"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze… The promise is not that you will never walk through the valley of death. The promise is, when you walk through that valley, God will go with you."

Sometimes the weight of loss and suffering is too great a burden to bear, and there's no way to dress it up with easy answer to theological niceties. In this episode, Pastor Kelsey invites us into her experience of losing her mother as a child, tenderly reflecting on how grief and faith weave together in unexpected ways. Drawing on the words of Isaiah and her own experience, Kelsey pushes back on harmful narratives that declare tragedy as "part of God's plan" and instead explores the quiet assurance at the heart of progressive Christian faith: that God's promise is not to prevent suffering, but to accompany us through it.

Rather than denying or dismissing the truth of pain, this conversation roots itself in the promise of resurrection - that death will never have the final word, and that new life will emerge, not by the waving of a magic wand, but through God's grace and a love that pierces the barrier between this life and the next.

Connect with us:

• Website: moveyourfaith.org
• Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith
• Instagram: @pastorkelseyb and @faithinmotion.pod
• Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

“If my care for my kids is relentless... does God love me like this?”

Elizabeth came on to share about her book, Love Like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. But this conversation wasn’t just about her book - it is an invitation to explore a part of God that often goes ignored, unnoticed, and suppressed: the feminine, maternal side of God.

In all of our multitude of experiences with motherhood, Elizabeth invites us to see how mothering, in all its forms, and in all of its intensity and ordinariness, reveals the expansive and nurturing heart of God.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• How viewing God through a maternal lens can expand and deepen our faith, no matter your gender or experience with motherhood
• Stories from scripture—often hiding in plain sight—that show God’s love in very maternal, embodied ways
• Honest reflections about wrestling with new images of God, and the courage it takes to lean into the discomfort
• How ordinary, daily acts of care can become sacred ground for encountering a God who is tender, present, and nurturing

About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Berget is a speaker and author of Love Like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. Her work has appeared in Christianity Today, Coffee + Crumbs, Mothering Spirit, and other online spaces where mothers gather to find meaning in the mundane.

She shares her thoughts in her Substack newsletter, Back of the Flock, where she explores the image of God in the everyday work of motherhood. Berget has lived in Africa and Asia but now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, three kids, and one mischievous dog. And yes, she'd love to hold your baby.

Connect with us:

• Website: moveyourfaith.org
• Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith
• Instagram: @pastorkelseyb and @faithinmotion.pod
• Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give

Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me.
- John 14:1-14

This Lectio Divina on John 14:1–14 is a gentle, guided prayer practice that invites you to slow down, breathe, and spend a few quiet moments with God.

Lectio Divina is an ancient Christian practice of praying with scripture—listening, reflecting, and resting in God’s presence. In this episode, we’ll move through John 14 together, creating space to notice what God might be stirring in you.

You don’t need any prior experience with Lectio Divina or meditation—just a willingness to pause and listen for God’s love within and around you.

This episode is part of our ongoing Lectio Divina podcast series, offering guided Christian meditation and scripture reflection. Episodes air every other Thursday.

Connect with us:

• Website: moveyourfaith.org
• Subscribe to our weekly devotional: Embody Faith
• Instagram: @faithinmotion.pod and @pastorkelseyb
• Support our ministry: moveyourfaith.org/give