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“You don’t have to be perfect.” - Rev. Krista Zimmerman Pastor Kelsey sits down with Rev. Krista Zimmerman for a thoughtful conversation on presence, perfectionism, and practicing a more grounded, grace-filled faith. Together, they explore what it means to be present in ministry and daily life, how to set healthy boundaries (especially with technology), and why letting go—while difficult—is often necessary for spiritual growth. They also reflect on grief, the gift of being a beginner through analog hobbies like watercolor and coloring, and the freedom that comes when we release the pressure to be perfect. Kelsey also shares a return to the heart of the podcast: conversations with women in ministry about their theology and spiritual lives—what they’re preaching, praying, and discerning in this season. In this episode, you’ll hear: Letting go and why it’s essential for growthHow a “word of the year” can shape your spiritual practiceNavigating grief after the loss of a beloved petThe spiritual invitation of analog hobbies and creative practicesSimple, practical boundaries with technologyMoving beyond perfectionism toward grace About Krista Pastor Krista Zimmerman has been ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for 15 years.  She currently serves St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Aurora, IL. She loves being a pastor but her favorite title is aunt!  Mentioned in the episode: The “Brick” device for setting digital boundariesThe first episode of Brene Brown & Adam Grant’s Curiosity Shop podcast Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @pastorkelseyb and @faithinmotion.podSupport our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us? - Luke 24:32 Lectio Divina is a spiritual practice that invites us to slow down, breathe, and spend a few quiet moments with God. Together, we’ll listen to scripture, reflect, and pray. You don’t need any prior experience or expertise; just a willingness to pause and listen for God’s love within and around you. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @faithinmotion.pod and @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give 

“Perhaps it was Thomas who made the disciples face the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection.” In this special episode, I share a sermon that my mother, Rev. Sheryl E. L. Peterson preached back in April of 1985, in honor of the 30th anniversary of her passing on April 8th. I found this while going through some of her papers, and it felt like a nudge from the Holy Spirit that this was the sermon of hers I found - just a few days before most churches around the world would hear sermons on the same scripture passage - about Thomas touching the wounds of Christ. In her message, my mother shares about Thomas’ deep faith and willingness to not look away from the pain and suffering Jesus went through. She invites us to consider what we are unwilling to touch, and call us to a faith that is active - one that reaches out, rather than shrinks away from the suffering of others. It’s a powerful reminder to not be afraid to touch. Scripture: John 20:19-31, NRSVUE Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @pastorkelseyb and @faithinmotion.pod Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

“There's nothing and nowhere where God won't go. God can handle the pain, the doubt, the disbelief—and naming it allows us to honor the space and the time.” In “The Blessings of Small Steps,” Pastor Kelsey sits down with Reverend Kimberly Knowle-Zeller to explore how blessing the messiness of everyday life opens us to God’s presence, especially when hope feels scarce. Together, they discuss how simple practices can help us remember the sacred within our routines, and how blessing others (and ourselves) is an act of trust and courage in a hurting world. In this episode, you'll hear: Honest reflections about parenthood, pastoral care, and finding God in the mundaneHow the practice of writing blessings became a way forward during seasons of exhaustion and uncertaintyThe power and vulnerability of sending words out into the world—and letting them goWhy naming pain and hardship aloud can reveal what is sacred, without bypassing what is realAn original blessing from Reverend Kimberly Noel Zeller’s new book, Small StepsAbout Kim Reverend Kimberly Knowle-Zeller is an author, pastor, and mother whose writing brings grace to life’s hardest, messiest corners. Her newest book, Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of Life, draws from her experience offering blessings at bedsides, in sanctuaries, and amid long nights as a mom. She writes for numerous faith publications and shares weekly reflections and blessings at Walk and Talk on Substack. Show notes Preorder Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of LifeSubscribe to Reverend Kim’s Substack: Walk and TalkIf you’re feeling weary, chaotic, or just longing for something real, this conversation is for you. Listen in for a quiet reminder that you are not alone—and that blessing can meet you right where you are. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @pastorkelseyb and @faithinmotion.podSupport our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. - John 14:27 Lectio Divina is a spiritual practice that invites us to slow down, breathe, and spend a few quiet moments with God. Together, we’ll listen to scripture, reflect, and pray. You don’t need any prior experience or expertise; just a willingness to pause and listen for God’s love within and around you. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @faithinmotion.pod and @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give 

