true self...my weirdness, strangeness, and all the possibilities within me.
My words and my story do not speak for every queer life or experience. They only speak for my own, and it is my hope that by listening to this episode, we all might engage with the word queer differently, that it might become a word of invitation, and that we might embrace it as a place of infinite possibility of wild hope and expansive becoming.
My queer experience as someone who identifies as queer in sexuality and in life is one in which I hope invites ALL of us into the ways in which queer can be an invitation into transgressive action which opposes societal norms. An invitation to living in a place beyond binaries and in that liminal space of possibility and an invitation into how queerness doesn't only live in sexuality.” - Cassidy Hall
Happy listening, friends. Enjoy the conversation.
JOINED BY:
Kerry Connelly
Rev Anne Garner
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Did you know there is a place in your body specifically designed for you to experience safety, connection, empathy, curiosity, compassion, health, growth, and restoration?!
We are back in SEASON 5 and laser focused on Critical Thinking To Promote Well-Being.
Are you looking for a podcast about human nature, communication skill-building, and spirituality?
Than this podcast is for you!
You save time & energy with this educational podcast designed to help us better understand human nature, build up our communication skills, and ground ourselves spiritually.
You are biologically wired with the need to FEEL SAFE AND CONNECTED.
Befriending your nervous system helps you meet your basic human need for safety and connection. It is essential to your well-being!
This episode introduces HOW you can anchor in your body to experience safety & connection.
Imagine a world filled with humans who feel SAFE AND CONNECTED IN THEMSELVES AND WITH EACH OTHER – a world where everyone’s basic human needs for safety, belonging, and dignity are met and we have the opportunity to self-actualize and where groups of people communally actualize. I want to live in that world! Let's co-create it.
“Polyvagal Theory is the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living . We are wired for connection . Our nervous systems are social structures that find balance and stability in relationship with others . Think about that for a moment . Our biology shapes the way we navigate living , loving , and working . And we now have a way to use this understanding in service of individual , family , community , and global well - being . This “ way ” is called Polyvagal Theory .”- DEB DANA
RESOURCE: ANCHORED BY DEB DANA
Joined by: Cara Johnson
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What are "Affinity spaces and how do we find them?"
Come along with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick exploring **Affinity Spaces!
Jesus didn't fit in very many places, while on earth, yet belonged everywhere. Why? Because he fully completely and wholly belonged to himself first. What might that be like and how do we get there?**
"To be human is to have pain and to embark on the human experience is to be able to go along the path of healing." - Laura Beth
"We do not heal in isolation. When we reach out and connect with one another – when we tell the story, name the hurt, grant forgiveness, and renew or release the relationship – our suffering begins to transform." - Desmund Tutu
Join Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter
pastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultant
She has over 30 years of experience in various Christian settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.
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In this episode, we are here with my great friend, Josh Perez. Josh is the creative magic that happens on this show.
And Josh is a true creative similar to the powerful Enneagram four energy; he thinks circularly about narrative and in stories, and he basically takes all of the chaos that I throw out and creates an arc to every episode that we have.
Basically, I often lean in from the left brain, and Josh pulls from the right brain...together we hope to help us all better integrate and become more whole.
So if you have been enjoying the Desert Voices podcast, the creative genius behind the mic is Josh. I am grateful for who Josh is and the tender power he brings to the show. He is a great friend and brilliant creator.
He is also an incredible theologian in his own right. I cannot wait for you all to experience the man, the myth, the magic that is Just Josh Perez.
https://justjoshperez.com/
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PART 2 Continues the conversation on "Egalitarianism" & "Complementarianism."
What odd, funny words!
These weird words seem benign and archaic. They are mainly used in church settings as background words that we overhear but don't pay much attention to. Why should we care about fancy words that don't mean much to us?
Rhetoric is used to persuade us. WORDS MATTER!
So, what is "complementarianism," and what kind of life and culture does it persuade us to create? Same with "egalitarianism"?
Are they both Godly similar concepts, just different as we have been convinced?
Is "complementarianism" or "soft-complementarianism," as many churches claim to be, a kind, Godly and harmless way of living?
Join Riley Powell, one of Desert Voices' favorite theologians, as we unpack the meanings and impact these words have on our lives and Amerian culture.
PART 2
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"Egalitarianism" & "Complementarianism" - What odd, funny words!
These big weird words seem benign and archaic. They are mainly used in church settings as background words that we overhear but don't pay much attention to. Why should we care about fancy words that don't mean much to us?
Rhetoric is used to persuade us. WORDS MATTER!
So, what is "complementarianism," and what kind of life and culture does it persuade us to create? Same with "egalitarianism"?
Are they both Godly similar concepts, just different as we have been convinced?
Is "complementarianism" or "soft-complementarianism," as many churches claim to be, a kind, Godly and harmless way of living?
Join Riley Powell, one of Desert Voices' favorite theologians, as we unpack the meanings and impact these words have on our lives and Amerian culture.
PART 1
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Rightly so, abortion is one of the most complex and critical ethical issues of our day. Uncertain how to competently engage the topic, I buried my head in the sand for too long, claiming, "I don't do politics."
What a fool I have been.
In this episode, we are joined by a close seminar friend, Rev Anne Garner, whose work over the last two decades has been defined by hospitality, justice, and radical love.
Rev Anne and I dive head deep into critically thinking about "The Real Origins of the Religious Right: They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation."
It's sobering to realize I have been part of the problem and hopeful to discover I am also part of the solution to human flourishing.
Anne grounds the conversation in love for all humankind as we explore political origin stories and navigate living together.
PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
American Historians & Professors, The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer & Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez
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We end every episode by saying, we reserve the right to change our minds, make mistakes, and continue to evolve.
And so, reserving the right to make mistakes is what this episode is about. Shaleen has made a mistake publicly and she wanted to share it publicly. This is part 2 of the conversation between Shaleen and Kerry about Kerry calling Shaleen out on a public mistake on this public podcast. It is centered around this public mistake and explores the uses of calling in and out.
We will continue to strive to grow, evolve, and correct the mistakes that are bound to be made. Please keep calling us out and calling us in on this journey. Thank you for listening.
Kerry's website: https://www.kerryconnelly.com/
Kerry's book: Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial Injustice
Kerry's book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist Church
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We end every episode by saying, we reserve the right to change our minds, make mistakes, and continue to evolve.
And so, reserving the right to make mistakes is what this episode is about. Shaleen has made a mistake publicly and she wanted to share it publicly. In this episode, Shaleen has invited Kerry Connelly to call her out on a public mistake on this public podcast. This conversation is centered around this public mistake and exploring the uses of calling in and out.
We will continue to strive to grow, evolve, and correct the mistakes that are bound to be made. Please keep calling us out and calling us in on this journey. Thank you for listening.
