Mending Divides

Global Immersion
  • 4.9 (37)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Monthly

How do you handle the real-world conflict in your life? Most of us were never taught how. So, this season, Mending Divides isn’t a show about conflict. It’s a collection of stories from people who were actually inside it. The moment their convictions got tested, their fears got exposed, and something in them had to change. These aren’t polished success stories. They’re honest accounts of what conflict costs, what it reveals, and what becomes possible when you do the slow, courageous work of healing instead of winning. Mending Divides is a production of Global Immersion. Hosted by Jer Swigart. Produced by Andrew Brumme. Audio post-production by Great Feeling Studios. Learn more about Global Immersion: globalimmerse.org. Support this show and Global Immersion’s work forming leaders who mend divides: globalimmerse.org/donate

  1. Sep 2

    Ep 1: Andrea’s Story: Meeting the Man Who Killed My Husband

    More than a decade after her husband was killed, Andrea’s daughter asked to meet the man responsible. That moment opened a door Andrea had spent years keeping closed, inviting her into a difficult journey of grief, forgiveness, and seeing the person she had made an “other” in a new way. What happens when we move toward the person at the center of our deepest pain? Mending Divides is a production of Global Immersion. Hosted by Jer Swigart Produced by Andrew Brumme Audio post-production by Great Feeling Studios Every story this season features a leader from Global Immersion’s Leadership Cohort. Consider becoming a more conflict-competent leader through this six-month journey for Christian leaders. Applications for the 2027 cohort are open through December 31: globalimmerse.org/cohort Learn more about Global Immersion: globalimmerse.org Read our free Substack: Hopeful Alternative: hopefulalternative.substack.com Support this show and Global Immersion’s work forming leaders who mend divides: globalimmerse.org/donate Mentioned in this episode: Leadership Cohort

    Ep 1: Andrea’s Story: Meeting the Man Who Killed My Husband

  2. Season 7 Trailer

    Season 7 Trailer

    How do you handle the real-world conflict in your life? Most of us were never taught how. So, this season, Mending Divides isn't a show about conflict. It's a collection of stories from people who were actually inside it. The moment their convictions got tested, their fears got exposed, and something in them had to change. These aren't polished success stories. They're honest accounts of what conflict costs, what it reveals, and what becomes possible when you do the slow, courageous work of healing instead of winning. Season 7 begins September 2nd. Follow Mending Divides wherever you listen.

    Season 7 Trailer

  3. 12/04/2025

    Loving Our Enemy in a Wounded World — Shane Claiborne

    From the Holy Land and US Prisons to our very living rooms, this conversation reveals how proximity, humility, and courageous tenderness make enemy love—the radical way of Jesus—possible, disarming fear, confronting injustice, and transforming our own hearts in the process.01:53 Two Stories - The call to enemy love 05:36 Grappling with enemy love 10:19 Tent of Nations - refusing to be enemies 11:29 How to build our capacity for enemy love 14:33 Creativity in refusing violence 17:30 Personal wrestling - who is my enemy? 21:25 Different versions of Jesus 22:11 The state of our hearts towards our enemies 23:17 Thank God I’m not like those people... 24:51 Speaking ill of others 29:28 Story from death row 34:03 Am I condoning my enemy’s behavior? 40:18 Loving individuals while resisting harmful systems 44:13 Closing Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    Loving Our Enemy in a Wounded World — Shane Claiborne

  4. 10/15/2025

    Pastoral Presence in a Fracturing World: Wisdom from Northern Ireland — Rev. Harold Good

    Rev. Harold Good—Protestant minister, contemporary of Desmond Tutu, and key figure in Northern Ireland’s peace process—reflects on what it means to pastor through division. Having played a pivotal role in bringing Catholics and Protestants to the same table, Rev. Good shares hard-won wisdom for our polarized age, inviting us all to lead pastorally with courage, compassion, and the hope of reconciliation. Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    Pastoral Presence in a Fracturing World: Wisdom from Northern Ireland — Rev. Harold Good

