Burning Butterflies

Chapter 6, Episode 8 Amanda walks into the church office ready to quit. She’s exhausted, disillusioned, and done. But before she can even get to Tom, she’s intercepted by Charlette who begs her not to leave. To Charlette, it’s simple: Amanda’s just burned out. The solution? A vacation. But this is 2020. The world is shut down. Where is Amanda supposed to go? And more importantly—what is she suppos...

Chapter 6, Episode 7 The mandates loosen very slightly and suddenly, gathering in groups of 10 or fewer becomes the new spiritual loophole. Masks on, six feet apart, and… lights, camera, live stream! In this episode, the ladies recount the surreal phase of "10 people or Less." Tom is elated—he finally has a live audience again, no matter how small. Amanda? She’s just relieved she no longer has to...

Chapter 6, Episode 6 In this episode, the ladies take us back to the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when fear and uncertainty were real—but inside the church, they were dismissed as weakness or lack of faith. Tom publicly reassured the congregation that they would “honor the authorities” because it was biblical, presenting himself as obedient and humble. But behind closed doors, it was a...

Chapter 6, Episode 5 While the men were buzzing about the formation of an eldership, the women were… well, doing everything else. In this episode, the ladies dig into what they were actually up to while the boys were playing church politics. Plus: the shady origins of the phrase “you girls,” how it was used to diminish and what is the world is a red tent and why was it the basis for a ladies study...

Chapter 6, Episode 4 Everyone who was asking problematic questions has left, but now how can Tom keep those pesky doubts from rising up again? We can have elders! But we're not like a normal church here at Come As You Are! No! We don't do things just because that is how other churches do things. We will have elders on our own terms (aka Tom's Terms!) Burning Butterflies is a listener supported pod...

Chapter 6, Episode 3 As Amanda reels from the accusation that she is the reason people are leaving the church, the pressure mounts. She’s angry, confused, and desperate for clarity—but the one thing she’s not allowed to do is sit down and talk to anyone about it. In this episode, we unpack what was the truth behind the departures and how far Tom will go to keep Amanda invested when the foundation...

Chapter 6, Episode 2 Everyone take a sign of relief that the banquet went smoothly. Maybe, just maybe all of this staging a coup stuff will blow over. Or maybe not.  What happens when Tom is called out before Sunday service? What was really said behind closed doors and why is it Brandi and Amanda's fault? Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our  Patreon  to learn...

Chapter 6, Episode 1 In this Chapter 6 premiere, the ladies discuss the aftermath of Tom finding out that there are people attempting to stage a coup. The tensions build as the body goes into the annual banquet of 2020 and what happens when the whole group of disgruntled members show up together?  Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our  Patreon  to learn more abo...

Welcome to Chapter 6! When we left off, the girls had just dropped a huge bomb. What is the fall out from that? How does Tom move forward? And if you thought our time was crazy at Come As You Are up until this point, wait until a pandemic hits!  We can't wait to take you on this wild ride as we begin to discover "There's No Cure For This."

Chapter 5 Finale As 2019 draws to a close, the cracks at Come As You Are are no longer just surface-level—they’re splitting wide open. People are starting to ask real questions about Tom: his leadership, his choices, and most of all, the church’s finances. Whispers of a rebellion start circulating. Some of the recently burned are done staying silent—and they’re ready to push back. Then, on New Yea...

Chapter 5, Episode 14 As the holiday season rolls in, the Griswolds step up to host a community Thanksgiving dinner—only to hit a wall when they find out their ministry fund is mysteriously empty. The questions start flying: where’s the money? Meanwhile, Tom is on a mission. Still reeling from the worship team fallout, he’s determined to prove he’s still got it by pulling off the greatest Christma...

Chapter 5, Episode 13 Fall of 2019 brings two unforgettable meetings that cause a whole lot of damage. First up: the worship team implodes after a blow-up at practice, and Tom calls a meeting to “resolve” things. But when emotions run high and accountability is mentioned, Tom storms out—leaving Ole Reliable and Amanda to clean up the mess and play peacemaker in a room full of broken trust. Then, i...

