What if the thing missing from your faith isn’t more theology... but a simple spiritual childhood?

And what if some of the questions keeping you exhausted don’t need answers right now — they just need to be left on the shelf?

In this episode of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, Michele Kus and Martin Trench launch their new Simply Jesus series by exploring what happens when believers grow up too fast spiritually.

After hearing many listeners say, “I never had a spiritual childhood,” they unpack why so many Christians were rushed into doctrine, performance, ministry, and having all the right answers before they ever learned the simple foundations of faith.

Through stories, humor, and honest conversation, Michele and Martin discuss spiritual milk versus spiritual meat, inherited beliefs versus integrated beliefs, catechism versus altar calls, the problem with constant correction, and why healthy spiritual growth requires space to wonder, question, and … gasp! … even get stuff wrong!

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by religion, exhausted by theological debates, or pressured to have everything figured out, this episode is your invitation to slow down, return to the basics, and rediscover the simple goodness of God.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is LEAVE IT ON THE SHELF!

If you enjoyed this episode, FOLLOW the show and SHARE this episode with a friend!

Purchase Martin’s book, Secrets of Spiritual Growth.

Don’t miss the FULL VISUAL EXPERIENCE with scripture references, definitions, funny pics, random small animals, and of course our beautiful faces! Watch this episode or binge the entire series on our awesome Unhinged YouTube channel.

And remember to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!

-- READY TO GO DEEPER? --

If this stirred something in you, don’t just listen — take the next step.

Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy

Join Martin’s online community, The Gathering

-- SUPPORT THE PODCAST --

Love our free content and want to support the show?

Grab some fabulous, custom-designed snarky Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!)

-- ABOUT OUR SHOW --

Unhinged helps you unlearn toxic religious thinking, rediscover a freer and healthier way of understanding God, faith, and yourself… and laugh a little along the way.

-- RESOURCES --

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music

Martin’s books on Amazon

-- CONNECT WITH US! --

Michele’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

Martin’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

CHAPTERS

00:00 Systematic Theology Show-and-Tell

00:44 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction!

03:02 What If You Never Had a Spiritual Childhood?

08:30 Why Constant Correction Hurts Spiritual Growth

11:57 Inherited Beliefs vs. Integrated Beliefs

13:33 Catechism vs. Altar Calls: Two Different Approaches to Conversion

14:23 Which Beliefs Should We Examine?

17:47 Leave It on the Shelf!

19:51 What’s one thing you wish someone had told you during your spiritual childhood?

Why do so many Christians feel pressured to become “spiritually mature” before they’ve even learned to rest in God’s love?

In this episode of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, Michele Kus and Martin Trench unpack why many churches unintentionally rush believers past the foundational childhood stage of spiritual growth — creating pressure, confusion, fear, and performance-based Christianity in the process.

Together, they unpack how churches often rush new believers past the “milk” stage of spiritual development and into pressure-filled teachings about spiritual warfare, end times, tithing, performance, and more — trying to get them “caught up” spiritually.

Through scripture, stories, humor, and honest conversation, Michele and Martin explore why healthy spiritual growth cannot be forced — and why skipping the foundational childhood stage of trust and love can create confusion, fear, exhaustion, spiritual striving, and unhealthy views of God that affect believers over the long haul.

Real spiritual growth is not about becoming hyper-spiritual as quickly as possible… but about allowing our connection with God to gradually transform us over time.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by church expectations, pressured to spiritually “grow up” too quickly, or like you skipped over the foundational stage of simply learning to trust God’s love — this episode is for you.

Purchase Martin’s book, Secrets of Spiritual Growth.

If you enjoyed this episode, FOLLOW the show and SHARE this episode with a friend!

Don’t miss the full visual experience! Watch this episode on our awesome Unhinged YouTube channel.

And remember to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!

-- READY TO GO DEEPER? --

If this stirred something in you, don’t just listen — take the next step.

Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy

Join Martin’s online community, The Gathering

-- SUPPORT THE PODCAST --

Love our free content and want to support the show?

Grab some fabulous, custom-designed snarky Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!)

-- ABOUT OUR SHOW --

Unhinged helps you unlearn toxic religious thinking, rediscover a freer and healthier way of understanding God, faith, and yourself… and laugh a little along the way.

-- RESOURCES --

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music

Martin’s books on Amazon

-- CONNECT WITH US! --

Michele’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

Martin’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction!

02:46 1 John 2 and the “Milk, Meat & Bread” Stages of Spiritual Growth

08:40 The Three Stages in 1 John 2: Childhood, Youth, Parenthood

10:16 The Problem With Skipping the “Milk” of Spiritual Childhood

12:55 What Spiritual Children Need Most

16:31 Why New Christians Feel Pressured to “Catch Up”

21:26 Don’t Rush Through Spiritual Childhood

24:13 Final Thoughts on Healthy Spiritual Growth

You’ve been taught to fix what’s wrong with you… but what if the parts you’ve been trying to hide are the very parts God calls beautiful?

