The Believer
You already follow Him. You just do not want to stop at the surface. You would rather be rooted than only reassured — to keep digging into the Word and sit with the parts that are harder to hold.
The Shepherd's Shade — Growing Under the Son
Honest, unscripted conversations about faith — doubts and all.
Start here
So, what is this?
Two friends, hitting record and talking honestly about God — the doubts, the questions nobody says out loud, the parts of faith that don't wrap up neatly. It isn't a sermon, and we're not experts. We're just working it out together, and you're welcome to sit in — wherever you're at with all of it.
Spirit-led, not scripted
We come in with a direction — a passage, a question, a thread worth pulling — and then we hold it loosely. We are not here to push an agenda or protect a point. We follow where the Spirit takes the conversation, even when that is not where we planned to land.
Deeper than the Sunday answer
We ask the questions people are afraid to say out loud. Instead of stopping at a single verse on its own, we sit in the whole passage — what surrounds it, what it cost, what it meant — especially when life has not matched what we hoped for. Not tidy answers. Honest ones, dug out together.
Who this is for
Come sit in the shade
The Seeker
You are not sure what you believe yet, and you are done being handed conclusions. You are welcome here exactly as you are. No performance required. Come and sit in the shade while the questions are still questions.
Season One
What we're talking about…
The kind of thing we get into. Episodes land here as the season unfolds.
Your hosts
Who we are
Shakeyla Murray
Co-host
Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, AL, Shakeyla Murray is a mother, daughter, sister, and friend whose life was transformed through an encounter with Jesus Christ. Rooted in her faith, she believes God is the ultimate source of identity, purpose, and direction, and through every season of growth, healing, and discovery, she has found that true fulfillment comes from surrendering to His plan.
Passionate about sharing her testimony, Shakeyla embraces every opportunity God places before her to encourage others navigating their own journeys. She believes no one was created to walk through life's challenges alone, and that conviction is what brought her to the mic. As co-host of The Shepherd's Shade, she creates space for authenticity, connection, and hope — learning, loving, and healing out loud while helping others discover the transformative power of faith, community, and purpose.
And as a fun fact, she has a quirky habit of breaking the ends off her hot dogs before eating them, because she finds the ends annoying.
Catherine Abruzzese
Co-host
Born and raised in Atlanta, Catherine Abruzzese is a devoted wife, mother, friend, and daughter of the King. The Lord has been molding her into someone who strives to reflect His love and grace in a real, meaningful way — and to help others navigate their own journeys with faith, encouragement, and hope.
A natural deep thinker, Catherine has a passion for studying and understanding Scripture. She believes the Bible is rich with wisdom and revelation, and that learning how to properly read, interpret, and apply God's Word transforms it from simply being a book into a life-changing guide for everyday living. That passion is at the heart of what she brings to The Shepherd's Shade — honest conversations about what the Word actually says and why it can be trusted.
Catherine enjoys serving in her church community, whether that's walking alongside someone in a hard season or working quietly behind the scenes. When she's not serving or studying Scripture, you'll find her hanging out with her husband and two boys.
And as a fun fact, Catherine proudly admits that shopping is not one of her favorite activities.
So — why call it The Shepherd's Shade?
The name
Four pictures, one idea
The Shepherd
He leads, and He covers. The shade is His — a God who knows exactly where you are.
The Shade
Not the absence of heat. Somewhere to stand while the heat is happening. No performance required.
The Tree
The Shepherd's Tree roots sixty feet down to reach water, and stays green in the same drought as everything around it.
Under the Son
Everything that grows needs light. Roots need the Son — not an add-on to growth, but what growth is reaching toward. Sun, and Son.
The heart of it
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7–8
The name "The Lord is your shade on your right hand." Psalm 121:5
The covering "A shelter and a refuge from the storm." Isaiah 4:6
The Tree
Anatomy of the tree
Every part of the tree is doing something, and none of it is doing the work itself. Tap a marker on the tree to jump to what it means, or read straight down. It all traces back to the same place — the source it stays near.
Listen now
Honest, unscripted conversations about God, doubt, and what it actually means to grow. New episodes as they come — start wherever you already listen.
You're on the list — we'll let you know when a new episode is up.
Prefer your inbox? We will tell you when a new episode is up. Nothing else.
Questions welcome
What are you still wondering?
Not so we can hand you the answer — honestly, we are usually still working it out too. But the questions people are afraid to say out loud are the ones worth sitting with, and some of them turn into whole episodes. If something has been on your mind, send it our way.
Got it — thank you for trusting us with it.
Prayer
Lay it down, or lift it up
You do not need the right words, and you do not have to have faith figured out. If something is heavy, or something is on your heart, you can leave it here — we will carry it to God and stand with you in it. Wherever you are with all of it, you are welcome to.
"Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."1 Peter 5:7
We have it. Thank you for trusting us — we will pray over it.
It comes only to Shakeyla and Catherine. We hold every one in confidence, and we pray over it.