Hey, Friends!
Are you willing to be curious, dig deep, and be surprised by God?
Host Christine Crawford shares art, story, and humor that inspires and chats with community-builders and other fascinating folks that are shifting the perspective on Jesus, what he taught, and why it matters.
Join us as we explore the upside-down kingdom of God as the right way forward in faith and life.
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🕓STAY TUNED! WE’RE LAUNCHING SEASON 3 SOON AND YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT.
We will discuss how to DRAW NEAR TO—AND DWELL WELL WITH—GOD and explore soul care and spiritual growth practices that help us overcome overwhelm and connect deeply with ourselves, God, and others. We have a fantastic lineup of guests joining us on the show to learn from, so make sure to follow/subscribe wherever you listen!
RECENT EPISODES
EP 20: FAITHING FORWARD
Does your faith journey sometimes feel like stumbling blindly through a dark valley? Have you ever felt paralyzed by fear of the unknown? Christine chats with Fr. Cliff Warner about walking in freedom and learning how to live healed and whole. If you have experienced loss, grief, or doubt and are questioning how you can keep “faithing forward” in the middle of a broken world and story, this episode is for you.♥
EP 19: A KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE OF POLITICS
Christine chats with author & scholar Kaitlyn Schiess about faithfully (and theologically) engaging with politics and power. They discuss the formational force of fear and lament over how it has divided families, churches, and communities. Kaitlyn also shares the four false political gospels she believes plague the modern evangelical American church, then suggests practices for staying sane this next election season and engaging respectfully with people who hold differing viewpoints.
EP 18: BEING WITH AND BECOMING LIKE JESUS
Christine chats with Pastor Ian Simkins about church hurt and the “upside-down” kingdom way of Christ. They discuss why our greatest calling is to be with—and become like—Jesus (and why it must happen in that order,) and commiserate about ending up in ministry rather accidentally and against their will. If you have been wounded by/disillusioned with the church, we hope this episode will be an encouragement to you. ♥
EP 17: SOMETIMES WOMEN LIE ABOUT BEING OKAY
Christine chats with writer Rachel Joy Welcher about the purpose of poetry and how it serves as an invitation to notice beauty and interact with the sorrows, joys, and tensions of life. Rachel shares more about the loves and losses that have inspired her work, and Christine asks her to read some of her favorite poems aloud. Rachel then offers helpful writing tips plus 3 poetry prompts, inviting listeners to share online with #theholyshiftpoetry.
EP 16: MAKING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORING WELL
Christine chats with author Shannan Martin about creating lasting connections by living as “ambassadors of awkwardness.” Together, they explore why “loving our neighbors is not the same as not hating them” and the vital role curiosity, hospitality, and empathy play in neighboring well. Christine gets advice on making friends as the introverted new kid in her forties, and Shannan shares practical tips from her book, Start with Hello, for living less divided and more connected.
EP 15: JESUS AND GENDER
What do Jesus and the Bible have to say about women’s roles in marriage, life, and the church? Christine chats with author Kelley Mathews about the competing positions on the topic and why developing and holding those positions with humility matters. Kelley also explores some of the toughest questions she and her co-author, Dr. Sue Edwards, wrestled with in writing their newest book, 40 Questions about Women in Ministry.
EP 14: REST AS A RESOLUTION
Christine opens up about her recent struggle with burnout and chats with rest and worthiness expert, Emily K. Louis. Together, they discuss the endemic exhaustion that women are especially experiencing and why so many of us confuse people-pleasing productivity with God-glorifying priorities. Emily then shares 3 practical practices to help us SHIFT the way we look at rest, plus offers The Holy Shift community an “Anti-challenge Challenge” to rest and belonging.
EP 13: CHURCH BASEMENT FAITH
Christine chats with author and pastor Scott Sauls about regret, shame, and redemption. Scott shares highlights from his newest book, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, and why he believes that faith is formed more deeply in church basements than in sanctuaries. Together, they discuss the vital roles confession and community play in spiritual growth and emotional healing. If you have ever struggled with fear, doubt, shame, grief, regret, or anxiety, this episode is for you!
EP 12: PEACEMAKING IN A POLARIZED WORLD
Christine chats with Jason Porterfield, author of Fight Like Jesus, who offers a definition of peace and outlines how Jesus exemplified living as a peacemaker in a polarized world. Together, they discuss some “Kingdom Contrasts” Jesus makes during the week leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection and what Kingdom allegiance really looks like. They also explore our call to embody peace in our communities and why doing so proves we are children of God.
