The Desert Sanctuary

For over 30 years, Luke A. Renner worked across film, television, commercial, nonprofit, and documentary production. He led multi-camera shoots at iconic venues, crafted emotionally resonant campaigns, and assembled custom teams for meaningful projects. ​He produced content for household brands, grassroots organizations, national nonprofits, and broadcast television. He directed, shot, written, ed...

Navigating Faith and Freedom with Rev. Heather Foy What happens when the faith that was supposed to save you becomes the thing you need to escape? This episode originated on The Unlearning Curve podcast where we sat down with Rev. Heather Foy—writer, podcast host, and advocate for people navigating life beyond high-control religion. Heather grew […]

​ Janyne McConnaughey, Ph. D., is an award-winning author and a leading voice in helping the spiritually exhausted understand the intersection of trauma, the nervous system, and faith. Her most recent book, An Exhausted Faith: What If the Struggle Isn’t Spiritual?  answers the question, “If it isn’t a spiritual problem, what now?” that was asked by […]

Our ever-evolving relationship with the Christian Holy Book Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for you. As a former pastor, I made the mistake of deconstructing a bit and then trying to start something new, as I was trained to do. The problem is […]

Trigger Warning: This discussion contains adult language and addresses sexual, emotional, physical, and spiritual abuse. By now, most of you have probably heard of the Netflix documentary “Death of the Pastor’s Wife.” It tells the story of Mica Miller and the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of her pastor/husband, John-Paul Miller. After watching […]

Where are we theologically… Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for you. As a former pastor, I made the mistake of deconstructing a bit and then trying to start something new, as I was trained to do. The problem is that I wasn’t ready to begin […]

Most often, when people hear that we stopped attending church, they assume they know the reasons we left. I assume they hear these accusations from their leadership. They have some consistency, even though they most often miss the mark entirely. They assume: Something bad happened that was our fault. They assume we got our feelings […]

Teacher Talk: PBIS vs Trauma-Informed Education Part 2 of 2 Laura Forehand talks to our son, JD (Jordan), who teaches in Taiwan, about all things related to education and religion. Not only are they both educators, but they were also involved in ministry for many years (the Pastor’s wife and the Pastor’s son).

Teacher Talk: PBIS vs Trauma-Informed Education Part 1 of 2 Laura Forehand talks to our son, JD (Jordan), who teaches in Taiwan, about all things related to education and religion. Not only are they both educators, but they were also involved in ministry for many years (the Pastor’s wife and the Pastor’s son).

Stacy Badon is the mother of three grown sons and YaYa to three beautiful granddaughters. She began her career as a speech therapist in the Louisiana public school system, where she developed a strong passion for early intervention. Stacy is now the CEO and founder of Everything Autism, where she has the privilege of supporting families within the […]

My Apologies for the audio quality In this episode, Laura and I discuss our growing disgust with our former denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Issues center around their push to keep women off the stage and their inability to muster any energy to help survivors of abuse.

Laura Forehand talks to our son, JD (Jordan), who teaches in Taiwan, about all things related to education and religion. Not only are they both educators, but they were also involved in ministry for many years (the Pastor’s wife and the Pastor’s son). Topics include: Bibles in Schools Religious Foundations in America Struggles of ministry […]

Aaron joined us on The Unlearning Curve to share his views on therapy and spirituality after Deconstruction. Because our crew was out of whack, we moved the discussion to The Desert Sanctuary. Aaron is a former pastor and, currently, a mental health professional. If you are wondering what comes next in this crazy desert journey, […]

Pastor Wives Tell ALL The Desert Sanctuary strives to advocate for all people, especially those harmed by religion. This includes queer people, religious abuse survivors, and marginalized people groups. We do this mainly by letting them tell their stories. One of the hardest groups to access is ex-pastor wives. Rather than making assumptions about why […]

Our guest is Tia Levings From her Website: I’m Tia Levings, a writer, creator, guest expert, and content specialist. I shine light on the abuses of Christian fundamentalism and offer contextual insight into the true horrors of religious trauma. My memoir, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy, releases with St. Martin’s Press on August […]

If we hope to fight and eventually heal from misogyny, we must first be able to identify and understand it. Despite the undeniable progress for women and girls in the 20th and 21st centuries, misogyny is still alive and well in today’s culture—often in ways that are more subtle and more insidious than the outright […]

“Holy Disobedience is a visceral portrayal of a daughter’s quest for the dark truth beneath the religious veneer of forced beauty and familial cover-ups. Spiers’s writing is propulsive and intelligent.” -Tia Levings, author of the New York Times bestselling A Well-Trained Wife Holy Disobedience is a gripping, unflinching story by Melissa Duge Spiers...

Laura and JD have a unique perspective, having been part of a ministry family for 20-25 years. The discussion begins with religion and turns to what truly makes for great people and great families. You’ll enjoy this! Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for […]

Laura and JD have a unique perspective, having been part of a ministry family for 20-25 years. The discussion begins with religion and turns to what truly makes for great people and great families. You’ll enjoy this! Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for […]

Essentia-limited implies exploring whether the fundamental nature of God inherently includes limitations, a concept generally rejected by traditional theology, which defines God’s essence as inherently limitless and infinite.  Existential impotence is a concept discussed in philosophy and psychology that refers to a person’s perceived lack of power or ability to take eff...

Part 2 of 2 This is part 2 of our discussion with Nora as she discusses the pain of a high-control Amish lifestyle. While she admits there were parts of that life that she cherished, there were also parts that were devastating and unbearable. If you haven’t already, go back and listen to part 1. […]

Part 1 of 2 This is part 1 of our discussion with Nora as she discusses the pain of a high-control Amish lifestyle. While she admits there were parts of that life that she cherished, there were also parts that were devastating and unbearable. Enjoy part 1 of 2. Reach out to Nora on Tiktok […]

Stuart Delony, is a former pastor who walked out of the church but couldn’t shake the ways of Jesus. These days, he hosts Snarky Faith—a podcast and platform that wrestles with faith, culture, and meaning from the fringe. He is not here to fix Christianity. He’s determined to name what’s broken, find what’s still worth keeping, […]

Gaslighting for God is a no-BS survival guide to dodging narcissistic gurus and reclaiming your spiritual sanity—with wit, wisdom, and a whole lot of side-eye. With the sharpness of a court jester’s wit, Garrison uncovers the tactics of narcissistic gurus who weaponize faith to build empires—whether they’re celebrity pastors pushing prosperity gospel or retreat leaders draped in faux h...

The Cultimatum Podcast A deep dive into the dark world of cults, coercive control, and trauma recovery. Hosted by survivor and producer Melody Post, Cultimatum gives voice to those who’ve escaped — and educates those who never saw it coming. Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book […]