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PODCAST

The Desert Sanctuary

Karl and Laura Forehand

Life is hard some times! People often long for safe places where they can express their grief, confusion or even anger. Whether you are deconstructing, questioning, or doubting, you are welcome and valued here. When many of us venture out to find healing or relief or adventure, it can often feel like walking out into the Desert. Welcome to our Sanctuary in the Desert. You are welcome to share your thoughts and what you are producing while you are processing. We will endeavor to lean toward the

religion & spirituality

All Episodes

48:23

425 – A Chat with Tia Levings

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/10/22

Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles––a series of secret, special rules to obey. Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an alternative lifestyle that appeared wholesome to outsiders. […]

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41:02

424 – Karl & Laura – Why we Don’t Need Religion

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/10/16

I am fully convinced that connection is essential for us as human beings. It begins early in life when we form an attachment to our mother or caregiver. If we don’t receive proper care during childhood, we can face issues later on. The quality of that care is essential and significantly affects us. We need […]

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87:49

423 – Survivor Stories – Dr. Leona Stucky

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/10/01

A couple of years ago, a group of women encouraged me to read women’s stories. They echoed each other’s sentiments that men, especially pastors, tend to read theology and leadership books, but ignore stories about women’s experience. Instead of reading the stories, Laura and I interviewed and listened to women who had experienced toxic religion, […]

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61:35

422 – Steve & Dorthy Halley – The River of Cruelty

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/09/24

The Family Peace Initiative (FPI) is a certified battering intervention program operated by Halley Counseling Services, P.A. Presently, FPI operates more than 25+ groups in communities throughout the state of Kansas. Along with direct service, the staff of the FPI conducts training through workshops and conferences focusing on battering intervention facilitation and battering motivation. FPI […]

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43:19

418 – Learning to Celebrate Yourself

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/08/28

Chapter 9 of 24 This was a big lesson for me. Celebrating my accomplishments is something that I look forward to during every project, but it’s hard for me to do. Several guides in my life, including my current therapist, have reminded me of this fact. This issue is a sticky situation I find myself […]

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52:31

416 – Learning From Survivors

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/08/13

Chapter 7 of 24 “Just listening is what turns a victim into a survivor.” – Christine Ristaino When we ask women who have survived abuse and narcissistic relationships within organized religion what men can do to help the situation, they almost always express a desire for men to listen to their survivor stories. Religion encourages […]

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39:10

414 – Be Who You Are (Authenticity)

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/07/30

Chapter 5 of 24 Many religions suggest that our bodies are inherently flawed, leading to suspicion of their signals. This perspective is both misguided and harmful. Embracing a trauma-informed approach allows us to appreciate that our bodies hold valuable wisdom and are crucial for fostering our intuition and healing from trauma. They convey essential messages […]

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40:25

413 – Getting Into Your Body

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/07/23

Chapter 4 of 24 Many religions suggest that our bodies are inherently flawed, leading to suspicion of their signals. This perspective is both misguided and harmful. Embracing a trauma-informed approach allows us to appreciate that our bodies hold valuable wisdom and are crucial for fostering our intuition and healing from trauma. They convey essential messages […]

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46:31

410 – Getting Out of Survival Mode

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/07/02

Chapter 1 of 24 Are you serious about deconstruction and asking bigger questions? If that’s the case, this book was created for you. As a former pastor, I made the mistake of deconstructing a bit and then trying to start something new, as I was trained to do. The problem with that approach is that […]

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32:39

406 – Larry & Jill Jordan – Zen Experiences

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/06/18

The Places We Won’t Go – 4 of 4 Larry Jordan spent 25 years in investment banking, assisting companies, governments, and non-profit agencies in issuing over $10 billion of municipal bonds for capital projects and cash flows. In 2011, he quit his job and sold his house to spend his life in service. He drove veterans to […]

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34:25

405 – Larry & Jill Jordan – Quantum Physics

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/06/11

The Places We Won’t Go – 3 of 4 Larry Jordan spent 25 years in investment banking, assisting companies, governments, and non-profit agencies in issuing over $10 billion of municipal bonds for capital projects and cash flows. In 2011, he quit his job and sold his house to spend his life in service. He drove veterans to […]

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36:00

Special – Derek Webb – Survival Songs

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/05/06

NEW ALBUM RELEASE A 30+ year music industry veteran, Derek Webb has sold millions of albums as a founding member of Texas-based folk/rock band Caedmon’s Call and ruffled political & spiritual feathers alike during his over 25-year solo career. His latest project, Survival Songs, is no exception. Written and recorded in just one month, the […]

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36:23

397 – Bruce Epperly – Homegrown Mystics

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/04/30

Bruce Epperly has served as a congregational pastor and university chaplain, university and seminary professor and administrator, and is a prolific author and lectionary commentator. With over forty years joining pulpit and classroom, Bruce recently retired from congregational ministry after serving eight years as Senior Pastor of South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Centerville, MA […]

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35:14

395 – Religious Addiction – Questions for Enablers 1-4

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/04/16

Religious Addiction – 3 of 4 This Episode “Quesions for Enablers 1-4” Stay tuned for part 4 with Robert N. Minor, PhD Robert Minor holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and has done research in India,Japan, Taiwan, the Near East, and Europe. Besides his interest in history of religions methodology, he concentrates on […]

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55:07

402 – Tim Whitaker & TNE – Part 2 – How We Enable...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/04/04

This Episode will be released on both The Unlearning Curve and the Desert Sanctuary podcasts. This episode is an introduction to the situation, and the second episode dives deeper into how we have operated in the past and how people enable the abuser to behave badly (led by Megan South Benninger). History During the 2023 […]

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34:09

401 – Tim Whitaker & TNE – Part 1 – Not Getting It Still

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/04/04

401 – Tim Whitaker & TNE – Still Not Getting It This Episode will be released on both The Unlearning Curve and the Desert Sanctuary podcasts. This episode is an introduction to the situation, and the second episode dives deeper into how we have operated in the past and how people enable the abuser to […]

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32:03

393 – Religious Addiction – The High of Righteousness

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/04/02

Religious Addiction – 1 of 4 This Episode “The High of Righteousness” So it begins, our 4 part interview with Robert N. Minor, PhD Robert Minor holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and has done research in India,Japan, Taiwan, the Near East, and Europe. Besides his interest in history of religions methodology, he […]

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32:02

391 – Good Questions – Am I Getting Better?

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/03/19

Some churches are bold enough to reach beyond their own walls. For a more progressive church, this could involve setting up a booth at a pride festival. Churches engage in parades and community activities and offer free babysitting during their Vacation Bible School and summer camps, hoping to encourage parents to attend the final program […]

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30:03

387 – Good Questions – Why Worship?

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/02/19

If God is real, He should be better than me in many ways. He should use his ability and power to enhance everything in the world. If God has all these abilities that could help me, he/she/they should help me and not require or desire that I “worship” them for being better. The fact that […]

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39:30

385 – Good Questions – Why is God’s Punishment So...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2025/02/05

We persist in posing the questions in this series. Some may think these inquiries lead to bitterness or that we’re simply stirring up trouble by raising them. My hope is that these questions guide us toward a more evolved state of being. Outside of organized religion, I can truly listen to the whispers and feel […]

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133 results

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