S2 Ep4 The Road Less Traveled

In today’s episode, we journey “The Road Less Traveled”—the winding, complicated, grace-filled journey of disability, belonging, and the church. Drawing from my recent Learning Lunch presentation at First Alliance Church, we explore what it means to seek belonging in a world that often wasn’t built with disabled bodies and souls in mind. Through story, theology, models of disability, and the haunting beauty of a song called The Road Less Traveled, we’ll reflect on the questions that have shaped so many of us: Who am I? Where do I fit? And where do we find dignity, hope, and God’s presence along the way? Together, we’ll look at the invisible worlds beneath the surface of our communities, the statistics that challenge us, and the spaces of belonging we all move through—intimate, personal, social, and public. We’ll consider how learning zones, discipleship, and communal responsibility reshape the ways churches welcome, empower, and stand with disabled people. And through the stories of Scripture—from the man born blind to the feeding of the 5,000—we’ll see how Jesus leads us toward a more relational, imaginative, and inclusive way forward. This is an invitation to slow down, to listen deeply, and to imagine the church not as a place that merely accommodates disability, but as a community transformed by the perspectives, gifts, and wisdom of disabled people. Let’s begin. Chapters 00:00 Beginning 01:03 Framing Our Conversation 06:53 Where Do I Fit In 13:30 Questions That Shape the Disabled Life 27:15 The Unseen World of Disability 33:30 Circles of Belonging 47:10 Where To From Here 54:39 Deeper Communion National Conference 57:40 Closing Resources: First Alliance Church — https://www.faccalgary.com/ The Edge House Church Network — https://theedgehc.com/ Models of Disability — https://www.disabled-world.com/definitions/disability-models.php#:~:text=The%20Models%20of%20Disability,Sick%20Role Calgary Quality of Life Report — https://publications.calgaryfoundation.org/quality-of-life-report-2025/18/ New Leaf Network’s Neighbour Up Series — https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/events/neighbourup ‘The Healing Homiletic’ By Kathy Black — https://www.amazon.ca/Healing-Homiletic-Kathy-Black/dp/0687002915 ‘God Loves the Autistic Mind’ By Father Matthew Schneider — https://www.amazon.ca/God-Loves-Autistic-Mind-Spectrum/dp/081983162X ‘The Search To Belonging’ By Joseph Myers — https://josephrmyers.com/the-search-to-belong Deeper Communion — https://adeepercommunion.org/ Paul’s Letter to the Disabled of Today — At The Bottom Of The Well is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to At The Bottom Of The Well at www.atthebottomofthewell.com/subscribe