Reflective Ecclesia

As you will hear at the beginning of this episode, my relationship with Desi was born out of pain - pain that I inflicted on him as a overly zealous young man at a church judo club (yes, that was a thing). It was there that I began to realize Desi’s ability to process suffering and soon we began a friendship where the topic of suffering was very much at the forefront of our discussions.You see, I had begun to have serious questions in my faith journey, and truthfully I still do. I think that’s okay. Even though my questions are heavy and real, my ability to process them, seek answers, and be transformed by the journey has also developed.Desi was a huge part of that. One day I sat at his table, eaten up inside with doubt and confusion and finally I just kind of broke. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried as I walked through a piece of paper I had written on with all of the reasons I could think of to stay a Christian, become an atheist, or land on agnosticism somewhere in the middle. I had thought, as those struggling with doubt often do, that my very utterance of the things about God, life, and the Bible that didn’t make sense to me would be enough to cause the complete destruction of my social world.It wasn’t true. Not even close. Desi and his wonderful wife, Rachel, sat there with me as I cried and vented about how the suffering of the world didn’t align with a God who was loving and all powerful, and how a lack of consistent healings resulting from prayer went against the Bible we all claimed to believe in. They listened as I unpacked how terrified I was to express these doubts and others to my family and friends. After all, I was a leader in the Church and everyone would certainly all be very disappointed in me, at minimum, and shun me, at the worst, if they knew how I was thinking.I also unpacked how my father (who I love deeply and am partnering with behind the scenes as part of this very podcast) had once told me that God had given him a promise that not only would his kids serve the Lord, but also his children’s children. My father shared this with me, not to be inconsiderate, but because he was trying to share something very comforting he had experienced with those around him.The effect for me, however, (at least in the short-term) was a dramatic increase in the sense of “pressure” I felt to mentally conform to what I had been taught. I mean, how are you supposed to tell your dad, who you love deeply, that you were considering atheism, after he just told you about this promise he received from God?Desi was a safe space for me and, as I grew into adulthood, he walked with me through the many deserts and wildernesses I encountered early in my faith journey. He was in the middle of getting a Master’s degree in theology himself, and so the state of current Biblical scholarship and angles I had not yet considered were fresh in his mind. Yet, despite all his knowledge, he didn’t talk over or down to me.He listened. Deeply and intently. He didn’t interrupt or insist that use gentler language to describe what I saw as the idiocy of certain beliefs or church practices. He just listened and asked me to questions to get me to fully express myself and bring my doubts into the light. When it came time to push back or teach, he did, and we certainly had many intense moments, but the overall result of our conversations wasn’t so much of radical certainty in the beliefs I had been considering casting off, but rather of being validated, seen, and invited into a deeper journey of faith than I previously knew existed.I believe God ordained our friendship and I will never forget those days out in the sun, working with Desi on clearing brush, building fences, and make sense out of things like textual variants, competing atonement theories, and why God allows certain things to happen.I hope you enjoy this one conversation with Desi as much as I have been able to enjoy the many the Lord has allowed me to have with him.With love,Nathan Marlette Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe

In this interview, Dr. Brickle unpacks how many ancient texts were designed primarily with how they would be heard in mind, not how they would be read, and how understanding ancient aurality can inform our modern approaches to Scripture. Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe

In this episode, Dr. Jeff Brickle unpacks how ancient scribes functioned as "living libraries" and how this knowledge should inform how we approach the Bible in our modern day. Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe

Although my conversation with Dr. Toombs about the effects of technology on our minds and society had gone swimmingly, I knew this topic only scratched the surface of her expertise. Indeed, Dr. Toombs had apparently made herself a very respected name within the fields surrounding Disability Studies, Medical Humanities, and Philosophy.Indeed, another book of hers caught my eye, admittedly, first because of the red cover, but a close second was the intriguing title, How Then Should We Die?”. Another one of her works close by also captured my attention, Living at the Boundary: Healing and Incurable Illness.Although I would not personally say that I have encountered a large amount of physical suffering in my life up to this point, I am well aware that the experiences of many around me are quite different. I am also aware that none of us is immortal and that physical decline and suffering are hurdles we all will eventually have to face. Plus, I’ll admit, the subject of death naturally invokes a certain swirling of fear, care, and curiosity within me.Maybe some of my readers can relate. Or maybe I’m just a psycho. Either way, I believe you will be richly blessed by listening in on my conversation with Dr. Toombs and challenged to reflect about how we as the Church should change how we view each other to create what Dr. Toombs calls, “a culture of healing.”Best regards,Nathan Marlette Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe

In this episode Nathan Marlette sits down with Rev. Desi Lugo to discuss his experiences as a missionary to the country of Vanuatu and the unique challenges those out on the mission's field face in their journey.If you would like to financially bless the Lugo's and their mission's journey, please consider making a one-time or recurring donation using the following link: https://give.upci.org/category/upci/gm/gm-lugo-desiAlso, if you haven't already, please engage with this content by liking, commenting, and sharing it to anyone else who may be interested.The best thing you can do, however, (and it's completely free) is subscribe to our Youtube channel and Substack website at www.reflectiveecclesia.com.If you really want to make our day and help ensure we can continue to make content like this, please consider becoming a paid Substack subscriber. If you do, you'll get access to premium content, early access to episodes, and even freebies! Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe

In this episode Nathan Marlette sits down with the esteemed Dr. Kay Toombs to discuss the harmful effects of our society's current relationship to technology on our brains, communities, and families.If you haven't already, please engage with this content by liking, commenting, and sharing it to anyone else who may be interested. The best thing you can do, however, (and it's completely free) is subscribe to our Youtube channel and Substack website at www.reflectiveecclesia.com. If you really want to make our day and help ensure we can continue to make content like this, please consider becoming a paid Substack subscriber. If you do, you'll get access to premium content, early access to episodes, and even freebies! Get full access to Reflective Ecclesia at www.reflectiveecclesia.com/subscribe