Have you ever had a crisis of faith? I can point to several points in my life—my mid-teens, my early 20s, and my late 30s—when serious doubts crept in. It can be a fearful and unsettling time, and even more so if we feel alone.

Authors Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague are no strangers to this type of crisis. Catherine faced her first at the tender age of twelve when the church her father pastored kicked her family to the curb. Jason’s biggest came to him in mid-life when a beloved friend died unexpectedly. In both seasons, they found themselves reeling, aching, confused, and lost.

But this isn’t the whole story. Jason shares the journey of his oldest son’s autism (where is God when our prayers seem to go unanswered?). And Catherine unpacks how a crisis of this kind can be incredibly painful, with no silver lining… and yet still create space for a deeper faith on the other side.

Join us for a special episode about hope (and penguins, loons, and Red-winged Blackbirds!) as we dig into Mid-Faith Crisis: Finding a Path Through Doubt, Disillusionment, and Dead Ends. It’s a gentle, truthful book that takes an unflinching look at crisis, pain, and the presence of God.

I’m a big fan of the ABA. No, not the American Bar Association. Not Applied Behavioral Analysis either. (Though I’m sure they’re both great.)

I’m a fan of the American Birding Association! The ABA does truly fantastic work on behalf of birds, wild spaces, and birders everywhere. From its young birder initiatives (start ‘em young!) to its bird of the year to its magazine to its podcast… I could go on and on.

But I don’t have to, because today we have the ABA’s director, Wayne Klockner, with us to talk about the ABA, his life’s work in conservation, and why he can’t ever choose a favorite bird.

Deb Rienstra is a professor of English at Calvin University. Her beautiful book, Refugia Faith, takes us deep into both an aching planet and the goodness of God. Friends, I couldn’t put this one down.

From despair to preparation, alienation to kinship, and indifference to attention, Deb’s masterful weaving of theology, literature, ecology, and a love for creation makes this book sing.

Join us for a conversation about birds and hope, about how the church calendar can help remind us of our creatureliness before God, and about the ways both lament and gratitude can tether us to one another.