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This week, licensed professional counselor and author of Attached to God, Krispin Mayfield joins the show to talk to us about: Attachment Science (previously called Attachment Theory) as a concept and helpful tool -- particularly as it pertains to spirituality and our relationship with God The three insecure attachment styles/strategies: anxious attachment, shutdown attachment/avoidant attachment, and shame-filled attachment and how we can move into secure attachment with God from each other the three insecure styles Krispin also gives examples throughout the episode of some common messaging heard within Evangelicalism that contributes to insecure attachment with God and, then offers us a truer, more beautiful word in place of those harmful messages. Krispin has generously partnered with the Let It Matter Podcast to giveaway two signed copies of his book. For details on how to enter to win one of those, stay tuned for the end of the episode or keep an eye on the show's IG account. GUEST BIO: Krispin Mayfield has a background in full-time ministry and now practices therapy with individuals and couples as a licensed professional counselor with the state of Oregon. He has training in attachment-based emotionally focused therapy. His first book, Attached to God: A Practical Guide to Deeper Spiritual Experience, was released in 2022. He and his wife have a podcast about 80's and 90's evangelical media called The Prophetic Imagination Station. You can find him on Twitter @K_Mayfield, on IG @krispinmayfield, and on his website at krispinmayfield.com.

This is a really special episode of the Let It Matter Podcast. My guest this week is Amanda Held Opelt, who joined me for a very personal, intimate conversation about our respective experiences of grief and: the ways it transformed us (hint: entirely and forever, in big and small ways), the ways our grief itself has transformed and evolved over time, and how engaging creativity and creative outlets for helped us to process our grief and preserve our memories of such hard, sacred, holy moments. WANT TO EXPLORE THIS TOPIC FURTHER? JOIN US IN PATREON! Get the full uncut interview (over 20 more minutes of this conversation, most of which is discussing how grief changed our faith and how we wrestled with God in our losses) when you join our Patreon Partner community! For just $4 per month (USD), you get exclusive bonus content, additional episodes, exclusive giveaways of books/art/resources, etc, and access to Monthly Matterings, a private monthly zoom call with host Kelly Wolfe and Patreon Partners to discuss recent episodes in more depth, to connect with one another and build community, and to name what is mattering to us each month. For more info or to join the community, go to letitmatterpodcast.com/partners The morning after we recorded this conversation, Amanda posted a short reflection on her IG from a term that I used in the episode, "Grief Muscles." Her thoughts were really helpful and beautiful. Read the post here Amanda recently released her first book, A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing, which she has generously partnered with us to give away a copy so stay tuned at the end of the episode for more details on that. Guest Bio: Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda has spent 15 years serving in the non-profit and humanitarian aid sectors. She lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, with her husband and two young daughters. Twitter | Instagram | Website | Spotify

On today's episode I am joined by trauma therapist and author, K.J. Ramsey, to talk about: our body's response to trauma, stress, circumstance, and safety learning to believe that what our bodies are speaking to us is trustworthy and for our good spiritual abuse and church harm and what courage looks like specifically in that situation the theological concept and spiritual practice of blessing You can find K.J. online at kjramsey.com or across social media @kjramseywrites. Details for the giveaway of K.J.'s newest book, The Book of Common Courage, are in the episode or on the show's IG @letitmatterpodcast

In this episode, host Kelly Wolfe is joined by Sharifa Stevens to discuss Queen Vashti (from the book of Esther chapters 1 and 2), the power and implications of a woman's "no", the ripple effects of women asserting their own agency and autonomy and Knowing from God that can stretch generations, and more! **CW: Because of the time period in the Bible in which this story takes place, there are brief mentions in this conversation of marital abuse, rape, sexual assault & harassment, and alcohol abuse. Guest Bio: Sharifa is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, born and raised in New York, and currently residing with her family in Dallas, TX. She graduated from Columbia University in New York with a Bachelor in African American Studies before earning a master in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Sharifa is a conglomeration of intersections: Bronx wisdom and prep-school code-switching; smoke shop Now-and-Laters and church peppermints; hip-hop and hymns. Intersections can be a mash-up—rife with both tragedy and opportunity; places of pause within movement. Sharifa aspires to use writing as a vehicle that moves readers to intersect with the sacred and the honest. She contributed to the book Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, & Marginalized Women of the Bible and Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice. Sharifa is married to a Renaissance man, and mother to two lively boys. You can find her on Twitter and IG @sharifawrites. Her substack can be found at: https://sharifahstevens.substack.com and her website is sharifastevens.com

Today, author and homeless services worker and advocate, Kevin Nye, joins the Let It Matter Podcast to talk about issues of justice and faith regarding our unhoused/homeless neighbors. Kevin's book, Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness, is available now where books are sold! You can find Kevin on Twitter and IG @kevinmnye1 or on his website at kevinmnye.com Google local trainings on Narcan/Naloxone if you're interested in learning more about that.

Today, we are joined by therapist and author, Aundi Kolber, to discuss what it means to have "an embodied sense of our Beloved-ness" -- to God, to ourselves, and to others, and the steps we can take toward that. We also discuss what it means to be trauma-informed, grounding exercises, breath prayer, and beauty-hunting. Some Context: I initially recorded this interview with Aundi for the Let It Matter blog series, Embodying Faith, back on November 24, 2021. If you would like to watch that full-length original interview in video format, you can do so here: https://letitmatter.com/blog/f/embodying-faith-trying-softer---featuring-aundi-kolber?blogcategory=Embodying+Faith or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTcP4rNyeWk That videos has not been edited or cut down, nor does it include the Why This Matters or Benediction sections that are in this podcast episode. Guest Bio: Aundi Kolber is a Licensed Professional Counselor (MA LPC), writer, and speaker. She specializes in trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. She has written for Relevant, CT Women, and (in) courage. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard won knowledge around the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. Her books Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode - and into a Life of Connection and Joy; as well as The Try Softer Guided Journey: A Soulful Companion to Healing are available on Amazon and other major book retailers, or request them at your local library! She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @aundikolber or her website is aundikolber.com.

Surprise! The first episode of Let It Matter Podcast is here, and I'm excited to bring you guys a sample of what's to come in January. This episode discusses the male and female aspects of God, and God's image, as well as the ways that God's image-bearers have historically been misrepresented in English translations of Scripture. An almost verbatim transcript of this episode is available here: https://letitmatter.com/blog/f/woman-of-valor-the-image-image-bearers-of-god This episode features the scholarly work of Dr. Wilda Gafney in her book A Woman's Lectionary for the Whole Year, as well Rachel Held Evans in her books A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Inspired.

In this short introduction, Kelly Wolfe introduces the Let It Matter podcast and what listeners can expect from it when it launches officially in January 2023.