{"podcast":{"title":"Honoring the Journey","slug":"honoring-the-journey-6751564","podcast_index_feed_id":6751564,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Swlbwx2u","website_url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ef0a2fe7-7943-4710-96af-769dcdd9bc29/8f6ffda1-bc8a-4e85-a5e4-9e278ae3a924/3000x3000/hosted-20by-20leslie-20nease-3.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Leslie Nease","episode_count":112,"summary":"Life is a journey, and we’re all walking our own unique path. But every now and then, we get the chance to step onto someone else’s path, to see the world from their perspective, and to learn from their experiences. That’s what we do here on Honoring the Journey. We walk alongside others, explore their stories, and then step back onto our own path—hopefully with new insights, deeper understanding, and a broader perspective for the journey ahead. Honoring the Journey is hosted by Leslie Nease, a former Christian Radio Host, Speaker & Writer and Contestant on Survivor China known as \"Sister Christian\". Leslie has since deconstructed her Evangelical beliefs, but is still deeply connected to God and is seeking to understand faith from every perspective. Let's journey together!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T10:21:20.329814+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564"},"episode":{"title":"Testify to Love: Honoring the Journey of Melissa Greene","slug":"testify-to-love-honoring-the-journey-of-melissa-greene","published_at":"2026-06-22T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/testify-to-love-honoring-the-journey-of-melissa-greene","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564","url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/afp-13455-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978/episodes/1a2e81ed-a510-41e4-ba81-2e0f9facdc5f/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978&awEpisodeId=1a2e81ed-a510-41e4-ba81-2e0f9facdc5f&feed=Swlbwx2u","summary":"Today, Leslie invites Melissa Green, a former member of the beloved Christian music group Avalon, for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation about faith deconstruction, spiritual evolution, and the courage to question inherited beliefs. Melissa traces her journey from growing up in the Southern Baptist church and becoming a member of Avalon, through the pivotal moment when founding member Michael Passons was quietly removed from the group after being outed as gay, to her gradual theological shifts sparked by travel, loss, relationships with LGBTQ friends, and her years at a progressive post-evangelical church. The episode also celebrates the recent re-release of \"Testify to Love\" — a collaboration between Melissa, Michael, and Ty Herndon — which has unexpectedly become a queer anthem and a message of radical, boundless love. Woven throughout is a tender, raw moment as Melissa shares the grief of walking alongside a beloved family member through the final stages of a terminal illness, reflecting on how joy and sorrow coexist, and how the divine shows up not in miraculous intervention but in the simple, profound act of people showing up for one another.","meta_description":"Today, Leslie invites Melissa Green, a former member of the beloved Christian music group Avalon, for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation abou…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3443,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/honoring-the-journey-6751564/episodes/testify-to-love-honoring-the-journey-of-melissa-greene/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/testify-to-love-honoring-the-journey-of-melissa-greene.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}