Trauma-Informed Church Kid
Reconstructing religion for the hurting with theology that doesn’t hurt.
Reconstructing religion for the hurting with theology that doesn’t hurt.
Episodes

Aug 12, 2026
Wellness Gifts
Aug 12, 2026
Aug 12, 2026
51 min
Season 2 Episode 30 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast
The family of Abraham has chosen to live with the King of the Universe in their midst. How is this going to be possible, when they are “not-well”? How could they even begin to fix that problem?
This week, we take a look at the atoning gifts, which I am calling “wellness gifts”. We will examine the different kinds of these gifts which are given to Adonai, and discover what they tell us about the heart of Adonai toward sinners. We will ponder what it means to be “made well”, and how our “not-well” state both is and isn’t about moral guilt. We will explore the meaning of restitution in these wellness-gifts, and consider why an extra cost is required to an already costly gift. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to look at atoning offerings differently: as being about being made well, through a life-transfusion that brings shalom.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES
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Aug 12, 2026
51 min

Aug 5, 2026
Welcoming Gifts
Aug 5, 2026
Aug 5, 2026
38 min
Season 2 Episode 29 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast
The family of Abraham has chosen to live with the King of the Universe in their midst. How should you welcome a king? What kind of gift do you give to divinity?
This week, we take a look at what “sacrifice” means, and the role that death plays (and doesn’t play) in sacrifices. We will examine the different kinds of gifts which are given to Adonai, and discover what they tell us about his heart (and our own). We will ponder what it means to give gifts to him at all, when everything is his to begin with. We will explore the meaning of death within the ritual, and consider if death is necessary to make a "pleasing aroma". In the end, we will challenge ourselves to look at gifts and offerings differently: as being about hospitality and welcome, joyful and loving presents from children to their Father.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Aug 5, 2026
38 min

Jul 18, 2026
Jul 18, 2026
44 min
Season 2 Episode 28 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast
This is our fourth (and penultimate) "How of Hurt" episode of the season! In this episode, we seek to examine what healing from trauma looks like -- focusing on the spirit and/or the soul. We will discuss what "parts" of our personality are, find out what our "Self" is and if we all have access to it (or not), learn about unblending and unburdening, explore how to reparent/reintegrate our parts, and discover how we can "attend and befriend" parts of us as part of this journey.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Jul 18, 2026
44 min

Jun 19, 2026
Jun 19, 2026
1 hr 35 sec
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. We also discuss practical teaching targets for parents who want to avoid how they were taught, and end with seeing what the signs are of a toxic church culture in these areas.
Sheila Wray Gregoire is an author, podcaster, and researcher into evangelicalism and sex. The founder of BareMarriage.com, together with her team she has surveyed over 32,000 people for her books The Great Sex Rescue, She Deserves Better and her latest book, The Marriage You Want. Her goal is to change the evangelical conversation about sex to be healthy, evidence-based, and rooted in Christ. A graduate of Queen's University, she's married to her husband Keith, a pediatrician, who writes and speaks with her. In their 30 years of marriage they’ve lived through grad school, medical residency, the birth of three children, and the death of one. And through it all they’ve realized that clinging to each other, and to God, in the rough times is so much better than trying to go it alone. Together they have a passion for marriage.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Jun 19, 2026
1 hr 35 sec

Jun 7, 2026
Life > Death
Jun 7, 2026
Jun 7, 2026
42 min
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 that blood plays (and doesn’t play) in atonement. We will examine the English and Hebrew word(s), and will look at what they can tell us about cleansing, consecration, and reconciliation. We will ponder the “reset button” nature of the Day of Atonement, and will look at the distinct role of the two goats in that ritual – one of whom is also a “burden-bearer.” We will explore the meaning of blood within the ritual, and consider if blood is necessary to make atonement. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to fully absorb the knowledge that life stuff defeats death stuff, and what this tells us about the heart of Adonai.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Jun 7, 2026
42 min

May 26, 2026
The Burden of Forgiveness
May 26, 2026
May 26, 2026
41 min
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 iniquity". We will examine the Hebrew word for "iniquity" and examine its relationship to the "burden" of our brokenness and crookedness. We will ponder what it means to make that burden "lightened", and if that means that one person bears all the weight. We will explore the ways in which Adonai forgives others in the Scriptures, and discover what he requires (and doesn't require) in order to forgive. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to forgive as Adonai has forgiven us -- to bear one another's burdens.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
May 26, 2026
41 min

May 12, 2026
Purity Culture: Then and Now
May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026
34 min
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 look like?
This week, we take a look at "purity culture" -- both ancient and modern. We will look at the case studies we find in Leviticus and examine whether this means that female bodies are gross/disgusting or somehow "wrong". We will ponder how the more precious a thing is, the more impurity it causes. We will explore the artifacts and effects of evangelical "purity culture", and repent of both its failures and its faults. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider changing our relationship to "purity", toward one that encompasses every area of our lives and not just our exposed skin
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
May 12, 2026
34 min

May 4, 2026
Purity Is (Not) a Dirty Word
May 4, 2026
May 4, 2026
34 min
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 the distinction between "pure" and "impure" and examine what either (or both) have to do with morality. We will explore what it means for created things to be "out of place", and what relation this has to the "forces of death". We will ponder the connection between purity and Eden, and if it is a bad thing to be "impure". We will examine the two kinds or "species" of impurity, and discover what it takes to remove both kinds from the person, the sacred space, and the land. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to repent by "turning away" from the life subject to death and decay, and to "comfort" ourselves with the hope of a life freed from that slavery.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
May 4, 2026
34 min

Apr 23, 2026
Apr 23, 2026
1 hr 13 sec
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 that death and blood play in the sacrificial system -- are sacrifices acts of appeasement, or something else? In the end, we dive deep into what the meaning of the Tabernacle is, how the Presence of Adonai in the midst of Israel was an image of the Garden of Eden, and how we can both get back to that now and look forward to it for the end of the ages.
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Apr 23, 2026
1 hr 13 sec

Mar 11, 2026
Be Holy, As I Am Holy
Mar 11, 2026
Mar 11, 2026
39 min
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 "holy" and "common" and examine what either (or both) have to do with morality. We will explore what it means for a created thing (object, person, time) to be filled with the life of God, and what effects this consecration has on creation. We will ponder the claims of "ownership" that God places on his creation (objects, persons, times), and what it means to "serve" this "master". We will examine the notion of created things being "not-whole" or "incomplete", and if it is "bad" for them to be in this "common" condition. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to see the sacred and the holy all around us -- in nature, in places, in things, and in people -- even (perhaps especially) when they seem nothing but "common".
I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod
Mar 11, 2026
39 min

This is a space for anyone whose theological perspective feels in crisis. If you grew up as a ”church kid” who only wanted to please God and others, and then got hit with a paradigm-shattering experience... this is for you. If you find yourself questioning where you fit, what you believe, who God is, whom you can trust, how you even begin to find the answers, and why you should even try... this is for you. Especially if you find that through it all and despite all this, there remains a ”still small voice” that keeps gently tugging back to the center.
We’ll be walking through the entire Scriptures, start to finish, focusing on the larger narrative themes that tie it all together and reveal a God who is in love with his creation and fiercely committed to rescuing his family from the forces of darkness. Along the way, we will confront, confess, and repent of the ways that harm has been done to the hurting in God's name. Our goal is to embark on what Mako Nagasawa calls a "long repentance". We want to do more than just say "sorry"; we want to rebuild the shalom of God within his hurting creation.
I hope that you will join us on that journey: to seek and find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction.