Kerry's Website: https://www.kerryconnelly.com/
Kerry's book: Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial Injustice
Kerry's Book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist Church
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This episode continues the work of the Feminist Education Series by offering personal stories and experiences. After an overwhelming engagement from our community in What is Feminist Spirituality? with Cara Johnson Parts 1 & 2, Cara was asked to dive deeper into sharing her life stories. She kindly answers the invitation with courage, vulnerability, and authenticity.
This episode is a BONUS addition to the Feminist Education Series and is focused on Cara's experiences with patriarchy and offers her life-giving, liberatory, and transformational adventures with feminist spirituality.
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In this series, Cara Johnson and I (Shaleen Kendrick) explore what feminist spirituality might look like.
Told through intimate life experiences, we discuss how feminism is inherently intertwined with our spirituality. We define terms, teach theory, and specifically in this episode tell stories.
Cara and I share our personal experiences and name the pain of growing up within a fundamentalist evangelical community led by Wayne Grudem's scholarship, which is rooted in misogyny. It is a framework where patriarchy is taught as holy and a woman's desire to be seen, celebrated, and treated equitably is an “ungodly” slippery slop into evil and rebelliousness.
These episodes are rooted in bell hook's wisdom, “true resistance begins with people confronting pain, whether it’s theirs or somebody else’s, and wanting to do something to change it…Pain as a catalyst for change, for working to change.”We participate in this process as communal healing, hoping to be change agents, disrupt systems of dominance, and cast a new vision for our collective daughters and granddaughters.
“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” - Audre Lorde
PART 2
www.desertvoices.com
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In this series, Cara Johnson and I (Shaleen Kendrick) explore what feminism IS and what feminism is NOT.
Told through intimate life experiences, we discuss how feminism is inherently intertwined with our spirituality. We define terms, teach theory, and tell stories.
Cara and I share our personal experiences and name the pain of growing up within a fundamentalist evangelical community led by Wayne Grudem's misogynistic scholarship. A framework where patriarchy is taught as holy and a woman's desire to be seen, celebrated, and treated equitably is an “ungodly” slippery slop into evil and rebelliousness.
These episodes are rooted in bell hook's wisdom, “true resistance begins with people confronting pain, whether it’s theirs or somebody else’s, and wanting to do something to change it…Pain as a catalyst for change, for working to change.”We participate in this process as communal healing, hoping to be change agents, disrupt systems of dominance, and cast a new vision for our collective daughters and granddaughters.
“Come closer. See how feminism can touch and change your life and all our lives together. Come closer and know firsthand what the feminist movement is all about. Come closer and you will see: feminism is for everybody.” - bell hooks
PART 1
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Tommy Allgood...a friend of the Pod...and Ryan Lambros have a beautiful conversation with NO agenda other than talking about what healing looks like in life…their own and in the world. Tommy and Ryan talk about listening to our bodies and what that means. They talk about safety on a personal and societal level.
This is not your typical podcast. It is like dropping in on a conversation over coffee with a brilliant person, Tommy Allgood, who shares incredibly about healing and how we can participate in it.
To engage Tommy's work in the world visit: teamallgood.com
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If God is love and truly loves YOU and all creation, and we believe another mystic's words "for in God we live move and have our being"... Then YOU and ALL creation lives, moves, and has our being IN GOD'S LOVE. It's actually not physiologically possible for YOU or anyone else to be outside of God or distant from God.
A mystic embraces this as reality stepping into the mystery we call God and the unknown future with grounded hope.
Join Part 2 with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick exploring what it means to fully embrace and step into the mystery we call God.
Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter
pastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultant
She has over 30 years of experience in various Christian ministry settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.
Laura Beth currently makes her home base in Indianapolis, Indiana, while traveling the country wherever she is needed as an interim pastor. She has lived all over the USA, including Puerto Rico. In addition to writing, speaking, and working with local faith communities, she keeps herself busy as an artist, musician, parent, and grandparent.
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"If we stop at God is mystery. Then there's an equity to everyone who is willing to embrace God's mystery. And that's where mysticism becomes a much stronger spiritual platform to look at the world from, for me."
-Laura Beth
Part 1 with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick exploring what it means to fully embrace and step into the mystery we call God (and the future.)
"Mysticism is not just about not having answers. It's the comfort of not having answers, and the lack of a need to have answers. It's embracing mystery for the sake of mystery."
Join Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter
pastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultant
She has over 30 years of experience in various Christian ministry settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.
Laura Beth currently makes her home base in Indianapolis, Indiana, while traveling the country wherever she is needed as an interim pastor. She has lived all over the USA, including Puerto Rico. In addition to writing, speaking, and working with local faith communities, she keeps herself busy as an artist, musician, parent, and grandparent.
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PART 2 EXPLORES HOW MYSTIC SPIRITUALITY...
- Decreases our anxiety (who couldn't use less anxiety right now!)
- Increases our experiences with freedom, joy, growth, heart connections, empowerment, and belonging.
This 2nd episode with Riley Powell, a brilliant theologian and a close friend of Shaleen's, digs into what it looks like to "take the Bible seriously" and live into a vibrant, mystical spirituality.
LOOKING FOR COMFORT IN UNCERTAIN TIMES? JOIN US!
We are back from a long season of rest, and Season 4 sits a the intersection of Mysticism, Feminism, and Spirituality.
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Welcome to Season 4!
Ryan and Shaleen are back from a long season of rest. Season 4 sits a the intersection of Mysticism, Feminism, and Spirituality.
In this episode, Riley Powell, a brilliant theologian, and a close friend joins Shaleen in exploring what it might look like to "take the Bible seriously" while living into a vibrant mystical spirituality.
Is that a thing?! Hell yes it is!
These two episodes aim to decrease our anxiety (who couldn't use less anxiety right now!) And increase our experiences with freedom, joy, growth, heart connections, empowerment, and belonging.
Curious? Join us...
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Taylor Richardson (also known as Astronaut Starbright) is an advocate, activist, philanthropist and speaker. She wants to be a physician, scientist and astronaut.
Taylor’s service and advocacy work continue to have an incredible trajectory that began when she was nine and attended Space Camp in Alabama. Her first fundraiser lead to her own book drive, “Taylor’s Take Flight with a Book.” The effort has collected and donated over 15,000 books within and outside of the United States. Since then, Taylor has sponsored several full scholarships to send girls to STEM and empowerment camps across the U.S.
www.thetaylorrichardson.com
@astronautstarbright
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Ever wonder what our world would look like if it were filled with people who RADICALLY LOVE THEMSELVES...not in a selfish, navel-gazing, narcissistic way, but with a vibrant, grounded, healthy self-concept?
Damn, that's a world I want to live in! That is a world I want for the next generation!
Join one of our favorite authors and grounded spiritualists, Jeff Brown, as we explore what a healthy self-concept means and what it would look like to live into it.
