159 - Feral Grace: Stephanie’s Untamed Journey of Spiritual Sovereignty

This episode is one of the most raw, personal, and transformative conversations I’ve ever shared.

Stephanie and I went on another walk. What started as a playful moment—me calling her “feral” in the previous episode—unfolded into one of the most powerful retellings of her entire spiritual journey.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The truth behind what I meant when I called Stephanie “feral”
• Stephanie’s resistance to spiritual domestication—even when the church, the board, and I tried to tame her
• Her early life outside religion, and the painful moment she was first introduced to shame-based Christianity
• Her full story of being a pastor’s wife who never fit the mold
• The moment a retreat in the Rocky Mountains changed everything
• Her mother wound. Her freedom. Her mountain. Her return.

We talk about guilt, shame, spiritual indoctrination, religious performance, and the deep cost of not being allowed to fully be yourself.

But we also talk about liberation. Truth. Identity. Wholeness.

And what it means to walk with God untamed.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you might be “spiritually feral” too… this episode is for you.

Stephanie’s story is a mirror. A map. And a permission slip.

Come walk with us.

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Song: 🎶 Stay Feral, Child

(Inspired by Episode 159 of Encouraging Others Through Christ)

I never learned to bow just right
Never spoke the words they gave
I sat in pews, but not in peace
I loved too wild. I stayed too brave

 They tried to fit me in their mold
Said be polite, obey, be still
But I was born with sacred fire
And love that wouldn’t be distilled

I am untrained, I am unchained
I walk with God where names dissolve
Not housebroken by doctrine’s cage
I never needed them at all
I’m not fallen. I’m not lost
I’m the voice they couldn’t claim
Spirit whispered in the woods:
"Stay feral, child. Keep your flame."

They called it sin. I called it soul
They called it shame. I called it gold
I ran from altars built on fear
Found Christ within, alive and bold

 I saw the mountain. I heard “I’m sorry”
And something holy broke the chain
I walked back down no longer sorry
And I will never speak His name the same

I am untrained, I am unchained
I walk with God where wild things grow
Not tamed by guilt or leash of shame
My spirit moves. My spirit knows.

 So if you feel you don’t belong
If you’ve been told you’re wrong too long
Come with me and walk this way
Where holy lives in disarray
No need to kneel. No need to hide
You’re not too much. You’re just untied
You’re not alone. You’re not defiled
You’re not broken.
You’re just wild.