In Frank L. Baum’s, The Wizard of Oz, the Emerald City was beautiful, but not green. All citizens wore green spectacles, locked around their heads, tinting their experience of reality.
At my Emerald City, I interview guests who help us take off our colored lenses. We will visit our own emerald cities to discover beauty and truth, to separate our glasses from the shiny gems around us. We will discover some new colors in the process.
Emerald City interviews are conducted with a split screen recorder, so you’ll be able to watch me interview experts (from atheists to New York Times’ bestsellers to Christian sex experts) who will help us take off our glasses and appreciate the world God has made.
All subscribers to RubySlippers will automatically receive Emerald City.
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Emerald City with Vyckie Garrison. Join me for several cuttings from my most recent Emerald City with atheist, Vyckie D. Garrison. We disagreed to be sure (keep up the month of January to watch the entire debate), but we never lost our common ground. Drawing from what she calls the “extremism” that fueled her fundamentalism she now works at No Longer Quivering (@NoQuivering) where she rescues women who are disenfranchised from Quiverful living. At No LongerQuivering.com you’ll find her team faithfully writing against spiritual abuse. See the first video clip below, then join the discussion and read more in part two.
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Emerald City with Lisa See. A New York Times Bestselling author, meticulous researcher, and sharp and intelligent speaker, Lisa See joins me for an Emerald City. Lisa is one of the rare female writers who “cut to the bone” to write for the sake of buried or forgotten stories that must be told. Lisa’s acclaimed and popular novels describe the painfulness of love between women (mother/daughter, sisters, friends) without losing hope that these friendships are central to our lives. Read more, join the conversation, and visit our store to download the uncut audio of this special Emerald City with Lisa See.
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Emerald City: Harry and Sally Revisited. To take up the challenges that face men and women, I’ve invited Dr. Tim Muehlhoff, communications professor at Biola University and recent co-author of I Beg to Differ: Navigating Difficult conversation with Truth and Love to delve into the difficulties. To join the conversation and watch more clips from our discussion, see this post. To purchase the entire audio version of this Emerald City with Dr. Muehlhoff, visit our store here.
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Emerald City: My Body, My Temple. I interviewed certified sex therapist and licensed family therapist, Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers, starting with the big question of “How do you go from turning off your sexual desire to turning it on?” Read more here, and join the discussion.
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Emerald City: An Atheist and a Christian Talk About Abortion This was our most difficult debate, more challenging than gay marriage and the definition of sex. Abortion is one of those “Get-on-the-party-line-or-else” places. You must be for or against the rights of the unborn, for or against the rights for women. And we both felt nervous that we’d fail our people. Watch Jonalyn’s full debate with Emily Heist Moss and join the conversation.
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Emerald City: Modern Lessons from Hagar I wanted to share a 3 minute snippet of my Emerald City interview with Katey. Here, she shares how Hagar (Abraham’s concubine) gives her a new lens on God’s capacity to build courage into women who are at the end of their rope. Watch as she draws from Hagar’s story. Katey explains more of her involvement with worldwide birth control as I ask her about government funding, abortion, and Planned Parenthood in this hour long Emerald City interview. All fourteen segments are available for purchase here. Learn more by following @Ktzeh or read her essays on Hagar, Mary, or in Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank About Faith. See the whole post to read more about The Spiritual Practice of Courage, and join the discussion. To purchase and listen to the entire conversation, click here.
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Emerald City: What About Beauty is So Important? I continue the conversation about cross-sex friendships with Dan Brennan, covering how to deal with beauty and attraction in friendships. Dan is a trailblazer on cross- sex friendships and has participate, articulated, and championed their power in the body of Christ for the last 12 years. Dan’s book, Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions, on the theology of cross- sex friendship pivoted me into freedom on this topic, inspiring posts and talks like Harry and Sally are Wrong. Read more about how to define an emotional affair and join the conversation. To listen to the entire Emerald City with Dan, visit our store to purchase an audio version.
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Emerald City: How Do You Know if You’re Not Ready for an Opposite Sex Friend? This question has come along with hundreds others about guy/girl friendships, what makes them dangerous, what are some red flags, what it means to have good boundaries, what is the role of beauty and sexual attraction . . . I’ve taken these questions and sought out a mentor and friend, Dan Brennan to help give me some perspective. Ask questions and be a part of the discussion here. To listen to the entire Emerald City with Dan, visit our store to purchase an audio version.
