We hosted Cindy Brandt for a special event centered on Parenting and Shifting Faith at The Refuge, and it was a home run. Cindy is wise, articulate, engaging, and fun and combines personal experience with practical ideas to consider that many are searching for. The parents who gathered that night weren’t looking for a lecture or brief inspiration. They wanted to hear from someone who was also in the trenches, asking the same questions and wrestling with issues of justice and equality, too. Cindy is what a new wave of speakers are going to bring to much-needed conversation in churches, groups, and conferences—humility, honesty, and practice.

After just dipping my toes in Progressive Christianity and joining the Facebook group Raising Children UnFundamentalist, a small group of friends and I road tripped up to Denver to hear Cindy speak. I was nervous, so new in my deconstruction from a very Calvinist, fundamentalist background and, quite honestly, not too keen on darkening the door of any church. But I went anyways. I found Cindy to be both engaging and gentle with all of the participants in the talk that night. She was witty and self-effacing and yet was able to connect on a deep level with almost every topic and person that came in that door. Cindy unveils her story in such a natural and open way, you can’t help but be willing to be vulnerable yourself. The night turned out to be the first time I had felt at home in a church in longer than I could remember.

I grew up in a very fundamentalist environment and knew I didn’t want that for my child. I had found a safe church home, and was moving forward in many ways. However, I found the people from my new life didn’t understand a lot about my background and my journey to get to a safe place. I had a hard time sorting out the baggage I had brought into my parenting and homelife. Cindy, through her speaking, writing, and Facebook group, provided that for me. Cindy is an articulate speaker, but her greatest strength is in welcoming the group into an ongoing conversation. She not only brings up good points, and does so well, she deals with difficult subject matter in a way that is compassionate and caring. Hearing her speak gave me a lot to think about and invited me into an ongoing conversation with myself and others about shifting faith and parenting. A good speaker’s ideas stay with you and carry on into your life. Cindy definitely succeeded at that.