Episode 8: The Practice of Repair

In every relationship—marriage, friendship, leadership, or church community—ruptures are inevitable. What matters most is how we repair.

In this episode, Jon and Tom talk about the sacred work of relational repair: how to name the hurt, take responsibility, and rebuild trust in ways that strengthen connection rather than fracture it further.

Drawing from both psychological insight and the way of Jesus, they explore how honest repair can become one of the most healing and transformative practices in the life of the Church.

Episode 7: Attachment: Understanding How We Connect to God, Self, and Others

Jon and Tom explore the science of attachment—how our earliest relational bonds shape the way we connect with God, self, and others.

They discuss why understanding attachment matters for spiritual growth and community life, and how churches can become places that nurture secure, life-giving relationships.

Episode 6: Understanding Trauma and the Church

In this episode, Jon and Tom take on the crucial topic of trauma—what it is, how it shapes people’s lives, and why the Church must learn to respond with wisdom and compassion.

Too often, trauma is misunderstood or minimized in spiritual spaces, leaving people feeling unseen or even re-wounded.

Jon and Tom discuss how leaders and communities can better recognize trauma’s impact and create environments where healing, safety, and transformation in Christ are truly possible.

Episode 5: Parts Work and Church Systems (Part 2)

In this follow-up conversation, Jon and Tom build on their exploration of Internal Family Systems by turning the lens toward the Church itself.

Just like individuals, church systems can either create space for honesty and healing—or push leaders to hide until crisis erupts. This episode encourages churches to reimagine their culture and structures in ways that make it safe for pastors and leaders to seek help before things fall apart, fostering healthier leaders and, ultimately, a healthier Church.

Episode 4: The Parts of Us (Part 1)
In this episode, Jon and Tom dive into the transformative framework of Internal Family Systems (IFS)—a lens that’s helped them understand why they, and those they lead, show up the way they do.

By exploring the “parts” within us—protectors, exiles, managers—they unpack how our internal dynamics shape our relationships, leadership, and even our spirituality.

This is the first of a two-part conversation that brings compassion, curiosity, and clarity to the complexity of being human, especially in the context of Church life and spiritual formation.

Episode 3: Story Before Skills
In this episode, Jon and Tom explore why the story of our lives—our personal history, wounds, and formative experiences—has a profound impact on the fruit of our lives.

While many churches focus on teaching skills like prayer, discipleship, and evangelism, far fewer help people examine the pain or patterns in their past that may be hindering spiritual growth.

The result? People are equipped with tools they can’t fully use.

Jon and Tom make the case that real transformation requires engaging your story before mastering new skills—and that the Church must become a place where people are invited to do both.

Episode 2: Roles
In this episode, Jon and Tom unpack the important differences between the roles of pastor, therapist, coach, spiritual director, psychologist, and psychiatrist.

In a world where people are seeking help, healing, and direction, it’s vital to know who does what—and where the limits and boundaries of each role lie.

Whether you're looking for emotional support, spiritual guidance, mental health care, or life direction, clarity around these roles can help you pursue the right kind of help in the right way.

This episode is a thoughtful guide to understanding how these various voices can serve you—without expecting any one of them to be everything.

Episode 1: Can Church Be Healthy?

In this opening episode, Jon and Tom explore what it would take for the Church to become a safe place—a space where people feel genuinely loved, welcomed home, and free to be honest about their real lives.

They ask: Can a church be both emotionally safe and spiritually serious?

Can it call people toward deep character transformation and the pursuit of holiness—without making them feel like projects to fix or problems to be solved? Yes, the Church can be a space like this - and a new field of study called "Neuro-Theology" is showing the way. And no, it's not as strange as it sounds!

This conversation wrestles with the tension between grace and growth, safety and sanctification, and paints a picture of the Church as a non-anxious community shaped by the way of Jesus and the culture of the Kingdom.