Jeff's work has been instrumental in my healing journey and ability to fully embody my spirituality and step into the holiness of the sacred feminine.
UNLEARN patriarchal spirituality and embrace a healthy self-concept.
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Looking to increase your cultural intelligence and celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year?
This is the series for you.
This final episode of a 3-part series explores how STORIES shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise children in this country.
How do manifest destiny, the covenant God made with Abraham, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries impact our lives today? Come find out.
You save time with this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and engage our experience with The Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
Join Jill Elizabeth & Shaleen Kendrick in PART 3
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Celebrating our 50th episode in a brilliant way...exploring how STORIES shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise children in this country.
How do manifest destiny, the covenant God made with Abraham, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries impact our lives today? Come find out.
Looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year? This is the series for you.
You save time with this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and engage our experience with The Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
Join Jill Elizabeth & Shaleen Kendrick in PART 2
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
Looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year?
You get to save time on this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and engage our experience with The Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
Jill Elizabeth and Shaleen Kendrick explore how origin stories shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise our children in this country. How do manifest destiny, the myth of the covenant, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries impact our lives? Come find out.
Part 1
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Our goal at Desert Voices is collaborative thinking to help you THRIVE in the spiritual desert - in this episode as it relates to our understanding of who God is.
Authoritative language is warfare language, and Nurturing language is the language of a journey...come find out why it matters in this episode!
In the process of reassembling our faith - we aim to address the question... “What now?
How do our thoughts about the nature of GOD shape and impact OUR RELATIONSHIPS?
We realize you often don’t have the time to find to engage liberating resources. We gotcha!
YOU SAVE TIME HERE AND LEARN ALONGSIDE US AS WE CRITICALLY THINK AND ENGAGE... EMBRACING PRODIGALS, BY JOHN SANDERS
Listeners like you requested this topic! If you have an idea you’d like to explore with us, send us a DM on Social media or email us - desertvoices.sc@gmail.com
Let’s Get Curious, Let’s Get Bold
Shaleen & Ryan
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Ryan Lambros & Shaleen Kendrick lean into collaborative power and help you THRIVE in the spiritual desert.
This episode explores the link between forgiveness and resilience.
At Desert Voices we focus on the process of reassembling faith, aiming to address the question...“What now?
How does shifting in our faith create resilience in our lives?
We realize you often don’t have the time to find and engage liberating resources.
We gotcha!
YOU GET TO SAVE TIME IN THIS EPISODE AND LEARN ALONGSIDE US AS WE CRITICALLY THINK AND ENGAGE THE RESOURCE: God Can’t by Thomas Jay Oord
This topic was requested by listeners like you! If you have an idea you’d like to explore with us, send a DM on Social media or email us: thrive@desertvoices.com
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The conversation is continued...
Ever wonder what difference it would make to experience God in an Open and Relational way? How would understand God as All-mighty, Open & Relational matter versus thinking God is all-powerful, controlling, and sovereign? How would it impact and inform your professional life or parenting?
Join Ryan and Shaleen in a conversation with Dr. Thomas Jay Oord. Tom is a leading voice in Open and Relational thought. Not only will Open and Relational concepts be explained in simple terms, but you will also be able to immediately see and understand the healing impact shifting your understanding of God makes in your life.
Come along the healing journey with us. Experience wholeness, integration, and vitality in the spiritual desert.
PART 2
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Ever wonder what difference it would make to experience God in an Open and Relational way? How would understand God as All-mighty, Open & Relational matter versus thinking God is all-powerful, controlling, and sovereign? How would it impact and inform your professional life or parenting?
Join Ryan and Shaleen in a conversation with Dr. Thomas Jay Oord. Tom is a leading voice in Open and Relational thought. Not only will Open and Relational concepts be explained in simple terms, but you will also be able to immediately see and understand the healing impact shifting in your understanding of God makes in your life.
Come along the healing journey with us. Experience wholeness, integration, and vitality in the spiritual desert.
PART 1
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
We are Human Becomings on a unique process of transformational healing.
Healthy psychology and integrative healing cultivate a healthy spirituality... and vice versa!
Join Ryan Lambros and Shaleen Kendrick on an exploration of healing.
Every single “thing” in the world is interconnected…we live in a relational world. Everything is connected from our own cells, bodies, persons, family, culture, society, and world…EVERYTHING is connected. Thus, everything is relational. Individualism sells a cheap healing, whereas the pillars of health, belonging, safety, and value are found along the process of integrative healing.
Looking to heal? Come on the journey...into desert spaces.
in·te·gra·tiveadjective
- serving or intending to unify separate things.
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Are you moving from deconstruction to reassembling your faith? Don't have time to find and engage liberating resources - WE GOT YOU!
If you're asking the question "what now?" this is the season to follow. This season, we critically think, summarize, and engage diverse & liberating resources responding to the question "How now shall we live...after leaving evangelicalism."
If being "Born Again" doesn't mean following an authoritarian, patriarchal system of toxic power...what does it mean?!
This episode describes HOW your brain physically changes when you think about a benevolent God! It also addresses the maladaptations that happen to your brain structure when you believe in an authoritarian God (aka evangelicalism.)
Curious about what it means to transform - truly and metaphysically transform? This is the episode you want to join.
Engaging the Resource:
How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading NeuroscientistBy Andrew Newberg & Mark Waldman
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**Season 3 of the Desert Voices podcast launches with new team members and contributors. Introducing our new partner Ryan Lambros and collaborators Matt Kendziera and Tommy Allgood! In this episode, Shaleen and Ryan introduce themselves as a new team, along with the vision for Season 3 of the podcast and the future collaborative team at Desert Voices.
It is an exciting time to be in the desert!
COME THRIVE WITH US...**
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This is the final episode in Season Two for a reason! It's a bombshell!
In this conversation, we focus on embodiment, spiritual bypassing, wholeness, and liberation.
Jeff has been one of my heroes and spiritual guides.
His work has taught me about embodiment and healing.
His course on the Divine Feminine has made a SIGNIFICANT contribution to my healing from patriarchy and toxic religious systems.
Jeff is ONE OF MY FAVORITE GUESTS, and this is one of my favorite episodes.
“If you want to live a more spiritual life, live a more human life. Be more truly, fiercely, heartfully human.” -Jeff Brown
You can interact with Jeff's work here...www.jeffbrown.co
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In this episode, which follows our 3-part series on anti-racism, we get to learn from a young Black activist, Gabby Ilunga.
Gabby shares whats it's like for her as a young Black woman growing up in the Arizona suburbs...where most of the white-identifying residents consider themselves "not-racist."
She offers brilliant insights for identifying and dismantling racism in our country, as well as a compelling story grounded in HOPE, RESILIENCE, and FORWARD MOMENTUM.
