Trauma-Informed Church Kid

Season 2 Episode 27 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Sheila Wray Gregoire to discuss evangelical purity culture, sex culture, and patriarchal culture. We take a look at harmful teachings of purity culture; we explore the healthy antidote to those teachings; we examine what "looking with lust" and "modesty" actually mean in the Bible....

Season 2 Episode 26 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The priests are the burden-bearers for the family of Abraham, taking on their shoulders the responsibility to clean up the mess that they have caused (and will cause) in God’s house. But how do they go about cleaning up this mess? And why is it such a bloody process? This week, we take a look at what “atonement” means, and the role th...

Season 2 Episode 25 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   Having decided to keep the Presence of Adonai in their midst, the family of Abraham must now deal with all their impurities. How can they do this safely? Who will be the one to bear both the blessing and the burden of this sacred role? This week, we take a look at what it means for the priests -- and Adonai himself -- to "bear iniquit...

Season 2 Episode 24 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast CONTENT WARNING: discussion of sexuality and purity culture This is part 2 of an episode on purity and impurity. We know now that purity is (not) a dirty word, and that it is not necessarily about morality or being "good". Why then is there such a misunderstanding about purity and morality? What would a culture focused around purity loo...

Season 2 Episode 23 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   Having chosen the harder path -- the divine Presence in their midst -- the family of Abraham must now navigate that holy path safely. What does it mean for them to be "pure" or "clean", and is that what God requires of all humans? Is being "pure" about being moral? This week, we unpack what purity (and impurity) means. We will look at...

Season 2 Episode 22 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Phil Bray to discuss a wide variety of topics. We take a look at holiness and "wholeness"; we explore what "contagious holiness" means; we discuss clean and unclean (and pure and impure), and if this is a moral issue or not. We also examine sacrifices, trying to understand the role...

Season 2 Episode 21 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast Having chosen the harder path -- the divine Presence in their midst -- the family of Abraham must now navigate that path safely. What does it mean for them to "be holy", and what does it mean for God himself to "be holy"? Is that even possible for humans? This week, we unpack what holiness means. We will look at the distinction between...

Season 2 Episode 20 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham have committed a grave sin. Moses, as the mediator, is up in the divine Presence, activating the heart of Adonai to be merciful and gracious to these people. Then, he asks with boldness for something shocking: show me your glory. Will Adonai grant this request? Is that even possible, or wise? This week, we unpack w...

Season 2 Episode 19 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham have committed a grave sin. They have been grotesquely unfaithful to their betrothed, Adonai, and chased after other lovers. Moses, as the mediator, is prepared to offer his own life to make atonement. But is this what Adonai wants? Does he need death to deal with sins? This week, we take a deep dive into the centr...

Season 2 Episode 18 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast Having agreed to the "house rules", the family of Abraham are on the eve of their wedding night to Adonai. Moses, as the mediator, is up on the mountain making things ready. But how long will he be gone? And will the people wait for him -- and Adonai -- or take matters into their own hands? This week, we encounter the infamous the incid...

Season 2 Episode 17 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our third "How of Hurt" episode of the season! In this episode, we seek to examine what healing from trauma looks like -- focusing on the body and the brain. We will discuss how to create a "brave space", find out what it means to "suffer well", learn about resourcing vs coping, examine what mindfulness is (and what it is not),...

Season 2 Episode 16 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Mako Nagasawa to discuss a wide variety of topics. We take a look at shame and how it affects our relationship to God; we explore the true nature of justice in the Scriptures (retributive or restorative?); we discuss how empathy has been belittled and derided in our culture, and wha...

Season 2 Episode 15 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast. The family of Abraham are given the "house rules" of God's family, and are invited to partner with him in showing his heart to all the nations of the world. But has God gone far enough? Did he give them a perfect law, and if he did not -- maybe he should have? Join us as we finish our last episode on the Sinai covenant and the so-calle...

Season 2 Episode 14 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham are being made a part of the family of God, through a marriage ceremony at Sinai. As part of these "house rules", they are given the Torah: the instructions or teaching of Adonai to his sons and daughters. Will they follow this "torah" and become like God? Or will they become just like the nations? Join us as we un...

Season 2 Episode 13 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham are led by Adonai in the wilderness toward his home: the mountain of God. They are given a choice – do they want to partner with him as “one flesh”? Or do they want to join themselves to the gods of the nations? Which one will the betrothed of Adonai choose for herself, and for all creation?   Join us as we follo...

Season 2 Episode 12 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The family of Abraham has endured the waters of wrath, and are now in the wilderness -- a place of scarcity, hunger, and thirst. Are they just wandering, or being led? Where are they headed, and why is this the path that was chosen for them? Join us as we follow the Israel-assembly (plus the Mixed Multitude) on their journey to Sinai, f...

Season 2 Episode 11 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our second How of Hurt episode of the season! In this episode, we take a close look at the impact of trauma. We will do a brief crash course on neurobiology, find out the effects of trauma on various brain structures, learn about the brain-body connection, examine cognitive distortions downstream of the effects on our nervous sy...

Season 2 Episode 10 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast On the journey out of Egypt, the family of Abraham has left a path of destruction and devastation in their wake. And there is about to be one more moment of decreation: the parting of the Sea of Reeds, where Pharaoh and his army are swallowed up by the death-waters. Is this just an angry God, wreaking his vengeance on those he hates? Wh...

Season 2 Episode 9 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham has been finally freed from slavery! The redemption has been obtained by the blood of the Passover lamb as the cost it took to end the oppression of the gods of Egypt. But there remains an ambiguity: who actually is the "family of Abraham"? Is it just racial Hebrews, or do Egyptians "count" as well? The Passover e...

Season 2 Episode 8 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast In this episode, I sit down for "tea" with Chris Pompu, a rural church pastor and host of The Sanctuary YouTube channel (  @PastorChris87  ). We take a close look at the "wrath of God" in the biblical text, trying to see how it functions and where it is present... as well as when it is not. We explore the impact of teachings such as pena...

Season 2 Episode 7 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.   Nine plagues have struck the gods of Egypt, providing both Pharaoh and the people chance after chance to repent. Now, the final plague is about to fall: the death of the firstborn. Not desiring the death of anyone, God makes a way for any who pledge allegiance to Him to be spared from the Destroyer: the angel of the bottomless pit. Th...

Season 2 Episode 6 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   Abraham's family continues to find themselves under the thumb -- and strengthened heart -- of Pharaoh, who thinks he is a god and the source of all order and life. First, Adonai shows him a wizard duel that should dispel this belief, but he persists. What follows is a decreation and deconstruction of all Egypt, from top to bottom. The...

Season 2 Episode 5 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast This is our first How of Hurt episode of the season! In this episode, we seek to understand trauma better. We will define trauma, find out what separates it from unpleasant or difficult events, learn about the signs and symptoms of trauma, examine the feedback loops and neuroplasticity that either reinforce or repair trauma, and discover...

Season 2 Episode 4 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast The deliverer of Abraham's family returns to his people, but the job is not yet done. Pharaoh likes his power, he likes having his slaves, and he isn't about to let them leave. In fact, he makes it much worse for them: forcing them to work with fewer materials and then blaming them when they can't do what they used to. The appearance of...

Season 2 Episode 3 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast   The family of Abraham has been enslaved and oppressed by the head of the superpower of the day. One man who grew up within that empire discovered that he identified with the "stranger" and is forced to leave -- to become a "stranger in a strange land". Those who remain behind groan with a deep, soul-level pain to their Father. He "reme...