Hope through the Hard

Have you ever been in the middle of an argument and suddenly realized you're not even having the same conversation you started with? You're talking faster. You're preparing your response instead of listening. You're desperate to be understood—or you've completely shut down. Maybe part of you even knows you're no longer communicating well. But you can't seem to stop. In...

We took Hope Through the Hard on the road—and this time, Lincoln and Lyndon are helping tell the story. What started as a work trip to Boston turned into our family's first trip to New England, a history-filled adventure through Cape Cod, Plymouth, and the streets of Boston...and approximately 12½ miles of walking in one day. 😂 In this special episode, we're trading the podcast chairs for...

Have you ever had a disagreement with someone you love and—even though nothing terrible has actually happened—something inside you starts screaming: Are we okay? Nobody has threatened to leave. The relationship isn't ending. Maybe your spouse's tone simply changed. A friend told you something bothered them. Your teenager is upset with you. Someone wants to have a difficult conversation. Bu...

Have you ever had someone say something—and before they’ve even finished the sentence, you already have an emotion, an interpretation, and an entire closing argument ready? Maybe you get defensive. Maybe you shut down. Maybe anger rises before you’ve even had time to think. Or maybe your response is simply: Fine. 😅 For several seasons of Hope Through the Hard , we’ve spent time understanding why...

Living Whole in a Fragmented World What happens when the things making your life feel overwhelming aren't things you can—or even should—remove? “Just simplify your life” can be helpful advice. Sometimes we've taken on responsibilities that were never ours, filled our schedules unnecessarily, or continued saying yes because we're afraid to disappoint someone. But sometimes life is simpl...

Offering Your Whole Self to ChristWhat if your body is not a problem to solve, an inconvenience to ignore, or something divine to worship—but part of the life God has given you to offer back to Him? In this episode of Hope Through the Hard, Ashley and Levi explore what it means to reclaim the body as a place of worship. We often divide our spiritual lives from our physical ones, but Scripture give...

Healing Happens in Ordinary MomentsFinding Christ and the Fruit of Healing in Everyday LifeWhat if some of the clearest evidence that you're healing isn't found in a dramatic breakthrough—but in an ordinary Tuesday when you simply respond differently than you used to? We often look for transformation in the big moments: the breakthrough conversation, the answered prayer, the retreat, the r...

Why Rest Feels So Uncomfortable Learning to Receive the Rest Christ Freely Gives Why does rest sometimes feel harder than work? Why do we finally get a quiet moment...only to reach for our phone, start another project, or think of everything we should be doing? In this episode of Hope Through the Hard , Ashley and Levi explore why many of us struggle to receive the very rest Christ freely offers....

What Healing Looks Like in an Anxious World What if healing isn't something you spend the rest of your life chasing? What if one day you simply look up and realize you're living differently? After spending an entire season exploring trauma, identity, boundaries, forgiveness, hope, and healing, Ashley and Levi begin a brand-new movement of Hope Through the Hard by asking a different questio...

How God Parents Us While We Parent Them What if the greatest gift you give your children isn't perfection... but showing them what it looks like to keep returning to Jesus? Many parents carry a quiet fear: "Am I passing my wounds on to my children?" In this final episode of our Hope, Resilience & Long-Term Healing series, Ashley and Levi explore one of the most hope-filled truths...

The Grace to Keep Going What do you do when you're tired of healing? Not because you've stopped loving Jesus. Not because you've given up. Not because you're failing. Simply because healing is hard. In this episode of Hope Through the Hard , Ashley and Levi explore one of the most honest realities of the healing journey: eventually, many of us become weary. Healing asks us to griev...

Choosing Hope When Life Still Feels Hard What does hope look like when life is still hard—and you are too tired to manufacture a positive attitude? Many of us have learned to think of hope as a feeling, an optimistic personality, or the belief that everything will eventually work out the way we want. But biblical hope is something much steadier. Hope does not deny suffering. It does not suppress g...

Why Forgiveness Doesn't Mean Forgetting, Restoring Full Access, or Pretending You Weren't Hurt What if forgiveness isn't what you've always been told it is? Many Christians have unknowingly been taught that forgiveness means forgetting what happened, pretending everything is okay, restoring broken trust immediately, or removing healthy boundaries. But what if those ideas aren't...