Join the conversation with Gabby and prepare for your heart to be moved.
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PART 3...
This is the final episode in a 3-part series offering practical tools for everyday white-identifying people to transition towards racial justice. Join the conversation with Cassidy Hall, a brilliant author, filmmaker, activist, podcaster, pastor, and friend.
Cassidy and I (Shaleen) conclude this conversation by exploring our experience as white-identifying people who desire to step away from pseudo-white supremacy and closer to beloved community.
Join us in reimagining spirituality in our country as a means to confronting and dismantling racism, dominance, and toxic power.
We are focused on the opportunity to finally, fully, and unequivocally transition from considering oneself “not racist” to understanding what it may mean to become “anti-racist.”
We offer examples from our lives, utilize resources, consider how we have been part of the problem...AND explore opportunities to be part of the solution.
COME WITH US ON A JOURNEY TOWARDS LIBERATION AND JOY!
Engage Cassidy's work at www.cassidyhall.com
**PS Please forgive us. We made a MISTAKE and originally posted this series in the wrong order! Our bad! Here is the correct order! Thank you for your patience with our humanness! Hahah
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PART 2...
This 3-part series offers practical tools for everyday people to engage our transition towards racial justice. Join the conversation with Cassidy Hall, a brilliant author, filmmaker, activist, podcaster, pastor, and friend.
Cassidy and I (Shaleen) continue the conversation exploring our experience as white-identifying people who desire to step away from pseudo-white supremacy and closer to beloved community.Join us in reimagining spirituality in our country as a means to confronting and dismantling racism, dominance, and toxic power.
We are focused on the opportunity to finally, fully, and unequivocally transition from considering oneself “not racist” to understanding what it may mean to become “anti-racist.”
We offer examples from our lives, utilize resources, consider how we have been part of the problem...AND explore opportunities to be part of the solution.
COME WITH US ON A JOURNEY TOWARDS LIBERATION AND JOY!
Follow Cassidy's work at www.cassidyhall.com
**PS Please forgive us. We made a MISTAKE and originally posted this series in the wrong order! Our bad! Here is the correct order! Thank you for your patience with our humanness! Hahah
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
This 3-part series offers practical tools for everyday people to engage our transition towards racial justice. Join the conversation with Cassidy Hall, a brilliant author, filmmaker, activist, podcaster, pastor, and friend.
Cassidy and I (Shaleen) discuss our experience as white-identifying people in stepping away from pseudo-white supremacy and closer to beloved community. Join us in reimagining spirituality in our country as a means to confronting and dismantling racism, dominance, and toxic power.
We are focused on the opportunity to finally, fully, and unequivocally transition from considering oneself “not racist” to understanding what it may mean to become “anti-racist.”
We offer examples from our lives, utilize resources, consider how we have been part of the problem...AND explore opportunities to be part of the solution.
COME WITH US ON A JOURNEY TOWARDS LIBERATION AND JOY!
Follow Cassidy's work at www.cassidyhall.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
Let's talk about all things SEX: Sexual Ethics, Purity Culture, & Spiritual Wholeness. Join us, Shaleen Kendrick, and my soul sister, Cara Johnson, in a candid, shameless, unapologetic conversation about our shift in sexuality.
This is not a conversation just about sex. It's a holistic conversation about sexual ethics: explicitly talking about our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirituality as it pertains to sex. Join the conversation as we unravel religious shame and step into the fullness of who we are.
Part 1: Critically engages the fear, shame, and control messaging we encountered in purity culture and the conservative evangelical paradigm we grew up in. We examine its impact on us as women.
Part 2: We invite you to join our journey through a paradigm shift away from patriarchy into spiritual wholeness, embodiment, agency, boundaries, ecstasy, and Christ.
Boldly explore how spirituality and sexuality aren’t mutually exclusive and how a shift from Christianity to Christ can lead to human flourishing. Join the conversation as we learn alongside each other.
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Let's talk about all things SEX: Sexual Ethics, Purity Culture, & Spiritual Wholeness. Join us, Shaleen Kendrick, and my soul sister, Cara Johnson, in a candid, shameless, unapologetic conversation about our shift in sexuality.
This is not a conversation just about sex. It's a holistic conversation about sexual ethics: explicitly talking about our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirituality as it pertains to sex. Join the conversation as we unravel religious shame and step into the fullness of who we are.
Part 1: Critically engages the fear, shame, and control messaging we encountered in purity culture and the conservative evangelical paradigm we grew up in. We examine its impact on us as women.
Part 2: We invite you to join our journey through a paradigm shift away from patriarchy into spiritual wholeness, embodiment, agency, boundaries, ecstasy, and Christ.
Boldly explore how spirituality and sexuality aren’t mutually exclusive and how a shift from Christianity to Christ can lead to human flourishing. Join the conversation as we learn alongside each other.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
Dr. Painter’s work on DESERT SPIRITUALITY frames the first few episodes of Desert Voices in Season 1. She describes herself as a poet, hermit, and mystic. She believes in the revolutionary power of stillness and spaciousness and of practicing presence to life's unfolding journey.
The monk's path mattersin our world of division, speed, and productivity. Along with the great writer Dostoevsky, Paintner believes that "beauty will save the world."
She writes, “I believe that when we tend to the birthings in our hearts, we cooperate with a divine creative force at work, always bringing something new into being.”
What is creative force is at work in your own life? Join the conversation as she inspires us all to create and imagine!
Join us as we fan-girl...
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This is a special episode to me (Shaleen) - Mason is a good friend from seminary who is a mid-20-something creative leveraging his snarky and insightful voice for the liberation and joy of all humankind.
I asked Mason to join us specifically because he identifies as a cisgender, heterosexual, Christian white male and shows up in our world as one of the most effective allies I know.
I have had ONE TOO MANY conversations with grown men in his social location who are defensive and/or feel like "victims or villains" in our national dialogue.
Mason powerfully speaks to WHY he is not defensive, nor is he a victim as a young white man in America today. This is a conversation ALL white identifying men, women, parents, and young boys need to be having.
Join us...we talk about race, gender, purity culture, religion, and a PATH FORWARD!
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Colby is a badass in the deconstruction world. His work on shifting in our faith has been invaluable to Holland and me. His friendship is a gift, and his voice is clear.
Join in the conversation as we talk through not only DECONSTRUCTING our faith but WHAT NOW...reconstructing it. Colby shares from his work "The Shift," we ponder the similarities between John Piper and Trump and talk through what allyship looks like as he learns to use his cisgender, heterosexual, white male social location to advocate on behalf of the queer community and women.
If you are deconstructing, this episode is for you.
If you are interested in the question of "what now," this episode is for you.
If you are looking to show up in the world as an ally, accomplice, and co-conspirator with marginalized groups...join the conversation.
