Podcast: The Renewing | Episode 2: "There's God" with Lauren Cibene on Deconstruction, Healing, and Tigers in Lifeboats

The Local Church Podcast

About The Renewing

There’s a way the world teaches us to live—fast, anxious, disconnected. And there’s another way. The Renewing is a podcast about resisting what deforms us and returning to what makes us whole. Inspired by Romans 12:2, it’s a space to question the patterns we’ve inherited—hustle, disconnection, exhaustion—and imagine what healing might look like instead. Through honest conversations and deep listening, host Brent Levy explores the sacred, slow work of renewal—for ourselves, our communities, and the world.

This Episode

What happens when the faith you inherited no longer fits, yet something sacred still lingers? In this episode, Brent sits down with writer and creative Lauren Cibene, whose debut book, Tiger in a Lifeboat, explores deconstruction, travel, and the slow, surprising reconstruction that follows. Together, they discuss what it means to witness rather than persuade, how grief and unlearning are essential parts of healing, and why the red letters of Jesus keep drawing Lauren back.

You’ll hear about the holiness of hospitality, the healing power of presence, and the sacred invitation to trust yourself again. If you’re navigating a spiritual shift, tender with your past, or just longing to see God in unexpected places, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about Lauren here, check out her Substack here, and find her on Instagram here. Get her book, Tiger in a Lifeboat on Amazon, Bookshop, or Audible.

The Local Church

For more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at [email protected].

To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.