Confronting Normal Podcast.

In a culture that pressures us to “do all, be all and look good doing it,” the weight of “more” is always looming; feelings of drowning are raw and real. But what if, rather than adding more stuff to our already maxed out lives, we took the time to consider what we could shed, instead? Today’s episode is a conversation about the concept of an “elimination diet.” By intentionally thinking about every area of our lives, and by giving critical thought to the things that are “necessity” and those that are mere “nicety,” we begin to see what is helping...

We all think our view of the world is the right view, but what if we learned to see the world through nine different types of lenses? How might it shape our views? This is exactly what makes The Enneagram the popular typology tool that it is today. Today’s episode is a conversation with Your Enneagram Coach, Beth McCord, about what it could look like for us to meet in the middle and honour one another in order to see our relationships flourish.

Movement, change and transformation are rarely overnight events. Rather, they are so often slow progressions that unfold. But as J.R.R. Tolkien so wisely puts it, little but little, one travels far.

Today’s episode is a conversation about justice, but also about the power of education and how dreaming for the impossible can lead to incredible places if the Global community is willing to engage, lean into the uncertainty together and allow for justice to rise with unrelenting tenacity.

According to IJM's statistics, there are 40 million people in slavery today. These numbers are staggering, so what can one do? How can one help? Today’s episode is a two-part conversation with Phil Reilly, National Director of Development for International Justice Mission. Phil’s expertise and insight into the world of slavery helps each of us understand what we can do to take personal action steps towards confronting justice, and how there really is hope when we enter into this weighty topic with a solutions-based mindset and approach.

According to IJM's statistics, there are 40 million people in slavery today. These numbers are staggering, so what can one do? How can one help? Today’s episode is a two-part conversation with Phil Reilly, National Director of Development for International Justice Mission. Phil’s expertise and insight into the world of slavery helps each of us understand what we can do to take personal action steps towards confronting justice, and how there really is hope when we enter into this weighty topic with a solutions-based mindset and approach.

As we head into the Christmas season, take time to think about what gift giving is all about and what the gift of Christmas really means.

Our guest today has personally invited 3000 people to sit with her in her own backyard for a simple meal around her table. As she shares her heart and vision for people, you will be inspired and challenged to not only invite people to gather, but to gather them in a more loving, thoughtful and intentional way.

Today’s episode is a story inspired by the traffic light and how the traffic light is a reminder that a fulfilling life is found when we take time to notice the importance of ALL the speeds in life, especially at Christmas.

In this episode we discuss faith and doubt, learning and reading, and all the good stuff that goes along with taking a good look at what we believe and why. Because the problem is not that people are uneducated; the problem is that they are educated just enough to believe what they've been taught but not to question it.

Today’s episode is not only an honest conversation about what it means to be broken, but it’s also a perspective-shifting reminder that brokenness can in fact be beautiful when we recognize that we are all beautifully broken.

This episode, with the always inspiring Danielle Strickland — author, speaker and founder of many advocating initiatives that mobilize people towards transformational living — takes today’s conversation into an exploration of external and internal advocacy. Danielle challenges each of us to ask: what keeps you up at night? Because advocacy starts there.

So often we are given the advice, "Have faith like a child." But as Sarah Bessey (mother of four) points out, children have a lot of questions. In today's day, with so many people struggling to make peace with their evolving faith, Sarah Bessey — author and speaker — reminds us there IS room for questions, for curiosity and for evolving faith.

Today’s episode explores the different signs of depression, the many faces of mental unwellness and how empathy speaks, “I’m with you.” It leaves the listener re-thinking how a simple concept such as, “meet people where they are,” can be the perfect way to bridge the gap of communication and connection when it comes to the topic of mental health.

Today’s episode is a conversation with Jerrad Lopes: author, pastor, podcaster and founder of the Dad Tired community — a non-profit ministry focused on equipping men to lead their family well. As we dive into fatherhood, manhood, motherhood, marriage and more, Jerrad helps us understand how the man-up mentality isn’t working, what it is men do with their emotions, what the greatest fear is for a large percentage of husbands and how women can come alongside them in safety and support.

Activism is so often about picking your side and hammering your stake in the ground; I’m right, you’re wrong, and let me tell you all the reasons why. But in this episode we confront activism through a grace-laced conversation with Allison Centofante, Director of Strategic Communications for Live Action.

Social media is here to stay. But the real key to confronting social media is in how we engage with it, consume it and to what degree we allow its influence over the way we think, live and believe that will make all the difference.

