Jesus is the Reason for the Season ... but like, in a cool way (with Meredith Miller!)

A brief pause in our Nicene Creed miniseries (fret not, it returns next week!) to talk about *clears throat, scary voice ensues* THE HOLIDAYS.Ok look: we agree. Jesus IS the reason for the season. We're on the precipice of tHe HoLiDaYs and all the madness therein. It's so easy to get sucked into the capitalist machine of Christmas and miss ... Christ. But so much of the energy around "Jesus is the Reason" also feels treacherously coded. How do we navigate this ourselves? And how do we teach our kids that Jesus is the reason, while keeping a sense of wonder and magic alive? How do we do so in a way that engenders respect for people of other faiths and none? We pose these questions with the wonderful Meredith Miller, expert in raising kids with a faith they don't need to heal from. More about Pastor Meredith: Website: https://meredithannemiller.comBook: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/meredith-miller/woven/9781546004356/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meredithannemiller/?hl=en+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

The Nicene Creed is the definitive statement defining Christianity for most Christians, around the world, throughout most of time. Love it or hate it, the Creed binds us together. And since our entire project at And Also With You is reclaiming an ancient Christian faith for modern Christian life, we thought it time to dive deep into this Creed -- to show how this 1700 year old prayer holds up and how we are following it still today. And it opens with a banger: We believe in One God. But in... three persons? What does that mean, exactly? How does faith in the Trinity inform our life? Like, does it matter that we say this? (It clearly does, we say it a lot but ... why?) +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