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Emerald City: What is Lust? I’d like to introduce an intrepid new friend, Ryan Thomas Neace, a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with teens, adults, and families in his St. Louis, MO private practice. It was Ryan’s post “Consecrated Sexual Attraction“at the Huffpost that caught my eye. Please read in its entirety at his blog RyanThomasNeace.com. If you click over you’ll be struck right away by one thing: Ryan is honest about male sexual desire. I wanted to share a cutting from our conversation where share a definition of lust that is the most clear and helpful I’ve found. Listen or watch below. Join the conversation here.
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Emerald City: Spiritual but not Religious. Listen to a former editor at The Good Men Project, blogger and Millennial, Deanna Ogle talk with me about being spiritual but not religious. Deanna and I kick off our time together by talking about what she means by calling herself a “heretical Christian.” Read more of Deanna at “Where the Church Lost Me“. Follow @DeannaOgle. Find the rest of the article and join in the discussion here.
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Emerald City: Atheist and Christian talk about Gay Marriage. Several months ago, I met Emily, an atheist and open-minded blogger at Role/REBOOT from Chicago. We met over my response to her post (What Kind of Sex Counts as Real Sex) and debated the definition of sex. This time we talk about how we come to different places politically, but with reasons. Check out the highlights and be a part of the discussion.
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Emerald City with a Buddhiscopalian. I noticed Donna Johnson’s book Holy Ghost Girl, because she grew up so full of faith, surrounded by healers, living as a child of evangelists and healers. This was a book about show-biz Christianity, but it was also a book about spiritual abuse. I wanted to meet this woman. I wanted to know what became of her faith after such intense childhood years of spiritual abuse. She spoke with such tenderness about her mother who left her in the hands of abusive strangers. How did Donna cultivate grace and compassion? Donna graciously responded to my invitation and gave me nearly and hour for an Emerald City interview. Read more and join the discussion here.
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Emerald City on Married Without Children. Every now and again I meet a woman whose vulnerability is both intentional and well-tended. Erin S. Lane is such a woman. As co-editor of Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank About Faith I asked her to talk about her newly published book and join me for an Emerald City. Join in the discussion and read the highlights.
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Emerald City: Is It Ok to Love Myself? I’ve written with Dr. Sal, clinical psychologist, or years. We co-own a blog, The Art of Friendship, where we write on female friendship. But this week, Sally joined me for our first Emerald City. Together we tackle the common tension between selfishness and self-care. Check here for highlights and discussion.
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Emerald City: Atheist and Christian Discuss Sex. I’ve followed Emily Heist Moss‘ articles at Role Reboot for some time. But it wasn’t until I tweeted up how I disagreed with her article “What Sex Counts as ‘Real’ Sex?” that she and I got a chance to interact. Emily watched my vlog here at RubySlippers where I give her my counter-argument. And then, Emily kindly agreed to a friendly debate. Live. Recorded. What follows is one of my favorite Emerald Cities thus far: an atheist from Chicago and a Christian from Colorado debate and even agree about sex. Join in the discussion here.
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Emerald City on Race. Listen in as Judy Dominick and I talk about being minorities, micro-aggression at church, school lunches, and why “white privilege” is a loaded term. Click here for discussion and highlights.
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Emerald City Encore: Pro-Choice Feminist talks with a Pro-Choice Apologist. You asked for it! Last Emerald City with Pro-Life Apologist Josh Brahm did not include the promised debate (due to technical difficulties). As several of you requested it, we persevered. I am proud to present this encore performance with Josh Brahm. Read more in the highlights and discussion.
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Emerald City with Pro-Life Apologist Josh Brahm. A new friendship with Josh Brahm leaves me wanting to reiterate a central point of Coffee Shop Conversations. When it comes to moral issues, Americans are really good at talking past each other. But Josh actually talks to people who are Pro-Choice. Check here for discussion and highlights of our talk.
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Emerald City with Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers. Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers refuses to box-up sexual stewardship with rules, her idea that modesty is nothing if not a place of power for ourselves, her word picture of the co-created dance of sex, the knowing laughter when we discover our body works. For more highlights and discussion. You can find Dr. Sellars @TinaSSellers and blogging at Musings by Candlelight.
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Emerald City with Amy Fykholm: Eroticism in the Soup Kitchen. For highlights and discussion.
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