Prepared to Drown: Deep Dives into an Expansive Faith

Soul Cellar Ministries
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A monthly podcast featuring informative and diverse voices exploring contemporary topics ranging from religious deconstruction, anti-racism, and sexuality to holy texts, labour unions, and artificial intelligence.

  1. Sep 5

    Special Referendum Series Part 4: Crosscurrents - Whose Land?

    Alberta’s separation debate sounds simple until you ask the question underneath it: what relationships were already here before Alberta even existed? Treaty 7 was signed in 1877, decades before provincial borders, and those obligations still shape what is lawful, what is ethical, and what it means to live together on this land. We come into the final night of our referendum series with a clear editorial stance, but we refuse to treat Canada as “innocent” just because we want Alberta to remain a province.  Bill Weaver is joined by Paula Smith (Indigenous Relations Manager at the Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, member of Piikani Nation), Darren Weaselchild (Blackfoot Confederacy artist and radio voice), Ricardo De Menezes, and Ryan Anderson (Calgary Alliance for the Common Good). Together, we unpack Treaty 7, Section 35 of the Constitution Act, and the real-world duty to consult, including why a court quashed a citizen-led separation initiative for failing to consult First Nations. We also talk plainly about how referendum-style politics can operate as a PR campaign, stoking fear, scapegoating immigrants and marginalized communities, and pushing a scarcity mindset that pits neighbor against neighbor.  Then we turn to the “day after” question: what do we do on October 20 when the signs come down and the relationships are still here? We discuss responsibility over blame, long-term thinking, community organizing for the common good, and practical voting guidance, including special ballots and turnout math that can’t be ignored. If you care about Alberta referendum facts, Treaty 7 history, Indigenous treaty rights, or how to resist division with real community, this conversation is for you.  Subscribe, share this with one person who’s undecided, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. What would it look like for Alberta to act like we actually belong to each other? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 4: Crosscurrents - Whose Land?

  2. Aug 29

    Special Referendum Series Part 3: Crosscurrents - Give Us A King!

    The fastest way to lose freedom is to hand someone “just enough” power to keep you safe. We start with 1 Samuel 8, where a frightened people demand a king, and a prophet answers with a warning: the protector can become the threat, and power tends to take more than it promises. Then we bring that lens straight into Alberta’s October 19 referendum and the questions most tied to constitutional structure and long-term consequences. Around the table, we’re joined by Ricardo De Menezes (UFCW Local 401), political scientist Keith Brownsey, Rev. Taylor Croissant, and social worker / policy and research specialist Lee Stevens. Together we unpack questions 6 to 9 in plain language: who appoints judges, what it would mean to abolish the Senate, how opting out of federal programs while keeping federal funding could reshape health care, education, and social services, and why a push for provincial law priority over federal law would upend how Canadian federalism actually works. Along the way we connect these proposals to lived impacts, from labor disputes and income supports to pharmacare thresholds, the Canada Health Act, and the real risk of sliding into two-tier public services. We close with question 10 and the separation prompt, including what the Constitution does and does not say, how the Clarity Act shaped the modern playbook, and why “non-binding” still matters when it fuels anger, fear, and a narrative of powerlessness. If you care about public health care, human rights, and democratic safeguards for people with the least power, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for the final part of the series, share this with someone who’s voting, and leave a review so more Albertans can find it before October 19. What question do you want us to dig into next? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 3: Crosscurrents - Give Us A King!

  3. Aug 22

    Special Referendum Series Part 2: Crosscurrents - Who Is My Neighbor?

    The fastest way to learn what a community really believes is to watch what it does when things get tight. With Alberta’s October 19 referendum approaching, we sit down to wrestle with immigration, race, labor, belonging, and public capacity, focusing on questions one through five and the people most affected by them, including many who will not get a vote. I’m joined by labor leader Ricardo De Menezes, labor relations professional Aida Bahhur, sociologist Esra Ari, and migrant rights organizer Nellie Alcaraz. We start with a deceptively simple prompt: when did Alberta start feeling like home. From there, we dig into why “race-neutral” immigration questions can still create racialized outcomes, how the “temporary” label makes workers more disposable, and why blaming newcomers for strained health care, education, and housing can distract from public policy failures and wealth concentration. Then we translate the ballot language into plain English and test the logic. Does “increased control” over immigration solve capacity problems, or just bundle multiple agendas into one yes or no. Do 12-month waiting periods and “reasonable” fees build more hospitals and classrooms, or just gatekeep what already exists. And why ask for proof of citizenship to vote when only citizens can already vote, unless the goal is to add friction and suspicion to democracy itself. Subscribe, share this with someone debating the referendum, and leave a review. What does being a good neighbor require of Alberta right now? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 2: Crosscurrents - Who Is My Neighbor?

  4. Aug 15

    Special Referendum Series Part 1: Crosscurrents - The Gospel According to Alberta

    Ten referendum questions can look like a checklist, but we think Alberta is being asked to do something bigger: accept a story about who we are, what went wrong, who belongs, and who should pay the price when life gets tight. We start by naming what we love about Alberta, then challenge the “self-made” myth that so often shows up in Alberta politics. If prosperity can create amnesia, what gets erased from our memory when we say “we built this” and stop there? From affordability and housing to crowded classrooms and strained emergency rooms, we take the pressures seriously without letting pressure become an all-purpose explanation. With MLA Diana Batten and co-host Ricardo De Menezes, we turn the lens back on provincial choices, including the move toward dual practice in healthcare and the broader drift toward two-tier access. Rapid growth and the “Alberta Is Calling” moment raise a blunt question: if we invite people in without building capacity, do we eventually start sorting which people get full access to the common good? We also dig into the referendum’s immigration language, “Albertans First,” and the difference between formally race-neutral categories and how they operate in a society where immigrants are often racialized. Then we tackle equalization payments with clear facts, separating legitimate grievances from viral myths, and we use faith as a moral test of our instincts about fairness, resentment, and responsibility. If you care about Alberta’s future, listen, share this with a neighbor, and subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the referendum series. What kind of Alberta do you want us to build together? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 1: Crosscurrents - The Gospel According to Alberta