The Nicene Creed is *the* definitive statement of faith for what Christianity is for most Christians, around the world, throughout most of time. Love it or hate it, the Creed binds us together. And since our entire project at And Also With You is reclaiming an ancient Christian faith for modern Christian life, we thought it time to dive deep into this Creed -- to show how this 1700 year old prayer holds up and how we are following it still today. But the fact that we HAVE a creed (other religions don't really do this) and that is came from these series of big ol' committee meetings is actually a really fascinating thing to unpack, for for our first of twelve episodes exploring the Creed, we're delighted to welcome Dr. Hannah Black, Ph.D. to orient us to the Creed as a historical and spiritual document. More about Dr. Hannah Black, Ph.D.: Dr. Hannah Black earned her PhD in Divinity from the University of Cambridge in 2023, with her doctoral dissertation entitled “Gregory of Nyssa’s Soteriological Imaginary as a Resource for Nonviolent Soteriology.” Dr. Black’s doctoral research will be published as a book in the near future, which will focus on how Gregory of Nyssa’s use of biblical imagery can be used to build upon feminist and womanist critiques of violent atonement theology. Dr. Black is also contracted with St. Vladimir’s Press to produce a Popular Patristics Series translation of seven short works by Gregory of Nyssa surrounding the theme of the life of virtue.At the University of Cambridge, Dr. Black was the Decani Scholar of Clare College Chapel, where she served as a lay leader in the Church of England. She was also editor of the divinity graduate journal Noesis and founder Women in Divinity. She currently serves on the leadership teams of Theologia and the Feminist Theology Network.Dr. Black has taught at the University of Cambridge, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and Yale Divinity School. Her teaching has included the subjects of early Christianity, theology and literature, systematic theology, Greek, and Anglican and Episcopalian history. While at Yale, Dr. Black hosted The Leader’s Way podcast for two years, convening conversations about theology, spirituality, and leadership with church leaders and scholars.Beyond teaching and writing, Dr. Black enjoys hiking with her husband Griffin and their dog Nellie and learning new crafts, like knitting. Dr. Hannah Black article for Earth & Altar “Scripture scrapbook”Athanasius’ On the Incarnation (Popular Patrictics Series, 44b)https://www.christianbook.com/on-the-incarnation-saint-athanasis/9780881414271/pd/414276?en=google&event=SHOP&kw=academic-0-20%7C414276&p=1179710&utm_source=google&p=1237749&dv=c&cb_src=google&cb_typ=shopping&cb_cmp=21328467087&cb_adg=164336762792&cb_kyw=&utm_medium=shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21328467087&gbraid=0AAAAAD_dTHbGl-v2rkxnnGf4RH6r_V_dy&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnovFBhDnARIsAO4V7mDCyrTi3xWqIAhN5Y8vNVHAvydf9SVCSKz83-WiZNx3zEuQCYWh02MaArrAEALw_wcBBiblical Time Machine episode with Sara Parvis https://www.biblicaltimemachine.com/listen-to-episodes/tnrzrx5darp7hnj-lz388-cw5dc-5zr8e-c98pn-7cd82-3dw4w-pk39b-krhb4-dmpzj-9chdk-ff3f4-rrjnw-wx4zs-2pkb4-6yyxm-saw97-ytnrg-y5w99-brayd-fhhce-f7tc6-7grnw-bmbcl-njl3f-79gbr+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Just in time for Halloween, we're talking about the spookiest thing of all: HELL. Or better yet - a belief in hell. Christianity's obsession with hell has us missing out on love, freedom, connection, and justice without punishment. We're joined today by bestselling author Brian Recker to talk about hell, how we unravel its chokehold on our faith, and what life can look like free from this fear.  Brian's book Hell Bent is here!Lizzie's book (which we also talk about in this episode) is here! We have one more fun seasonal episode next week before we kick off the much-anticipated miniseries on the Nicene Creed on November 10th! MORE ABOUT BRIAN + HELL BENT:A former evangelical pastor explains why we can stop worrying about hell and start focusing on love.There is a black hole at the center of Christian spirituality: the doctrine of hell. No matter how hard we try to believe in a loving God, the fear of eternal torment always lurks at the back of our minds, warping our sense of what love means. Worse still, many churches act as if the point of Christianity is not to follow Jesus but to secure a get-out-of-hell-free card—and to “save” everyone you know by converting them to your religion. For many of us, the whole story of Christianity has punishment at the very center. But does the Bible really say we’re going to hell if we don’t do or believe the “right” things?In this taboo-shattering book, former evangelical pastor Brian Recker takes an honest look at scripture and reveals what has been true all along: Hell isn’t real, and God’s universal love is radically inclusive, in this life and the next. By removing punishment from Christianity’s center, Recker boldly reimagines the core questions of faith, such as why Jesus lived and died, and what it means to be “saved.” It’s time to rediscover spirituality as Jesus taught it: loving God, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Whether you’re Christian, exvangelical, or anywhere along a deconstruction journey, Hell Bent is the perfect resource to help you replace fear and church hurt with healing and peace. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

