The Redeemed Backslider

Send us Fan Mail A label can feel like a sentence—until it becomes a testimony. Kathy sits down with Kayleen Mendez for a candid, unflinching conversation about growing up tender-hearted in church, slipping into control and secrecy, and the abusive marriage that shattered safety and trust. When drinking in her thirties opened the door to meth and homelessness, life narrowed to survival—hotel lobbi...

Send us Fan Mail What if the people meant to protect you became the source of your deepest wounds—and yet grace still found a way to bring you home? Alicia’s testimony is a gripping, compassionate look at church hurt, childhood abuse, and the long road back from the occult, fear, and despair to a sound mind and real freedom. We walk through the moments that shaped her story: early prayer as a litt...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the daughter of respected Pentecostal leaders finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage and eventually walks away from church altogether? Stephanie Haney Montez shares her raw, unfiltered story of growing up in a "glass house" as the daughter of Joy and Kenneth Haney, and how that experience shaped her expectations, struggles, and eventual journey aw...

Send us Fan Mail When spiritual leaders become sources of harm rather than healing, the damage can reach to the very core of a person's identity and faith. Dr. Peridot Gilbert-Reed joins host Kathy Chastain to unpack the complex reality of spiritual abuse—a topic both personal and professional for this psychologist specializing in religious trauma. Dr. Gilbert-Reed offers a powerful framework...

Send us Fan Mail What makes a child who loves church, Bible quizzing, and picking out ties for Sunday service turn to witchcraft, drugs, and crime? Terry Boucher's testimony is a harrowing journey through the darkest valleys of human experience and a powerful reminder that no one is beyond redemption. Terry's descent began with seemingly innocent choices at age 12—smoking cigarettes with...

Send us Fan Mail September 1st was National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. As such, we dedicate the episode to the thousands of children around the world who have suffered and died of childhood cancer. Grief has a way of reshaping our lives in ways we never imagined. For Keri Rodriguez, the unthinkable happened when her granddaughter Everly was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer at just 16 month...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been told to "just pray more" when facing depression? Or heard "God has a plan" when grieving, leaving you feeling worse instead of comforted? You're not alone, and there's a name for this phenomenon: spiritual bypass. In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Peridot Gilbert-Reed shares her groundbreaking research on how Christians use scri...

Send us Fan Mail Pornography addiction among Christian women remains one of the most hidden yet prevalent struggles in our churches today. In this vulnerable conversation, Brianna Arango breaks the silence by sharing her journey from secret addiction to complete freedom. Brianna's story begins with accidental exposure to pornography at just seven years old, creating neural pathways she would...

Send us Fan Mail Tom Lyman's testimony isn't just another recovery story—it's a raw journey through the paradox of growing up in church while harboring secret addictions that nearly destroyed everything he loved. From his sheltered beginnings in a tiny church school with just one classmate to the depths of cocaine addiction and infidelity while still attending services every Sunday,...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a man raised around Louisiana voodoo and family "witches" goes searching for spiritual enlightenment? Michael Arango takes us through his extraordinary journey from occult practices to authentic faith, revealing the subtle deceptions that nearly destroyed him. Beginning with childhood exposure to supernatural phenomena and his mother's claims of be...

Send us Fan Mail After his body went over an overpass, Reid Mendez couldn't be found for 48 hours. When someone finally found him, they were shocked he survived his mysterious accident. With a broken femur, crushed face, fractured neck, and brain bleeding, his survival defied medical explanation. But for Reid, it was the latest chapter in a lifelong story of God's relentless pursuit—a jo...

Send us Fan Mail Trauma doesn't just wound our hearts—it fundamentally alters how we see ourselves, others, and most profoundly, how we view God. In this powerful conclusion to our three-part series, psychotherapists Kathy Chastain and Kelly Ventura explore the spiritual battlefield of childhood trauma and the enemy's strategic use of our wounds to distort our perception of God's ch...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when our deepest wounds collide with our deepest spiritual longings? This soul-stirring conversation between Kathy Chastain and Kelly Ventura delves into the profound connection between childhood attachment wounds and our ability to trust God. The wounds of abandonment and rejection don't just affect our human relationships—they fundamentally alter how we perceiv...

