Better on the Inside

Helping unhoused people is often divisive and politicized work that doesn't have a lot of easy solutions. So, what can we do to help?  As with many things, it starts with relationship. While I don't have all the answers, I do know we all need to start listening to people like Kevin Nye. Kevin has worked directly with our unhoused neighbors in a number of capacities and has an invaluable persp...

Holly Stallcup is the Founder and Executive Director of Rise ( https://www.nowsherises.org/ ), an organization that connects, equips and empowers people to build a Church where women thrive. And she is a delight to have a conversation with. Thankful to meet her through Hector and Sarah of the Pocket Pulpit Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pocket-pulpit/id1590925649) Holly has a uniqu...

My dude Eugene Kim is a dream guest for the podcast. Truly. As I started to brainstorm what Better on the Inside could be, I made a guest list of people I'd love to talk to. And Eugene was on the FIRST LIST, which means I've wanted to chat with him for quite awhile. (There are still some dream names on the list that I hope to wrangle one day) And my dude does not disappoint. Eugene is one of the s...

My new friend David Hayward AKA Naked Pastor (please only search for his site with one word: nakedpastor, or you may get an unpleasant surprise. The safest way: follow the link here: https://nakedpastor.com/ ) chats with me about how he moved from pastoral ministry in a church to a different kind of ministry: cartoons! You may have seen them on the internet, but David has done a good job portrayin...

My conversation with Rose J. Percy is absolutely delightful. She is not only fun to talk to, Rose is creative, kind and brilliant. She uses the phrase "epistemic humility" seamlessly in conversation without batting an eyelash (and it makes sense). When she digs into the challenges of the industrial mindset of the church and what happens when you don't fit into the assembly line, it is MIND-BLOWING...

Jenai Auman is an absolute delight! I really enjoyed our conversation, which was filled with a lot of joy, even though it was about something terrible: spiritual abuse. Jenai and her family have a story all too familiar: going from excited church planters to wounded exiles, hobbling out of a community they loved and wanted to protect. While she is still healing, Jenai is telling her story and crea...

Corey Winfield is an Eagle. I tease him about it, but he truly flies above all the mess and sees the world from a unique (often higher) perspective. We worked together at CityChurch but eventually Corey's story sent him away… and got very interesting. He has a wonderful take on what it means to leave the church but not leave Jesus and reflects on what ministry looks like among the people. We also...

Tracey Gee is a BOSS! I met her through Twitter and found her leadership insight and coaching invaluable but also accessible. So often “leadership” is a buzzword that doesn't really help most people or even a term that feels icky to some, especially in the church world. But that's not Tracey. She is focused on unlocking everyone's strengths and helping you be your best. She shared some wonderful a...

Very few people have experienced the inside of the "Evangelical Industrial Complex" quite like Dave McGinnis. As a kid who has grown up in the church (running a video switcher for the Christmas Program and switching transparencies for worship) with two parents & a wife on staff and also worked for churches himself, Dave has a unique perspective on the issues facing the church and how it could...

I get to talk to a man I consider a celebrity: Tyler Huckabee!  Tyler is someone I sincerely appreciate because he approaches complex issues with a great deal of nuance. Hearing his take on deconstruction was EXTREMELY helpful and instructive. Tyler is a reporter and breaks down deconstruction, this movement critiquing toxic religious systems, but why he's worried we won't go far enough. What...

Volunteer Guru Mary Ann Sibley joins me for our first ever LIVE show! She is amazing. When I asked the question: "who should I talk to about volunteer burnout?" several people pointed me toward Mary Ann... and she did not disappoint. Not growing up in the church, she has been willing to ask the questions and try the things that "churches don't do". Mary Ann also has led a toxic volunteer culture h...

Why does evil exist? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why God why? Have you ever asked God those questions? I know I have. At 20 years old, my entire life ahead of me, I was diagnosed with cancer. My question was WHY?  WHY GOD WHY?  Why would you do this to me?  Why would you allow this to happen to me?  I am a good person.  I don't break any laws.  I don't tr...

