Faith in Motion, the Podcast

In today's conversation Pastor Kelsey talks with the woman behind Every Woman is Worthy, Maggie.  Maggie Winzeler is a women's wellness advocate, business owner, writer, and coach. She recently launched a new social impact brand called Every Woman is Worthy that celebrates womens' value and gives back to marginalized and oppressed communities of women. Maggie has been featured in Sh...

Continuing the conversation from last week with our guest today, Anna Gustafson. This conversation feels like one that is needed but this time we talk about how toxic diet culture has made it's way into church culture. In this conversation we are reminded that we are wonderfully made, and are meant to love our body. About Anna: Anna Gustafson (she/her) is a non-diet, HAES-aligned (Health At E...

"Whether your body is small or large, aged or young, disabled or abled, toned or soft, lithe or stiff--or somewhere in-between--anti-fatness affects us all, because it is intended to. Fat Church critiques anti-fat prejudice and the Church's historic participation in it, calling for a fatphobic reckoning for the sake of God's gospel of freedom." - from the back cover of Rev. Ana...

Happy Pride month, beloveds! We are excited to kick off the month by talking to Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber (she/her) about her new book, Queering the American Dream. She shares about traveling the country and learning about the presence of divinity all around her. About Angela Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber (she/her) is an 8-time award-winning author and publisher at Tehom Center Publishing , a press publishi...

Burn out is a universal feeling - everyone reaches their wits ends at some point. This has been especially true in the Church world lately, from pastors to volunteers. Rev. Callie Swanland addresses that head on and tackles the conversation in a new way to make us think about how best to fill our wells each and everyday. About Callie   Callie Swanlund is an Episcopal priest, retreat leader, spirit...

Kelsey shares how a few Veterans changed her understanding of Memorial Day worship services.  Our weekly interview will drop tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28th.

Witnessing the war in Gaza can make us feel hopeless and like there's nothing we can do. Dr. Peter Makari (he/him), a Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe, shares with us today a message of hope, justice, and peace. He offers important background information in relationships in the Middle East and lifts up voices of Palestinian partners who are on the ground doing importan...

Sit down with a group of kindergartners and ask, "Raise you hand if you're creative!" and every single child will raise their hand. Ask a room full of adults that same question, and you'll only get a few hands. So what happens between childhood and adulthood? It's not that we are no longer creative - perhaps we have just lost touch with our creativity! Diane Harpster (she/...

Many of us spend our whole lives trying to earn and achieve, even in the realm of faith. If we just do more, we can be better Christians. But that's not what scripture teaches us. In her new book, Blessed Are the Rest of Us, Miacha Boyett (she/her) invites us to see how striving for accomplishment isn't a way of faith. Instead, Jesus invites us to see our belovedness simply for who we ar...

"If we never make the mistake, we never learn from it." -Rev. Keats Miles Wallace Many of us struggle with engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts because we are afraid of getting things wrong - that we'll say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or mess up in some way. We attach our ego to it, thinking that if we get it wrong then we are wrong, or are a bad person. Rev...

Spiritual anxiety, often the outcome of various forms of spiritual abuse and manipulation perpetuated by certain religious institutions, has become widespread among Christians. In her new book, Holy Ghosted: Spiritual Anxiety, Religious Trauma, and the Language of Abuse , Tiffany Yecke Brooks equips readers with how to identify these tactics, and offers pathways towards healing by inviting people...

We've had a large request for smaller episodes that focus on scripture with Pastor Kelsey - so today we're throwing it back to one of our episodes just like that. We're working on getting more of these smaller episodes recorded but in the meantime enjoy one of our more popular episodes! Blessings are all around us, but if we're not careful, the theology behind the blessings can...

Last week, Kelsey posted on Instagram an invitation to ask her anything, and she'd answer on the pod - and that's what this episode is! We have questions ranging from motherhood to soteriology. This was such a fun episode to do. Be on the lookout for when Kelsey posts another invitation, next time will be to her email list so be sure to join that here ! Connect with us! Sign up to receiv...

