Hope Talks

Do you ever struggle to pray? Most of us would say yes.   Prayer is one of the richest blessings we have, but it doesn’t always come easily. Distractions, unanswered prayers, and questions about God can make it difficult to know where to begin.   Pastor and author Matt Smallbone joins Haley and Dustin to share his own struggles with prayer and what changed when he began praying through the Lord’s...

After years of declining church engagement, something hopeful may be happening: younger generations are showing a renewed openness to Jesus and spiritual questions. But what are they really searching for—and how should the church respond?   Barna Group CEO David Kinnaman joins Haley and Dustin to discuss why young people want a faith that is real, beautiful, and lasting. They explore mental health...

What are you grateful for today?   Sometimes that’s easy to answer. But when life gets hard, busy, or simply mundane, it can be difficult to cultivate a grateful heart.   God calls us to be grateful, and that often requires slowing down to notice the specific people, moments, memories, and everyday gifts He has given us.   In this episode, Haley and Dustin walk through Hope for the Heart’s newest...

You’re aging. So is everyone you love … a little bit more each day. Even though we all want a long life … our culture doesn’t have a positive view of aging. We are told to fight it, hide it, or fear it.   In this episode, Haley and Dustin talk with Bible teacher and author Jen Wilkin about her new book, Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World. Jen shares how an early cancer diagnosis and...

We all struggle with control. We want to control outcomes, other people’s choices, and what comes next. And when that burden becomes exhausting, we’re often told to just “trust God” or “let go and let God.” But sometimes control isn’t a power grab. Sometimes we try to manage people and circumstances precisely because we’re responsible, capable, and caring—and because painful experiences have taugh...

Grief can change your life so deeply that there’s simply no going back to the way things were. So how do you accept the new reality of loss and still move forward with real hope?    In this episode, Haley and Dustin talk with Sam Ingrassia about the death of his wife, Vicky, after more than 50 years of marriage and a four-year health decline. Sam shares what he’s learning about grief, accepting a...

What difference does the hope of heaven make when life hurts right now?   In this episode, Haley and Dustin welcome Sheila Walsh back to the podcast for an honest conversation about depression, disappointment, unanswered prayers, and the hope we have in Christ. Sheila shares about a recent difficult season in her own mental health journey and how Hebrews 12 led her to a fresh perspective on eterni...

Whose voice has shaped the way you see yourself? Today we're revisiting one of our favorite Hope Talks conversations about identity and learning to see yourself through God's eyes instead of through the opinions of others, your past, or the lies you've come to believe. Together, Haley and Dustin explore why so many of us struggle with shame, insecurity, guilt, and feeling like we're never enough....

We often pray for big miracles while overlooking the countless ways God is already at work around us. In this replay episode of Hope Talks, we're revisiting an encouraging conversation with bestselling author and pastor Mark Batterson about learning to see God with fresh eyes.  Mark shares the remarkable story of being miraculously healed after living with severe asthma for 40 years, along with th...

Do you constantly feel responsible for other people's happiness? Struggle to say no? Find yourself rescuing, fixing, or losing yourself in relationships? In this replay episode, we're revisiting one of our most practical conversations on codependency. Haley and Dustin unpack what codependency really is, why it's often misunderstood, and how unhealthy relationship patterns can quietly shape marriag...

What do you do when your child receives an autism diagnosis? How do you hold onto hope when the future suddenly feels uncertain? In this episode, Haley and Dustin sit down with Dr. Stephanie Holmes—certified autism specialist, counselor, and neurodiverse marriage therapist—to explore autism, ADHD, neurodiversity, and the hope Christ offers families navigating these realities. Stephanie shares her...

Why do certain hurts from the past keep showing up in the present? Today we're revisiting one of our most impactful conversations with Marcus Warner, president of Deeper Walk International and author of Understanding the Wounded Heart. Recorded at our 2025 Hope Together Conference, Marcus shares his personal journey through anxiety, ministry burnout, and emotional healing—and how God revealed woun...

