After a decade away, I recently had the opportunity to return to the city of my birth, and to the place where the foundation of my faith was formed.

I have been through a lot since I lived in Chicago. The city has been through a lot since I left.

I never left my faith, but I see it differently now. The communities of faith across the city's neighborhoods never left, but I look at them differently now.

I am a product of these faith communities. I am a product of the specific churches of my youth and early adulthood, and a product of the general Christian subculture formed by people of faith who live in this part of the country.

Having moved in and around communities of faith for over three decades, I am neither objective in my observations nor oblivious in my opinions about them.

I have intentionally chosen to share the stories about my year-long journey visiting 35 faith communities in Chicago in a manner that is stripped of the packaging and pageantry, labels and titles, and divisions and denominations that matter to fewer people now than they did when they were created.

Hopefully, this podcast will challenge the misperceptions about these spaces and celebrate the humanity of the people who gather in them.

This podcast was created in hopes that people who may be unfamiliar with these norms (and/or confused by the large swath of American society influenced by them) will find a bridge to walk with me as I consider the central questions of life, spirituality, and our beliefs about God.

I invite you to open yourself to whatever emotions and thoughts are inspired or provoked by this journey. If you like what you're hearing, please rate us, and leave a quick review! You won't believe how much that would help!

Thanks for listening!

An OverPond Media production.