Between Bread and Stone

About Between Bread and Stone

Between Bread and Stone is a weekly reflection from Stephen Brewer — a baptized human trying to live in the way of early Christians — exploring the tensions between institutional faith and radical love. Rooted in scripture, personal experience, and spiritual discernment, each episode invites listeners into the spaces where ritual breaks down, hospitality is tested, and grace persists. With a voice shaped by study of world religions, lived exclusion, and unwavering hope, Stephen challenges the boundaries of belonging and bears witness to the sacred in the margins. This is not a podcast of easy answers, but of honest questions, and of trust in the Christ who walks outside the gates. percival84.substack.com (https://percival84.substack.com/s/between-bread-and-stone?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Stephen Brewer

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jul 2025

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

85 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   El peregrino que olvidó las palabras

   The final stop on my pilgrimage through the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin took me to St. John’s in Tulare, where the Sunday evening Eucharist is celebrated in Spanish. Armed with three years of long-forgotten high school Spanish and an emergency flash card inspired by Doctor Who, I arrived prepared to make a fool of myself. What I encountered was something unexpected. Through Padre Nelson’s guitar, a sermon I could barely understand, and the quiet hospitality of a small congregation, I discovered a dimension of Christian worship that familiar words had somehow kept me from experiencing. In this Wednesday’s open letter to Father Luis, I reflect on language, Julian of Norwich, the Holy Spirit, and what happens when we stop worrying about saying the right words long enough to recognize the love being offered. Sometimes the most meaningful part of a pilgrimage is discovering what we needed to leave behind. You are welcome here. Protected Speech | Views My Own Between Bread and Stone © 2026 Stephen Brewer. All rights reserved. Podcast audio and full text may be quoted for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Gospel text from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Get full access to Drawing the Line at percival84.substack.com/subscribe (https://percival84.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   25 Oct 2026

   The Love We Bring to the Cross

   What if remembering someone could affect their conscious experience? Suppose consciousness extends beyond the physical body, and the affection we feel for someone who has died could somehow reach them. The possibility remains speculative, but its implications are extraordinary, especially when we consider how Christians remember Jesus Christ. For centuries, we have gathered before the Cross, contemplating the suffering inflicted upon him. But if our remembrance could become part of his experience, what would we be bringing him? Would our devotion return him to the suffering of his execution, or could we bring him the joy and gratitude his life has inspired? This Sunday, Ray Bradbury’s The Messiah and the revelations of Julian of Norwich accompany us into that question. Along the way, we’ll examine how Christian institutions came to sanctify suffering, and what our remembrance might mean for people whose lives have been defined by the violence they endured. The Gospel brings us back to a man telling his friends how He wants to be remembered. His request offers a surprisingly simple answer to an extraordinary question. Bring love. You are welcome here. Protected Speech | Views My Own Between Bread and Stone © 2026 Stephen Brewer. All rights reserved. Podcast audio and full text may be quoted for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Gospel text from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Get full access to Drawing the Line at percival84.substack.com/subscribe (https://percival84.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   21 Oct 2026

   The Road to the Table

   Dear Father Luis, You sent me to St. John the Evangelist in Stockton to see the HUB, a bicycle ministry that helps people get where they need to go. Unfortunately, I ran out of money, and the HUB is closed on Sundays anyway. So I made the pilgrimage from my couch. My car is still recovering from the indignity. What I encountered was a congregation that had sustained its life through years without a priest in charge, now celebrating the ordination of the Reverend Noni Shezi. A visiting bishop from South Africa sang during the ordination, and Noni stood. The following day, as the congregation approached the altar for Communion, I remained two hundred and forty miles away. You celebrated the Eucharist during the pandemic while your congregation watched from home. I have a question for you about that experience, and what the Church may have learned from it. This week’s Between Bread and Stone is a letter from Stockton, written without ever leaving Bakersfield. I hope Walsingham is treating you kindly, Father. You are welcome here. Protected Speech | Views My Own Between Bread and Stone © 2026 Stephen Brewer. All rights reserved. Podcast audio and full text may be quoted for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Gospel text from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Get full access to Drawing the Line at percival84.substack.com/subscribe (https://percival84.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Contact Between Bread and Stone

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.