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.
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Episodes
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWrite Your Eulogy Today
One time, after we lost a family member, my wife and I were talking about funerals, and she asked me who I’d want to give the eulogy at mine. I jokingly said…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSunday Mourning (A Letter to Religious Prodigals and Church Orphans)
The calendar can be cruel sometimes. There is a rhythm to our lives; a muscle memory that develops over time as we live and develop patterns of being. The…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear Republican Friend, Why Are You So Cruel?
Republican friend, maybe you can help me with something, because I’m stumped here. I just do not get you. I don’t understand how you see the world. I don’t…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmerican Eagle's Sydney Sweeney Ad Reveals White America's Racism
Racists always out themselves. American Eagle’s campaign featuring white, blond, blue-eyed actress Sydney Sweeney with the tagline SYDNEY SWEENEY HAS GREAT…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Conservative, "Pro-Life" Christian Love for AR-15s
Yesterday, a man walked into a Manhattan office building with an AR-15 and murdered four people before turning the gun on himself. I’m writing and recording…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe're Never Going to Be the Same, America. But We Can Still Be Beautiful.
One day, this will all be over. History testifies that all brutal empires fall, all hateful movements dissolve, all malevolent momentary victors eventually…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Epstein Files Have Already Exposed The Right
The Jeffrey Epstein files, if and when released, will expose Epstein, detailing his prolific atrocities once and for all. They will expose the monstrous human…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Don't Understand Women Who Support Donald Trump
Yesterday, a MAGA Republican mocked me online for demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, laughing at me through condescending yellow emojis for…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Fascists Are Trying to Break You, Good People. Don't Let Them.
Hey, good human, I wanted to remind you of some things that you might have lost sight of lately: The exhaustion you feel right now?The heavy sadness that you…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe I.C.E. Atrocities Should Be the Final Straw for Decent Human Beings.
This should be the final straw for us, America. Compassionate human beings should not tolerate this. People who claim to be pro-life should be brought to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhat to Do If You're Losing Your Faith
I just don’t know if I believe anymore—and I don’t know what to do about it. I hear words like these every single day from people from every corner of the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Republican Need for Stupid People
The Republican Party is destroying the Department of Education because it needs stupid people. They are its lifeblood. Trump and his career sociopaths know…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastCall It What It Is: A Death Camp
Words have incredible power. They can create narratives, perpetuate myths, and amplify propaganda. They can twist the truth, bury it altogether, or shout it…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmerica is Losing Its Soul in Brown-Skinned Screams and White-Skinned Silence
America is dying. I’m not referring to the systemic collapse of our Republic or the slow suffocation of Democracy here, though these are certainly not unlikely…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastMel Robbins' Book is Fine Advice, But May I Offer The "DON'T Let Them Theory?"
Mel Robbins’ new book, ‘The Let Them Theory’ is an unqualified smash, and I can understand why. In matters of self-compassion and relationships, it offers…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastConservatives Hate Superman Because Goodness is Their Kryptonite
So, MAGAs are angry at Superman now. Well, more accurately, they’re angry at director and DC Studios head James Gunn for accurately saying of the film’s…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhen the Hell Did Empathy Become a Flaw, America?
How in the hell did we get here?Really. I’m not asking how America elected a convicted felon, or how nearly every Republican in Congress steamrolled one of the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThis Sunday, MAGA Christians Will Be Heading Into Churches. They Should Be Repenting.
All over America, MAGA Republicans will stream into churches this Sunday. They will do so joyously. They will do so arrogantly. They will do so believing they…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastBorn on The Farce of July
F*ck the fireworks and flip the flags. For actual patriotic Americans, this isn’t a party, it’s a funeral. There is nothing to celebrate here. We shouldn't be…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe View From the Titanic: America Has Met the Iceberg
So, this is what it must have felt like on that glorious but now doomed craft, only two short hours after the iceberg, hidden just beneath the surface, tore…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Miss Having a Human President
I can remember when we had a human president. It was only a few months ago, but it may have been a lifetime. Watching President Biden at the memorial service…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Don't Grieve His Hatred, Trump Supporter, I Grieve Yours.
Trump Supporter, this isn’t about him. It never was. My sadness has nothing to do with him, despite what you think. I know who he is—and more accurately, I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastZohran Mamdani's Win is Bringing a Renaissance of Republican Islamophobia.
Move over, Queer People and Immigrants, Islamophobia is back on the GOP Menu! Over the past couple of years, Republicans have spent so much time in breathless…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHoly Sh*t: How To Get Religion Wrong
Hell hath no fury like religious people getting religion wrong, and what's worse, we usually don't have a clue that we've lost the plot when we have. There are…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe GOP's Big, Beautiful Bombs
The middling fireworks had barely fizzled out in the sky over Trump’s empty, energy-impotent, failed birthday ego event in DC, and you just knew something was…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDonald Trump is at War With the World
Donald Trump bombing Iran without Congressional approval is not shocking. Since January 20th, he has rendered our Constitution virtually irrelevant, ignoring…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Message to My Transgender Friends
To my Transgender friends, I may have the good fortune to know you, but likely, I do not. That means I don’t know your story I can’t imagine how you feel. I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey, America, You Look Like You Need a Hug
My country is hurting. We the people, are hurting. The hurt shows up in so many ways, ways that surprise and distract and confuse us, ways that don't always…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAre You Sure You're An LGBTQ+ Ally?