EP 11: FOLK THEOLOGY AND FALSE DICHOTOMIES
Christine chats with Kate Boyd about the “messy middle” of disentangling faith from culture in order to gain a clearer vision of God. They lament the “Folk Theology” that permeates both church and culture and explore some false dichotomies such as Eternal Life vs. Abundant Life. Kate also shares how we can draw together the strands of theology, history, and culture and become disciples that believe, act, and become according to the Way of Jesus.
EP 10 : COURAGE, CALLING, COMMUNITY
Christine chats with Ashley Casebier, who shares her story of giving up the relative safety and security of corporate success to obey God’s calling in her career and in the context of community. They laugh about how they met, share tips on discerning God’s will, and discuss why both calling and community are commanded by God and require such courage.
EP 9 : THE TRUTH-LOVE TENSION
If you have a prodigal in your life or are struggling with knowing how to love a difficult person well, this episode is for you! Judy Douglass shares her story of clinging to hope while raising a rebellious child and offers tips on partnering grace with boundaries in ANY relationship. She and Christine explore the challenge of “speaking the truth in love” and emulating Jesus by living lives that are full of grace AND truth.
EP 8 : HEALING FROM GRIEF AND GROWING IN COMPASSION
Christine chats with Crickett Berlin, who shares helpful tips on dealing with our own grief and ways to offer compassion to others who are hurting. They explore the true meaning of Jesus’ paradoxical statement, “Blessed are those who mourn,” and why community is crucial to healing. They also discuss the struggle to believe in the goodness of God in the presence of suffering and how God answers our “why” questions in a surprising way.
EP 7 : LEAST IS GREATEST
Lauren Alexander shares her crazy and inspiring journey in becoming a foster and adoptive mom and helps us see how Scripture commands everyone to care for the widow and the orphan in some capacity. This episode will help us all explore Jesus’ paradoxical teaching that in the upside-down kingdom of God, the leaders must become the servants, and “the least” among us are really the greatest of all.
EP 6: MISS MISUNDERSTOOD
Christine chats with author Mary DeMuth who shares her story as a survivor of sexual abuse and the heart behind her advocation for women’s stories to be understood accurately and treated redemptively. Mary also helps us explore some women from the Bible that we may have been misjudging and misunderstanding. This episode will help us all ponder the upside-down kingdom teaching that even in our lowest moments, we are known, loved, and understood by God.
EP 5: SURRENDER LEADS TO VICTORY
Ever struggle with burnout, bitterness, or hopelessness? Christine chats with Lisa Bonnema about the paradoxical truth that surrender is what actually leads to victory in the upside-down kingdom of God. Plus, Lisa offers helpful tips for avoiding bitterness and burnout and shares her story of learning to cling to hope, even in difficult circumstances.
EP 4: LOVING THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY
Christine chats with Amy Sutherland, Director of Embrace—a ministry that serves individuals with special needs and supports families of kids, teens, and adults affected by disability. Respecting human dignity is a core value of The Holy Shift, as we believe that we are all made in the image of God by the hand of God. This episode will help us all better love, serve, and dignify those with disabilities, as well as encourage their friends and family.
EP 3: SPIRITUAL VERTIGO
Christine shares a creative reflection on the disorienting nature of divine grace and how we can’t help but paint God and the world with our own broken brushes. Detangling myth from veracity and tradition from truth can feel a little bit like the ground is shifting beneath our feet…but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Once we separate God from our own misconceptions and stop trying to confine him to our own categories, he is bound to surprise us, guaranteed to challenge us, and certain to change us.
EP 2: SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Christine is back with author, speaker, and professor, Dr. Sandra Glahn—this time to explore a collection of Jesus’ teaching that revealed humanity’s “Spiritual Vertigo.” Dr. G walks us through that teaching and explores why folks (then and now) find it so darn challenging. Then things get personal! Christine gets a little feisty as she unveils her motivation behind launching this ministry and podcast, and Dr. G shares how gray hair is forcing her to make a HOLY SHIFT on her take on beauty.
EP 1: WHAT’S UP WITH “THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM?”
Christine chats with author, speaker, and Dallas Theological Professor, Dr. Sandra Glahn to explore this thing called, “The Upside Kingdom of God.” (If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry! They explain it without too much speaking Christianese.) They also talk about what it means to pursue God and his kingdom in our current cultural context and the daily practice of prioritizing God in our lives.
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