Praxis

What Blocks Real Authenticity?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035663/fan_mail/new] If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking, Why didn’t I just say what I really meant?, you’re not alone. We talk about why authenticity is so hard even when we want it, and how hiding, performing, and impression management quietly reshape our relationships with God, ourselves, and other people. We start by grounding authenticity as being real, whole, and undivided, where our inner life and outer life align. Then we name the internal pressures that sabotage that alignment: fear of rejection, social and cultural expectations, shame and insecurity, the need for control, conflict avoidance, lack of self-awareness, perfectionism, and wounds from the past. Along the way we connect the dots to Scripture (including Genesis 3 and Jesus at the temple) and to emotional maturity, showing how these forces work under the surface long before we notice them. From there we shift to the outward behaviours that show up when those pressures win: pretending and protecting. Masks can look like polish, competence, or even manufactured vulnerability, while walls can look like withdrawal, withholding, numbing, and chronic avoidance. We also get painfully practical about people pleasing, overcommitting, and performance, and why “God only meets us in reality” becomes a turning point for real spiritual formation. We close with praxis you can try this week: root your identity in Christ, name the pressures that hook you, and notice the behaviours that signal you’re drifting from your true self. If this helped you, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Why Authenticity Matters

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035663/fan_mail/new] Authenticity is everywhere right now, but most definitions feel thin the moment real relationships get hard. We sit down to start a new Praxis series and name a more grounded, Jesus-centered picture: authenticity is being real rather than counterfeit, becoming whole rather than divided, and closing the gap between your inner life and your outer life. We talk through what authenticity is not, especially the idea that it means unfiltered self expression. Saying whatever you feel and calling it “my authentic self” can turn into a shield against growth and a licence to harm. Instead, we frame honesty as the starting point for spiritual formation, the kind of truth telling that invites transformation into Christlike love. Along the way we tease out the difference between authenticity, transparency, and vulnerability, including the practical wisdom of sharing the right information with the right person at the right time. Then we ask the bigger question: does Jesus actually value authenticity, or is this just a modern self help trend. We look at Jesus’ honesty with the Father, his vulnerability in suffering and grief, and his direct confrontation of hypocrisy when people polish the outside while neglecting the heart. We also share how pressure and expectations can distort leaders and families, and how anchoring to values aligned with Jesus helps us stop outsourcing our discernment to other people’s reactions. We close with concrete practices you can try this week: get fully honest with God, examine where you feel incongruent, and take one small courageous step that matches your convictions. If this helps, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast.

Don't Be A Stinky Sponge

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035663/fan_mail/new] Belonging is not the same thing as being allowed to attend. We talk about disability in the church all the time as a matter of access and inclusion, but what happens when someone is “welcomed” and still treated like a project, a problem to solve, or a person to hover over? That gap is where real discipleship gets tested, and it is where our conversation with Nilda Rivera begins.  Nilda is a minister and missions associate with Special Touch Ministry, and she also lives with spina bifida. She shares her story with honesty: growing up in foster care, navigating daily life with a wheelchair, and carrying real wounds from abuse. We slow down to talk about healing as a process, what a trustworthy church response can look like, and why minimizing someone’s pain can do lasting damage. Her journey also highlights God’s grace in surprising places, including mentors, pastors, and a community that made room for her voice.  From there we move into the heart of disability ministry and church culture: the difference between being ministered to and ministering with. We unpack why repeated “Are you sure you don’t need help?” can feel small but demeaning, how people with disabilities are often overlooked, and what it looks like to restore agency and mutuality. We also talk about worship, and how people with disabilities often model a freer, more embodied love for God that the rest of us need to learn.  If you want a clear next step, we offer one: become a friend. Listen, then share this with someone who serves in your church, and tell us what practice you want to try this week. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass the episode along to help more churches move from inclusion to true belonging.

Disability and the Church with Emily Robillard

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035663/fan_mail/new] What if the measure of a healthy church isn’t polish, but belonging? We sit down with Emily Robillard, leader of disability ministry at Woodridge Church and longtime staff at Hammer Residences, to explore how communities can move past surface-level inclusion toward a culture where people with disabilities are seen, empowered, and invited to contribute. Emily’s story starts with proximity: a childhood shaped by neighbors from a group home and parents who treated difference as ordinary. That early formation became a vocation she never planned, guiding her into residential care where coaching daily skills—budgeting, cooking, work readiness—replaces pity with possibility. She shares vivid snapshots of life in group homes, the staffing and rhythms that make growth possible, and why the same mindset can (and should) shape church life. We then step into Tuesday nights, a weekly service alive with flags, shakers, spontaneous prayers, and zero shame. Seventy adults worship in their own ways without being hushed, and volunteers learn that belonging is discovered through contribution: an autistic fifth grader thrives as part of a safety team; a hockey-loving congregant is welcomed on the ice at a fundraiser. Along the way, we name barriers churches cite, such as time, space, or volunteers, and answer them with Scripture’s urgency (think Mark 2 and a roof turned into a doorway) and practical tools: buddies, sensory spaces, family collaboration, and training focused on individuals rather than labels. This conversation blends pastoral warmth with missional clarity: people with disabilities represent a vast, often unreached community. When we trade performance for presence and programs for relationships, everyone changes. You’ll leave with concrete next steps—pray, notice who’s already near, read the Gospels through a disability lens—and a renewed vision for a church where joy is louder than perfection. Mentioned in this episode * Accessible Church by Sandra Peoples * Jesus and Disability by Chris H. Hulshof * Abilities Ministry https://abilityministry.com/ [https://abilityministry.com/]

Hot Tubs, Culver’s, and the Joy of Belonging

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035663/fan_mail/new] What if inclusion is only the starting line—and belonging is the finish we’re called to run toward together? We sit down with a special guest, Emily Enockson, to explore how a life shaped by foster care, medical fragility, and a steadfast sister named Josie became a vocation at Zachariah’s Acres [https://www.zachariahsacres.org/], a 175-acre sanctuary where people with disabilities don’t just attend events—they help design the experience. Through stories that are equal parts tender and funny, we unpack the daily practices that turn good intentions into genuine community. Emily walks us through the quiet tug of calling—how it rarely arrives like a spotlight and more like a series of faithful steps. She shows how inclusion often keeps a hidden power gap in place, while belonging invites mutuality: not “we serve them,” but “we do life together.” From a volunteer who learns to embrace imperfection in the kitchen to students who grow and package produce for the farm store, we see dignity thrive when people are seen, named, and invited to shape the space. We talk eye contact, assumptions, processing time, and why speaking directly to the person (not only the parent) is a baseline act of respect toward those with special needs. You’ll leave with four practices to try this week: be present, connect, keep showing up, and be courageous. Whether you’re a pastor, parent, volunteer, or someone unsure where to start, this conversation offers a pathway from awkwardness to authentic relationship. Along the way, we ground the journey in a simple theology of belonging: people are not projects; they are co-creators of community who reveal something of the Creator to us. Ready to move beyond comfort and into connection? Listen now, share it with a friend, and tell us one step you’ll take this week. If the episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and help more people discover a vision of church where everyone belongs.