Chapter 5, Episode 12 Charlotte starts dropping hints that she’s ready to maybe let go of the reins of women’s ministry. But like everything else at Come As You Are, it’s not that simple. Instead of a healthy handoff, Charlotte uses the opportunity to manipulate, test loyalties, and maintain control—just from behind the curtain. The illusion of empowerment becomes a new form of gatekeeping. Meanwh...

Chapter 5, Episode 11 Fresh off the Georgia trip, Tom is fired up about effective communication. For once, it seems like he’s actually all in—ready to implement everything he’s learned and get the church on board with his newfound passion. But how does he plan to make it happen? Simple. He buys yet another program from Rick Warren. Because nothing says vision like a pre-packaged church growth stra...

Chapter 5, Episode 10 Tom comes back from Georgia fired up, ready to revolutionize church communication. Enter Grow Gatherings—meetings meant to bring people together, spark engagement, and finally give the congregation a voice. For a brief moment, it seems like something real is happening. People are excited. Ideas are flowing. But then, reality sets in. Tom and Charlotte quickly realize that let...

Chapter 5, Episode 9 Amanda finds a church communications conference in Atlanta that she’s eager to attend, but what starts as simply asking for permission quickly spirals into a full-blown staff trip—led and planned by Tom, of course. Suddenly, it’s no longer about learning or growth; it’s about control. As with most things at Come As You Are, there's more that meets the eye. Who actually paid fo...

Chapter 5, Episode 8 The theme for VBS 2019 is Run Your Race, but as usual, Tom has his own agenda. Determined to put the men of the church in their place and prove they need to step up, he appoints himself as the lead. But in true Tom fashion, that really just means one thing—Brandi and Amanda will do all the work, while he takes all the credit. Who’s really running this race? And at what cost? B...

Chapter 5, Episode 7 A new family walks through the church doors, and Tom smells money. They need to be love-bombed and pulled in immediately, and what better way than to hand them over to Brandi and Amanda? Fresh off being allowed to be friends again, the two are tasked with planning a funeral at Come As You Are—a funeral that quickly turns into a complete disaster. Amanda and Brandi are manipula...

Chapter 5, Episode 6 Pastor Young Gun is out, but the fallout is far from over. With the church divided, Tom is desperate to reassert his authority. He played his hand, forcing people to choose sides, and now it’s time to bring the Team Young Gun stragglers back into the fold. But how does he do it? And more importantly—does it work? Meanwhile, amidst the tension and manipulation, something unexpe...

Chapter 5, Episode 5 Tom has never been one for deep self-reflection or lingering in raw emotion, but as a pastor, he knows he has to maintain the illusion of spiritual depth and care. With Good Friday 2019 approaching, he faces a dilemma—how to keep his mask on without letting the service become too introspective or heavy. His solution? Send Amanda and Froggy into the planning meetings to do the...

Chapter 5, Episode 4 Coming off the success of the Christmas play, Melissa is determined to make the church’s Valentine’s event unforgettable with a dinner theater experience. The Griswolds take charge of the meal, while Melissa reimagines The Glass Menagerie with her own twist. But the real question of the night—can Froggy pull off his sermon-style message and send couples home feeling encouraged...

Chapter 5, Episode 3 In this episode of Burning Butterflies, Amanda recalls the tense and defining moment when she decided to challenge Charlette’s rigid approach to women's ministry at Come As You Are. For years, the women's events at the church were steeped in tradition—every gathering required a keepsake, a craft, and, of course, worship. It had become an adult version of VBS, and Amanda, along...

Chapter 5, Episode 2 Amanda has always wanted to serve, to be useful, to prove her devotion to the church and to Tom. But in this episode, we unravel how Tom expertly manipulates her, turning her into a pawn in his mind games—this time, with Beth as his target. As tensions rise, Amanda is unknowingly used to push Beth over the edge, leading to her final breaking point and ultimate decision to leav...

Chapter 5, Episode 1 The premiere of Chapter 5 kicks off with a dramatic turning point as the subtle division within the church finally erupts into the open. For months, tensions have been brewing beneath the surface, with quiet alliances forming amongst the church body. Even Tom has acknowledged the split, referring to You Gun as "their pastor"—a comment that only fuels the divide. Amanda recount...

Chapter 5 Mini-Sode "It All Hits the Fan"