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Welcoming God
Hey spiritual seeker! My name’s Sarah Haykel and I’m the host of Welcoming God, a podcast for spiritual seekers.
In this podcast, I’ll be sharing the goodness of Welcoming God back into my life after years of rebelling against the God of my Catholic upbringing and years of honest seeking on a personal spiritual path. I’ll share my consistently evolving understanding of God and what I’m learning on the path, to help create a God accessible to the every day person.
We’ll have honest and sometimes hilarious conversations about how to go from being a “spiritual” person to a God-loving person. Understanding God as a benevolent guide. What does it mean to have a relationship with God? What does it mean to surrender to God? Cultivating a spiritually mature understanding of God. Learning how to discern God’s truth and will for our lives. How to cultivate the most important relationship you’ll ever have, with God, on a daily, moment to moment basis.
Come along on this spiritually rEvolutionary journey where we get to know God.
This podcast is marked as explicit because there may be swearing or content appropriate for mature audiences in some of the episodes.
Episodes
27 episodes
Unconditional Love And Self-Worth For Spiritual Seekers
Your worth is not a prize for good behavior. Your worth and value, as a human being, are "inherent in your beingness," as Feminine Power would say. It can't be earned or taken away. It just is. To close out the season, I share what I’m ...
From Embarrassment To Accepting The Christ Light Within
I used to feel embarrassed even saying the name "Jesus". And today, I’m sharing something deeply personal: what it’s like when a lifetime of resistance finally loosens and a real spiritual awakening begins to take root. Not a perfect conversion...
Celebrating Lent: What If Spring Is A Map For Resurrection?
Lent has a way of showing us what we spend the rest of the year avoiding. My name is Sarah Haykel, and in Welcoming God I share a candid reflection on celebrating Lent with real intention for the first time. If you’re a spiritual se...
From Force-Fed Religion To Belonging By Welcoming The Whole Season
Love this AI description, so I'm using it! I've edited a bit, but enjoy it's take on this fourth and final episode of Season 4 of Welcoming God.Some moments are revelatory. Walking into church decked in Christmas lights, I felt ove...
Finding Peace Between Christian Tradition, Celtic Rituals and Natures Rhythms
This Christmas season, I was struck with a new awareness: that I could celebrate and honor the traditions of Christianity, Celtic celebrations and the natural rhythms of the seasons and solstice. What a revelation: to be able to ce...
What To Do When God Says "Wait"
What do we do when God's call for us is to "wait." How do we listen? And, why? What's truly important about heeding God's call?In this episode of Welcoming God, I talk about this and share a funny story about ice cream ...
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New Years Rituals: The Importance of Integration, Intention & Celebration
New Years rituals and reviewing our previous year can be game changers! In this episode, I share the importance of integrating past experiences and celebrating accomplishments, large and small, through a year in review practice. An...
When Strangers Become Angels: A Roadside Miracle and Its Ripple Effects
A flat tire becomes a gateway to a beautiful, miraculous moment when a group of strangers enthusiastically changes Sarah's tire without being asked. The experience sparks a beautiful exchange of kindness that continues when Sarah promises to ba...
Sitting With God: A Simple Meditation Practice
Have you ever wondered if spiritual connection could be simpler than we make it? What if the most profound practice required nothing more than your willingness to be present?Sitting With God is a simple practice that offers restoration ...
Spiritual Meditation: Exploring Lectio, Visio, Audio and Nature Divina Meditation
Have you ever noticed something that instantly captures your attention—a phrase in a book, a striking image, an unexpected sound, or a moment in nature that makes you pause? That "shimmering" sensation might be more than coincidence; it could b...
Navigating Christian Confusion
Have you ever found yourself shocked by the beliefs of people who follow the same faith as you? That jarring moment when you realize someone reading the same Bible has arrived at conclusions that seem completely foreign—or even extreme—to you?<...
Season 3 of Welcoming God Release Date Info!
Join me for a continuation of this evolving spiritual journey in Season 3 of Welcoming God, which launches Tuesday, September 16th.While we prepare for our return, we're excited to offer a special gift to you - a free companion ebook to...
The Challenge of Staying Awake Spiritually When Life Wants to Hit Snooze
Have you ever found yourself learning the same spiritual lesson over and over again, wondering why you keep forgetting what you thought you already knew? This fascinating exploration of our continuous learning journey reveals why repetition may...
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The Benefits of Accepting Reality and Facing Denial
What happens when we finally stop fighting reality and simply accept what is? Not resignation to circumstances, but a profound spiritual opening that transforms our relationship with life itself.Most of us carry some form of denial—part...
Finding Your Way Through A Spiritual Crisis: A Journey of Questioning and Growth
What happens when you begin to question the spiritual path you've been walking? When the God you thought you knew becomes a question mark rather than an exclamation point? This deeply personal episode explores the disorienting yet ultimately tr...
Second Half of Life: Growing Up Personally and Spiritually
We're back after a two-month hiatus with the start of our four-week summer season. Recent unexpected changes and life experiences have felt challenging and prompted reflections on personal growth, trauma integration, and the journey towards per...
Tailer Season 2: What topics would you like me to talk about on Welcoming God?
Hi!Season 2 will start Tuesday, July 15th and will be a four week season. I want to know what you'd like to hear about on Welcoming God. Please go to WelcomingGod.co...
S1E8: Mindfulness Meditation Practice for Beginners on a Spiritual Journey
What happens when we pause to notice what's happening within us? Freedom emerges in that space between stimulus and response. This guided mindfulness meditation introduces a simple yet profound practice of noticing—bringing awarene...
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S1E7: Let's Pray!: How to Pray and Why
Prayer transforms our spiritual journey from transactional requests to authentic divine communion. Whether you've prayed your entire life or struggle to understand what prayer means, this episode offers fresh perspectives on connecting with the...
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S1E6: The First (Easy) Step to Living A More Spiritual Life
Have you ever struggled to maintain a consistent spiritual practice amid life's constant distractions and seeming demands? Creating space for authentic connection with God doesn't require hours of meditation or elaborate rituals—it simply needs...
S1E5.5 BONUS: Mercy and Forgiveness on Good Friday: An Excerpt from Savannah Guthrie's book, Mostly What God Does
Have you ever felt weighed down by shame so heavy it seems impossible to escape? The burden of our past mistakes can weigh on us, yet the most transformative power in the universe awaits: forgiveness.This Good Friday episode takes us de...
S1E5: The Life Changing Benefit of Knowing You're Already Loved
Have you ever wondered if God truly loves you, especially during life's most challenging moments? This question lies at the heart of our spiritual journey, and today's episode explores the profound revelation that transformed my relationship wi...
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S1E4: God's GPS: Better Than Any Map You've Got
What truly happens when we choose to follow divine guidance instead of our own plans? This deeply reflective episode explores the profound benefits of "going with God" rather than against the spiritual current that's here to guide our lives.
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S1E3: Surrendering to the Divine: The Benefit of Going With God
In this episode, we explore the profound question of why we attempt to navigate life's challenges alone when God's divine guidance is constantly available to us and the benefit, necessity, of surrendering to the Divine. We'll explor...
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S1E2: God Isn't a Bearded Man in the Sky: A Spiritual Evolution Story
What does it truly mean to welcome God into our lives? Journey with me as I unravel the complex relationship I've had with the divine—from growing up in a Catholic household where God felt like a judgmental, controlling force, to di...
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