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Holland and I continue the conversation with our partners. We are often asked if we shifted in our faith at the same rate or pace as our partners...spoiler alert, NO!
Join us as we talk with our spouses, Sam and Chad, in these two episodes. We talk about how we have all shifted in our faith at different times, in different ways, and to different degrees. It is not easy, and also it is HOLY. Once you leave a paradigm where unity meant conformity and compliance, what does partnership look like if you don't believe the same anymore? We don't offer answers... we offer our stories and experiences. Enjoy!
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Holland and I are often asked if we shifted in our faith at the same rate or pace as our partners...spoiler alert, NO!
Join the conversation with our spouses, Sam and Chad, in these two episodes. We talk about how we have all shifted in our faith at different times, in different ways, and to different degrees. It is not easy, and also it is HOLY. Once you leave a paradigm where unity meant conformity and compliance, what does partnership look like if you don't believe the same anymore? We don't offer answers... we offer our stories and experiences. Enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
Come join me on the Jesus Never Ran Podcast with our friend Matt Kendziera! This is a raw, gritty, episode that dives into growing up Evangelical and shifting in our faith. We honor the good aspects of our origin of faith while challenging the oppressive and toxic status quo. Matt is a brilliant host and it was a joy to have this conversation with him!
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“Love is the most powerful force or energy in the universe. That power is multiplied in relationships. . . In a true relationship, no one’s individuality is lost. It is increased. That is the beauty of connections.”
- Louis Savary
Here’s the Big Idea:
We no longer hear the Gospel message as a formula for salvation. The “goal” is no longer escaping earth to go to heaven. We’ve stopped believing that Jesus’ death on the cross functions to satisfy God’s Divine sense of justice or God’s wrath against humanity, against us.
The concept of “salvation” has become richer, deeper, holistic, and more intriguing for us.
Reconstruction for Us
The Bible story about “building your house on a rock” came alive for us. Jesus told a story about a wise person who built their house upon a rock and a foolish person who built their house upon the sand. The rains fell, the floods rose, and the winds beat upon the houses. The foolish person’s house collapsed, while the wise person’s house stood solid.
We were fools to build our spirituality on doctrines and dogmas...
We still believe in absolutes and certainty. However, the list we are absolutely certain of is much smaller these days. We still have “beliefs.” We just hold them loosely now. We hope to stand on the rock of God’s nature: nonviolent, racially inclusive unconditional love for humankind.
When the rains fall, the floods rise, and the winds beat against us, may we lift up our eyes and follow the way of radical love and connection.
Fun Fact: The root word for “radical” is the Latin word “radix” – it means “root or origin.” When we talk about “radical love,” for us it means love is rooted, grounded, or originated in Divine goodness.
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“The cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.”
- Mother Teresa
Here’s the Big Idea:
Can you change the spiritual story you live in? Should you?
I can’t answer that for you, but for me…YES! Not only is it permissible to change the spiritual narrative I live in; I needed to.
For so long…
- I did not understand I was in a story framed by a violent and angry God.
- I did not understand how it filled me with shame to believe I was separated from the Holy Spirit due to my unworthy and inherently evil human nature.
- I did not understand how violent my narrative was when it culminated with Jesus’ brutal death in my place.
- I did not understand how terrifying it was to believe in a God that needs a blood sacrifice to satisfy its divine sense of justice.
- I did not understand how my belief that I was God’s “chosen” while my neighbors were “dammed” contributed to supremacist and empire mentality.
I did not realize how my spiritual story shaped who I became and how I acted out on the world. I did not realize how my spiritual narrative shaped the community and country I live in.
I needed a new narrative, a life-giving narrative. I needed a story to teach me how to live in harmony and co-create with others. I needed a story to help me understand collaborative power.
I needed a framework where I could see God creating, liberating, redeeming, and reconciling the whole world.
I needed a spiritual story that made sense in my mind and connected me back to my body and heart.
Bottom line:
The stories we live in impact our psyche.
Stories have the power to facilitate healing and transformation.
Stories can heal us on a cellular level.
What do you need from your spiritual story?
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Here’s the Big Idea
What happens to your faith when you ask a lot of questions?
What if the nature of God is rooted in a story of love, change, and becoming? I will never have this all worked out, but I am beginning to see how often I read the Bible with Western eyes and interpretations, instead of Jewish eyes. Somehow, I lost the Jewishness of Jesus. =
Does that matter?
What happens when we shift into a more Jewish narrative where the nature of God is both: perfect love which is unchanging AND ALSO a relationship with me which changes and grows?
Maybe You’ve Heard This Before?
Without a doubt, God is sometimes depicted as violent and monstrous in the Bible. I wrestled with the Old Testament ideas of a murderous God. I started to ask hard questions and wonder why I worshiped such a terrifying deity. In fact, I was more comfortable not thinking about it. Except for those damned questions…
- If I believe God is at least somewhat violent, is it easier to imagine God needs to punish us for sin?
- If I believe God’s nature is partly violent, could I affirm “sacred violence” as a means to salvation?
- Speaking of, what is “sacred violence” or “redemptive violence”?
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“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”
- Abraham Heschel -
Here’s the Big Idea…
The ancient narrative of Yahweh (a Hebrew name for God) is a story of created relationships, fragmented relationships, and redeemed relationships. It has been a life-giving story for us, while at the same time, there have been underlying presumptions in our Christian faith that have been destructive. Understanding how we got here––how we came to believe what we believe––has helped A LOT.
We had always heard that we could not pick and choose what we believed if we wanted to be Christians.
Who knew you actually do have the freedom to affirm some aspects of your faith tradition while rethinking or departing from other elements of it?!
For us, this wisdom was revolutionary, not to mention healing.
The word “voice” is a literary term. It means that characters in a story have the “power and authority to have a say in a matter.” As the lead character of your story, you have a voice in your spirituality. You have POWER and AUTHORITY in your own spirituality. You DO NOT have to believe what the institutions have taught you. You have a say in what you believe.
Your experiences and voice carry weight in relationships and the process of co-creating.
Your story matters. Your voice matters to God. You matter in this world.
Let’s co-create and sing together.
RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE DESERTVOICES.COM
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DECONSTRUCTING & RECONSTRUCTING THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS.
We will release a new episode each week leading up to Easter!
- THIS EPISODE Part 1: Am I a Sinner? What Does That Even Mean?
- Part 2: Kaleidoscopes and the Cross
- Part 3: Hold Up, Jesus was Jewish…Does that Matter?
- Part 4: Changing the Story!
- Part 5: Seriously, What the Hell Happened on the Cross?
JOIN US FOR LENT AS WE ORIENT OURSELVES TOWARDS NEW LIFE
Along with each of the next 5 episodes we have created a Street-Level Study to accompany you on your journey!
What are “Street-Level Studies”?
We are taking theology to the streets - creating practical studies for the everyday person!
