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This week we're still on the Richard Rohr train, but one sentence sent us down a rabbit hole: any worship service that doesn't start with a sincere ‘Lord, have mercy’ needs to be very careful. So we did what any reasonable church would do and made everyone blink, then explained that light just traveled about 75,000 miles while they did it. We talk about 100 billion stars, a universe that is 96% empty space, and why none of this is a reason to panic (but also, a little panic is valid). Somewhere in there we land on the idea that we can look at the vast, incomprehensible universe with curiosity instead of fear, and that the God of infinite space is also the God of Bethlehem.

This week we took a break from Richard Rohr. We're talking about joy, and specifically about the sneaky idea a lot of us grew up with that God cares about our holiness, not our happiness, which somehow turned into feeling guilty for enjoying good pie. We dig into why joy is not something you earn by getting your life together first, and why Jesus told his disciples he wanted them so full of joy it overflows, even though he knew exactly what grief was coming for them. There is homework this week (we never assign homework): pick something that makes you happy and go do it, no permission slip required. If you have ever felt guilty for being happy, or felt like you needed your life to be more settled before you were allowed to enjoy it, this one is for you.

This week we're talking about scapegoating — yes, it's a real biblical thing, and yes, it does involve actual goats (Leviticus 16, if you want to look it up). We trace it from Yom Kippur all the way to the very human habit of blaming someone else the second things go wrong, which, if we're honest, is basically all the time. We dig into why the prophets always start by pointing at their own people instead of everyone else, why Jesus refuses to just swap out one group of villains for another, and what Hosea has to say about the difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God. It lands on a question we can't really get out of: not who's right, but what kind of people are we becoming. Fair warning, there's a decent chance you'll see yourself in this one (we definitely did writing it).

This week we're still on the Richard Rohr train, talking about "the remnant". Growing up, a lot of us heard that framed as an elite club, something to strive for and probably fail at. We take a hard look at why that's backwards: the remnant isn't proof of who's right, it's proof of how little it takes for God to keep showing up. We dig into why God tends to plant truth at the bottom, with the powerless, instead of handing it to whoever's already in charge (spoiler: power ruins things). And we land somewhere pretty simple. Our job was never to save Christianity or the world, just to actually enjoy God's love and pass a little of it along.

This week we continue our series on Richard Rohr with a look at Amos, who preached that Israel's problem wasn't a handful of corrupt individuals, but an entire system. A system built to protect wealth and power at the expense of the poor. This asks us to sit with an uncomfortable reframe: we are not the oppressed Hebrews looking for liberation, we are the empire. It traces Amos's critique from ancient Samaria straight into modern politics, capitalism, and church culture, and lands on his closing vision of a restored, justice-filled world. Expect a message that's less about individual salvation and more about collective responsibility — clear-eyed about what's broken, and still holding onto hope.

We invited three people from our seats to take the stage and tell their story (plus Hannah too). This is Biography - Still Here.

This week we put on our nerd hats: what are the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and why don't Protestant bibles include them? Turns out the answer involves the Septuagint, a guy named Jerome, Martin Luther, and the humbling realization that the 66-book Bible most of us grew up with is actually the minority position in global Christianity. It's a deep dive into biblical history — and a reminder that the real question was never which books made the cut, but what we do with the ones we've got.

Hannah is a few chapters in to Richard Rohrs new book. And so far? SO sad! (But we love it)

Hannah talks about prophets. What they are, and what they arent.

Hannah talks about inclusion through the lens of the Ethiopian Eunich.

Super cool guest speaker Cheri talks about the importance of giving up.

Everyone knows that Paul said some bad stuff about women... But what is he actually didn't? Lets explore!

This is a really cool, interesting, strange, fun way to talk about Ruth. Lets get into it!

This service is podcast vibes! Hannah and Jarrett tackle conversion and Richard Rohr.

Jarrett takes the stage to talk about the philosophy behind the music at diff.