  5. 09/11/2025

    Enneagram Wisdom for Conflict — Rob Yackley

    Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to divide us. In this episode, Enneagram coach Rob Yackley joins Jer to explore the Enneagram and how each of the nine types tends to show up in conflict. Together, they explore each type’s default responses, the unique gifts and traps they bring, and practical ways each can move from reactivity to resourcefulness. Whether you’re new to the Enneagram or fluent in this resource, join us as we discover how the Enneagram can help us show up more fully, more compassionately, and more peaceably when things get hard. 02:00 Opening 02:43 The Dynamic Nature of the Enneagram 05:45 Enneagram and Conflict Navigation 06:53 Intro to Enneagram in the Context of Conflict 11:10 Core Desires and Fears of Each Type 16:30 The Two Tasks of Life 21:53 Virtues and Vices of the Nine Enneagram Types 36:08 Conflict and the Enneagram 41:44 Belly Breathing and Re-growing our Fuses 43:37 Practical Tips for Each Enneagram Type 50:24 The Importance of Otherness in Enneagram 52:12 Conclusion Mentioned in this episode: Become an Ember EMBERS is our community of investors and partners committed to igniting and fueling the Everyday Peacemaking movement. Through their continued monthly support, EMBERS members accompany us in our work of forming Everyday Peacemakers and Reconciling Leaders to mend divides. Donate 2026 Leadersip Cohort Discover the 2026 Global Immersion Leadership Cohort! Join a community of leaders, receive coaching from global peacemakers, take part in an immersive experience in Northern Ireland, and earn certification in Dialogue for Peaceful Change. Applications are open until October 31 at globalimmerse.org/cohort

    Enneagram Wisdom for Conflict — Rob Yackley

  6. 08/07/2025

    History Repeats When We Forget: A Call to the Remnant — Latasha Morrison

    In a time of exhausting division, what we need isn’t a new moral majority—it’s a faithful remnant. In this timely conversation with Latasha Morrison of Be the Bridge, we explore what it means to follow Jesus into the hard and holy work of repair. We talk about the habits that shape bridge builders, and name the biblical and historical illiteracy at the root of so much of our current brokenness. We also reflect on the need for lament and explore prayer as the seedbed for the work of justice. Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    History Repeats When We Forget: A Call to the Remnant — Latasha Morrison

  7. 07/09/2025

    Circles and Pollination: A New Way to Engage Conflict — John Paul Lederach

    What if peacemaking meant moving into people’s lives instead of waiting for them to come to the table? In this profound conversation, renowned peacemaker Dr. John Paul Lederach shares how presence, story, and deep listening can transform conflict—and why this “circulation” approach looks a lot like Jesus.02:29 John Paul Lederach’s journey with conflict transformation 07:48 How do we approach conflict today? 10:01 Humiliation and dehumanization 12:20 The way of Jesus with conflict 16:01 A story from Maze prison in Belfast 19:25 What formation is needed? Looking at Defensiveness 24:52 The Pause of Curiosity 26:16 The Vocational Pause 30:22 Fixing conflict vs. wounded companions 36:58 This moment in time? 42:29 Hope in the Everyday and the Local 46:28 Circulatory Approach 48:24 Learning from insects 55:31 Deepening in circles vs. linear “fixing 59:49 Jesus’ circulatory “along the way” ministry 01:02:23 Final encouragement 01:07:49 Closing reflection Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    Circles and Pollination: A New Way to Engage Conflict — John Paul Lederach

  8. 06/05/2025

    Ending Conflict Begins with Listening — Robi Damelin

    What if the path to peace begins with listening? In this story-driven conversation, Robi Damelin—a bereaved Israeli mother and peace activist—shares how, after losing her son to a Palestinian sniper, she chose to seek connection with those she was taught to see as enemies. Her journey is not just about Israel and Palestine—it’s about all of us, and the conflicts we each face. Discover why listening across divides may be the first courageous step toward ending conflict and reclaiming our shared humanity.04:26 Robi Learning to Survive as a Child 08:07 Memorial Day Rememberance 10:50 Revenge Motivating the Violence in Gaza 13:26 Pursuing Survival Together 17:44 Impact on Universities 21:39 Respect for Our Other 23:55 Columbia University Story 29:22 Al Jazeera Interview 32:08 Hoping Beyond Boundaries 34:54 Hope and Resilience 38:46 United States 43:05 close Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    Ending Conflict Begins with Listening — Robi Damelin
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About

How do you handle the real-world conflict in your life? Most of us were never taught how. So, this season, Mending Divides isn’t a show about conflict. It’s a collection of stories from people who were actually inside it. The moment their convictions got tested, their fears got exposed, and something in them had to change. These aren’t polished success stories. They’re honest accounts of what conflict costs, what it reveals, and what becomes possible when you do the slow, courageous work of healing instead of winning. Mending Divides is a production of Global Immersion. Hosted by Jer Swigart. Produced by Andrew Brumme. Audio post-production by Great Feeling Studios. Learn more about Global Immersion: globalimmerse.org. Support this show and Global Immersion’s work forming leaders who mend divides: globalimmerse.org/donate

Information

  • Creator
    Global Immersion
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Global Immersion
  • Show Website
    Mending Divides

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