Every so often, I find it helpful to pause and name the things that are quietly holding me together—the small, ordinary practices that are keeping my faith alive. This episode is a version of that. These aren’t big, flashy spiritual habits. They’re simple things: bricking my phone, returning to prayer journaling (in a new way), reading more long-form writing, wearing color, leaning into creativity, and connecting with other moms. None of it looks particularly “religious" or "church-y." And yet, all of it has helped me connect more deeply to God, and to myself. So today, I’m just sharing my list. If it’s helpful, I invite you to take a few minutes to notice what’s saving your faith right now, too. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @pastorkelseyb

What if the goal of reading the Bible wasn’t to have all the right answers—but to fall in love with the story? In this episode, I sit down with Meredith Miller to chat about her new book, Wonder: 52 Conversations to Help Kids Fall in Love With Scripture. Her passion for sharing the Bible and its stories with young folks - and helping adults feel confident in their abilities to do the same - truly shines. We explore the idea that the Bible can be both deeply meaningful and playful. Meredith invites us to release the need to take everything so seriously and ask, What if delight, curiosity, and even laughter can be part of how we engage scripture? Together, we reflect on what kids actually need when it comes to faith formation—and what they don’t. (Spoiler: it’s probably not what many of us were taught growing up.) And yes—this absolutely applies to adults, too. This conversation is an invitation to loosen your grip, trust your curiosity, and rediscover scripture as a place of wonder. About Meredith: Meredith Miller is a pastor and a parent who has spent most of the past twenty years helping families follow Jesus. She has been involved with Fuller Youth Institute since 2007 and from 2014-2019 she was Curriculum Director for the children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Illinois. Meredith holds a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as a B.A. in Religious Studies and Spanish Language & Literature from Westmont College. She is pastor of Pomona Valley Church and calls Southern California home. You can find her on Instagram @MeredithAnneMiller and Substack where she writes about Kids and Faith, and you can order her book Wonder: 52 Conversations to Help Kids Fall in Love with Scripture wherever books are sold. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @pastorkelseyb

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. - Deuteronomy 6:4 Lectio Divina is a spiritual practice that invites us to slow down, breathe, and spend a few quiet moments with God. Together, we’ll listen to scripture, reflect, and pray. You don’t need any prior experience or expertise; just a willingness to pause and listen for God’s love within and around you. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @faithinmotion.pod and @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give 

When we think about the most important people in the Bible, most of us were taught the stories of men: Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul. But women have always been part of God’s story. In this episode we highlight three women in scripture whose courage and leadership helped shape the story of God’s people—women whose stories are often overlooked or reduced to a single line. You’ll meet: Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives who resisted Pharaoh’s command to kill Hebrew baby boys and helped make the Exodus story possible.Rahab, the courageous woman in Jericho who protected the Israelite spies and negotiated safety for her family.Phoebe, a deacon of the early church who likely carried—and may have been the first to interpret—Paul’s letter to the Romans.Together, these women remind us that God has always been working through women: through courage, resistance, leadership, and faith. In honor of International Women’s Day, this episode invites us to read scripture a little more closely and rediscover the women who were there all along. Scripture Referenced: Exodus 1:15–21Joshua 2Romans 16:1–2Matthew 1 (Genealogy of Jesus) Books for further reading: A Womanist Midrash and The Womanist Lectionary by Wilda C. Gafney — powerful retellings and interpretations of biblical stories through a womanist lens.Books by Claire K. McKeever-Burgett, including Blessed Are the Women and In the Beginning Were the Women which explore the stories and theological significance of women in scripture.Books by Alice Connor, including Brave and Fierce, which highlight bold women of the Bible and the ways their stories still inspire faith today. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @faithinmotion.pod and @pastorkelseybSupport our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

In this episode, Pastor Kelsey sits down with Rev. Delaney Schlake-Kruse to explore the intersection of faith, feminism, and leadership in the church. Together they discuss why the word feminism still raises resistance in many faith communities and how patriarchal assumptions have shaped expectations of leadership in ministry. Delaney invites us to reimagine leadership by looking closely at how Jesus leads—not through domination, hierarchy, or control, but through relationality, mutuality, and power shared with others. Through a feminist lens, we explore what it might mean to cultivate leadership styles in the church that reflect the way of Christ, rather than the patriarchy. About Delaney Rev. Delaney Schlake-Kruse (she/her) is the rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Delaney recently completed her Doctor of Ministry, focusing on feminist pastoral leadership and congregational discernment. She lives in St. Louis with her family and enjoys gardening, taking walks, and drinking coffee. Recommendations for further reading from Rev. Delaney: Gender Disrupted: Jesus as a “Man” in the Fourfold Gospel, by Brittany E. WilsonTheology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, by Dorothee SoelleSexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology, by Rosemary Radford RuetherThe Man with the Flow of Power: Porous Bodies in Mark 5:25–34, by Candida R. MossBehold the Man: Jesus and Greco-Roman Masculinity, by Colleen M. ConwayConnect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @pastorkelseyb & @faithinmotion.pod

