Holy Unhappiness with Amanda Held Opelt
Amanda Held Opelt
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About This Podcast
Conversations about the expectations we have of what the life of faith will feel like. Each week Amanda Held Opelt (author of the book Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life) will interview writers, pastors, artists, and friends about the myths we believe about "the good life." Together, we'll reimagine what blessing can look like when we are willing to look beyond our culture's definitions of happiness and success. Here we make space for grief, lament, weariness, and restlessness, trusting that even our unhappiness has something to teach us about ourselves, about God, and about the world around us.
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Recent Episodes
S2E27 Episode 27 - When Disaster Strikes - with Josie Gwin
In the last week, we've all witnessed the terrible devastation unfold in Los Angeles. Images of destruction - of loss of life, property, and community - are filling our news feeds. Meanwhile, here in…
S2E26 Advent 2024 Week 4 - Love with Kendall Vanderslice
Christmas Day is almost upon us, and during this last week of Advent, we focus on the theme of love - its challenges, its requirements, its embodiment. Today, I speak with baker and theologian…
S2E25 Advent 2024 Week 3 - Joy with Corey Frey
We live in a time that is dominated by cynicism and suspicion...and joy is sometimes in short supply. Today, I speak with artist and poet Corey Frey about the role curiosity and imagination have in…
S2E24 Advent 2024 Week 2 - Peace with Rich Villodas
How do we define peace? Is it a feeling? A disposition of the heart? A state of being? To help answer these questions as we meditate on the theme of week two of Advent, I talk with Pastor Rich…
S2E23 Advent 2024 Week 1 - Hope with Ian Harber
Week 1 of Advent is focused on the theme of hope, so for this conversation I wanted to speak with someone who knows what it's like when doubt and shifting faith threaten to steal your hope. Ian…
S1E22 Episode 22 - Dr. Alan Noble and Mental Health Awareness Month
Today I am privileged to speak with Dr. O. Alan Noble, professor and author of the book On Getting Out of Bed, which is one of the best books I've ever read about the reality of struggling with…
S1E21 Episode 21 - Meredith McDaniel and Mental Health Awareness Month
Today, I talk with Meredith McDaniel, a licensed clinical mental health counselor and director of Milk + Honey Counseling in Davidson, North Carolina. Meredith and I cover A LOT in this episode, as…
S1E20 Episode 20 - Dr. Mekel Harris and Mental Health Awareness Month
Grief has been an enormous part of my own mental health journey. Today on the podcast, I talk with Dr. Mekel Harris who had a profound encounter with grief, one even a Ph.D. in clinical psychology…
S1E19 Episode 19 - Chuck DeGroat and Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health continues to be a taboo topic in many churches, but today's guest - Chuck DeGroat - has spent years as both a pastor and a psychologist. He brings insights on how the tools of…
S1E18 Episode 18 - Aundi Kolber and Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so for the next five weeks, I'll be having conversations with licensed counselors, therapists, psychologists, and pastors about the intersection of faith and…
S1E17 Advent Week 4 - Love with Lore Ferguson Wilbert
On week four, the Church focuses on the theme of Love. Today I am joined by author and friend Lore Ferguson Wilbert. This was such a timely conversation for me. As we head into a week of celebrations…
S1E16 Advent Week 3 - Joy with Joy Marie Clarkson
Advent Week 3: JOY! This upcoming Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday…taken from the Latin word for Rejoice! This week, I talk with Joy Marie Clarkson who is a professor and author of the…
S1E15 Advent Week 2 - Peace with Dr. Benjamin Norquist
For week 2 of Advent, the church has historically focused on the theme of peace. Today, I talk with Dr. Benjamin Norquist, whose work and study led him to spend a lot of time Israel and the West…
S1E14 Advent Week 1 - Hope with Cole Arthur Riley
The podcast is back for the season of Advent! Historically, the church has recognized four themes through the four weeks of Advent, and we begin with the theme for week one: Hope. I speak with Cole…
S1E13 Episode 13 (Finale) - Afterword with Ethan Hardin and Graham Aitken
As I bring the Holy Unhappiness podcast to a close, I wanted to process some final thoughts with two close friends: Ethan Hardin and Graham Aitken, who both serve in pastoral roles at my church here…
S1E12 Episode 12 - A Blessing: Hope with Matthew Soerens of World Relief
Sometimes, it feels like the church in America is void of hope. With failures and abuses continuing to make headlines, how do keep our eyes fixed on the vision of redemption and new creation that has…
S1E11 Episode 11 - Sanctification with Karen Swallow Prior
When it comes to spiritual growth and personal righteousness, many Christians have a set of expectations for themselves and for God. What happens when our sanctification process isn't as smooth as we…
S1E10 Episode 10 - Suffering & Lament with Leah Wrenne
What do we do when life gets really hard and we pray for the peace that passes understanding…but the peace doesn’t come? Is God still present? Is our suffering an anomaly or aberration? Have we…
S1E9 Episode 9 - Church with Katelyn Beaty
It is no secret that participation within institutions of faith is significantly declining in this country. While the reasons for this are complex, the decline has coincided with a series of very…
S1E8 Episode 8 - A Blessing: Humility with Hannah Anderson
Humility, while it is often a stated value of many Christians, is difficult to truly put into practice, to embrace with our whole beings. Too often, it is a lack of humility that stands in the way of…
Frequently Asked Questions
Holy Unhappiness with Amanda Held Opelt has published 28 episodes since June 2023, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Holy Unhappiness with Amanda Held Opelt is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 39m.
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