Exploring Faith, Pursuing Grace

Holiday Special - Halloween

Halloween is one of the biggest commercial holidays in the modern era. Children and adults alike both enjoy dressing up in costumes and celebrating the festivities of the holiday with friends and family. 
Even so, there are Christians who believe celebrating Halloween is evil, that it is a holiday that celebrates darkness, wickedness, witchcraft, and Satan, and that participating in any shape or form is sin. Other Christians believe in limited participation, while others see nothing wrong with dressing up and begging for candy. 
What are the origins of Halloween? Is Halloween, as it's celebrated in modern times, truly a Satanic holiday? Kevin and Lee discuss the history of Halloween in this episode.
Have questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
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E69: Prayer

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” - Luke 11:1, NRSVPrayer is a fundamental aspect of practically every religious tradition, and it's one that is often overlooked, taken for granted, misunderstood, and even overemphasized in many ways within Christianity. What exactly is prayer? What is it's purpose? Why do we pray? Is prayer transactional? Does our prayer life relegate God to the role of a mere genie who exists to grant our wishes?
Kevin and Lee discuss these ideas and more in this episode which focuses on prayer.
 
Have questions or comments? Please reach out to us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com!
Thanks for listening!
 

E68: Calibrating Your Conscience

We all remember Jiminy Cricket's famous statement "Let your conscience be your guide" (technically it was the Blue Fairy, but Mr. Cricket tends to get the credit for that one), but is letting your conscience guide you really the right move? What if your conscience is 'miscalibrated'?In this episode, Kevin and Lee discuss why one's conviction should steer their conscience, rather than allowing their conscience to guide one's conviction.
 
Questions? Suggestions? Holler at us! exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
Thanks!

E67: Media Literacy - Chris Rosser

Kevin and Lee are joined on this episode by OC Faculty Chris Rosser to discuss media literacy; or, how do we go about parsing all the data that surrounds us and then make sense of it? Does the secret lie in the data we consume, or is the 'substrate' that receives this data more important? This conversation was deep, enlightening, and a LOT of fun! 
 
Have questions? Suggestions? Reach out to us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com. Thanks!

Q&A 9: How do I Overcome Bitterness When Leaving Legalism?

In this Q&A, Kevin and Lee discuss their experiences with bitterness, leaving legalism behind, and how to release bitterness in order to more fully love one another.
 
We'd love to hear from y'all! Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com.
 
Thanks for listening!

E66: Fruit of the Spirit: Love

In this episode Kevin and Lee begin a non-sequential series discussing the fruits of the spirit. What love isn't, what love is, how love is viewed through various lenses are all things discussed in this episode.Questions? Comments? Email us at www.exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.comThanks for listening!

E65: Faith and Sexuality - Sally Gary

In this episode Kevin and Lee are joined by Sally Gary, lifelong Christian and member of the Church of Christ, Communications and Speech and Debate professor, Attorney at law, and is the founder of CenterPeace Ministries. Sally has written about her upbringing and life in the Church of Christ and her struggles with her sexuality in two memoirs; "Loves God, Likes Girls" and "Affirming: A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality, and Staying in the Church". 
 
CenterPeace is a ministry that focuses on providing resources to LGBTQ+ people of faith, their parents, and churches, with a focus on ensuring that everyone has a place to belong. www.centerpeace.netHave questions? Holler at us! exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
 
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E64: From Legalism to Grace - Lee Grant

One of Kevin and Lee's main objectives in this podcast has been to discuss how they've changed their walk with God from a legalistic paradigm to a grace-centered, truly Christ-centered paradigm. It hasn't been easy, and some of the feedback received from our listeners has enumerated just how difficult it can be to reconstruct something in the place of that deconstructed legalistically driven faith.
In this episode, Lee revisits his legalistic past, but then goes into detail on how he was able to reconstruct his faith by getting to know Jesus.
Enjoying the podcast? Let us know what you think! Email us at exploringfaithpursuinggrace@gmail.com
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