- Are you deconstructing your faith?
- Are you interrogating what you believe and why?
- Are you looking at the impact of your life and faith on the world around you?
You will not find answers here…you’ll find voices from the desert calling for liberation and joy. You will find a journey.
This is an UNLEARNING project that will engage our headspace ALONG with stories, art, questions, and resources to activate our heart and gut spaces.
When you subscribe to our email this season you will receive early transcripts of this new series we are in the process of creating. These are working drafts of an easily accessible, in-depth, street-level study looking at the cross. Head to our website, DESERTVOICES.COM to subscribe
These pages are designed to help you boldly explore your spirituality and trust your voice. You’ll find questions that spark curiosity at the bottom of each section and resources from a variety of authors and scholars who will dig into your questions with more depth.
Like any journey worth taking, this series will bring you into mystery, more questions, wonder, and you may find yourself transformed along the way. It is guest-oriented towards the cross. It is filled with stories, art, critical thinking, and a mystic’s spirit.
Theology is “faith seeking understanding.” With this approach, this street-level study is open to all and directed to the curious. It is an exploration seeking understanding, which oddly enough does not result in answers. It is NOT a fill-in-the-blank Bible study.
Bring ALL your questions, doubts, pain, and experiences into the wilderness. Be prepared to encounter stories that deconstruct and reconstruct your faith.
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Doug’s episode kicks off our Lent season…
For the next 6 weeks, we are releasing a series of episodes that follow our journey as we DECONSTRUCT and RECONSTRUCT the message of the cross.
We interrogate our faith and what it means to us to “follow Jesus.”
Come Journey Towards Easter WITH Us!
May we all arrive on Easter Sunday transformed in a way that contributes to the liberation and joy of all humankind.
Releasing today is our conversation with author, activist, pastor, theologian, and friend , DOUG PAGITT
Doug’s work and life collided with mine transforming me for the better in every way - pushing me forward.
I blame him for the audacious hope of starting Desert Voices. He is the force that told us, “you can…” YOU can make the world a “more beautiful place” with your voice. He is why we had access to the education and courage we needed to step out into the realm of activism & public theology.
Human thriving comes from the question of human understanding:
- Who am I?
- Why do I exist?
- What do I believe?
How do you answer those questions in a changing world…?
In this episode with Doug, we dig into stories that explore these questions. We talk about his latest book Outdoing Jesus!
We DIG into John 3:16 and what might it mean to “BELIEVE…”
Check out our website for further resources Desertvoices.com
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One of our favorite resources - Walter Bruggeman - writes, “The imagination is defined as nothing less than ‘the magnificent cause of being.’ Clearly, human transformative activity depends upon a transformed imagination...What the prophetic tradition knows is that it could be different, and the difference can be enacted.”
What is the difference you imagine? We imagine a world, a spirituality, that values collaborative power, equity, justice, reconciliation, embodiment, connection, and human flourishing for ALL humankind.
It is possible...if only we can first imagine it.
We are fully convinced this is the way of Jesus. Jesus taps into our imagination offering us a way to be fully human, fully alive, fully in our body!
Can you imagine experiencing wholeness and connection?
Christianity has lost its way over time and married Empire mentality. A toxic hierarchy Holland and I unsuspectingly participated in and perpetuated for far too long.
Prophetic, imaginative, voices called to us from the desert! Crying out in the wilderness for a new way of being. Voices like Micah Bournes.
Micah is a hip-hop artist, poet, creative, and man of faith from Long Beach California. In addition to his culture-changing art, he teaches and speaks on creative writing, pursuing justice, and the way of Jesus.
These two episodes, punctuated with Micah’s music and stories, paint a picture for us to imagine a new way of being and acting out on the world.
Join the conversation about social justice, Jesus, race, and shampoo bottles!
FOR RESOURCES FOUND IN THIS EPISODE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT DESERTVOICES.COM
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
One of our favorite resources - Walter Bruggeman - writes, “The imagination is defined as nothing less than ‘the magnificent cause of being.’ Clearly, human transformative activity depends upon a transformed imagination...What the prophetic tradition knows is that it could be different, and the difference can be enacted.”
What is the difference you imagine? We imagine a world, a spirituality, that values collaborative power, equity, justice, reconciliation, embodiment, connection, and human flourishing for ALL humankind.
It is possible...if only we can first imagine it.
We are fully convinced this is the way of Jesus. Jesus taps into our imagination offering us a way to be fully human, fully alive, fully in our body!
Can you imagine experiencing wholeness and connection?
Christianity has lost its way over time and married Empire mentality. A toxic hierarchy Holland and I unsuspectingly participated in and perpetuated for far too long.
Prophetic, imaginative, voices called to us from the desert! Crying out in the wilderness for a new way of being. Voices like Micah Bournes.
Micah is a hip-hop artist, poet, creative, and man of faith from Long Beach California. In addition to his culture-changing art, he teaches and speaks on creative writing, pursuing justice, and the way of Jesus.
These two episodes, punctuated with Micah’s music and stories, paint a picture for us to imagine a new way of being and acting out on the world.
Join the conversation about social justice, Jesus, race, and shampoo bottles!
FOR RESOURCES FOUND IN THIS EPISODE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT DESERTVOICES.COM
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
My good friend, Laura Beth Buchleiter asked me a while back, “What if all ministers of the Gospel first took a version of the Hippocratic oath? What if as ministers of the Gospel we first pledged to, Do No Harm.”
That idea has really stuck with me...what if?
Is the nature of God violent, non-violent, or somewhere in between? What is violence anyway? Is it possible to do harm when sharing the Good News of Jesus?
T Mark Montoya said, “We need to unlearn things by rethinking the reason why they existed in the first place.”
Come with us as we UNLEARN.
We are unlearning that our faith is not a shield against pain. Hell, there is no shield. What does that mean my faith is then?
In this episode, we explore the concept of non-violence, obviously talk about Twilight, think about some stories from the Buddha, and focus on the Cross. Wondering how all these things fit together...come find out in EPISODE 20!
FOR RESOURCES FOUND IN THIS EPISODE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT DESERTVOICES.COM
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Welcome to Winter 2021…
We all hoped to say goodbye to the heartache, confusion, isolation, and pain 2020 ushered in...well that lasted 6 days. Whatever your politics, the events of January 6th left us all with no doubt...Winter has come (a nod to all of us who were obsessed with GOT).
Winter is a time when the earth goes dormant. Trees have lost their leaves to hunker down and bear the winter storms. Snow falls (in some places), cold sets in, and the isolation in COVID season seems unending.
Winter can be harsh...it can also be majestic and breathtaking. Join us as we kick off Winter 2021 with deconstructionist Phil Drysdale. In this NEW episode, we talk about
- Stories and why they are important…Spirituality is a way of framing meaning. It is a way of trying to give meaning to whatever the hell is going on right now and what it means to be human in the midst of it
- We look at data asking Phil what data around deconstruction should be paying attention to and why?
