Working Out Your Faith: Madeline Cliffe

What happens when you’re pretty sure you know what you believe… but you still have questions? In this episode of 2414, Shane Welter and Youth Director Jonah Kaufmann sit down with Madeline Cliffe for a conversation about growing up between Saudi Arabia and the Pacific Northwest, navigating different Christian traditions, asking hard questions about baptism and the Sacraments, and discovering that faith can keep growing long after you think you’ve figured it out. Madeline’s story takes some unexpected turns—from an international childhood and a deeply involved non-denominational church upbringing, to college, Bible school in England, and eventually Lutheranism. Along the way, she wrestles with Scripture, tradition, liturgy, theology, and what it actually means to believe that something is true. But the conversation eventually gets even more personal. What happens when you know what you believe, but you don't always feel like you want to believe it? What do you do when prayer feels difficult, silence feels uncomfortable, and faith starts to feel more like a checklist than a relationship with God? It's a wide-ranging, funny, honest conversation about faith, questions, tradition, and the ongoing work of being renewed by God. And yes… there’s Outburst. *In this episode:* 00:00 – Show intro: finding hope and common ground through conversation 00:47 – Madeline joins the conversation 02:49 – Highs and lows 13:37 – Outburst begins 22:13 – Madeline’s life story 23:18 – Growing up in Saudi Arabia 34:18 – Growing up in church and Christian community 43:27 – Choosing kinesiology and a career in fitness 51:52 – Bible school in England 55:02 – How Lutheranism entered the picture 62:11 – Baptism, Scripture, and the theological rabbit hole 69:49 – Conversations that helped shape her faith 74:19 – From resisting liturgy to loving it 79:03 – Spiritual dryness, prayer, silence, and renewal 83:04 – Why testimonies matter 84:56 – Outro *2414* is a podcast from St. Luke’s Lutheran Church featuring real conversations about faith, life, ministry, and the people in our church community. Want to share your own faith story on 2414? We’d love to hear it. Schedule a time to share your story: https://outlook.office.com/book/Ge29a... Learn more about the St. Luke’s 1-2-3 Challenge: https://www.stlukes-church.com/the-12... Share a step of faith so others can be encouraged: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA... Don't forget to continue the conversation at home, in the car, at work, or anywhere you can find someone to talk to! Thanks for walking with us! ________________________ St. Luke's Lutheran Church is located in Federal Way, Washington. If you are in the area, stop by on a Sunday morning and say hello. We have two church services on Sundays: 8:15AM and 10:45AM. If you'd like to support us: SUBSCRIBE and turn the notification bell on, like the video, and leave a comment and tell us where you're watching from! You can find more information at www.stlukes-church.com Facebook:   / 2414podcast   Instagram:   / 2414podcast   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6W5Qy7a... Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...