“When Love transforms our heart, our actions align with the truth of our being and we remember that which we already are.” — Felicia Murrell When the storm is swirling, a lighthouse serves as a light guiding us safely to shore - for Felicia, that lighthouse is God's Love. In today's episode, Felicia shares with us what Divine Love truly is, and how it calls us home to ourselves - to know...

Women's voices and stories have been left out of history, but the Easter story - if told correctly - lifts them up. Women, especially Mary Magdalene, play a central role in Jesus' walk from entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the Cross on Friday morning, through the Saturday vigil and in the experience and telling of the resurrection. Writer, teacher, and theologian Chelsea Kim Long tak...

Easter is a day of joy and celebration as we welcome the good news that Jesus is alive! And - sometimes we get caught up in the stickiness of how to talk about the Easter story with kids. Meredith Miller is a children and youth ministry expert and she has a great framework for how to approach telling these stories to little hearts. Short and sweet, this episode is jam packed with great ways to tal...

Hello friends! It has been pulling at Pastor Kelsey's heart to take a break. It won't be a long one, just a few weeks, but a needed one while she finds the ground underneath her feet. Thank you for always being here and showing up week after week. We hope that in this time you, too, consider what God might be telling you to "press pause" on. 

**Please note this episode was recorded before the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. We want to be clear that we fully support women's rights and the rights of all who wish to be parents, and we believe IVF should be accessible to all. Join Kelsey and seminarian Anne Alexis Harra for a conversation ranging from Jesus' encouragement of women's leadership, to reproductive rights, to the a...

In her classes at Saint Mary’s College of California, Porsia Tunzi encourages her students to bring their full selves. In a class that’s all about how religion shows up in our culture and everyday lives, discussions can get heated, but Porsia insists on creating a safe and brave space for her students to talk about hard things. In this episode, Porsia shares with us why nuance is so important when...

In February 2024, Rev. Latishia will be embarking on a profound initiation into the Lucumí tradition, as a priest dedicated to Oshun. The Lucumí faith, also known as Santería, is a rich and vibrant Afro-Caribbean spiritual tradition that has been a source of inspiration and guidance for her on her path. From February 2024-February 2025, Rev. Latishia will undergo the Iyaworaje, commonly referred t...

"Don’t oppress an immigrant. You know what it’s like to be an immigrant, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt." - Exodus 23:9 Through her international relations work, Kerry Brodie saw firsthand the plight that immigrants face in the U.S. God put a call on her heart to make change and create opportunities for people who come to this country to not only find work, but also fin...

Anne-Marie Zanzal is a self-identified later in life lesbian. When she came out, she realized how little support there was for folks like her who were coming out later in life. Being a chaplain and ordained UCC minister, when Anne-Marie saw that gaping need, she decided to do something to fill it. She started later in life mutual support groups for queer folks and eventually that grew into one-on-...

Author and faith leader Claire McKeever-Burgett is here to share about her new book, Blessed Are the Women. Through a blend of storytelling, poetry, and prayer, Blessed Are the Women invites readers to reimagine worship, embrace women's narratives, and foster healing within themselves and their communities. Buy the book here and be sure to subscribe to Claire's Substack . About Claire Cl...

Friends, we are continuing our pause through mid-January to allow Kelsey time to move back home to the Pacific Northwest with her family, but we’re here with a special New Year’s episode talking about looking for God’s miracles and grace, even amidst heartbreak. We will be back with you on Monday, January 22nd with more interviews and all of your favorite content! Connect with us! Sign up to recei...

When it comes to children's books about Advent and Christmas, there are thousands of options. It can feel impossible to weed through them all and figure out which ones have theology, representation, and story you can trust. That's where children's minister and librarian Kari Bauman comes in! Kari shares some of her tried and true go-to books for Advent and Christmas, as well as some...