#138: Relational Resilience for the Exhausted (with Heather Thompson Day)

Professor, author, speaker and all-around delightful person Heather Thompson Day is our guest on The Puddcast—something I’ve been hoping to make happen for 3 years. Dr. Heather is Associate Professor of Communication at Andrews University, and the author of 8 books; including her latest, I'll See You Tomorrow: Building Relational Resilience When You Want to Quit. Heather shared her perspective that all relationship is sacred, and that ministering the gospel is often as simple as reflecting people’s human dignity back to them. We reflected on living with delight and purpose, inside the mundane limits of our actual lives. Heather unpacked the myth of self-reliance and explained how not all relationships have to be strong, intimate ones to still have profound value and sacred impact. If you’re tired and have not much left to give right now, this one is for you.

Jonathan PuddleJune 27, 2023communication, boundaries, relationships, community, faithComment

#127-B: Discussing Bridget Eileen Rivera on what gay Christians experience in church

BONUS EPISODE! I’m away on vacation so instead of a fresh interview, Tryphena and I decided to share our B-Side from episode 127 (back in the days of episode 127 the B-Sides were exclusive to patrons only). Tryphena echoed the question of many listeners by asking why—after 3 years—I decided to publicly engage the topic of LGBTQ+ faith when I have been mostly silent on it. You’ll hear lots of my own story with my dad, and we talked about Bridget’s amazing poise and grace in carrying this heavy burden, for all our benefit. And more!

Jonathan PuddleApril 21, 2022b-side, lgbtq, sex, relationships, church, pastoringComment

#127: What gay Christians experience in church (with Bridget Eileen Rivera)

Bridget Eileen Rivera comes to The Puddcast this month to share what it’s like for LGBTQ Christians in the church today. Her book, Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church, is a compassionate, heartbreaking exposé on the theological and sociological structures that block queer Christians from pursuing Christ together. Bridget shared her journey of growing up believing she was an object of wrath, before diving into Scripture to find the truth of her belovedness. We explore some of the different ways queer Christians live out their faithfulness and the importance of allowing everyone the dignity to follow the Holy Spirit. I commend this discussion to you as strongly as I can.

Jonathan PuddleApril 8, 2022lgbtq, sex, relationships, church, pastoringComment

#113: Loving Dignity (with Heather Caliri)

On The Puddcast this week is writer and cartoonist, Heather Caliri. Heather’s work on finding God’s grace in awkward, uncomfortable places has been featured on ChristianityToday.com, In Touch Magazine, Fathom Magazine, Relevant Magazine.com and more. Heather shared with me how she asked the most serious questions of her faith and experienced God respond with love and dignity. That grace slowly transformed her life, and now she teaches others how to let dignity transform their lives and their most difficult relationships.

Jonathan PuddleMay 14, 2021relationships, dignity, shame, boundaries, forgiveness, traumaComment

#103: The Great Sex Rescue (with Sheila Wray Gregoire & Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach)

This week, popular Christian sex blogger and author Sheila Wray Gregoire returns to the show with her daughter Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach to discuss their groundbreaking research on harmful Evangelical teachings about sex. They conducted a survey of 22,000 Christian women to test many popular evangelical teachings about sex and see how they corresponded with women’s sexual and marital satisfaction. Their findings are important and powerful, and they’re available in their new book, The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended. Content warning: contains a discussion on sexual assault in marriage, and is not appropriate for children. This interview offers hope to anyone who grew up in purity culture, or who has experienced sexual difficulties in marriage and wondered whether it was all their fault.

Jonathan PuddleFebruary 25, 2021sex, marriage, love, restoration, relationships, deconstructionComment

#54: Walking away from toxic people (with Gary Thomas)

Gary Thomas, bestselling author of Sacred Marriage, joined me this week to turn my whole world upside down. His latest book, When To Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People hit me square between the eyes and so we talked about difficult relationships, protecting our identity and mission, and knowing when to call it a day. Gary covers toxicity in the context of church, workplace relationships, parents, marriages and more. Please listen to this important discussion.

Jonathan PuddleSeptember 26, 2019toxic people, boundaries, abuse, marriage, relationships, trauma, conflictComment

#38: Marriage & sex stereotypes (with Sheila Wray Gregoire)

Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, and owner of the popular blog To Love, Honor and Vacuum joined me on the show to discuss sexual intimacy and the many stereotypes that exist surrounding marriage. Sheila shared some insightful and practical advice on dating, marital communication, sex and more.

Jonathan PuddleApril 18, 2019marriage, sex, communication, relationships Comments

#29: I Kissed My Dating Book Goodbye (with Joshua Harris)

If you were a Christian teenager in the late 90s or early 2000s there’s a good chance you read or were influenced by “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” Twenty years on Joshua Harris has re-evaluated his message and removed the books from print. Joshua and I discussed the purity culture, the positive and negative effects of encouraging abstinence, his role in the pain that people experienced, and what the church can do better to prevent things like this happening in the future.

Jonathan PuddleJanuary 31, 2019dating, sex, marriage, relationships, churchComment

#8: Does easy sex block your destiny? (with Rob Kowalski)

Rob and I discussed whether cheap sex can block you from reaching your destiny, if I missed out on fun times by getting married young, and how to build a fulfilling community of friends while you wait for someone special.

Jonathan PuddleJuly 12, 2018sex, dating, relationships, destiny, communityComment