Burning Butterflies

Chapter 4, Episode 14 The chapter finale delivers an explosive and emotional culmination as Melissa’s play turns out to be a resounding success. With stunning execution, the production dazzles the congregation, leaving no doubt about Melissa’s talents and leadership. But behind the scenes, the story is far more complex. Amanda, forbidden from having anything to do with the play, secretly teams up...

Chapter 4, Episode 13 In this episode, Amanda and Melissa dive into the aftermath of Tom and Charlotte’s decision to put Amanda and Brandi on "time-out." The fallout reveals the tangled web of manipulation and control within the church, as everyone scrambles to maintain a façade of order. Melissa finds herself knee-deep in planning the church play, juggling the demands of her role while navigating...

Chapter 4, Episode 12 Fall 2018 marks the unraveling of everything. Within days of Young Gun leaving for basic training, Tom attacks his Family Ministry. Amanda and Brandi are abruptly placed in "time out" and forbidden from speaking to one another, their friendship collateral damage in Tom's quest for control. Meanwhile, Tom is riding high after the illusion of success from the church’s 20th anni...

Chapter 4, Episode 11 Despite growing tensions within the church, Amanda is determined to honor the 20th anniversary of Come As You Are’s presence in the community. Alongside a small group of dedicated members, she convinces Tom to celebrate the milestone. As excitement builds within the congregation, Tom seizes the opportunity, expanding the event into a grand "Family Reunion" packed with additio...

Chapter 4, Episode 10 The church enters the summer of 2018 as they always have—Retreat and VBS—but the spirit of unity is gone, replaced by veiled arguments and dishonesty. Petty conflicts arise over trivial matters, like classroom posters, while deeper fractures begin to surface. Pastor Young Gun announces his impending departure for the military. Meanwhile, Tom is consumed with the looming stres...

Chapter 4, Episode 9 Everything looks perfect on the surface. Froggy is finally home, Melissa has a job she loves, and Amanda is thriving in her dream job and serving in ministries she’s passionate about. The church’s new wing is complete, and leadership is gearing up for a season of unprecedented growth. But behind the scenes, tensions are rising. A rift is forming within the worship team and the...

Chapter 4, Episode 8 What happened to the money from the sale of the Baptist church? Tom crafts a façade of care and collaboration, gathering a wish list from those working in the trenches of ministry. He presents himself as a servant leader, intent on meeting the needs of the congregation. But behind the scenes, his grand plan is already in motion. By including just enough of everyone’s requests,...

Chapter 4, Episode 7 It’s Christmas, and Amanda is finally living the dream—or so she thinks. She’s been hired as staff at Come As You Are, co-leading the children’s ministry with her best friend, and stepping into a key role alongside Pastor Young Gun to launch an exciting new ministry. Everything she’s worked for is falling into place. What could possibly go wrong? Spoiler: Everything. Burning B...

Chapter 4, Episode 6 In this episode of Burning Butterflies, Amanda and Melissa revisit the chaotic fall of 2017. Tom unveils his "innovative" fall campaign, a gospel-sharing technique he blatantly lifted from another ministry, but with his usual twist of claiming divine inspiration. Meanwhile, the church rallies behind its latest ambitious project—purchasing and flipping a struggling church build...

Chapter 4, Episode 5 In this episode, Amanda and Melissa dive into a season marked by double standards that slowly erode trust and authenticity. While the “Beer Ministry” is in full swing and builds camaraderie, it raises silent questions about what’s truly acceptable in the church. Melissa works tirelessly to convince Froggy that coming home and leaving his destructive lifestyle behind was the ri...

Chapter 4, Episode 4 In this episode, we take a look back at the summer of 2017 during Vacation Bible School—a chaotic, high-stakes week meant to be about introducing kids to Jesus. For Amanda, however, it became more about navigating tense dynamics among the volunteers and doing everything in her power to get people to work together. While on the surface it looked like a mission for faith, deep d...

Chapter 4, Episode 3 The 2017 women’s retreat, called Jubilee, was meant to celebrate “joy in the Lord”—but for Melissa, it became the site of a soul-wrenching revelation. In this first retreat Amanda did not attend in over a decade, Melissa took the stage to praise God for restoring her marriage. She spoke passionately about the joy of rescuing her husband from his life of addiction and crime. Bu...

