Shows / The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast
Authentic words for everyone trying to figure out the best way to be human.
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
Episodes
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastChristian Nationalists Are Mocking Jesus, Making Atheists, And Creating An Exodus From The Church
Growing up in the Church, I was taught that the worst thing one could be was a non-believer; that nothing was as tragic as a damned soul that condemned itself…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmerica Isn't Politically Divided, It's Morally Fractured.
This mess we’re in? It has nothing to do with politics. The current President is a court-adjudicated rapist who recently paid nearly 6 million dollars in…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTo The People Who Raised Us To Be Decent Humans, And Then Became Trump Supporters.
To Our Loved Ones, To Our Grandparents, Parents, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, and Older Siblings, We’re aware of what you think of us, either because you’ve told us…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastGood People, Please Don't Let The Monsters Break You.
Hey, good human. (Yeah, you.) I wanted to remind you of some things that you might have lost sight of lately: The exhaustion you feel right now?The heavy…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThis Week, Death Took Lindsey Graham's Body. Trump Took His Soul Long Before That. We All Know That Grief.
Lindsey Graham is dead, and it gives me no joy. This is not a celebration; it is a lament. The moment any human being leaves this planet, it is almost always…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastICE Is A Cancer Upon This Nation, And The Good People Here Should Not Tolerate It.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.Renee Good.Alex Pretti.Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez.These are merely the murdered whose names we know, the ones they could not conceal or…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastGraham Platner Reminds The Left Who We Don't Want To Be
This sucks. There’s no way around it. Politically speaking, for those of us on the Left, losing a candidate who carried the Democrats’ hopes of finally…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFox News Poisoned America And Killed The Goodness In People We Love
Hatred is a slow poison. Once it finds its way into the bloodstream, it gradually begins destroying a human being from the inside out. It does its work almost…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf You Want To Trigger A MAGA Christian, Just Quote Jesus
The steady stream of vitriol I receive from professed Christians who identify as MAGA is understandable. As they fire off threatening texts, furiously tap out…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmericans Are Exhausted By The Right's Pretend Patriotism and Phony Faith
Life is exhausting these days for lots of us, and I think I’ve figured out why. I think it’s having to sit through the pretending. You see, it’s bad enough…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFrom A Straight Ally: Why Matthew Vines' Dismissive Words About The Queer Community Matter
I am a lifelong aspiring straight LGBTQ ally. For the past few decades, I’ve worked to be a good listener, to be willing to have my blind spots revealed, to be…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDonald Trump is a Rapist. His Followers Can Never Be Forgiven For Supporting Him.
(Warning: this article contains depictions of sexual violence and may be triggering for survivors of assault) Donald Trump is a court-adjudicated rapist. This…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSupergirl Didn't Fall. She Burned Up Entering the Manosphere
Supergirl opened this weekend to disastrous box office numbers, but its fate was sealed long before that, and it has very little to do with the quality of the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastCourting Fascism: Facing Trump's Supreme Coup
When the law fails the people, where do they go? When the highest court in a nation is compromised to the point that it disregards the law and becomes…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhy America's 250th Birthday Feels More Like a Funeral
F*ck the fireworks and flip the flags. For actual patriotic Americans, this July 4th isn’t a party; it’s a funeral. There is nothing to celebrate here. We…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Reflecting Pool is a Reflection of Donald Trump (And His Cult)
We’ve seen this movie a few hundred times before. This green, murky, algae-besieged pool on the National Mall is simply the latest sequel to the grotesque and…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastRacists Hate Juneteenth... Which Is Why It Exists.
You can tell a lot about people by the things that outrage them. As I write this, it’s Juneteenth, and all over America, from neighborhood social media sites…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThanks, Obamas.
Dear Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama, History has a way of revealing the truth, eventually. Like the sun gradually coming up…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastJosh Hokit, Joe Rogan, Donald Trump, And The MAGA Male Identity Crisis.
