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.
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?!
They say courage happens in the midst of fear, not in the absence of it…so today we shall lean into courage as we bring a new project into the world!
We are releasing a 5-Part Series
DECONSTRUCTING & RECONSTRUCTING
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS.
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.
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.”
Join us in 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.
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.
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.
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…
SEASON 2 HERE WE COME…Launching January 25, 2021
Thank you for joining us in our Rookie Year – Season 1 was a ride. We have no idea what we are doing and learning as we go! Yes, we made many mistakes. This first season was healing, challenging, adventurous, and filled with NEW connections. Both Holland and I made much needed NEW friendships with many of you this season. You are an OASIS in the desert.
Thank you for connecting with us via the Podcast, Instagram, Emails and in person. So many of you have shared your story with us, bringing community and healing. 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 continue the work to consistently provide 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
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 seering 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?
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!