Chapter 4, Episode 2 In this episode of Burning Butterflies, Amanda takes us back to the beginning of 2017, a time when everything seemed to be falling into place.   With Pastor Young Gun's affirmation and support, Amanda is thriving as the co-lead of the children's ministry. Together, they work tirelessly to launch a new church initiative aimed at bringing families closer together through shared...

Chapter 4, Episode 1 In this Chapter 4 premiere, the ladies dive into the unraveling of Froggy's life and the impact it had on his marriage to Melissa. In the beginning of 2017, Melissa lost her father, which ultimately reveals the cracks in Froggy's mask. As his drug use becomes more prevalent, Melissa is brought to the breaking point and asks Tom to come and remove Froggy from her home.   Don't...

In this mini-sode introducing Chapter 4, Melissa and Amanda give you a peek into Chapter 4, why they call it the "Re-Tweet" and foreshadow just what is about to come!

Chapter 3, Episode 16 In this episode of Burning Butterflies, Amanda and Melissa dive into the whirlwind that was the final months of 2016. They recount the escalating infighting within the church, the growing tension between key leaders, and the emotional ordination of Pastor Young Gun. As they close out Chapter 3 of their story, they reflect on the emotional toll these events took on them and th...

Chapter 3, Episode 15   Join Amanda and Melissa as they take a deep dive into a marriage ministry the church attempted to implement, which spiraled out of control almost immediately. What started as a well-intentioned effort to strengthen the marriages within the congregation quickly turned into a disaster that did far more harm than good.   The idea was simple: weekly workshops designed to help m...

Chapter 3, Episode 14   In this gripping episode, Melissa breaks her silence about the summer she vanished from VBS without warning, leaving everyone scrambling to pick up the pieces. The ladies unpack the personal turmoil Melissa was facing at the time, shedding light on the real reason for her sudden disappearance. Meanwhile, Amanda reflects on how, at the time, she was too distracted by the unr...

Chapter 3, Episode 13   In this explosive episode of Burning Butterflies, we dive into the chaos of the Celebrate Sisterhood Women's Retreat—a weekend meant for bonding, healing, and sisterhood that instead became a battlefield of emotions. Petty grievances turning into full-blown conflicts, revealing the cracks in friendships that once felt unbreakable.   Charolette weaves her way through all the...

Chapter 3, Episode 12   Pastor Young Gun sees a need to strengthen marriages within the church and brings the idea of a marriage conference to the leadership team. Newly licensed Pastor Vanilla, eager to prove himself, suggests a ministry he's previously participated in, but Tom quickly shuts it down, insisting that the only acceptable resource comes from Come As You Are. Determined to take contro...

Chapter 3, Episode 11   In this episode of Burning Butterflies, we dive into the churchwide aftermath of the California trip. Tom finally gets what he's always wanted—another leader who loves and leads the church with as much passion as he does. Pastor Young Gun jumps in with both feet and seems to be a perfect fit. But as he begins to connect with the congregation on a deeper level, genuinely car...

Chapter 3, Episode 10 TW: suicide and depression   In this raw and eye-opening episode, Amanda shares her personal journey of being overwhelmed by the pressures of ministry, leading a mom's group, and trying to embody the ideal Proverbs 31 wife and mother. This relentless pursuit of perfection led her down a dark and dangerous path.   Together, the ladies dissect how the church's expectations and...

Chapter 3, Episode 9   In this eye-opening episode, the ladies unravel the curious tale of Tom's grand plan to indoctrinate Pastor Young Gun by taking him and a dozen others on a transformative journey "Mother Land," a conference at Saddleback Church led by none other than Rick Warren himself. But there’s a twist: the conference never existed. Rick Warren wasn’t even in the country.   So, where di...

Chapter 3, Episode 8   In this episode of Burning Butterflies, we dive into the dramatic shift that occurs when Pastor Young Gun arrives at the high-control evangelical church, Come As You Are.   Known for his dictatorial leadership, Tom keeps a tight grip on his congregation, discouraging any form of independent thought or leadership. But when the young, energetic, and personable Pastor Young Gun...

In this episode of Burning Butterflies, we dive into the relationships that women had with one another at Come As You Are Church.   The summer of 2015 felt almost utopian for the women in the congregation. With Tom and Charlotte preoccupied with the construction of their new home, the women experienced an unprecedented level of freedom. They served and functioned in ways they felt God was calling...