Sorta Sacred

About Sorta Sacred

Honest, human, lightly irreverent, grounded in something deeper. This podcast explores stories, reflections, and conversations about life intersecting with faith. Hosted by Mark Niethammer and Jessica Taylor. Mark is the senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. He is a wine enthusiast, enjoys all things outdoorsy, and is optimistically pessimistic by nature. Mark has been in ordained ministry for more than 15 years. Meanwhile, Jessica is the director of communication at St. Paul. She is a whine enthusiast, enjoys all things indoorsy, and is pessimistically optimistic by nurture. St. Paul Lutheran Church is a 3,500-member ELCA church located in the Quad Cities.

Publisher

Sorta Sacred

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Sept 2025

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Should We Panic? A Sorta Sacred Conversation on AI

   AI isn’t some far-off thing anymore. It’s in your pocket, your car, and your workplace. But what actually is it? Jess and Mark sit down with Ben Driscoll, Director of AI Practice at Twin State Technical Services and a former educator, to cut through the hype and the fear. Ben explains what AI is, how long it’s been around, and where you’re already using it without realizing. Then he gets into the honest stuff: what ordinary people need to know, whether it’s coming for your job, and the ...

2. 

   9 Oct 2026

   How to Be an Ally: Mental Health with Gray Matters Collective (Part 2)

   When someone is suicidal, they're not looking for a lecture. They're looking for relief. They're looking for someone to stay long enough for hope to find them again. In part two of our conversation with Haley DeGreve, we get practical. How do you actually show up for someone who's struggling? What do well-meaning people do that makes things harder? How do you talk to your kids about mental health, or notice when a friend is pulling away? We also address the particular grief ...

3. 

   25 Sept 2026

   How to Be an Ally: Mental Health with Gray Matters Collective

   Mental health isn't a niche topic — it touches all of us. But for a long time, we've treated it like a secret to keep. What made one Augustana College student decide silence wasn't acceptable? This week, Mark and Jess welcome Haley DeGreve, founder of the Gray Matters Collective, to trace the origin story of a movement that started as a campus campaign in 2018 and grew into a nonprofit reaching high schools, colleges, workplaces, and beyond. In part one of this two-part conversati...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Sorta Sacred

Guest appearances

Books guests

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