The Holy Shift Show
recent episodesJoin us as we explore the complexities in life, the paradoxes of faith, and how the upside-down kingdom of God always points the right way forward.
DNDW 6: Slowing Down
We're all feeling overwhelmed, distracted, and somehow still disconnected despite being "connected" 24/7. Our generation might just be the loneliest and most frazzled bunch to date! Christine chats with author Laura L. Smith about how pressing pause, practicing gratitude, and noticing beauty can transform our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. They discuss how the Bible and neuroscience agree (how cool is that?): our hurried, distracted living is robbing us of the deep connections we were created for.
DNDW 5: Sabbath Rest
Exhaustion is an epidemic, especially for women. Christine chats with physician and author Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith about battling burnout and faithfully engaging with soul care through sacred rest. They discuss how rest and trust are connected and why most of us need more than a nap or a vacation to experience the restoration we yearn for. Dr. Saundra shares the seven types of rest needed to increase our overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live our best lives. If you’ve been fighting fatigue or battling burnout, this episode will guide you toward drawing near to—and dwelling well with—God through sabbath rest.
DNDW 4: Simplicity
Feeling buried under your stuff, suffocated by your schedule, and exhausted by others’ expectations? Author and simplicity expert Jan Johnson chats with Christine about the paradoxical liberation of simplification. They explore how to determine your core values, establish your priorities, and chisel away what’s getting in the way of rest, joy, and abundance. They also discuss how “checkbox spirituality” contributes to our exhaustion, why Amazon won’t save us, and how to do a heart exam in the middle of Target.If you’d like to learn to be more present, generous, and peaceful, this episode will encourage and equip you to take practical steps toward simplifying your life and faith.
DNDW 3: Shifting
Feeling frazzled or frustrated in faith and life? Christine chats with author, podcaster, and Spiritual Director Emily P. Freeman about embracing spiritual curiosity, integrating our theology with our humanity, and recognizing how the rooms and relationships we live in—and the rhythms and rituals we live by—shape who we are becoming.They also explore questions like:*Are women allowed to have desires?*Can we trust ourselves?*Is soul care new age or woo-woo?*How do we move toward God and others?*How can we discern when to walk away from someone/something?If you are stuck in analysis paralysis or hoping to make some holy shifts in your own faith & life, this episode is for you!
DNDW 2: The Theology of Invitation
Whether you’re battling burnout, grappling with grief, recovering from trauma, or just feeling tired, stuck, frustrated, frazzled, or disconnected, Christine invites you on a journey toward healing and wholeness.As part of our 2025 series, Draw Near Dwell Well, Christine delves into The Theology of Invitation. She reminds us that faith is not about knowing more ABOUT God, doing more FOR God, or meeting some long list of expectations we think comes FROM God. Instead, Christine emphasizes the importance of stewarding our hearts, souls, minds, strength, and stories, and invites us to accept the one big, beautiful invitation to DRAW NEAR to—and DWELL WELL with—God. She also introduces soul care and spiritual formation practices that foster flourishing and help us live deeply connected to God, ourselves, and others.
DNDW 1: My Accidental Sabbatical
Christine is back to kick off the 2025 series centered on overcoming overwhelm and learning to live healed and whole. Eager to impart what she learned about God, herself, and love during her 1-year "accidental sabbatical," Christine shares some major holy shifts in her life, including an unwanted divorce, an unplanned move, and unwelcome health issues. She also introduces season 3’s theme, DRAW NEAR DWELL WELL, inviting you to explore soul care and spiritual formation practices that will help you live deeply connected to God, yourself, and others.
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.