alright. let's get to it.

part 1/4

Oh hey friends.

It’s time to let you in on what I’ve been hinting at for a couple of months. I guess it’s kind of an announcement, but I like to think of it as more of an invitation. Instead of dragging this out and getting to the point last, I’m starting with it and over the next couple of days, I’ll unpack it a little more.

That said — the last two years have been…refining. To say the least. It’s been the worst, actually. Hated it. But sometimes terrible things lead to good things and that’s been true this time. I’m gonna share with you what I’ve been walking through and what’s changed, what it’s cost, and what i’ve been shaking off to get free, darnit!

But, first -- the main point :

The breadth of my work - my writing, workshops, retreats, etc. will now fall under the name — The Liminal Way. Over the next couple of days, I’ll be sharing what this means, what’s changing (and what’s not), and how you can be part of it if this space continues to feel like yours. And I hope it does! It’s a new name, but really it’s just me finally giving a name to the path I’ve been on. “Liminal” is the space in between things, and when it comes to spiritual journeys, it’s the space of holding tensions, which we do a lot of around here.

One of the most difficult things I’ve dealt with as a writer/public person is the demand for me to stake my flag in a theological, doctrinal, or political ground. I’ve felt so much pressure to define what “brand” of Christian I am. But that demand is divisive and rooted in spiritual pride.

The real question people are asking is, “Are you like me (the obviously correct version of a Christ follower) or are you like them (the fake, couldn’t possibly actually love Jesus kind)?”

I’ve never placed my hand over my heart to pledge to the flag of whatever brand of Christianity is dominating the cultural mind at the moment and I’m not gonna start now. And that hasn’t made me many friends. I may lose a few even now…

I haven’t told you yet about what my next book is about, but as I’ve been writing it, I’ve had to look back and dig into to my spiritual journey as a kid, teenager, and young adult. It’s been such an enlightening and healing process. Zach and I will sit and read the notes in the margins of my “Extreme Teen Bible” and posts on my high school blog and laugh and shake our heads and say, “Yea so it’s always been like this.”

And by “like this” I mean .. asking questions that don’t have easy answers. And wrestling with passages of Scripture that seem to contradict other passages of Scripture. And feeling desperate to find my place in Christendom, but never feeling like I belong. Trying to follow Jesus in earnest, and wondering why it’s always seemed so much easier for everyone else. It’s been reassuring to know that my faith has always existed in this liminal space, the “yes…. and…..” I’ve lived my life in the discomfort of sitting in the mysteries of God and I’ve always been unwilling to land on an absolute if I’m not sure. That’s who I am, it’s what I do. That’s how God decided to reflect his image onto me and I honor him when I let that little light of mine shine, you know what I mean?

So here we are.

For years, I’ve written and walked alongside those navigating the in-between. And now … I want to gather us all in one spot.

The biggest piece of all of this is the launch of a new community under The Liminal Way name. Healing happens in community, but so many of us have lost that. You’ve been pushed out of churches, cut off from family, divided by politics or personal choices. You can’t heal in the places where you were harmed, so how do you heal if you can’t go back?

I healed because I found people who gave me the breathing room to heal and that’s what this will be. It’s a place where you can thrash if you need to thrash, listen if you need to listen, engage if you want to engage, and be still if you need to be still. I’m building this with intention and care, as a trauma-informed trained facilitator to bring you a space that actually feels and is different. So it’ll be slow and the goal isn’t to scale it wide, but to build it deep.

I want to be honest about who I am and where I’m at, as a person who is still committed to my faith but that faith doesn’t look the same way it used to.

Sometimes it feels like there isn’t space for people like me in more rigid faith frameworks, but there also doesn’t seem to be much room for us in a lot deconstructed spaces. How can we follow Jesus, authentically and truthfully, when crowds of people are demanding that we think and act like them, regardless of how it violates our frameworks and spiritual integrity? Can there be a space that honors the process?

Maybe we can clear a path.

I’ve cleared that path in my own life and I now I want to help clear that path for you too, if you want it.