Send us Fan Mail What if your spiritual struggles have been confused with willpower or belief, but in reality, they stem from wounds inflicted long before you could understand them? In this groundbreaking first installment of a three-part series, Kathy Chastain and guest Kelly Ventura illuminate the powerful connection between childhood attachment trauma and our ability to trust God. Every human i...

Send us Fan Mail Christine Milano's raw testimony of trauma, addiction, and redemption leaves no stone unturned as she recounts her journey from childhood sexual abuse to spiritual freedom. Beginning at just three years old, Christine endured sexual abuse that would continue until she was ten, creating deep wounds she'd carry silently for decades. This early trauma manifested in a profou...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the supernatural realm crashes into our everyday reality? Chris Guzman never expected to find himself battling demonic entities, hearing voices, and seeing manifestations that defied explanation. Yet that's exactly what happened when a former girlfriend performed witchcraft against him at age 19, sending him into a terrifying spiral that no medication or the...

Send us Fan Mail At just fifteen years old, Tamara Mazon-Farmer had her world shattered when someone she deeply admired in church delivered a crushing prophecy: she would never marry, never have children, never know that kind of love. This devastating message—which she now recognizes as a false word—became an identity she "put on like a jacket" every morning, eventually driving her away...

Send us Fan Mail When Victor Milano was just five years old, a Sunday school bus ministry changed the trajectory of his entire family. That simple knock on the door began a spiritual journey spanning decades—from childhood faith to teenage questioning, through marriage, divorce, and years of backsliding, before ultimately finding redemption and miraculous healing. Victor shares with raw honesty ho...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode, Rev. Ethan Logsdon walks us through more principles of spiritual warfare. He discusses how the enemy works against us, and the power of the name and the blood of Jesus. The Lord has given him wisdom to articulate what he has learned since Jesus delivered him from demon possession and called him into the ministry to the gospel. Support the show Partner with us : ht...

Send us Fan Mail Courtney shares her beautiful love affair with Jesus that began when she was just 3 years old. Jesus was ever present throughout her childhood and never left her, even when life took a drastic turn for the worse when she was sexually abused by someone she loved and trusted. That event led her to a life of Lesbianism and suicidal ideation, until the day she was intent on taking her...

Send us Fan Mail After a life of addiction and selling drugs, Maria found herself in the emergency room feeling that she was in the midst of an overdose. She reports feeling her spirit begin to separate from her body and she was not ready to meet Jesus. Two days later, she found herself at a UPC church, and God radically changed her life. Listen to to whole story to find out where she is today.  S...

Send us Fan Mail Before her son ever got involved with drugs and the occult, Jessica (Jessie) Mayfield, had her own supernatural miraculous experience with Jesus that forever changed her life! She is a living miracle of the healing power that comes by the name of Jesus. Jessie is the momma to Rev. Ethan Logsdon. Ethan was featured in Episode 10. If you haven't listed to his testimony yet, you...

Send us Fan Mail His father left when he was around 3 years old. By the time he was 8 years old, things began to change in him, in ways he didn't understand at the time. At age 13, a older boy in the church told him if he wanted to make his dreams come true, he would need to do a particular ritual. He did exactly as he was instructed and from that moment on, everything changed. For the next 5...

Send us Fan Mail Rev. Nick Mahaney wasn’t always a reverend. He was an IV drug user, Satan worshipper and felon for many years before God delivered him. Today Bro. Mahaney preaches the gospel of Jesus and has done so for the past 20 years! He was delivered by God, and God is using him to be a deliverer to others. Support the show Partner with us : https://www. theredeemedbackslider.org Follow us o...

Send us Fan Mail Dana's story is one that many go through. When outward appearance is judged harshly.  In this episode we discuss the pitfalls of judgment, misconception and the effects they have on one's heart, and one's self. It is a good reminder to let God do the saving and changing. Support the show Partner with us : https://www. theredeemedbackslider.org Follow us on Insta &am...