At the close of the Trump Administration’s garish, bloated, masturbatory performance art on the White House lawn, UFC fighter Josh Hokit proceeded to punctuate…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe 60 Million Dollar UFC, White (Trash) House Takeover Should Piss Off Every Decent American
What in the white trash hell was that? How did we get here? I’m not talking about the perfect storm of corruption, toxic religion, and white nationalism that…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastInformation Poisoning: Knowing Is Killing Our Mental Health, But It Doesn't Have To
Growing up, I was taught that knowledge was power.Lately, I’m beginning to believe differently.On many days, I think it’s hazardous.Right now, knowing is…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey, New York Knicks Fans (And NYC), You Won Last Night
Hey, New York Knicks Fans, I know you’re waking up today disappointed that you won’t get the sweep you were hoping for, that you’ll need to postpone your…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTake Heart, America, We're Going to Outlive Him.
Hey, America. I get it: this feels like it’s never going to end, like this oppressive darkness will never lift, like the disorienting chaos of these days is…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf Your Straight Christian Marriage is Threatened By LGBTQ People, You've Got a Crappy Straight Christian Marriage
Well, it’s Pride Month, and once again this year, my timeline is filled with performative, pearl-clutching, straight, professed Christians, outraged at the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'm An American Taxpayer, and I'm Sick of Killing People.
I’ve been trying to place the heaviness within me these days; the nagging sickness that resides in the pit of my stomach every morning, regardless of what I do…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Pride Month Challenge To Would-Be LGBTQ Allies
June is Pride Month, and straight people who consider themselves allies to our queer neighbors need to understand the implications for us in this iteration of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAn American Mourning
As someone whose life’s work is words, I confess that I’m increasingly at a loss for them. And even in the moments when the words do come, they almost…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'm Not Afraid Of Artificial Intelligence; I'm Afraid Of Natural Stupidity
AI is inevitable. Well, at least, we're certainly being led to believe it is. The message is everywhere right now. It’s coming from tone-deaf University…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastOn Memorial Day and Every Day, Donald Trump is an Insult to Those Who Died Serving This Nation
Picture someone you love who died serving this nation, or even someone you’ve never met. Imagine them wherever they took their final breath on this planet…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastStephen Colbert and The Late Show's "Joy Machine" Won. Donald Trump and MAGA's Misery Movement Lost Again.
Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show is over. After 11 years and over 1,800 episodes, the final installment aired this week to great fanfare and emotion. The show’s…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhile "Woke" White People Were Sleeping, The Bigots Stole America
It’s morning here in America, and for many white people who fancied themselves as “woke,” it’s been a rude awakening. A lot happened while we were sleeping…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastMediocre White Men in America Are Terrified of Being Replaced. They Should Be.
I see scared people. There’s a niche panic rising across America right now, a collective desperation among an increasingly jittery demographic who call this…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear MAGA Christians, Why Do You Hate Your Neighbor?
Trump-Supporting Christian, maybe you can help me clear something up. You see, I used to think I was a Christian. I was raised in a Christian home and went to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear David Byrne, Thank You. (A Message from Row G, Seat 112)
(This message is for David Byrne. If you’re not David Byrne, feel free to scroll away.) Dear David Byrne, (I hope it’s OK that I call you David.) You don’t…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Trump Administration Just Declared War on Anti-Fascists... Because That's What Fascists Do.
According to their latest propaganda performance art piece, The Trump Administration has announced a new “counterterrorism” strategy, targeting what they call…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Miss The Person I Used To Be Before Everything Went To Hell
Yesterday, a friend I hadn’t seen in a while sent me a text saying, “I miss you, John!” Immediately, I replied, “I miss me, too!” Like many truthful things…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Gaslighting of the Majority (And the Truth About MAGA's Death Spiral)
A few days ago, I opened my Threads feed and was greeted by the post of a young woman, featuring a couple of resolute carseat selfies, along with the caption:I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhen Mother's Day Hurts
Mother’s Day. For many people, that means flowers, handmade cards, Sunday brunches, and waves of laughter. It means celebration, and gratitude, and warm…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTo Hell With You, White Christian Nationalists(A Letter From a Former Pastor)
To all the white Republican professed Christians across this country: To hell with you. To hell with you, as you have the unmitigated audacity to fill churches…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIt's Time to Tear Down The Golden Idol of White Christian Nationalism
I’ve seen this movie before. It doesn’t end well. As a Christian for most of my life and a pastor for nearly three decades, I’m quite familiar with the Old…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmericans, What Would You Have Done in 1930s Germany? You're Finding Out Now.