Phil’s unparalleled humor drew us to his Instagram page and led us to this conversation!
COVID still rages and winter is harsh... but we can still start 2021 off with laughter, deconstruction, and storytelling!
STAY SAFE AND COME DANCE IN THE SNOW WITH US!
Desertvoices.com
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SEASON 2 HERE WE COME...Launching January 25, 2021
Thank you for joining us in our Rookie Year - Season ONE was a ride.
We are learning as we go, and yes, we made many mistakes. This first season was healing for us as well as so many of you. It was challenging, adventurous, and filled with NEW connections. Both Holland and I made (much-needed) NEW friendships with many of you this season. Thank you...this community is an OASIS in the desert.
Thank you for connecting with us via the podcast, Instagram, direct messages, zoom calls, emails, and in person. So many of you have shared your story with us, bringing community and connection. We are grateful to be on this journey together.
Time is the most valuable asset you have. Heck, it's the most valuable asset we have as well! We commit to consistently providing content that checks these boxes:
- Storytelling - we believe in the art of healing through narratives. We think Jesus knew something of this hearing art!
- Bold
- Thought-Provoking
- Tangible in our 21st-century context
- Practical to everyday life
- Speaks to Social Justice
Check out our website for a line up of guest joining us!
Desertvoices.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
A HOLIDAY GIFT! Gretta Miller joins the conversation offering the gift of her VOICE. Gretta is no stranger to desert spaces. In this episode, Gretta’s haunting melody and searing insights are a gift in our unprecedented pandemic Holiday season. Her new song “Curious Woman” has been on repeat in our homes.
Listen in as Gretta shares the inspiration behind her lyrics. You might just walk away from this episode with a new favorite song, wisdom, laughter, and JOY!
“Curious Woman the revolution is your joy”...This song is for ALL curious humans. The revolution of love is upon us. Are you curious about it?
AND ALSO THAT IS A WRAP FOR SEASON ONE! Thank you for joining our rookie year! Time is the most valuable asset we have. Holland and I commit to continuing the emotional, time-intensive, and intellectual labor needed to provide life-giving and transformative content. We believe in the healing power of narratives - apparently, Jesus did too! Here at Desert Voices, you will find our content:
- BOLD
- THOUGHT-PROVOKING
- RELEVANT TO YOUR 21st CENTURY CONTEXT
- AND PRACTICAL TO YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
We shall see you again in January. Until then connect with us on social media @desertvoices_SC
Join us in imagining a world that prioritizes collaborative power and human flourishing!
“We can’t create what we cannot imagine” - Lucille Clifford
Listen to Curious Woman By Tow'rs here!
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2020 is the year of contagion! If something is contagious it spreads from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact. It is infectious!
Contagion is top of mind right now, so let's talk about how contagious COURAGE is! Courage spreads from one person to the next. When you witness courage it has a way of touching our soul and transforms how we live.
Join in the conversation as we share stories of courage and offer a toolbox to tap into your passions. What are you passionate about and where is Divine Goodness inviting you to contribute to human flourishing? Courage has the power to heal us and connect us together. It gives us the oomph we need to live into our passions? Courage helps us imagine a more beautiful world and inspires us to co-create it!
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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In Episode 16 we fall off our chairs laughing as Shanda brings down the house sharing her childhood nightmare of being “Left Behind” with Kirk Cameron!
We narrow in on why our faith has shifted and what it’s like living from a new perspective. Shanda takes us on a journey describing how fear motivated her to pursue a relationship with God––fear is highly motivating–– so, what happens in your faith when fear is dismantled and melts away?
Come find out!
PLEASE NOTE: We really let our hair down in these two episodes and depart from our usual PG-13 language, especially as Sierra’s story gets raw. Listen at your own discretion. Get ready to go deep, cry, and laugh!
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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Episode 15: Part 1 with my sisters opens up with childhood memories of Shanda and I terrorizing Sierra. If you need a good laugh, LISTEN IN. You will crack up along with us as we remember the good ol’ days driving the “maxi pad,” army crawling through parks, and surprise attacks!
The story arcs in this episode as we move from laughter to tears. Sierra opens up about her raw, rocky, and unique journey into parenting. You get to join the intimate conversation as Sierra describes being a first-time mom and finding out her daughter has Down Syndrome and congenital heart disease. Sierra powerfully takes us on her spiritual journey through Sadie’s two open-heart surgeries, ICU, and what it was like for her to experience God in the midst of fear.
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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I am afraid of this episode.
Holland and I boldly explore the practical implication of the “Sinner's Prayer.” A prayer we never questioned and preached for years...until...
Join the conversation as we examine the connection between saying the “Sinner’s Prayer” and belonging in the family of God. Who belongs? Who’s in? Who’s out?
What happens when you put a face to the “statements of faith” you profess?
In this thought-provoking episode, we take you behind closed doors into conversations with my pastor that have changed my perspective...conversations that change what we think about the nature of God and end up changing how we live in the world.
This episode does not offer answers. Instead, we participate in the ancient art of healing through storytelling. You get to decide what to do with the stories.
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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EXHALE…
2020 is a global gut-punch … add the 2020 Presidential debates and election to it, and as news anchor, Jake Trapper so eloquently put it, “That was a hot mess, inside dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.” However you voted last week, this week is about the EXHALE.
Some of us are celebrating, some of us are somber. Wherever you land this week this episode is FOR YOU. Exhale with us.
Yoga trauma specialist (and one of my closest friends) Dana Brechtel takes us on a journey. In this episode we don’t just talk about spiritual groundedness, we get to experience it together. Dana’s voice of peace walks us through a guided meditation (which you can also do in motion while walking, jogging, or driving), offering us the chance to metabolize the stress and emotions of the last few months.
Come experience the desert with us in this profound and pivotal episode.
“The Body Keeps the Score” - emotions live inside your body, and if you do not metabolize them they will metastasize creating toxicity.
Let’s exhale. Let’s focus on connection. Let’s get grounded...TOGETHER.
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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Friends, we are moving into election week, and we have committed to SLOW OUR ROLL.
In this episode we explore what slowing our roll looks like:
- What does it mean to move at the pace of peace?
- How do we live anchored to our true nature of empathy & compassion...especially during election week?
- How do we reduce the noise in our lives and also stay informed?
- What are creative and effective self-care practices this week?
Join in on an important conversion around self-care and the 2020 elections!
MUSIC
Micah Bournes - Water (featuring Lucee)
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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Yep, we are doing it. It's time to boldly explore the relationship between abortion and faith. Is it as cut and dry as we think? Are there clear answers? If you are a person of Faith how does your love for life inform your vote? Can you vote for a pro-choice candidate and still claim to love life?