For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. - Proverbs 8:35 Lectio Divina is a spiritual practice that invites us to slow down, breathe, and spend a few quiet moments with God. Together, we’ll listen to scripture, reflect, and pray. You don’t need any prior experience or expertise; just a willingness to pause and listen for God’s love within and around you. Connect with us: Website: dancingpastor.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: dancingpastor.org/give

Women play an integral part in history, including in biblical history. In many contexts, they are seen as mere side characters, and often aren’t even recognized with a name. However, we know that women are not just sidebars: they are main characters. They love, they birth, they lead, they prophesy, they teach, they heal, they wage war, and they testify. Author and Episcopal priest Rev. Alice Connor is here to share some of these women’s stories with us today. She recently wrote the book, Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation, which is a follow up to her book Brave: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Grief, Mercy, Folly, Joy, Sex, and Redemption. Alice talks about how the Bible is R-rated because it is real, and our real lives (not the ones we post on social media for all to see) are definitely R-rated. When we read these women’s stories within the Bible for what they truly are: raw, honest, full-bodied, and whole-hearted, we not only see them for who they are, but we see ourselves as well. About Alice: Rev. Alice Connor is an Episcopal priest and a chaplain on a college campus. She wrote Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation, How to Human: An Incomplete Manual for Living in a Messed-Up World, and Brave: Women of the Bible and their Stories of Grief, Mercy, Folly, Joy, Sex, and Redemption. She co-wrote an article for the Journal for the Study of the New Testament called “Mantic Mary? The Virgin Mother as Prophet in Luke 1:26-56 and the Early Church.” That’s academic-speak for “Hey, maybe Mary the mother of Jesus was more than a mom and actually had a word of challenge to speak to us? Just sayin’.” Alice is also a certified enneagram teacher and a stellar pie-maker. She lives for challenging conversations and has a high tolerance for awkwardness. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two kids, a dog, and no cats. Connect with us: Website: moveyourfaith.orgSubscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody FaithInstagram: @pastorkelseyb

It’s okay to be inconsistent in our faith practices. God doesn’t expect perfection. In this episode, Pastor Kelsey reminds us that it’s okay to be human. The reason so many new year resolutions fail is because we expect perfection from ourselves. We get off course or miss a few days, and we throw it all away. The same can be true with our faith and prayer practices. We might set an intention at the beginning of Lent to journal every day or read the Bible every morning, and that is a beautiful thing to try! But remember - you are human. Kids get sick, work projects take up space, there’s a leak somewhere, your hormones are out of whack or mercury is in retrograde. Whatever it is, remember that life happens and it’s okay to acknowledge that sometimes our good intentions can be set aside for a few days. It doesn’t mean you have failed: it means you are human. Links mentioned in the episode:  Blyth Barnow’s Instagram post @femminary: “Lent is not a diet plan” Connect with us: Website: dancingpastor.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: dancingpastor.org/give

What if faith was never meant to be something we get right? In this tender and honest conversation, Pastor Kelsey sits down with writer Val Hystek to talk about perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the deep desire many of us carry to be the “good girl” who gets faith, motherhood, and life right. Val shares pieces of her story, including her experience of secondary infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, and how those seasons unraveled the version of faith she thought she needed to maintain.  Together, we explore what it looks like to stop striving for perfect and instead embrace faith as a practice — something lived, questioned, wrestled with, and held with compassion. This episode is for anyone who feels tired of trying to earn God’s love, exhausted from performing goodness, or unsure how faith fits into the messy realities of real life. Because faith was never meant to be perfect — only practiced. Connect with us: Website: dancingpastor.org Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith Instagram: @pastorkelseyb Support our ministry: dancingpastor.org/give About Val  Val Hystek (she/her) has always been a writer, but becoming an author was an audacious dream for a 90s kid. After completing her Honours Specialization in English Language and Literature Degree from the University of Western Ontario, Val went on to become a primary teacher at an inner-city school in Ontario. She is married and a mom to two girls, Savanna (10) and Paisley (6). After experiencing secondary infertility and three recurrent miscarriages, Val began to write again, trying to find Jesus underneath the pieces of her shattered faith. She now writes for her online community, both on Instagram and Facebook, and is on a year's sabbatical from teaching to travel and write a book. She is creating a space where good and holy work can be messy and wild by giving wonder, loneliness, questions, doubt, beauty and anger a voice.  This community is stubbornly seeking after the heart of Jesus in a posture of curiosity and discovering just how wide and how deep the love of God is.