What do you do when your faith feels strong on the outside but you're falling apart on the inside? Today we're revisiting one of our most meaningful conversations with author, speaker, and Bible teacher Sheila Walsh. In this deeply personal episode, Haley and Dustin talk with Sheila about depression, childhood trauma, mental health, and the life-changing hope found in Jesus Christ. Sheila shares h...

"You are loved. Deal with it."   That's how Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton summarizes the gospel.   After a lifetime of chasing excellence, standing on podiums, battling cancer, enduring loss, and navigating unimaginable challenges, Scott discovered a truth far greater than any medal or accomplishment: his worth was never found in what he achieved, but in being loved by God.   In this conver...

Are you stressed out and wondering how to find peace in your daily life?   Stress has become the background noise of modern life. Between endless responsibilities, constant notifications, information overload, and busy schedules, many of us feel overwhelmed and don't know how to slow down.   In this episode, Haley and Dustin explore what stress really is, the difference between healthy and unhealt...

As America marks its 250th anniversary, there's no better time to ask: what has kept this nation standing? Elizabeth Carlyle's answer is simple — prayer.   Elizabeth learned that at age eleven, when her father suffered a heart attack and was rushed away in an ambulance. She rode her bike to the end of the street, watched it go by, and prayed. He survived. And fifty years later, she still prays eve...

What would your life look like if you stopped striving to earn approval? If you didn't wrestle with guilt or shame? If you truly understood God's grace?   For most of us, that feels more like a dream than a reality—because grace is one of the most common words in Christianity and also one of the most misunderstood. We know we're saved by grace, yet we still live with performance, shame, striving,...

Have you ever felt like your relationship with God isn't quite what it's "supposed" to look like?   In this conversation, Haley and Dustin sit down with Hosanna Wong — international speaker, spoken word artist, and best-selling author — to talk about what it looks like to stop overcomplicating your faith and actually enjoy God for real.   Hosanna shares her remarkable story: growing up in outdoor...

What do you do when life starts to feel like it's spiraling out of control and you can't figure out why?   In this conversation, Haley and Dustin sit down with Levi Lusko, pastor, best-selling author, and founder of Fresh Life Church to talk honestly about grief, loss, and the unexpected season of crisis that led to his newest book, Blessed Are the Spiraling.   Levi shares the devastating loss of...

In this special episode, Haley and Dustin discuss God’s heart for the nations and Hope for the Heart’s international ministry. From biblical foundations for missions to powerful stories of transformation from around the world, this conversation explores how God is bringing hope to people across cultures, languages, and circumstances.    Haley shares how she was called into international ministry,...

What if the Christian life isn’t about achieving – but receiving?    In this episode, Dr. Libin Abraham, lead pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship, shares how discovering grace transformed his faith from burnout to freedom. Instead of striving to earn identity, he learned to rest in what God had already done.    Together, we explore the difference between a “rowboat” life powered by effort and a “...

Dr. Lee Warren is a neurosurgeon and author of The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery, but his story goes far beyond medicine. After losing his son tragically and unexpectedly, he found himself navigating unimaginable grief. Yet on the very same day as his son’s funeral, the birth of his granddaughter gave him a glimpse of hope in the darkness.   In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Warren...

Nobody likes the feeling when your thoughts are spiraling – when your emotions feel out of control.   So what can you do in those moments?   In this episode, Haley and Dustin talk about how to care for your mental health in a practical, biblical way. They unpack key principles about your thoughts and emotions, address common misconceptions that keep us stuck, and walk through Philippians 4:8, show...

Haley and Dustin are joined by Dr. Rich Kannwischer, pastor of Peachtree Church in Atlanta, Georgia and author of Cultivate: How God Grows the Fruit of the Spirit within Us.   Richard shares his powerful hope story from early in his ministry about a tragic moment that left him questioning himself, his calling, and whether he had failed. In that season, God began to reshape how he saw his identity...

At 18 years old, Lauren Daugherty received a cancer diagnosis that would change her life. In this episode, she shares her honest and powerful story of navigating fear, treatment, and the unknown—and how God met her in the middle of it all.    Lauren opens up about the role of family, community, and faith during her hardest moments, as well as what led her to share her journey publicly to encourage...