If you’ve ever longed for a community where your questions don’t make you a problem to solve and if you’ve never experienced thoughtful faith conversations that don’t spiral into debates, or if you want to rebuild your faith in a way that honors what you’ve been through without spiritually dismissing it, that’s what this is.

As the group grows, so will what it can offer, but for this early stage, here’s what will be rolling out over the summer and into the fall, in stages :

* Honest and nuanced conversations, guided by trauma-informed* moderators
* Gentle Bible studies for those who are considering faith, reconsidering it, building it for the first time, or wanting to explore Scripture with a fresh perspective.
* Monthly gatherings - live Q + As, guest workshop speakers, community calls, and in person events
* Self-Guided workshops
* A quiet, thoughtful platform that exists outside of social media

* when I say *trauma-informed* I’m referring to actual
training in trauma-informed practices and facilitation.

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This group is free. Over the summer, I’ll roll out an affordable membership option to help cover the costs of running the app so I can offer more resources.¹

This is the culmination of a lot of things in my life and in my work, all with the hope of building something that can help you find a new way to engage with your faith, your questions, and your pain. It’s a place to ask real questions without shame or fear and to have real conversations about the things you might be afraid to talk about with anyone else.

Like -

* things that you no longer believe that used to feel central to your faith framework

* dealing with criticism because of how you’re processing and healing or because of how your faith frameworks are changing

* acknowledging how trauma changes us

* the reality of struggling with your mental health as a person of faith

* learning to navigate faith conversations with your kids when you’re not sure what you believe anymore

* the slow, often messy, process of healing

* how spiritual abuse, deconstruction, and differences in belief frameworks can affect your marriage, friendships, and parenting.

and we’ll also talk about —

* cultivating wonder and trust again

* reclaiming spiritual practices that used to feel triggering or hollow

* reshaping your identity after something (or someone) shatters it

* discovering new language for your faith

* building a spiritual life rooted in wholeness, not performance

Whether you’ve walked away from faith, circled back, or aren’t really sure what category you fit into anymore (if any), there’s a spot for you. You’re welcome, included, and valued no matter your faith, marital status, mental health, disability, sexuality, neurodivergence, or anything else that has ever threatened your belonging. This is a place where you won’t feel like you’re just being tolerated.

You are wanted.

I’m committed to building a culture that includes everyone at the table and in the conversation. Your belonging isn’t at risk unless you act like a jerk. This isn’t a debate forum or a space to convince others to think and believe like you (or me!) It’s for those who are hungry for deeper connection, kinder conversations, and slower, sacred processing.

I’d love for you to be part of The Liminal Way. Add your name to the waitlist and I’ll personally invite you in when we open the doors.

Part two of the series is coming tomorrow and I’ll share little more of what’s been going on in my personal life the last couple of years. (yikes.)

- Kristen

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If you’re new here, hi. I’m Kristen. I grew up in charismatic Evangelicalism and entered career church ministry at the age of 17. My husband and I were youth and worship pastors for over a decade and left career ministry when we were 30. We were spiritually abused by a pastor and then walked through several years of back to back traumatic events. (I wrote about these in my book, Even if He Doesn’t.) Maybe it goes without saying, but those things really shook our faith and we both had to unravel a lot of what we previously believed. It was painful and lonely, but we were held and loved by people who knew what we were going through and now we do the same thing. Over the last (almost) 10 years, we’ve found ourselves serving other people who have experienced spiritual harm, trauma, and shifts in belief systems. I believe that God made us human on purpose and that the church causes harm when it tries to bypass our humanity to reach some spiritual zenith. I talk a lot about mental health, trauma, harmful beliefs, and spiritual abuse — not to get you to think or believe like me, but to write you a permission slip to go through the process you need to go through to heal your body, mind, and spirit. Faith shouldn’t feel like someone’s foot is on your neck. I write to relieve the pressure.

1. the service that I’m using charges $2200 per year to access all features. In order to offer even free courses to you, I have to pay that fee. That also includes live events, private chats, etc. This is the only reason I’m creating a paid option at all. I won’t be able to offer all of the things that I want to at my own expense. If you’d like to contribute to the operation costs, so that I can offer these things faster, you can donate here : Fund the Liminal Way