Shows
The Expansionist PodcastAll Shall Be Well: Opening To MysterySend us a textWhat if “All shall be well” isn’t escapism but a summons to live braver, kinder, and more open to mystery? We sit with Julian of Norwich’s beloved quote and ask what makes hope durable when the world feels unwell—plague, patriarchy, and the daily grind of uncertainty included. Instead of chasing certainty, we explore the freedom of unknowing, the grounding force of ritual, and the quiet courage that comes from trusting love over fear.We take a hard look at how easy answers become avoidance, and we chart a different...
2025-11-2232 minThe Expansionist PodcastQuestions you should ask before reading the Bible with Dr. Jennifer Garcia BashawSend us a textWhat if reading the Bible felt less like swallowing a prepackaged meal and more like cooking something nourishing with friends? We sit down with Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw to reframe biblical interpretation through a simple, memorable kitchen metaphor that helps anyone move from fear and formulas to curiosity and depth. Instead of treating Scripture as a static rule book, we explore it as a living, multivocal library—divine and human—where honest questions don’t break faith, they build it.We start with you the reader: how your social location, church backgr...
2025-11-1539 minThe Expansionist PodcastYour Mansion Can Wait; Your Neighbor CannotSend us a textA single billboard question haunted our childhoods and still shapes modern faith: Where will you spend eternity? We decided to take it apart—gently, honestly, and without losing the heart of the gospel. Together we trace how fear-based scripts formed our earliest images of God and how those scripts often create otherness, separation, and shame. Then we pivot to presence, asking what happens when we trade anxiety about the afterlife for the daring work of love, justice, and neighborliness here and now.We revisit a familiar passage—“I go to prepare a plac...
2025-10-2429 minThe Expansionist PodcastRadical Hospitality: Love, Equity, and the Longer TableSend us a textA grandmother takes a door off its hinges to make the table longer. That simple act becomes our compass for a bold claim: hospitality isn’t a niche talent—it’s a spiritual practice that can transform how we love, listen, and live together. We trace radical hospitality from the kitchen table to the inner life, challenging the idea that it belongs only to those with perfect homes or to women trained to “host.” Instead, we make room for a fuller story where the feminine and masculine both offer welcome, and where presence—not performa...
2025-10-0438 minThe Expansionist PodcastRadical Hospitality:The Path to AcceptanceSend us a textWhat does it truly mean to practice radical acceptance in a deeply divided world? This question sits at the heart of our conversation as we explore the challenging yet transformative path toward seeing the sacred in everyone.The journey begins with an uncomfortable truth—many of us struggle to extend true acceptance beyond those who think, believe, and live like we do. Yet the revolutionary power of radical love demands we go further. Through personal stories and theological reflection, we unpack what it means to "take doors off hinges" to create lo...
2025-09-2939 minThe Expansionist PodcastHow Changing Our Minds Creates a More Beautiful WorldSend us a textChanging your mind might be the most revolutionary spiritual practice available to you right now. Heather and Shelly dive deep into the transformative power of mental flexibility and how it connects to the core teachings of Jesus.What happens when we allow ourselves to consider that our perspective might be incomplete? The hosts explore how Jesus repeatedly invited his followers to "repent" – literally to change their minds – and how this practice creates pathways for authentic spiritual growth. "Is it possible that I am not seeing the whole picture?" becomes a doorway to p...
2025-09-0731 minThe Expansionist PodcastPray Like You Mean Freedom: with Liz Theoharis and Charon HribarSend us a textPrayer isn't just words whispered in sacred spaces—it's marching in the streets, demanding justice from those in power, and standing in solidarity with the marginalized. This revolutionary understanding of spirituality sits at the heart of "We Pray Freedom," a groundbreaking liturgical collection from theologians Liz Theoharis and Charon Hribar.The book reimagines prayer as "the work of the people" in its most authentic sense, featuring contributions from over 80 grassroots leaders—unhoused organizers, low-wage workers, and faith activists—who share liturgies born from their communities' struggles. These prayers, songs, and rituals emerge...
2025-08-1451 minThe Expansionist PodcastFriendship Beyond Death: Mary Magdalene's CallSend us a textMary Magdalene beckons us beyond the twelve verses that mention her in scripture, inviting us into a profound reimagining of what it means to witness the divine. Shelley Shepard and Heather Drake explore this sacred friendship during Mary's feast week, diving into the transformative power of seeing resurrection through feminine eyes.What makes Mary's witness unique? The hosts suggest that witnessing isn't merely observing or repeating stories—it's embodying presence in vulnerability and mutual care. "If I am a witness to someone's life," Heather explains, "it's not that I am bossing th...
