Burning Butterflies

40 Days of Community: Campaigning for Tom

Chapter 5, Episode 11
Fresh off the Georgia trip, Tom is fired up about effective communication. For once, it seems like he’s actually all in—ready to implement everything he’s learned and get the church on board with his newfound passion. But how does he plan to make it happen?
Simple. He buys yet another program from Rick Warren. Because nothing says vision like a pre-packaged church growth strategy. Will this one finally be the thing that transforms Come As You Are? Or is it just another expensive distraction in Tom’s never-ending cycle of big ideas and zero follow-through?
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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This Is It: Tom's All In!

Chapter 5, Episode 10
Tom comes back from Georgia fired up, ready to revolutionize church communication. Enter Grow Gatherings—meetings meant to bring people together, spark engagement, and finally give the congregation a voice. For a brief moment, it seems like something real is happening. People are excited. Ideas are flowing.
But then, reality sets in. Tom and Charlotte quickly realize that letting people have a voice also means hearing them—and that’s a problem. The solution? Vetting. Filtering. Controlling. Because at Come As You Are, not all voices are created equal.
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Georgia on My Mind: Amanda's Idea, Tom's Trip

Chapter 5, Episode 9
Amanda finds a church communications conference in Atlanta that she’s eager to attend, but what starts as simply asking for permission quickly spirals into a full-blown staff trip—led and planned by Tom, of course. Suddenly, it’s no longer about learning or growth; it’s about control.
As with most things at Come As You Are, there's more that meets the eye. Who actually paid for this trip? What did they really learn? What did Tom want implemented? And back home, Froggy is up to something that’s pulling Tom’s attention away from the conference.
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Run HIS Race: Tom Leads a VBS

Chapter 5, Episode 8
The theme for VBS 2019 is Run Your Race, but as usual, Tom has his own agenda. Determined to put the men of the church in their place and prove they need to step up, he appoints himself as the lead. But in true Tom fashion, that really just means one thing—Brandi and Amanda will do all the work, while he takes all the credit. Who’s really running this race? And at what cost?
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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The Time Amanda Threw Miss America a Funeral

Chapter 5, Episode 7
A new family walks through the church doors, and Tom smells money. They need to be love-bombed and pulled in immediately, and what better way than to hand them over to Brandi and Amanda? Fresh off being allowed to be friends again, the two are tasked with planning a funeral at Come As You Are—a funeral that quickly turns into a complete disaster.
Amanda and Brandi are manipulated, overworked, and taken advantage of, but in the chaos, something important happens. This new family starts sharing bits of their past—who they were before Come As You Are. But here’s the catch: their story is going to change. Pay close attention to what Amanda is told now, because as time goes on, their narrative will shift, and the truth will become harder to find. This isn’t just a funeral—it’s the start of something much bigger.
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Tithes & Serving: Tom Needed Control

Chapter 5, Episode 6
Pastor Young Gun is out, but the fallout is far from over. With the church divided, Tom is desperate to reassert his authority. He played his hand, forcing people to choose sides, and now it’s time to bring the Team Young Gun stragglers back into the fold. But how does he do it? And more importantly—does it work? Meanwhile, amidst the tension and manipulation, something unexpected happens. Brandi and Amanda are allowed to be friends again. What changed?
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Emotional Manipulation: The Good Friday Facade

Chapter 5, Episode 5
Tom has never been one for deep self-reflection or lingering in raw emotion, but as a pastor, he knows he has to maintain the illusion of spiritual depth and care. With Good Friday 2019 approaching, he faces a dilemma—how to keep his mask on without letting the service become too introspective or heavy. His solution? Send Amanda and Froggy into the planning meetings to do the dirty work for him.
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Love Is More Than Just a Word...It's a Control Tactic

Chapter 5, Episode 4
Coming off the success of the Christmas play, Melissa is determined to make the church’s Valentine’s event unforgettable with a dinner theater experience. The Griswolds take charge of the meal, while Melissa reimagines The Glass Menagerie with her own twist. But the real question of the night—can Froggy pull off his sermon-style message and send couples home feeling encouraged in the Lord?
Meanwhile, Amanda is sidelined with pneumonia as the church gears up for the third annual Daddy-Daughter Dance. She leaves the event in others’ hands, but as tensions rise and women start walking out, she’s called in at the last minute. Will the night end in sweet memories or complete disaster?
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Go: A Conference to Prove Charlette Wrong

Chapter 5, Episode 3
In this episode of Burning Butterflies, Amanda recalls the tense and defining moment when she decided to challenge Charlette’s rigid approach to women's ministry at Come As You Are. For years, the women's events at the church were steeped in tradition—every gathering required a keepsake, a craft, and, of course, worship. It had become an adult version of VBS, and Amanda, along with Brandi, was growing increasingly frustrated with the formulaic approach. After attending a series of fresh, innovative conferences, the duo felt inspired to put on an event of their own—a simple, meaningful gathering for women, without all the unnecessary fluff.
But Charlette wasn’t one to take kindly to being proven wrong. In this episode, we dive into how Charlette responded to Amanda’s bold move, whether the women in the church were willing to show up for something new, was Brandi allowed to participate and what did Froggy have to do with a women's conference.
Burning Butterflies is a listener supported podcast. Please check out our Patreon to learn more about how you too can support what we are doing!
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Amanda Gets Played: But Also Gets a Ministry

Chapter 5, Episode 2
Amanda has always wanted to serve, to be useful, to prove her devotion to the church and to Tom. But in this episode, we unravel how Tom expertly manipulates her, turning her into a pawn in his mind games—this time, with Beth as his target. As tensions rise, Amanda is unknowingly used to push Beth over the edge, leading to her final breaking point and ultimate decision to leave the church for good.
And what is Amanda’s reward for her blind loyalty? A position in the sound booth—a ministry at last, after her humiliating "time out" punishment. But there’s just one problem: Amanda has no knowledge, no experience, and absolutely no business being there. Yet, in Tom’s world, qualifications don’t matter—only obedience does.