047: Reframing the Meaning of "Good Soil" with Jeff Chu

04/22/25 • 49 min

Many people who have read The Parable of the Sower interpret it as: You have to be the “good soil”, or else.

However, in my conversation with Jeff Chu, he reframes what good soil actually means and how it’s made. Pulling from his latest book, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, Jeff guides us through a beautiful discussion on the theology of compost, returning to cultural roots, embracing diversity, being attentive to beauty, befriending the dark, and more. Perhaps even withered plants, thorns, and rock-laden soil can be used for our flourishing. I hope you’ll listen.

Get the full show notes and links here. 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨

Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Links & Resources 🔗

Website | Instagram | Substack
Good Soil by Jeff Chu Amazon | Bookshop
Othered by Jenai Auman Amazon | Bookshop
A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wil Gafney Amazon | Bookshop

—————
Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube
—————
Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review. It would mean the world if you would leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you.
—————
Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to provide those wounded by spiritual abuse and religious trauma with practical resources moving toward healing and wholeness, and to provide pastors and church leaders with resources to grow in trauma awareness and implement safeguarding practices. Get more information or give a tax-free donation here.
—————
As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many people who have read The Parable of the Sower interpret it as: You have to be the “good soil”, or else.

Get the full show notes and links here. 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨

Links & Resources 🔗

Website | Instagram | Substack
Good Soil by Jeff Chu Amazon | Bookshop
Othered by Jenai Auman Amazon | Bookshop
A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wil Gafney Amazon | Bookshop

Previous Episode

046: Unity in Diversity and the Work of Healing with the Religious Trauma Network

Are there communities that support survivors of religious trauma without being...religious? Spiritual abuse doesn’t only happen in churches. It can happen anywhere and to anyone, but there’s rarely space for all voices and experiences to be heard.

I recently spoke with the four founders of the newly launched Religious Trauma Network. These four are creating a place that proves you can have a community of healing without believing the same thing—and they want to help others find this for themselves.

In our conversation, they each share what led them into this career, how they met, and what the Religious Trauma Network is all about. My favorite part, though? They share what healing means and how it doesn’t have to look spiritual for it to be true.

Get the full show notes and links here. 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨

The Religious Trauma Network’s mission is to offer comprehensive information, resources, and support for individuals recovering from religious trauma while raising awareness and equipping professionals and organizations to create safe, trauma-responsive spaces inside their faith or healing communities.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Books/Films/Resources Mentioned:

Religious Trauma Network Blog (open to public submissions)
Trauma in the Pews by Janyne McConnaughey on Amazon | Bookshop
What Lies Inside: Healing in the Face of Trauma film by Luke Renner

Next Episode

048: Holding Space for The Spiritually Wounded with Amy Fritz

Ever wonder what it’s like to run a community solely focused on spiritual abuse?

From dealing with the regular stream of scandals and stories to the practicalities of managing the business, it helps to hear how others navigate this field. In this episode, I talk with my friend Amy Fritz, creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast. We get really honest and a little bit vulnerable about our thought processes, how we make the decisions we do, and what we hope for our communities.

Listen to learn how we approach best practices and navigate this space with wisdom, grace, and compassion.

Get the full show notes and links here. 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨

Amy is the creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast, where she invites her listeners to join her for conversations about what it's like to hold on to your Christian faith while untangling it from all the things that should have never been tied to faith in the first place. After several years of podcasting and connecting with individuals who have made difficult and beautiful decisions, and wrestled through what they believe Amy has discovered that her most important work is to offer encouragement, community, and space to folks in this "untangling" space.

Links & Resources 🔗

Website | Instagram | Threads | BlueSky | Substack