That Makes Total Sense!

I am truly grateful for the work of Dorothy Greco. Her most recent book, For the Love of Women tackles several areas where misogyny has, and continues to have, great impacts. Trained and having worked as both a journalist and a pastor, she brings a unique perspective to patriarchy and misogyny and how our whole … Continue reading Episode 335 – Dorothy Greco

I am embarrassed to admit how recently I started to realize the effects of empire on my life. It probably wasn’t until I entered seminary that vocabulary like empire or colonialism entered my everyday consciousness, and even when it did, reckoning with it is something that still evades me most days. It’s difficult to see … Continue reading Episode 334 – Kat Armas

Producer’s pick! We’re all still recovering from holiday fun this week, so I asked my sweet husband and producer to choose an episode he wanted to re-release and he picked this favorite with Zach Lambert. Enjoy! And happy week between Christmas and New Year’s! This conversation with fellow(?) Texan (I don’t exactly claim the label, … Continue reading Episode 333 – Zac...

The birth of Jesus was, and is, disruptive to our lives. Though, with all the familiarity surrounding Christmas, sometimes it’s hard to remember how true that is. Listen along for a short, Christmas week reflection from That Makes Total Sense! host, Alexis Busetti, as she discusses how the Incarnation was and should continue to be … Continue reading Episode 332 – The Disruptive B...

This one is becoming an annual favorite! Just this week, a friend texted asking for the name of this book – the one I gifted to about a dozen of my girlfriends the year it was released. Each year, Scott Erickson helps bring the season a little closer to home with the ideas heard in … Continue reading Episode 331 – Scott Erickson (re-play!)

This advent book (and conversation!) is not just for the Christmas season. I promise you will be blessed by Kelley Nikondeha‘s words all year long (including in our recent conversation on Jubilee)! Her new book, The First Advent in Palestine tells of some of the forgotten stories surrounding Jesus’ birth. We know he was born in first century … Continue reading Episode 330 – Kelley Niko...

My friend, Collin Cornell, is back! And, I have been *waiting* for this conversation (okay, in some ways, I’ve been waiting, and in some ways, it’s been ongoing). Collin has finished his newest book, God Draws Near, and it is a game-changer; I’m so thrilled he’s here to talk with me about it! This incredibly … Continue reading Episode 329 – Collin Cornell

Lisa Colón DeLay and I had so much fun talking all about the desert elders! (I admit, there was a time when that sentence wouldn’t have made sense to me, but today, I am all about learning more from our fore parents in the faith.) Even though our world and our lives look very different, … Continue reading Episode 328 – Lisa Colón DeLay

To say I enjoyed this conversation *and the book it was centered on* is an understatement! Dr. Amy Peeler, professor, author, and pastor, shares insight from her years of research culminating in her incredible book, Women and the Gender of God. In this episode, we explore God as Father, but not gendered, Mary, the mother … Continue reading Episode 327 – Amy Peeler

As I type this, it almost feels like fall in the hill country of Texas (and I hear it’s gonna stay that way for about 48 hours, lol!). The cooler weather and the wind, as temporary as they may be, remind me of seasonal changes, and it makes me glad. The chill in the air … Continue reading Ep. 326 – Claude Atcho

One of my favorite podcast guests is back to talk about his new book! David Swanson’s Plundered is absolutely beautiful. In it, he explores the history of environmental and racial injustice in the U.S. and how they are intertwined. He also shares some of his own personal and communal journey, inviting us to imagine what living in ways more … Continue reading Episode 325 &...

The topic of jubilee is one that sometimes has me feeling a bit…skeptical. It’s not that I don’t like the concept, I do. It’s just that it’s a tough one to talk about it in a way that seems faithful to the biblical texts and practical for real life. Enter Kelley Nikondeha! She is a … Continue reading Episode 324 – Kelley Nikondeha

Every time I catch a news headline with something tragic happening in the world, or close to home, I have a sense of grief, many times accompanied by a sense of helplessness. What can I do? is the question that haunts me. I’m not a community organizer or a formal advocate and even in the … Continue reading Episode 323 – Charon Hribar

When I think of individuals and organizations who have their work cut out for them, always, but especially with our current times, I think of Matthew Soerens and World Relief. For those who may not be familiar, World Relief is a Christian humanitarian organization who serves people who are in crisis all over the world, … Continue reading Episode 322 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Matthew...

Chats with Jenai always result in wisdom for me, so I am grateful for our conversations! (This one is no exception!) Jenai is an author and of an amazing book called Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized and is a cohort leader at Made for Pax. (Our first … Continue reading Episode 321 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Jenai Auman

For many Christians who have struggled with mental health challenges, either personally or accompanying loved ones, the church has often been a place of conflicting messages. Do we just need Jesus or can therapy help? Are we allowed to talk to God in that way or about those things? Am I weak or sinful? Questions … Continue reading Episode 320 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Bianca Hughes

Oh my goodness! I had a great time talking with Kristel Acevedo! We continue our series on conversations centered around the Made for Pax / InterVarsity Press bible studies with this one on Kristel’s contribution Liberated at the Cross: Peace and Reconciliation in God’s Kingdom, available in English and Spanish. We talked about cruciformity, peace, … Continue reading Ep. 319 – IVP / Ma...

Any time I get to talk with Drew Jackson, it is a complete joy for me! And, as you may have guessed from that opening statement, Drew is no stranger to the podcast (I highly encourage you to catch our other conversations about his books of poetry on the coming of Christ and the Gospel … Continue reading Episode 318 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Drew Jackson

When I say this conversation was fun and meaningful, that is truly an understatement! Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, co-author of Migration: Experiencing God’s Care for Immigrants joined me for this episode and we shared from our hearts what our hopes are for the study and how working on it impacted us. Each of us come from families … Continue reading Episode 317 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Dorc...

It was so great to have Dorcas Cheng-Tozun back on the podcast! For this series, Dorcas will join me twice – once as author of Mental Health: Experiencing God’s Care for Our Mind, Body, and Spirit – A 6-Week Interactive Bible Study and another time as co-author of the study we worked on together on … Continue reading Ep. 316 – IVP / Made for Pax Series: Dorcas Cheng-Tozun

I am so excited to kick off this special series of the podcast with Tiffany Bluhm, executive director of an amazing organization called Made for Pax! She’s been on the podcast before and it was an incredible conversation. This time, we are setting up what will be an eight-part series where we will discuss each … Continue reading Ep. 315 – IVP/Made for Pax Series: Tiffany Bluhm

This conversation with fellow(?) Texan (I don’t exactly claim the label, but my guest has lived here all his life), Zach Lambert was super fun! And I don’t say that only because I’m a theology nerd, I say that because Zach has a way of presenting themes from the Bible in new and helpful ways … Continue reading Episode 314 – Zach Lambert

So many of us would count ourselves as leaders in one area of our lives or another. Many of us would also count ourselves among those who have experienced some kind of trauma, whether it was early in our lives or later. And, as you would suspect, those groups have significant overlap. That’s where Sheila … Continue reading Episode 313 – Sheila Wise Rowe & Nicholas Rowe

Content warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence and genocide. This interview is a unique one for the podcast. Professor and author, David Toole, has written a book on the life of his friend, Maggy Barankitse, who is an advocate, currently living in exile. Maggy is a Burundian survivor of one of the genocides … Continue reading Episode 312 – David Toole

Getting the chance to meet and talk with Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew was a time of pure light! She is as kind as she is wise and insightful and so much of her newest book, Front Porch Wisdom, will no doubt continue to impact how I view and navigate situations of leadership as a BIPOC woman. … Continue reading Episode 311 – Froswa’ Booker-Drew