In this episode of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, we take a deeper look at identity, self-perception, and the subtle ways church culture can train us to dislike and distrust ourselves. We explore the powerful idea that what you’ve labeled as flaws or imperfections may not be flaws at all — and how learning to see yourself through God’s eyes can radically shift the way you see yourself.

If you’ve ever struggled with self-criticism, shame, or the feeling that something about you is deeply flawed and needs fixing — this one’s for you.

-- WHAT YOU’LL LEARN --

If you’ve ever…

• felt like something about you was “too much” or “not enough”
• been taught to distrust your own thoughts, feelings, intuition, or heart
• struggled with self-criticism or feeling like you need to fix yourself

… then this will help you:

• reframe what you’ve been calling “flaws”
• understand how shame-based thinking gets reinforced in church culture
• begin to see yourself through a lens of grace instead of criticism
• rebuild self-trust and embrace your authentic self

--

Stream “My Scars Are Beautiful” on Spotify.

Stream “My Scars Are Beautiful” on Apple Music.

Purchase Martin’s book, Secrets of Spiritual Growth.

Purchase “Disappointments, All of You” t-shirt (featured in this video, from the Unhinged merch shop).

-- READY TO GO DEEPER? --

If you want the full visual experience, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel. (Or watch the entire Align With Your Design playlist here. And remember to SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!)

If this stirred something in you, don’t just watch — take the next step.

Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy

Join Martin’s 30-Day Spiritual Growth Challenge inside his online community, The Gathering

-- SUPPORT THE SHOW --

Love our free content and want to keep it ad-free?

Grab some snarky Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!)

-- ABOUT OUR SHOW --

Unhinged helps you unlearn toxic religious thinking and rediscover a freer, healthier way of understanding God, faith, and yourself.

-- RESOURCES --

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music

Martin’s books on Amazon

-- CONNECT WITH US! --

Michele’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

Martin’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, & website

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction!

03:05 How Do You Find the Right Environment?

05:13 Go Where You’re Celebrated, Not Where You’re Tolerated

07:21 What You Call Ugly, God Calls Beautiful

12:54 Guided Meditation: You Are His Treasure

18:07 “My Scars Are Beautiful” song by Michele

You’ve been told to “bloom where you’re planted”. . .

. . . which sounds great, but what if that advice is actually keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, we unpack why spiritual growth doesn’t happen in environments where you can’t be your authentic self — and how Christians are often trained to distrust their own thoughts, feelings, discernment, and instincts.

We explore the difference between real transformation vs. just accumulating more knowledge, and why external alignment matters just as much as what’s happening in your inner world.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, restless, or like you’ve outgrown your environment — but felt unsure about trying new spaces, then this one’s for you.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

If you’ve ever…

• felt like you should be growing spiritually… but aren’t
• been told to stay somewhere that doesn’t feel right
• struggled to trust your own thoughts, feelings, intuition, or instincts

… then this will help you:

• understand why spiritual growth is more than just gaining knowledge
• recognize how environment impacts your ability to grow
• rebuild self-trust and move out of performance-based faith
• identify when it might be time to find “better soil”

Purchase Martin’s book, Secrets of Spiritual Growth, here.

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If you want the full visual teaching with slides & diagrams, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel. (Or watch the entire Align With Your Design series here. And remember to SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!)

If this stirred something in you, don’t just watch — take the next step.

Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy

Join Martin’s 30-Day Spiritual Growth Challenge inside his online community, The Gathering

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL

Love our free content and want to keep it ad-free?

Grab some snarky Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!)

ABOUT OUR SHOW

Unhinged helps you unlearn toxic religious thinking and rediscover a freer, healthier way of understanding God, faith, and yourself.

RESOURCES

Michele’s music (Grace Remixed)

Martin’s books

CONNECT WITH US!

Michele’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & Linktree

Martin’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & Linktree

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction!

00:29 Why More Knowledge ≠ Spiritual Growth

06:34 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” … Really?

12:33 Feeling Safe to Be Your Authentic Self

18:22 The Role of Environment in Spiritual Growth

22:09 The Beautiful Messiness of Being Human

25:53 Not All Soil is Good Soil

27:22 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Promotes Self-Blame

29:21 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Reinforces Spiritual Passivity

30:06 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Confuses “Endurance” with True Calling

30:43 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Disconnects You From Your Design

31:35 Neuroscience Teaches Us: Your Environment Shapes Your Identity

33:23 A Helpful Reframe: Bloom Where You’re Nourished

34:21 Final Thoughts & A Few More Unhinged Moments