How Faith Finds Us When Life Takes a Detour: Heather Land & Rachel Kessler

2026-08-13

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Joining us this week is worship leader turned viral comedian Heather Land. After growing up in the shadow of her mother’s decades-long addiction, Heather reflects on how this painful season—alongside her unexpected shift from the worship stage to the world of comedy—taught her that while our paths may take unforeseen turns, our core calling to encourage and uplift others remains constant. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Rachel Kessler, an Episcopal priest and Kenyon College chaplain who completed her PhD in medieval studies at the Univers...

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Rachel Kessler, an Episcopal priest and Kenyon College chaplain who completed her PhD in medieval studies at the University of Toronto before pivoting to seminary after hitting academic burnout, then built a following as the “Nerdy Priest” on TikTok after a student secretly downloaded the app on her phone.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Cole Arthur Riley

Upcoming interview: Dude Perfect

Heather Land

@heatherland_iaintdoinit

Heather Land’s books

Rachel Kessler

“Nerdy Priest” on TikTok

Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church

Rachel Held Evans

www.nerdypriest.com

Interview Quotes:

“It was challenging growing up in addiction. I think when you’re young, you don’t necessarily know what’s going on. You hear your family talking about it or you know it in theory, but you don’t know how to piece it together.” - Heather Land

“When you’re in addiction, codependency is just alive and well. And I think it makes the best of people act extremely erratically and say things they don’t mean.” - Heather Land

“I asked [my mom] one time, ‘What keeps you sober now?' And without hesitation, she said, ‘This time, I finally decided to stop living in shame.’” - Heather Land

“I went through a little season where I really questioned my faith. I had a lot of doubt. I think I was undoing some messed up theology that I needed to deconstruct. This was no surprise to God.” - Heather Land

“When you’ve had a certain life for fourteen years or however long, and then you find yourself walking into the unknown, it is very scary.” - Heather Land

“When we doubt God and we’re like, ‘I don’t know about this,’ He’s like, ‘Well, hang on, I’ve got something up My sleeve!’ I just think that's such a beautiful story of who God is and how faithful He is.” - Heather Land

“There is something to be said for the habits of faith when we’re not necessarily feeling that deep connection to God, for just still showing up.” - Rachel Kessler

“My online platform as ‘The Nerdy Priest’ really is just an authentic representation of who I am.” - Rachel Kessler

“I think you get burnt out in ministry when you are focusing on the ends as opposed to the means. It is so easy to get caught up in writing a good sermon or making a good post that goes viral and getting the engagement. What’s so critical is staying grounded in the truth.” - Rachel Kessler

“What I came to realize is that there aren’t rules on how we are meant to relate to Jesus. Through ritual, through the traditions of the church, those are the ways that I communicate with Jesus.” - Rachel Kessler

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!

Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7

Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW

Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx

Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU

Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ

Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb

Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh

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