We all have stories we tell ourselves about the kind of people we are, about our values, about our presence here, about our reason for being. But those…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Former Pastor's Lament Over MAGA Christianity
I’ve read this story 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 PodcastThis Juneteenth, "None of Us are Free"
This past weekend, I stood shoulder to shoulder with a diverse and sprawling mass of humanity gathered to protest this authoritarian regime, and the haunting…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe're All Hanging By a Thread Right Now—and That's Good News
I’m OK. That’s how I respond when people ask how I’m doing. But 'OK' is a lie I’ve grown accustomed to telling. I’m not OK. I’m a couple hundred miles from OK…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Minnesota Shootings Reveal MAGA America's Moral Brokenness.
Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were brutally murdered in their homes early Saturday morning. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'd Lost A Few Things. 'No Kings Day' Helped Me Find Them Again
Photo by Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com Sometimes you don’t notice attrition when it happens. When you lose elemental parts of you, they don’t all depart…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastNo One is OK Right Now
“How are you?” I asked my dear friend Julie as she fell into her chair across from me with a loud exhale. “I’m OK,” she replied almost immediately, with a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Letter to Americans Still on the Sidelines, on the Eve of 'No Kings Day'
Dear Friend, Sometimes I wonder if you’re seeing everything I’m seeing, if you still watch the news or hop on social media anymore. Perhaps you checked out…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Right Doesn't Want Legal or Documented Immigrants, It Wants White Ones
Let’s be honest, when it comes to human beings entering this country, Republicans, Evangelicals, and MAGAs don’t give a damn about documentation. It’s all…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey MAGAs, the Crisis in L.A. is Your Fault
Hey MAGAs, let’s be honest about what’s been happening this week in Los Angeles: this is your fault. This whole crisis exists because on the campaign trail…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe are All Los Angeles
Denial is a powerful drug. In the wake of the unthinkable images and footage coming out of California over the weekend, it’s easy to feel insulated from the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSo, Kamala Harris May Have Won, Huh?
For a brief moment a year ago, watching Donald Trump and Elon Musk in a petty, posturing social media catfight was amusing; a welcome bit of schadenfreude…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear Jesus, You're Fired From MAGA Christianity
Dear Jesus, We regret to inform you that your services are no longer required. As will happen, changes have occurred in recent months that have now rendered…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Weaponization of I.C.E. is a Danger to Immigrants and a Disgrace to America
Recently, I was in a local church here in my home state of North Carolina discussing the impact of the Trump Administration on vulnerable populations. One…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe're Not Meant to Grieve This Way
So much suffering.So much death.So much sorrow.So much waste. We're not built for this. The days we find ourselves in are emotionally unsustainable. Our bodies…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThis Pride Month Requires Stronger LGBTQ Allies
To all those who imagine themselves to be friends, allies, and advocates of the LGBTQ community, As we enter PRIDE month, I think it’s important to say…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Cure for the Male Loneliness Epidemic in America is Not Raising Them MAGA
Lately, I’ve been reading and hearing a great deal about a supposed “Male Loneliness Epidemic in America.” My social media feed is filled with news stories…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf "Pro-Life" Christians Honored the Sanctity of LGBTQ Lives
Pro-Life Christians adore embryos. They passionately preach about the sanctity of the life they say they are imprinted with, about their priceless intrinsic…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastRepublican Christians Make Me Hope Hell Exists
As a child raised in the Catholic Church, I was brought up believing that hell was real, though as I got older, I began to grow skeptical. The idea seemed…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastLiving Your Best Life in a Dystopian Nightmare
As the song goes, “Summer’s here and the time is right for dancin’ in the street.” Protesting in the street? Maybe. Collapsing from exhaustion in the street?…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast56 Things I Think I Believe on My 56th Birthday
With the arrival of my 56th birthday later this week, here are 56 things I think I believe… 1. The single thing within your control in this life is how you…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhite Friends, You Can't Be Woke and Silent
In my travels around this country, both in person and online, I meet lots of white people who fancy themselves woke. They feel this way because they're now…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDonald 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 PodcastIsrael and Gaza: Can We Grieve the Loss of All Innocent Life?
For a year and a half, we’ve all been watching the horrors that have unfolded in Israel and Gaza, and social media has been saturated with calls for people to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhile The Right is Devouring America, The Left is Eating Its Own
This should have been easy. A decade ago, we endured the most corrupt, inept, and relentlessly predatory presidential administration in our nation’s history…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThis President Exposed Many of My White Christian Friends
This President has been many things since descending an escalator a decade ago: a national embarrassment, a global punchline, an environmental disaster, a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastPresident Biden's Health Announcement and the Cancer of Tribalism
There are moments when you’re reminded just how far people around you have drifted from the plot of humanity, when you realize how poisoned by politics your…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Lie of Lack: How Republican Christians Hoard God's Provision and Defy Jesus
There is not enough. That is the most pervasive distortion of reality perpetuated by Conservative Christians in America right now. We see it reiterated in…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastBruce Springsteen and Why Fascists Hate The Artists
The artists will lead us. This week, Bruce Springsteen took the stage in Manchester, England to begin his European tour, standing alone, silhouetted in white…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastYou Raised Me To Be A Good Person. Now, You Support Donald Trump.
To My Loved Ones, I'm writing to let you know that I'm aware of what you think of me, either because you've told me during combustible room-clearing…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'm a White American. I Don't Want Trump's White America.
I am a person of profound privilege. As a white, cisgender-heterosexual man born in America and raised in the Christian faith, I have been afforded every…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSilence is a Statement Now, and Here's What It's Saying
The volume of the monsters is unavoidable right now. Their vitriol is everywhere: pouring into comment sections, flooding school board meetings, arriving…