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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"Fake News” is a buzzword. So what is fake news and what is credible news? In this mini-episode, we investigate credible political resources with Pastor Charlie McCallie. Who can we trust to deliver the facts? How do we source our information? What does political critical thinking look like for the average person?
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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Join the conversation with Pastor and storyteller, Charlie McCallie, as we explore how and why faith informs politics, partisanship, and what’s driving Holland and me to the polls Nov 3.
It’s a gritty, witty, provocative conversation about connecting the word love to politics. You will not want to miss this. Nothing builds a bridge-like asking questions. Charlie explores the importance of taking aside and taking a stand.
"The game is real. The game is afoot. Actual lives are on the line.”
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
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Let’s talk about homosexuality and Christ. Join our conversation with Guest Star Steve McCarthy from Open Bible Podcast. Jump into this two-part series as we explore: Is Queer Inclusion Good for Everyone?
The way of Christ is about participating in healing the world. Are you curious about what that looks like for you and the gay community?
The fruit of our thinking is the outcome of our life. Are you kinder than you were yesterday? Are you more loving than you were yesterday? Are you more inclusive than you were yesterday? Has your heart for humankind grown?
Come laugh with us as we boldly explore spirituality! These are two episodes you will not want to miss.
Are you looking for a simple way to join this movement? It is surprisingly VERY helpful when you subscribe, review, and share this podcast. Thank you!
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
Let’s talk about homosexuality and Christ. Join our conversation with Guest Star Steve McCarthy from Open Bible Podcast. Jump into this two-part series as we explore: Is Queer Inclusion Good for Everyone?
The way of Christ is about participating in healing the world. Are you curious about what that looks like for you and the gay community?
The fruit of our thinking is the outcome of our life. Are you kinder than you were yesterday? Are you more loving than you were yesterday? Are you more inclusive than you were yesterday? Has your heart for humankind grown?
Come laugh with us as we boldly explore spirituality! These are two episodes you will not want to miss.
Are you looking for a simple way to join this movement? It is surprisingly VERY helpful when you subscribe, review, and share this podcast. Thank you!
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
The Labor of New Beginnings Fact Check
New beginnings are hard and painful… AND ALSO filled with new life. We get to participate in a recurring cycle of death and life, and our spirituality is not an exception.
Shaleen and Holland look at their shifting journeys through the metaphor of labor and birth as a guiding picture that we, as humans, can do hard things.
Please do yourself a favor and watch, Valerie Kaur speak on The Labor of Revolutionary Love.
Fact CheckHolland said Black Theology and should have said Black Liberation Theology
A full list of RESOURCES used in this episode can be found on our website.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/preview/7914a4f7860a4376adacf88925a49433)
RESOURCES:
Ibram Kendi- How to Be an Antiracist
Glennon Doyle- Untamed
Teresa Blythe - Theological Assumptions
Marshall Rosenberg- Nonviolent Communication
Dr. Christine Paintner-Desert Fathers & Mothers
Laura Beth Buchliter
The Cross and the Lynching Tree- James H. Cone
Just A Sister Away- Renita Weems
A Third Option- Miles McPherson
Organizing Church- Tim Conder
“Game Changers”- Stephanie Spaulding
What does it mean to have a Voice?
Voice is a literary term meaning the ability to have a say in the matter.
You have the power and authority to have a say in your own spirituality.
Finding your voice and learning to use it can often leave you feeling crazy! In episode 5, Shaleen and Holland dive into their journeys of finding their voice and learning to use it. They are experiencing liberation in the desert, outside the systems that tell them they don't belong as they are and invite you to join them!
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This episode is emotionally raw and embodies the lived human experience. Desert Voices was born from passionate and gritty conversations of loss, pain, joy, and love. Shaleen and Holland wrestle with family dynamics, oppressive ideologies, insecurities, and the call to speak one's truth.
RESOURCES:
Audre Lorde - Sister Outsider
Just a Sister Away - Renita Weems
Dr. Jamie Clark-Soles
Valarie Kaur
Owning Your Own Shadow
Jane Austen - Seriously Displeasing People Tshirt
Complementarian Theology
Calling In vs. Calling Out
DoBetterYoungLife
Cis-gender
Euro-Centric
Safe Spaces & Brave Spaces
Brene Brown - Braving the Wilderness
Sue Monk Kidd - Book of Longings
Grief Coach - Gina Pollard
"Speechless"- Naomi Scott
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This episode piggybacks on the metaphor of having a Fire Dependent Spirituality. Shaleen and Holland unpack the metaphor of desert spirituality and what it looks like to divorce yourself from empire thinking, which can kick you out of the systems you once belonged to and embrace the Mystery that we call God.
Painter describes the desert as not a place of personal retreat but a place of revolution!
Join the revolution, let's start some fires!
Resources:Phyllis Tickle - Great Emergence
Maya Angelou- And Still I Rise
Richard Rohr - Universal Christ
Dr. Christine Paintner- Desert Fathers and Mothers
Marshall Rosenberg - Nonviolent Communication
Kent Dobson- Bitten By a Camel
Brené Brown - Braving the Wilderness
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Your spirituality is dependent upon fire.
Fire is a cleansing agent that burns away dead, oppressive, and tyrannical doctrines accumulated over time. Fire is the catalyst to our flourishing.
WHAT IS HUMAN FLOURISHING?
Flower: Humans living in full bloom.
Fruit: The fruit (atmosphere) of your life smells like love.
Seed: Planting seeds of justice, equity, and collaborative power for the next generation to flourish.
We want to leave the world of certainty and exclusion to engage the world of mystery and intrinsic value.
We want to contribute to human thriving...journey with us.
Resources:
The Fire Next Time-James Baldwin
Gwendal Berrys Collective works
Desmond Tutu- God Has a Dream
Parker Palmer- Let Your Life Speak
Rohr's Daily Meditation- The Rhineland Mystics- Mirabai Starr
From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring- Movement Generation
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You know when shifting in your faith feels lonely and desolate?
Desert Voices curates resources and creates content so desert spirituality feels alive and interconnected.
When shifting in your faith you often find yourself outside the systems you used to fit into. We discovered in the desert there are no outsiders! You belong.
We are guides who help you experience:
✔️Community & Affirmation
✔️Celebration & Connection
✔️Rest & Reconciliation
✔️And learn to trust YOUR VOICE
Everything you need is already written on your heart. Sometimes, you just need a guide to point you back to your voice.
Holland Fields and Shaleen Kendrick dive into spiritual conversations that spark curiosity and boldly explore spirituality to contribute to human flourishing.
Resources:
Doug Pagitt- Flipped
Richard Rohr- "Seeing Christ Everywhere"
Richard Rohr-Experience over information
Brian Zahnd-Sinners in The Hands of a Loving God
Accompanied writing on Desertvoices.com
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