Faith Restructured

Meredith Miller is a pastor, parent, and writer with over 20 years experience in children’s ministry and curriculum. In 2019 she and her husband Curtis started Pomona Valley Church –a church on Zoom that wants to live the one-anothers, neighbor well, and do justice.  And eat. But for the 5 years prior she was Curriculum Director for the children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Illinois, where she created the framework for lessons that responds to the latest research on kids and faith formation.  Since 2007 she’s also been involved with the work of the Fuller Youth Institute. Meredith holds a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary, as well as a B.A. in Religious Studies and Spanish Language & Literature from Westmont College.

Central to our faith is the notion of prayer, but it isn't as simple as we sometimes think. Sometimes in an attempt to simplify the idea, we trivialize it or complicate it further. Join us for the conversation today as we think through how prayer forms us in our journeys.

Welcome back to season 3 of Faith Restructured! Join us for this kickoff episode as we look ahead toward the plans for this season while listening in to some rambling about Jesus, life, and youth ministry. 

Check out this great conversation with Brian Zahnd as we discuss spirituality, the early church, political ideology, and how faith transcends our preferences.

Thanks for joining us for season 2. Tune in for a look back at some of the things we've been learning these last few months as we discuss some of our favorite moments this season!

Something new! We're both in the same room...recording our reflections on a conference that we attended. We don't view conferences the same on this side of faith, but can they still be valuable? 

Easter is obviously the focal point of the Christian faith, but how does it change our perspective of life, faith, and relationships? 

What is the purpose of a sermon? What are you thinking about? What is your part to play?

This week we tackle society's favorite topic: Money. Where does money intersect with church and faith? Where did you learn your answer? 

We spend some time in Lectio Divina again this week reflecting on the story of the woman caught in adultery. There is a delicate balance between letting Scripture speak on its own and diving into the nitty gritty details of the context, languages, historical reception, etc. Spend some time with us this week as we try to find that balance.

Join us  as we reflect on some of the things we wish we could have talked about more with Scott Erickson and Mariko Clark about. 

Caroline is a pastor and author who Cole had the opportunity to work with for a few years early in ministry. Join us for this conversation where she gives us some perspective on faith, doubt, Covid, and more from her vantage point as a Pastor that is figuring stuff out too.

The season of Lent brings a lot of feelings and themes with it, including death, sin, suffering, and struggle. But it also brings with it hope. Today's episode is Mike reflecting on some swirling thoughts and reactions to Ash Wednesday in light of current events. 

We spend this episode talking with Marri (Mariko Clark) about her project "The Book of Belonging," sword drills, and how 30 seconds of courage can change your life (thanks Matt Damon). This a great conversation about faith, struggle, and figuring out how to be okay with God's mystery. Check it out!

With Lent around the corner, we wanted to spend some time talking about what Lent means to us, how we participate in it, and how we can take these ideas and practices beyond this season of life. 

"Scott Erickson is an artist, author, speaker, and curator who mixes mythology & aesthetics to create art and moments that speak to our deepest experiences." Scott's ability as an artist has enabled him to connect people to the faith in powerful ways. We hope you enjoy the conversation!

Cole takes over this episode of the podcast to remind us all of what this whole faith journey thing is about. 

On this week's episode, we're talking about the voices and writers shaping our lives and what we're learning. We also cover some tough statistics from our world and spend some time lamenting them.

For our first guest of season 2 we're hearing from someone that's passionate about knowing Scripture and sharing it with people, but in a way that's about emphasizing what's ACTUALLY happening. That means pointing out the crazy and scandalous details in Scripture rather than pretending they aren't there.

New year, same old us. Join us for some discussion about what's been going on the last month or two, what's coming up, and some thoughts about "nondiscipleship."