It’s easy to be brave in the past, when it doesn’t cost you anything. At some point in our journeys, we all found ourselves sitting in a classroom in middle…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear White Evangelical Church, This is Why You're Dying.
Dear White Evangelical Church, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is you’re dying. If you’re paying attention, you’ve probably noticed the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey, Trump Supporters, No Cinco de Mayo For You. (Seriously, Sit This One Out.)
Hey MAGAs and Trump Supporters, No Cinco de Mayo for you. Seriously, y’all need to sit this one out. No one wants to see you ICE-supporting…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastStop Being Surprised By Republicans' Inhumanity. It's Only Going To Get Worse.
It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Right now, I’d say that it’s…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf Trump Supporters Turn on Him, It Won't Be Empathy, It Will Be Selfishness
Recently, I was on a Zoom call with some of my Substack subscribers. We were processing our own miniature State of the Union, which at the time we deemed…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Rights of Black People Are Under Attack. Decent White People Need to Fight For Them.
Dear Supposedly Non-Racist White People in the United States, You realize what’s happening right now, don’t you? You have to see it at this point, right? I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastPatriotic Americans, Actual Christians, and Decent Humans Stand With Jimmy Kimmel
Boy, being in a cult really rots your brain. Watching the Right assembling online with virtual torches and pitchforks, engaging in wild histrionics and…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastStaying Sane Inside Trump's Curated Lunacy
We’re all getting contact insanity from proximity to this violent, kleptocratic Administration. There is no way for otherwise mentally well, emotionally stable…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFor Americans Who Feel Lost in America
I confess that I’m a little lost these days. I’ve become a restless, reluctant nomad moving through familiar places with a nagging internal dissonance. I am a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf You're Sick of Bad News, Check Your Head... And Your Feet.
Lately, I’ve been getting sick of bad news. More accurately, I’ve been getting sick from bad news. And not figuratively or metaphorically sick, either. I mean…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Pastored Tens of Thousands of People. Far Too Many of Them Became MAGA, And I'm Sorry.
Sometimes, in this life, you find yourself repenting for the sins of your past. Other times, you feel the need to repent for the sins of others’ present. I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTen Years After His Death, We Could Really Use Prince
Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life. And getting through is a heartbreaking slog right now. Now, I can’t quantify…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastJD Vance Says The Pope Should Stick to Moral Issues. That's Because Vance Has None.
JD Vance continues his asinine, nonsensical crusade against Pope Leo for the Pontiff’s opposition to Trump’s wasteful war in Iran, the barbarism of ICE, and…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWomen Are Right to Choose the Bear: The Online 'R*pe Academy' And What It Says About All Men
Warning: Content references sexual assault and may be triggering to survivors. There are days when you come upon something that shakes you to your core, a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastMAGA Christians Aren't Christians, At Least Not According To Jesus
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” — Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride, The first Christians didn’t call themselves…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThis Meme Kills Fascists: The Mockery of Messiah Trump Shows Us That We're Winning
This week, Donald Trump committed blasphememe. He reposted an AI-slop, pseudo-Baroque, Jesus-coded conservative fever-dream fresco of himself in a flowing red…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastMAGA Christians Don't Hate The Pope; They Hate His Jesus.
The Trump Administration and its MAGA disciples are at war with the Pope. Add him to their ever-growing enemies list, comprised of clergy, politicians…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastYes, We're All Waiting For "It" To Happen. When It Does, the Hatred That Made Him Will Remain.
The words Walter Reed showed up on my timeline over the weekend. I confess that my heart fluttered, my spirit quickened, and I pulled out our corkscrew and put…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Apology Trump Voters Owe the World's Children
If you voted for Donald Trump, you owe America’s children an apology. You owe them an apology for making them grow up with a hateful, incompetent, petulant…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFor Everyone Who Isn't Okay
Hey, friends, this message isn’t for everyone. It’s not for people who are okay. If you’re perfectly fine, you can skip this. If you’re emotionally regulated…