Prepared to Drown: Deep Dives into an Expansive Faith

Loneliness has a way of lying to us. It tells us we’re the only one struggling, even when we’re surrounded by people, even when our phones never stop buzzing, even when we’re “doing meaningful work.” We sit down with labor activist and community advocate Ricardo Di Menezes, network weaver and community builder Laura Istead, and regional minister Rev. Karen Medland to get embarrassingly honest about wha...

Fear is having a moment, and it’s not subtle. When politics starts sorting people into “insiders” and “threats,” when belonging is defined by exclusion, and when discrimination shows up in the open, we have to find the courage to name what we’re seeing and decide how we’ll respond.

At the table with me are Scott Payne, a labor communicator and political strategist, and Francis Boakye...

Your body walks with you into every room, including church, including the gym, including the mirror moment you didn’t ask for. From a live recording in Calgary at McDougall United Church, we sit down for an honest, practical conversation about the stories we inherit about bodies and why so many of them leave people feeling ashamed, judged, or “not enough.”

Bill Weaver is joined by Ricardo De Menezes, Rev. V...

Headlines race ahead of facts, and the first loud version often becomes the truth we trust. We gather a panel to ask a bracing question: who gets to tell sacred and truth-bearing stories, and how do those stories shape who belongs, who is feared, and what we excuse? From a Monty Python hymn at a funeral to anime, Good Omens, and Lucifer, we trace how pop culture remixes Scripture, how satire reframes power, and why reinterpretation...

Outrage is easy. Repair is hard. We open the new year by tackling the knotty space between public shaming and meaningful accountability, asking what real consequences and real repair require when harm is public, painful, and politically charged. With Reverend Tony Snow, we pull apart the difference between performative certainty and the slower work of listening, facts, restitution, and time away from power.

We revisit MeToo-...

A cold December night, a live audience in a church basement, and a question that won’t leave us alone: why do Christmas redemption stories still hit home when the world feels stuck? We open with the “villains” of our childhood—Scrooge, the Grinch, Frosty’s rival, the Abominable Snowman—and uncover what lingered: not just neat endings, but the stubborn truth that joy finds a way and community call...

Two minutes of silence can’t carry the whole story. We lean into the hard questions Remembrance Day raises: how to honor courage without glamorizing war, how to include civilians alongside veterans, and how to keep memory honest when distance invites denial. With Canadian Armed Forces chaplain Capt. Justin McNeil and philosopher Dr. Trudy Govier joining our regulars, we navigate symbols like the red and white poppy, the surge...

What if sin isn’t a tally of private failings, but a way to see how our choices shape each other’s lives? We open the door to a deeper, more human conversation with two guides who’ve lived it from different sides: Pam Rocker, a queer playwright and activist working at the intersection of faith, belonging, and justice; and David Sweet, a retired homicide detective whose mantra—leave people better than you fou...

What if rest isn't a luxury, but our birthright? In this powerful Season 2 premiere, we wade into the deep waters of burnout culture and discover surprising currents of hope beneath the surface.

The statistics are sobering: nearly half of Canadian professionals report burnout, with a third saying it's worse than last year. In Calgary, one in five police officers are on leave due to mental and physical strain. We've all heard...

The night before General Council 45 marks a historic threshold for the United Church of Canada as it enters its second century. In this special live recording, we dive into the uncomfortable but essential question: What happens when resurrection doesn't come the way we expect it to?

Sarah Charters, United Church of Canada Foundation President and Executive Officer of the United Church of Canada Philanthropy Unit, joins us to...

What happens when our three panelists put down their notes and just respond to whatever questions come their way? Magic, vulnerability, and surprisingly deep theology.

In our season finale, we're opening the floor to you—our listeners—taking on the questions you've been curious about all season long. From deeply personal reflections on bucket lists and finding joy to theological explorations of a non-binary God a...

What happens when we free God from the boxes we've built—and in turn, free ourselves? In this deeply moving Pride Month conversation, we journey through the ancient Exodus story reimagined as a framework for gender liberation. The panel explores how "Egypt" represents systems of control that flatten human diversity, while offering a vision of divinity that celebrates authenticity rather than enforcing conformity.

The d...

What does it mean to be a “dam good neighbour” in a world that seems determined to divide us? We're running as long as we can with this play on words. This conversation isn't about politeness or etiquette – it's about neighbourliness that disrupts, crosses lines, and binds us together when systems pull us apart.
 
 Drawing from Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, our panel explores who we're will...

Why do so many people struggle in a world of unprecedented abundance? This question lies at the heart of our raw, unfiltered conversation about poverty, privilege, and the myths we tell ourselves about success.

We're not just examining poverty as an economic issue but as a spiritual one that reveals what we truly value as a society. When we frame poverty as a personal failure rather than a systemic reality, we not only misun...

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms our world, we're gathering to ask the deeper questions about its impact not just on our jobs or creative works, but on our sense of self, our communities, and our sacred spaces.

In this thought-provoking conversation, we're joined by visual artist Aaron Navrady and poet/professor Bertrand Bickersteth to explore the collision between AI and humanity. Aaron shares a concerning stor...

Conversations about sexuality, consent, and faith are often fraught with shame, yet they are crucial for personal dignity and agency. In this spicy episode, Joanne and Ricardo are joined by Diana Wark (Centre for Sexuality) and Jess Andrews (Campus United) to explore the impact of purity culture, hear diverse experiences, and emphasize the urgent need for healthy conversations around love, intimacy, and mutual respect, by:

• Explori...

In our Christmas-themed episode, special guest Councillor Gian Carlo Carra joins Rev. Bill and Rev. Joanne for a deep and provocative discussion about the enduring power of a story proclaiming "peace on earth, and good will to all people", the alleged "war on Christmas" (spoiler alert: there isn't one!) and the importance of communities in maintaining hope for love to break through in our world today. You'll also hear who makes eac...