Send us Fan Mail

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.

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Send us Fan Mail

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/