Pastor Doug is my dude! I learned about him from Hector Martinez and Sarah Kinzer, who had him on their podcast: The Pocket Pulpit. Doug is a Pastor's Pastor in more ways than one. Not only is he a fantastic representative of what it means to be a true shepherd of the people on their spiritual journey, he also devotes a lot of time caring for those in ministry... especially pastors. We could all u...

I caught Jonathan Carone on Tik-Tok and I immediately wanted to have him on the show. His podcast, Unlearning Youth Group, has really connected with people deconstructing and wrestling in their spiritual journeys... but ALSO folks currently serving at a church and even leading Youth Ministry. When Jonathan realized that he had to "un-learn" some unhealthy theology that was hurting his own personal...

Melissa Florer-Bixler (AKA the Notorious MFB) is an absolute BOSS. Melissa is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church, (that's right... a Mennonite!) and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She has spent a lot of time investing in local organizing efforts in her county and has been the hands and feet on the ground to make the lives of real people better. The Notorious...

I think I was 3 years old when I met Michael Jones. And we've been besties ever since. We've had a ton in common over the years: Star Wars action figures, movies, professional wrestling, sports and shenanigans... but unexpectedly we also both ended up becoming Pastors too! Definitely not the path we expected to take when were cruising around Alta Loma in his sweet ass Camaro during the Great Toile...

What happens when you "transition" from your church? ("Transition" is church code for getting fired) What do you do when you're asked to leave... but you don't want to? I sit down with one of my ride or die homies and certified Brown Boy Robby Quintero about his unexpected journey from his calling in ministry to the "real world". When you're on staff at YOUR church and you're asked to leave, it ha...

Chamberlain Saenz is my dude. I've gotten to know him over the past few years and he has been instrumental in helping me through some difficult times. His life story is an amazing one and can testify to the transformative power of Jesus. We've worked together on staff at CityChurch San Antonio and been through some turmoil... but the biggest thing we talk about on this episode is church hurt and h...

Tom Pounder is a church veteran who has managed to stay passionate and enthusiastic about Youth and Online Ministry, in part because of his humility and desire to continue learning. In this physical/digital (phygital) hybrid era, Tom shares some wisdom and expertise around taking digital beyond vanity metrics and into discipleship, the Metaverse, reaching the Youth in a meaningful way and how we c...

Tom Pounder is a church veteran who has managed to stay passionate and enthusiastic about Youth and Online Ministry, in part because of his humility and desire to continue learning. In this physical/digital (phygital) hybrid era, Tom shares some wisdom and expertise around taking digital beyond vanity metrics and into discipleship, the Metaverse, reaching the Youth in a meaningful way and how we c...

From serious theological discussion (including big words like antithetical parallelism) to tricking his Korean Mom into seeing a movie, Dr. Sam Won brings amazing depth of knowledge and insight to the podcast. He is a true "Slash": Pastor/Pharmacist/Professor. For followers of Jesus, our "Bible in a Year" reading plans can can really bog us down and de-motivate us in the Old Testament... but it do...

For this episode, I got to hang out with Holly Tate and have a delightful conversation about changing a toxic leadership culture, vulnerability, healthy growth, her own story and being a woman in ministry.    Holly is the SVP of Growth for Leadr , a really cool tech company that is doing their part to make churches and other organizations better on the inside. I met her for the first tim...

There is a lot of fear, concern and complaining about the faith of the next generation. But what if all of this worry is unnecessary? What if the kids aren't just alright... what if they're poised to lead the church exactly where we need to go?

Does God want us to be happy? Like, for real?  Followers of Jesus, especially those with religious trauma, sometimes feel a great deal of confusion around happiness. Theoretically, we should be full of joy. But, in practice, Christians are often some of the most miserable (and judgmental) folks on the planet. Why? We've lost something so important that can make following Jesus a little more f...

Dr. Roberta Jones-Hall (AKA Bertie) is incredibly wise, insightful and helpful. As both a doctor and a minister, she has a unique perspective on our path to spiritual growth that is INCREDIBLY valuable to anyone... but especially those who work for a church.