Elizabeth Priller’s story; Ever feel like you are the only in a room?

In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast we get to hear from Elizabeth. She is an award-winning nurse, author, former EMT, former law enforcement officer, trainer, mentor, and artist. She has been a nurse caring for patients “both at the beginning of life and at the end of life”. She has been a CASA worker, has worked with the Boys and Girls Club, she's been a part of the Black Girl Magic Educational Services. She has also done diversity roundtable.

She grew up Jehovah’s Witness and with a voracious need to read and learn about science. She has very thoughtfully wrestled with the beliefs she was taught. He beliefs, her skin color, and her religion left her feeling like the only in many rooms. At an age where lots of young women give up on science and math, she doubled-down and propelled herself into a lifetime of study of science and service in the medical field. In so many areas of her life she spent “code switching” and being exhausted by the process of fitting in.

Throughout her life people have tried to hold her down, which provided the fuel for her to go upwards. She shares her faith, her art, her desire for knowledge, she claimed to be president at age 5.

Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast.

Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives.

For more about Elizabeth Priller check out:

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethprillerstudio/
Check out her Website: https://www.elizabethpriller.com/

Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith.

We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers.

Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo
Produced by: CJ Mateo

Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com
— we’d love to hear your story.

This is our tenth episode of the Faith Rehab Podcast, where we talk about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We remind ourselves of our goals: “we exist to bring comfort and community to those who have been hurt by the imperfections of the church.” We have heard people’s stories, we have reflected on what has hurt, what has helped, and where they are headed now. We have celebrated that people continue to grow and change, no matter where they feel like they are headed. We remind people that we are committed to not naming individual pastors or churches, but to working through the hurts of individual people.

We talk about the role of the church in our lives; the good, the bad, and the ugly. CJ reminds us that “The church is meant for brokenness to go away over time and change to happen over time.”

The rituals may differ, the beliefs may differ, but many churches, even among the hurts, are helping people change to be more like Christ. That it is possible to move from filtering all spiritual experiences through our pain, to seeing a focused relationship with God and letting go of some pain, finding healing and joy again.

Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurt as the story of our lives, to seeing that hurt as a chapter in the story of our lives.

Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith.

We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers.

Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo
Produced by: CJ Mateo

Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com
— we’d love to hear your story.

Today’s episode is with Matthew Scott, a friend that Heidi has known from kindergarten. They met because they lived in cold weather, needed mittens and both used black socks for their hands. Matt grew up going to church and in a loving family. He has long known he was gay, but that was not accepted by his family or his church. Matt subjected himself to Conversion Therapy to try and align himself to the church’s beliefs and what he says “what ended up being probably 15 years of my life of trying to fight that reality of being gay”. Denying who he really is has caused him pain, family division, suicidal thoughts, and lots of church hurt. Heidi says Matt being gay “is the least interesting thing about you” and yet in church circles it raises the most eyebrows and most debate. We will explore why.

He has a history of teaching and performing in the fine arts. He has a master’s degree, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and currently has a private counseling practice helping people deal with their issues, their relationships, and embracing their identities.

You will hear that Matt is funny, compassionate, and in his words: “I have a very big heart for the underdog and really resonate with stories of people who feel somehow like an outsider, misunderstood.” His life stands as a monument to the need for us to love people for who they are, without looking at how we can change them. The Holy Spirit’s full-time job is to help us grow and transform. That job is taken; we don’t need to do it for others. The world is a better place with Matt in it.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the time with our friend Matt.

For more of Matt check out his website: https://thegreenroom.clientsecure.me/#home

Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith.

We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers.

Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo
Produced by: CJ Mateo

Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com
— we’d love to hear your story.