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.

Support the show

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.

Support the show

 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/

Support the show

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

Support the show

"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

Support the show

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.

Learn alongside us and dig into "The Real Origins of the Religious Right: They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation." (By Dr. Balmer)

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.

In this episode, we are joined by a close seminary friend, Rev Anne Garner, whose work over the last two decades has been defined by hospitality, justice, and radical love.

Anne grounds this complicated conversation in love for all humankind as we examine political origin stories and their impact today.

PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
American Historians & Professors, The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer & Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

Support the show

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.

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

www.desertvoices.com

Support the show

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

Support the show

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.

Support the show

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.

Support the show

"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.

Support the show

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.

Support the show

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...

Support the show

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

Support the show

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.

Support the show

Support the show

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

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

Support the show

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

Support the show

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.

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

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·tive
adjective

1. serving or intending to unify separate things.

Support the show

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 Neuroscientist
By Andrew Newberg & Mark Waldman

Support the show

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...

Support the show

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

Support the show

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.

Support the show

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

Support the show

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

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.

Support the show

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

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

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

Support the show

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 matters in 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...

Support the show

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!

Support the show

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.  

Support the show

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!

Support the show

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

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!

Support the show

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

Support the show

“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. 

Support the show

“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?

Support the show

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”?

Support the show

“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
sign up for our email newsletter to receive our Street-Level Study that accompanies this podcast 

Support the show