2025-08-0327 minThe Expansionist PodcastUnveiling Mary Magdalene: Sensual Beauty And Sacred RebellionSend us a textWhat if Mary Magdalene's uncovered hair wasn't just a break from tradition, but a revolutionary act of spiritual and feminine liberation?As we approach Mary Magdalene's feast day on July 22nd, Shelley and Heather dive into one of the most overlooked yet profound aspects of her story – her hair. In ancient times, a woman's hair was simultaneously considered her "glory" and something to be hidden away from public view. The cultural mandate requiring women to cover their hair wasn't simply about modesty; it was fundamentally about control and power.Ma...
2025-07-1933 minThe Expansionist PodcastMary Magdalene: A Path To PresenceSend us a textCould Mary Magdalene be a missing part of the Christ story? This question forms the heart of our exploration as we approach her feast day on July 22nd. While neither of us come from Catholic traditions, we recognize the profound wisdom in celebrating feast days that awaken our consciousness to spiritual truth—and Mary Magdalene holds truths too long overlooked.Mary represents a pathway to transformation that embraces feminine wisdom and embodied spirituality. When the Gospel of Mary was discovered in Egypt in the 19th century, it revealed a woman who und...
2025-07-1026 minThe Expansionist PodcastAncient Remembering As A Spiritual PathSend us a textYour intuition speaks, but are you listening? In this soul-stirring conversation, Shelley and Heather explore what they call "ancient remembering" – that profound sense of recognition when something resonates deep within us, awakening wisdom we've always possessed but somehow forgotten.The hosts navigate the delicate balance between external authority and inner knowing, exploring how many of us feel caught between obedience to religious rules and trust in our own sovereignty. Drawing from scripture, mystical wisdom, and their own spiritual journeys, they suggest that perhaps rules were only ever meant to be placeholders un...
2025-07-0230 minThe Expansionist PodcastDivine Motherhood: Reimagining Our Relationship with SpiritSend us a textWhat happens when we expand our vision of God beyond Father to include Mother? Shelley Shepard and I journey into territory many find unfamiliar yet deeply healing as we explore divine motherhood and its transformative potential.This conversation travels through personal stories of our relationships with our mothers and how these experiences have colored our spiritual understanding. We examine how limiting God to masculine imagery creates barriers for many who've experienced trauma or difficult relationships with fathers, while embracing feminine divine aspects opens pathways to deeper connection. As we share, "Mothering...
2025-06-2635 minThe Expansionist PodcastReturning to Wholeness: What if We Simply Laid Sin Down?Send us a textWhat if everything you thought you knew about sin and separation from God was based on a misunderstanding? What if the true spiritual journey isn't about managing sin but remembering your divine nature?Shelley Shepard and Heather Drake dive into a spicy conversation about religious labels that have historically limited our spiritual experience. Through exploring Mary Magdalene as "the new Eve," they uncover a powerful alternative narrative—one where humans were never truly separated from the divine in the first place.Shelly and Heather challenge listeners to question inherited re...
2025-06-1435 minThe Expansionist PodcastBeyond the Campfire with Cara MeredithSend us a textWhat happens when the sacred spaces of our childhood reveal themselves to be breeding grounds for exclusion? Cara Meredith joins us to unpack her three-decade journey through evangelical church camp culture and the awakening that led to her powerful new book.From her first experience as a 9-year-old camper in 1988 to her final speaking engagement at a family camp in 2018, Cara's relationship with Christian camping environments evolved from wholehearted participation to thoughtful criticism. The turning point came when she witnessed firsthand the harm inflicted on LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and people of...
2025-05-1938 minThe Expansionist PodcastEve Reimagined: Mary Magdalene as the New HopeSend us a textImagine stepping into a story that has been told for generations, only to discover there's another way of seeing it entirely. Shelley and Heather invite us to reconsider the foundation stories that have shaped women's spiritual identity for centuries. Beginning with a delightful childhood tale of "stealing" Mary Magdalene from the Sunday school flannel graph, they explore how limiting narratives about Eve have been used to constrain women's spiritual authority and leadership throughout history.The magic happens when they reframe Mary Magdalene's garden encounter with the risen Christ as a powerful...
2025-05-0736 minThe Expansionist PodcastUnveiling Divine ConnectionsSend us a textWhat if the cosmic significance and divine orchestration of our lives were revealed in an ancient text? Together, we'll unravel the profound connection between the vast universe and our everyday experiences. Focusing on Mary 6:1-2, we'll discuss Peter's acknowledgment of Jesus' extraordinary love for Mary Magdalene and her unique spiritual perception. Moreover, we venture into the transformative role of women in early Christianity, through the lens of the Gospel of Mary. We ponder why Mary Magdalene might have been entrusted with unique teachings from Jesus and explore her openness, vulnerability, and d...
2025-05-0232 min