There is no freedom or feminism if it isn't for everybody -- so we are really excited to welcome two of our favorite dads to the podcast to talk about Christian parenting: our husbands! Join us for a tender and truthful conversation about why fatherhood is a vocation, a joy, and *not* babysitting your own kids. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Today’s episode is part of our Christian parenting mini-series we are offering on “Motherhood Taboos” and we are tackling a big taboo of finding out you're pregnant ... and you weren't planning to be. Our guests are both priests who found themselves unexpectedly pregnant and want to narrate the grief and the joy, the surprise and the wonder, and the challenge and hope of a blessing that can leave you limping from a worldview that supports women's autonomy, choice, and freedom. MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS:Rev. Mia Kano is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts, where she serves as the part-time Rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ayer. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts with her husband and two children. Rev. Mia's childhood was shaped by both Catholic and Congregationalist churches. She found her way to the Episcopal Church in her early twenties after exploring secular humanism and Islam. She was ordained as a priest in January 2020. Rev. Reagan Gonzalez was born in Odessa, Texas and raised in Bozeman, Montana. She grew up attending St. James Episcopal Church in Bozeman and later served as its Youth Director and Christian Formation Director before attending seminary. She is a graduate of Montana State University with a degree in Microbiology. After college, Reagan spent a year living in intentional community during a year of service with the Episcopal Service Corps. This experience deepened her faith and confirmed a desire to formally discern a call to ordained ministry. She earned an MDiv from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas and was ordained to the priesthood in 2018. Reagan has a passion for community life that is grounded in inclusivity. She loves to preach, teach, tell Godly Play stories to children, and introduce people to an open-minded Christianity where questions are welcomed, and where we trust that we learn best by struggling together to hear where the Holy Spirit is calling. Reagan is married to Bryan, they have two children, and one on the way. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Today’s episode is part of our Christian parenting mini-series we are offering on “Motherhood Taboos” and we've invited author, preacher, and friend The Rev. Teresa Kim Pecinovsky to talk with us about maternal images of God in Scripture. She's an expert because she wrote one of our favorite children's books, Mother God! While Scripture is PACKED with feminine and maternal images of God, you don't often hear those images highlighted in the pulpit or in the Christian book aisle. Rev. Teresa is one of our favorite preachers and writers working to change that for littles and grown-ups alike, and she talks about taking the approach of writing a children's book to dismantle oppressive images from infancy onwards. Her Scripture guide for maternal images of God is here, just scroll to the bottom of the page! More about Rev. Teresa:Website: https://tkpcreates.com/about/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tkpcreatesTeresa's Books:Sparking Peace - https://tkpcreates.com/sparking-peace/Mother God - https://tkpcreates.com/home/The Peace Table (one of our favorite storybook Bibles!) - https://shinecurriculum.com/product/the-peace-table-a-storybook-bible/+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Today’s episode is part of our Christian parenting mini-series we are offering on “Motherhood Taboos” - the topics that are on many parents' hearts and minds and yet are not discussed in public very often. Motherhood can be physically, emotionally, and mentally very demanding.  These three things can snowball which can leave mothers feeling very isolated and alone.  We are delighted to have a friend and Licensed Professional Counsellor, Tori Andrews on the podcast to discuss this taboo of maternal mental health with us! To connect and/or to learn more about Tori, you can visit her website here: everbloomingwellness.com.+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

In our Motherhood taboo series we are seeking to “fill the gap” between feminist, thoughtful, deconstructing/inclusive orthodoxy Christian content and the trad wife motherhood content online.  Content warning: we will be talking about miscarriage and pregnancy loss in this episode.  This week we are joined by two friends and colleagues, The Rev. Allison Caudill and The Rev’d Allie McDougall who have both navigated miscarriage in their ministry.  Miscarriage is something many families experience and yet, it is considered a major taboo in our society. Our guests will share with us their experiences of publicly navigating loss and how their faith helped them through it. This was one of the most moving discussions we have had to date on the podcast and we pray it will be a blessing for our listeners.More on our guests:The Rev'd Allie McDougall, Vicar of St. Paul's and St. Stephen's, Stratford, Ontario, CanadaSubstack: Gathering Up the Crumbs https://substack.com/home/post/p-155663524 The Rev. Allison CaudillRector, St Mark's Episcopal Church Clifford (https://www.stmarksclifford.org/) & Grace Episcopal Church Massies Mill (https://gracemassiesmill.org/)Blog: motherawrites.comInstagram: @allicat27 +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!OUR HOTLINE - call in your questions! - 262.229.9763+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

There just is not enough content online about motherhood that speaks both to Christian faith and progressive, inclusive values. We're trying to change that discourse, one conversation at a time, in a mini-series we're calling "Christian Motherhood Taboos." Today we take an overview of why this matters, why talking about motherhood is ALWAYS talking about power, gender, economics, whose suffering counts, and humanity as a whole, and why this series is not "just" for moms ... but for any community striving to honor the dignity and worth of every human being. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!OUR HOTLINE - call in your questions! - 262.229.9763+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST!