Holy Shenanigans

Come take a seat at the campsite with Tara and guest Joy Crawford , a spiritual director with a deep connection to the natural world. You're in for a thought-provoking conversation about Eco-Spirituality, the Divine Feminine, and finding balance in life. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival t...

Tonyah Dee teaches about finding ways to daily increase inner strength, stability and confidence through practicing spiritual disciplines and healthy habits.  Tara sat down with Tonyah during the Wild Goose Festival to talk about love, serenity, and finding purpose in life. Tonyah Dee is a registered dietitian, Christ-centered life coach, and master meditation teacher, making her perspective deep...

Today's podcast comes to you from the Wild Goose Festival in Union Grove, North Carolina. Tara sits down for a conversation with Brian Allain, the creative force behind Writing For Your Life , Publishing in Color , Compassionate Christianity and Heal Our Divides . For Brian's full bio and link tree, go to: https://writingforyourlife.com/brian-allain/ Today's poem: God of Change God...

Tara reminisces about theologian, writer and mentor Phillis Tickle and how she offered an oasis of encouragement to keep her going in her spiritual journey. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanhoy Farms in Harmony, North Carolina! Wild Goose is a faith-inspired festival c...

Tara muses about distractions and rest. She tells a story about how a word of encouragement can help cut to the heart of what really matters.  Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanhoy Farms in Harmony, North Carolina! Wild Goose is a faith-inspired festival celebrating soc...

Tara is traveling this week and she audio journals about one of the most well-known road trip stories of all time: the Good Samaritan. Wherever you find yourself on the map today, there are always opportunities to be a good neighbor. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanho...

In Episode 95 of Holy Shenanigans Podcast: Smile Up To Your Eyes, Tara tells a story about human hunger of body, mind and spirit  calls us to actions to feed one another - but the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. How do we see God in the face of all we meet? How can we to honor the humanity of each human? How can we smile up to our eyes and feed whatever hunger must be fed?  Because t...

Dancing with God is an invitation to show up as we are - where we are - and stop looking back. Would you like to take a turn on the Holy Shenanigans dance floor? Let’s go - and try a new step forward! Today's special ending theme is Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com . Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podca...

Pastor Tara is a little under the weather this week, so Ian, the other Eastman associated with this podcast fills in and tries not to break anything. He tells a story about a kind act that changes a young boy's life. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanhoy Farms in H...

We hear hard truths about the call of love and are joined by a special guest author and theologian Rebecca Trotter . Rebecca is a mom, writer, thinker, teacher, Christian and odd duck. Her activism has included working with organizations serving their local communities both here and around the world. Rebecca can be found at her website, The Upside Down World.  Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting...

Tara turns the mic over to guest David Gray, who shares his piece Preparing for Daycare,  about how his family moves through the world because of complex systems of racism and oppression. David has some important insights about how to work towards equity and justice. Will we listen?  Follow him on Twitter and Instagram . Also, here's a link to organizations you can support who are assisting v...

Prayer is for everyone... Tara ponders a Jesus story that Jesus prays for everyone - and that means everyone! Would you like to learn more about prayer? Give us a listen as we explore the expansive practice of prayer. One of Tara's prayer practices is making art. This week's episode features a mixed media painting created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary for the ordination of women in t...

Tara talks with writer and agent of change Spencer Burke from Lean Faith about some tools to aid us in times of change: curiosity, courage and community. She ponders letting go of fear and holding on to peace in the midst of change. Let’s take some time together to learn how to be courageous, curious, community-builders. About our guest: Spencer Burke is a widely sought after speaker, coach, train...

Tara talks with author and book lover Laura Alary about her new book, Sun In My Tummy , and how all our words, especially the parting ones, call us to  be  truly known by our love.   About our guest: Laura Alary is a writer and storyteller who believes that stories can make us bigger on the inside. She has loved books from the time she could barely clamber up the steps to the book mobile that roll...

Tara talks with pastor, poet, magician and coffee bean roaster John Stephens about the 23rd Psalm as well as how making change requires loving and respectful action. About my guest: John Stevens was born and raised in South-East Idaho, and has spent all of his life living in the Pacific Northwest.  John is a pastor in the ELCA, roaster of the blessed bean, dabbler in the art of sleight of hand, an...

Tara talks with artist and storyteller Lisa Kaufer from Muddy Fork about how her love of creating feeds her soul. Tara also breaks down a Jesus story about breakfast on a beach. Stick around to see just what you might be peckish for as she asks the question, " What feeds your soul?" About our guest: Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lisa ventured to the beautiful Southwest to attend t...

The long awaited season of Easter is here,  and while it’s a time of celebration and new life, I think that it also is a time to live into the questions we have about life. Do you have some questions? So do I. Join Tara for some space to ponder. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September...

The long awaited season of Easter - one of NEW LIFE is here - Hallelujah …  And I am here for it! This week Rev. Ruth Hetland of ConseCrate Boxes joins Rev. Tara for a conversation about sharing love and support by way of subscription boxes for women clergy - in Episode 84 of Holy Shenanigans Podcast: The Women are here for it! Special Guest Rev. Dr. Ruth Hetland is Interim Senior Pastor at Trinit...

Mud season in Shenanigansville has got Tara thinking about life in the messy middle. She shares a mantra that grounds her in the sacredness of everyday life. She also offers her original composition I Need To Know You're Here as a space of reflection for you in this sixth week of Lent. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast l...

Tara and special guest author Mike Morrell have an epic length conversation about love, community, resurrection, spirituality, boundaries and  Flaming Carrot Comics.  About this week’s guest: Mike Morrell is the collaborating author, with Fr. Richard Rohr, on The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation , founder of Wisdom Camp, and a founding organizer of the justice, arts, and spiritual...

It's time to celebrate what is lost - being found! Tara  talks about the Parable of the Prodigal Son in a new way during this fourth week in Lent. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanhoy Farms in Harmony, North Carolina! Wild Goose is a faith-inspired festival celebr...

Our words and actions are a source of blessing or curse.  Tara muses about what could be if life was a journey of blessing where "the road rises to meet us." There are no wasted trips this week of St. Patrick’s Day. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news! Tara is recording a new episode of the Holy Shenanigans Podcast live at the Wild Goose Festival this September 3–6 at Vanhoy Farms...

Tara and teaching artist Deb Eck have a thoughtful conversation about the life-giving and subversive power in the simple act of making things. Against the backdrop of war, Tara finds words of empowerment in this week's readings for Lent The poem Within this Strange and Quickened Dust is found in The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle . To order you own "Su...

Welcome to Holy Shenanigans and the first week of Lent for 2022. This week’s Jesus story tells of him being tempted to listen to distract voices - ones attempting to derail him from his calling. In this time of Lenten contemplation, Tara offers a song, Teach me to Listen , to center our souls and help us listen to voices of love. There are many ways to practice Lent - how will you nurture your sou...

In this week’s podcast: Jesus climbs up to a high place so good that his disciples don’t want to leave. Tara tells a Holy Shenanigans Story about the transformative power of friendship.  Special guest Sarah DG ponders about the trans-figurative power of love in her reflection on 3 ½ Questions About Love Tara wraps things up with a prayer by Thomas Merton. Send Tara a Text Message 🎙️ Exciting news!...