Learning to Trust Again After Church HurtWhat do you do when the place that was supposed to help you heal becomes the place where you were wounded? Church hurt is one of the most painful forms of relational grief because it often impacts not only our trust in people—but our perception of God. In this deeply personal episode, Ashley and Levi share from what they call "the messy middle" of...

People-Pleasing, Trauma, and What the Bible Actually Says Why is it so hard to say "no" when every part of you knows you should? Why do healthy boundaries make so many of us feel guilty? For many people, the struggle isn't selfishness—it's survival. If you grew up believing your value came from keeping everyone happy, avoiding conflict, or carrying burdens that were never yours,...

Attachment, Healing & the Character of GodHave you ever wondered why trusting God can feel difficult—even when you genuinely love Him? For many of us, the way we learned to relate to parents, caregivers, authority figures, and significant relationships shaped far more than our human connections. Those early experiences often influence how we see ourselves, how we view others, and even how we e...

How childhood wounds, pain, and survival strategies shape the beliefs we carry about ourselves Have you ever noticed that even when you know something is true, you don't always believe it? You know God loves you...but you still feel unwanted. You know your worth isn't earned...but you still feel like you have to prove yourself. You know you're forgiven...but you still carry shame. In t...

How trauma, fear, and survival strategies can quietly become your identity Have you ever stopped and wondered: Who would I be if I wasn't constantly protecting myself? Many of us learned early in life that survival required something from us. Maybe you became the peacekeeper. The achiever. The caretaker. The strong one. The invisible one. The responsible one. What began as a survival strategy...

Why setbacks, grief waves, and recurring struggles do not erase your progressHave you ever felt like you were finally healing… only to find yourself struggling with something you thought you had already overcome? Maybe an old trigger resurfaced. Maybe grief returned unexpectedly. Maybe anxiety showed up again after months of progress. And suddenly the shame started talking:"Why am I back here...

Why are believers told to meditate on truth daily, renew the mind continually, pray without ceasing, remember, rehearse, repeat? And why does healing sometimes feel so frustratingly slow? In this episode, Ashley and Levi explore the connection between: ✨ Scripture repetition ✨ Neuroplasticity & brain rewiring ✨ Trauma healing ✨ Nervous system regulation ✨ Habit formation ✨ Renewal of the...

What if prayer feels hard not because you’re failing spiritually… but because your nervous system is exhausted? In this episode of Hope Through the Hard , Ashley and Levi explore the connection between trauma, chronic stress, burnout, and spiritual disciplines. Together they unpack why prayer, worship, Scripture reading, and stillness can feel overwhelming for dysregulated believers — and why God’...

Why do some of us finally slow down… only to feel anxious, restless, guilty, or emotionally overwhelmed? In this episode of Hope Through the Hard, Ashley and Levi explore the connection between trauma, chronic stress, nervous system conditioning, faith, and the fear of stillness. Together, they unpack why the body can learn to associate rest with danger — and how God gently teaches us to experienc...

Have you ever felt like your reactions are too much …too emotional, too intense, too quick? Maybe you’ve thought: “Why do I keep responding like this?” or even worse… “What’s wrong with me?” In this episode of Hope Through the Hard , we’re unpacking a truth that has the power to shift everything: 👉 Your trigger responses are not character flaws.👉 They are learned patterns your body developed to...

Why automatic emotional reactions do not mean spiritual failureHave you ever felt your body react before your mind could slow it down — your chest tightened, anger rose, panic hit — and then shame followed immediately after? Maybe you told yourself: “If I really trusted God, I wouldn’t feel this way.”In this episode of Hope Through the Hard, we explore the painful intersection of trauma, faith, sh...

 Have you ever felt like healing, peace, or even happiness… is for other people—but not for you? Maybe it’s because of past choices. Maybe it’s consequences you’re still living in. Maybe it’s a quiet belief you’ve never said out loud: “I don’t deserve to feel better.” In today’s episode of Hope Through the Hard , we’re having an honest and compassionate conversation about guilt, shame, and the str...