  5. Jun 23

    Episode 21 - Flooding the Rink

    A romance on the ice shouldn’t feel radical, but Heated Rivalry hit Canada like a thunderclap because it exposes what so many people already know and rarely say out loud: hockey can demand silence from the very players and fans who love it most. We start with the show’s cultural takeover and quickly get into the real stakes behind the story, from sponsorship pressure and locker-room fear to the quiet reality that many pro athletes still can’t safely live out loud. From there, we widen the lens to hockey culture in Canada, including what it means when iconic traditions change and when the sport becomes less accessible. We talk youth hockey affordability, the way pay-to-play reshapes who belongs, and why inclusive hockey associations matter not only for safety, but for joy and community. We also name the backlash head-on, asking what people think they’re protecting when they say “why does everything have to be gay now?” We don’t avoid the hard intersections: faith and scripture used as weapons, government policy that targets trans and queer kids in sport and schools, and the difference between inclusion on paper and inclusion you can actually feel when you walk into a room. We end where we have to end, with hope grounded in action and a vision of sport that’s truly uniting. If this conversation gives you language, courage, or a new angle on queer representation in sports, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What would make your community feel safer to show up as your full self? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 21 - Flooding the Rink

  6. May 9

    Episode 20 - Ships in the Night

    Loneliness has a way of lying to us. It tells us we’re the only one struggling, even when we’re surrounded by people, even when our phones never stop buzzing, even when we’re “doing meaningful work.” We sit down with labor activist and community advocate Ricardo Di Menezes, network weaver and community builder Laura Istead, and regional minister Rev. Karen Medland to get embarrassingly honest about what disconnection really feels like, and why admitting it can be so hard.  We trace loneliness through breakups, burnout, ministry expectations, and the strange reality of being on call all the time. Laura shares what it’s like to lead in the nonprofit sector while carrying the pressure to look composed, and how identity can get tangled up in a job until leaving feels terrifying. Karen names how clergy are often told to “self-care” inside systems that practically guarantee isolation, and why the church should be rebuilding community instead of reinforcing performance.  Then we get practical and political. We explore third spaces meaning the places between home and work where the agenda is simply being human together, and why those spaces have been hollowed out by money, time limits, and post-pandemic habits. We talk social media’s illusion of connection, the rising isolation for LGBTQ communities, and the idea that hope itself can be an act of resistance. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find this conversation. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 20 - Ships in the Night

  7. Apr 18

    Episode 19 - Tainted Wellspring

    Fear is having a moment, and it’s not subtle. When politics starts sorting people into “insiders” and “threats,” when belonging is defined by exclusion, and when discrimination shows up in the open, we have to find the courage to name what we’re seeing and decide how we’ll respond. At the table with me are Scott Payne, a labor communicator and political strategist, and Francis Boakye, executive director of Action Dignity. We dig into what’s shifting in Alberta and beyond: the rise of nationalist language, the return of old bigotries in new packaging, and the way people are pushed to blame each other instead of questioning the systems that profit from division. We talk about newcomers being scapegoated, the difference between patriotism and nationalism, and why Ubuntu “I am because we are” is more than a philosophy; it’s a survival truth. We also get personal about isolation, social media perfection, and the quiet ways “polite” bigotry and Christian nationalism can reshape churches and public life. Then we pivot to what actually helps: humility, authenticity, servant leadership, and small groups of people who refuse to hand fear the final word. If you’ve been wondering how to push back without writing people off, or how to rebuild a sense of agency when everything feels rigged, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find Prepared to Drown. What’s one small act of connection you can make this week? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 19 - Tainted Wellspring

  8. Mar 21

    Episode 18 - Uncharted Bodies

    Your body walks with you into every room, including church, including the gym, including the mirror moment you didn’t ask for. From a live recording in Calgary at McDougall United Church, we sit down for an honest, practical conversation about the stories we inherit about bodies and why so many of them leave people feeling ashamed, judged, or “not enough.” Bill Weaver is joined by Ricardo De Menezes, Rev. Vicky McPhee, Rev. Karen Medland, and Geoff Starling, founder of Every Body STRONGER, a Calgary fitness space built on inclusion and body diversity. Together we unpack Christian theology that pits body against soul, Catholic and Protestant guilt around “temptation,” and the modern fitness culture that sells perfection while quietly punishing anyone who can’t or won’t conform. We also name the real-world harm of anti-fat bias, queer body standards, social media metrics, and medical stigma that too often treats weight as a diagnosis instead of seeing a whole person. Then we pivot toward hope. What does discipline look like when it’s life-giving instead of punishing? How can language become a signal of safety? What would it take to build communities, in church and in fitness, where people can safely fail, learn, and still belong? We make space for disability, chronic illness, injury, accessibility, and the privilege differences that shape how bodies move through the world. If this conversation gives you a new way to relate to movement, faith, or your own body, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 18 - Uncharted Bodies
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A monthly podcast featuring informative and diverse voices exploring contemporary topics ranging from religious deconstruction, anti-racism, and sexuality to holy texts, labour unions, and artificial intelligence.

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