With questions, thoughts and stories about the messy sides of community, this episode discusses what it means to embrace our differences, model the spirit of community to our kids, and how to deal with the pain and heartache that community can so often be.

Community is a complicated topic. It’s a conversation laced with many layers, a wide variety of interpretations and definitions, and typically, it comes accompanied with a ton of painful baggage and unmet expectations. This episode shares openly and honestly about the struggle and beauty that is community.

An episode about a weekend with Wayne Jacobsen in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

More than it’s a word to define, a question to answer or an expression to find, community should be a sense of warmth, a heart of compassion, a stance of empathy, a listening ear, a kind gesture, a gentle word, and a position of love.

Today’s guest takes us on an outrageous conversation into curiously asking, are we aware of the unexpected faith opportunities in our lives? Are we open to what God wants to do in us and through us? And are we intentionally posturing our lives to embrace the events and adventures that God makes available to us?

Deconstruction can take on many different forms for different people. On this episode, Cindy and Renae get open and honest about their own journey's of deconstruction and reconstruction, and how two very different paths have brought them to some surprisingly similar places.

Deconstruction is so often written off as negative, as a phase to be outgrown, but on this episode we talk to John Williamson and Adam Narloch — hosts of The Deconstructionists Podcast — about the beauty of doubt and on reframing deconstruction.

This episode is not your everyday take on social justice. Andy Harrington challenges us to look at issues of poverty, social justice, and missions from a different angle. Rather than viewing people and places as projects that need our fixing, he pauses to ask better questions.

Today's episode explores what it means to live our lives as ordinary radicals doing small things with great love. Shane Claiborne’s contagious joy inspires each of us to reimagine a better world by coming alongside the most vulnerable of our world with big love and genuine relationship.

Caleb Kaltenbach is a refreshing voice speaking to an issue that is so often driven by fear, emotion and a lack of empathy. Regardless of your perspective on the intersections between the Christian and LGBQT communities, today's episode is a catalyst for conversation and a wading into the messy work of truth and grace.

Where does one go with life and how does faith look in the midst when you’ve been diagnosed with a paralyzing disease and introduced to a wheelchair? Today’s guest, Vahen King — author, speaker, life coach, ordained minister and Miss Wheelchair Canada — sheds light on what it means to live life with contagious courage.

This episode of is the first of many on the podcast where we invite listeners to join us in unpacking prior episodes. We discuss the questions and thoughts previous episodes stirred up for us and get curious with them together.

A thought-provoking conversation with Allison Fallon as she challenges us to think through where we go with our questions when we find ourselves in difficult places, how we can show up in our lives in really honest ways, and how accepting “I don’t know” can be the most freeing thing we come to grips with.

On this episode, Cindy and Renae get to pick Wayne Jacobsen's brain on all things God, faith, raising kids in the midst of rethinking the institution of church, and why people who love Jesus keep leaving churches.

With social media typically being a networking platform based on filters, half-truths and façade’s, have you ever wondered what it’s like to follow someone who’s willing to be refreshingly honest and vulnerable? Today’s episode is about living and sharing your story with openness and transparency. As Angi Fletcher shares her story with us, which is a story marked by the hardships of divorce, death, depression, grief and anxiety, we learn that in the midst of such circumstances, the human spirit’s ability to rise above while openly sharing it with others is a powerful and beautiful thing. To own your story...

An intriguing exploration into what it means to live and model the upside down Kingdom of Jesus, Craig Greenfield challenges each of us to consider what it could look like to live out the Gospel with radical hospitality.

What do you do when you’re diagnosed with a rare form of Leiomyosarcoma at the tender age of 33? When your world is tipped upside down and the odds are stacked against you, how do you cope? This episode is a brilliantly hopeful conversation with Julie Rohr — cancer fighter and intentional optimist.

It's less important where we're attending on a Sunday morning and more important where the Spirit has planted us for the purposes of God and the Kingdom in our neighbourhoods.

It’s so important that we jump off of the well-tread paths and go ahead and make those mistakes … and be willing to fail, and be willing to mess up, and know that as we are faithful, not successful — but as we are faithful — that God is faithful and just to forgive us.

Striving manifests itself in the look of performance, in attendance, in being well put together, in having all the answers, in showing up to everything. That, in a way, can appear to be a form of striving—making it seem like you have to present yourself at this perfect type of Christian.

We want to curate for all of you resources and stories of people who are actually doing these out of the ordinary things.

It can be summed up in the idea of I am doing everything I am supposed to be doing but I still feel like there is something more out there ... this isn't working ... is this really it?