19. Sara Groves (Singer-Songwriter) - Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, and a License to Love

🎙 19. Sara Groves (Singer-Songwriter) – Faith, Fruit of the Spirit & a License to Love🕊️ Reconciling Faith | 💜 Fruit of the Spirit | 🌱 Culture Care > Culture War | 🧠 Mental Health & ChurchThis episode is for anyone holding grief, doubt, and hope at the same time—longing to keep Jesus at the center when public witness fractures. It’s for those learning to absorb harm without returning it, to practice active peacemaking, and to choose culture care in their actual neighborhoods.It’s also a gentle challenge to churches everywhere: love is the measure. Make space for complicated people to belong—and to heal.💡 Key Takeaways • “Without love” is the metric of Christian witness • Pacifism isn’t passive—it’s active peacemaking like Jesus • Culture care > culture war—tend the garden where you live • Faith can mature from certainty to curiosity and stay centered on Christ🙏 For Listeners Questioning, Lamenting, and Rebuilding Sara reminds us that love is not a soft retreat—it’s the hard, holy work. We become people of reconciliation by practicing generosity, kindness, peace, and patience—especially in conflict.⛪ About Our Guest Sara Groves (IG: @grovesroad • Web: saragroves.com) is a Dove-nominated singer-songwriter whose catalog (Conversations, Add to the Beauty, Fireflies and Songs, Floodplain, What Makes It Through) has accompanied listeners through seasons of doubt and renewal. She co-founded Art House North in St. Paul and has long partnered with International Justice Mission. This year, Sara celebrates 25 years of Conversations and is recording four new songs.📚 Resources & Mentions • International Justice Mission — @ijm • Art House North — @arthousenorth / arthousenorth.com • John Inazu — @john.inazu • Makoto Fujimura — @iamfujimura • Charlie Peacock & Andi Ashworth — @andi_ashworth / arthouseamerica.com • Henri Nouwen Society — @henrinouwensociety • The Porter’s Gate — @theportersgate; Climate Vigil Songs: climatevigil.org/album • Dan McClellan — @maklelan🎵 Music on This Episode (Sara Groves) “He’s Always Been Faithful,” “Roll to the Middle,” “Without Love,” “Hello, Lord,” “What I thought I Wanted”🗓 What’s New with Sara Conversations 25-year celebration + new studio tracks in progressGo in peace, friends. May you find sacred ground wherever your questions lead, and may the fruit of the Spirit guide you this week. If you’re longing for community, may you be encouraged to find one that embraces your full, questioning, beautiful selves.Music in this episode used with permission from Sara GrovesSupport the showAbout The Sacred SlopeWhere the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.🎧 WATCH: YouTube / Spotify     LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere     FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky)🔗 Connect🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope 🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice 🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence 📬 Nominate a guest: [email protected]🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿Fruit of the Spirit:  ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control