Embracing Brokenness

In today's Podcast, we examine the sometimes devastating fact that we believe lies about God. When lies are adopted as truth the consequences show up in dysfunctional behaviors and in ways that lead to confusion and mistrust. God is not a God of confusion. He's a God of Love not fear. We are created in His image and with His attributes. Those attributes have become distorted by sin and an enemy th...

Being tempted is not a sin. Being tested can be challenging. How we respond to temptations and testing defines us. We must understand that we were not made for this world. We were made to exist in perfect harmony with Him. That is the only way toward wholeness and freedom in Christ. We have an enemy bent on taking us out. We must not be complacent about that fact. Don’t let the enemy win. Don’t le...

Garnering and harboring excessive wealth is something that has been nibbling at my conscience for a while. I can’t escape the gnawing feeling. The unfathomable amount of money resident not only in this country but around the world and the huge disparaging gap between those with and those without is striking. God has a lot to say about finances in his Word. In fact, money and possessions are the se...

In this final podcast episode on Identity Matters , we focus on safe people. We all desire to have close relationships with people we trust. People we know that are willing to battle it out in life by our side and have our backs. What would you consider to be attributes of safe people? We'll explore this topic in detail and more as we wrap up this series of teaching on the all-important subject of...

In this podcast, we cover the topic of intimacy with God through hearing His voice. What might that look like for you?  Is it through scripture, others, that still small voice inside you namely the Holy Spirit? Does God speak to you through circumstances or unique moments in time? It's a topic not often discussed in church but one of the most critical parts of our spiritual journey toward who...

Every day we experience brokenness in the form of consequences as a result of what is often called, original sin. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil all hell broke loose. Literally. Satan got exactly what he wanted.  Here's the good news. God always wins. He's the Creator of all and knows all. He wired each of our brains to heal from wounds that have...

In case you weren't aware of it, a war broke out in Heaven on the heels of creation. When Lucifer rebelled and took 1/3 of the angels with him he landed on planet earth. Unfortunately, we then became the target of his evil ways and have been dealing with the consequences ever since. In this podcast, Steve talks about the impact that Satan has on our identity as he reviews the sequence of events th...

When it comes to matters of identity it's vitally important that we understand who we are. Not just how we view ourselves but more importantly how God sees us. After all, He did create us in His image and likeness - with traits and characteristics that model His goodness. All was distorted when we decide we wanted to be like God. But restoration is coming.  In this episode, we go deeper into...

In our second of a multi-podcast series on Identity, we examine how critically important it is to understand who God is and why what we believe about Him really does matter. Much of our impressions of who He is and how He sees us are formed at a very young age. How that translates into our day-to-day lives forms our ability to grow in our faith and in the knowledge of what a loving relationship wi...

Identity Matters seem to be one of the hottest topics on the planet and has been for some time. At Embracing Brokenness Ministries we teach, speak, and write about this subject matter on a regular basis, and is at the heart of our ministry.  On this week's Podcast you're introduced to an 8-week curriculum that is presented in person and will be online at some point in the future. Our prayer is tha...

In today's Podcast, Steve had the privilege of speaking with J.R. Woodgates. The author of Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path , and former Voice of America on-air personality. J.R. graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He enjoyed a long radio career, internationally for 27 years at the Voice of America, locally in Washington, DC for 13 years at WETA part-tim...

Choices have consequences. Some are more devastating than others. In today's podcast, Steve shares more about his own healing journey that started some 30 years ago with a 90-day stint in Federal Prison. A lifelong believer in Jesus was tempted by what the world had to offer and it landed him in a very precarious situation. But redemption awaited. He only needed to look up and lookout. This is the...

In today's podcast, we discuss the consequences of sin that so easily befell us. Steve begins and ends with Colleen presenting in between. They look at a different perspective on how behaviors in this life are linked to the decisions made by our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Wounds inflicted by others, and our own bad choices left us in a bit of a predicament. But God gave us a choice to return "back t...

In our first video podcast on Spotify, recorded during a recent class Steve taught alongside Colleen, he shares his story in testimony to the grace that God poured into his life many years ago, continuing to do so every single day. We jump right in without an intro and outro to this episode. Please provide feedback on your experience with this podcast on video through Anchor and Spotify. If you're...

World events and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are cause for all Christ-followers to pause and pray for those impacted by this crisis. From the people of Ukraine and Russia to the world leaders engaged in a resolution toward peace. Steve introduces us to a guided prayer from John Eldredge, as we together ask God to intervene in this horrific situation.

Chaos and a spirit of confusion reign among us all like we haven't seen for quite some time. Look at COVID. Look at Ukraine and the aggression being shown by Russia.  How do we interpret what's happening around us in a productive and meaningful way? As Believers in Jesus Christ, there is only one way to do so even though the enemy of God's people has other plans. In Part 2 of this 2 Part seri...

You may recall a song The Temptations made famous years ago entitled Ball of Confusion. It's not a stretch to equate that same title to conditions on the ground on this ball of dirt we call planet earth. Chaos and a spirit of confusion reign among us all like we haven't seen for quite some time. How do we interpret what's happening here in a productive and meaningful way? As Believers in Jesus Chr...

How we view God has a tremendous impact on how we view ourselves and others. He certainly is the Great Script Writer. We see familiar scenes from our life stories in every good film. From the foundation of the world, He knew each of us. Unique in our gifting and eventual calling in this life.  Our beliefs are formed at a young age. If we would recognize God as a God of love our relationship w...

Have you experienced a setback lately? Setbacks may be defined in various ways but the word itself conjures up negative thoughts. There's not a human being walking the planet that hasn't experienced some sort of setback. How should we respond? Can we grow through them and come out the other side a better person for it? We'll answer this and other questions in this podcast with a real-life example...

As our 2021 came to a close and we look forward to what's next in 2022 we have the opportunity to ponder what God has in store for our lives in this coming year. To vision with Him what might be ahead in our relationship with Him, our family, our vocation, and perhaps ministry. In this Podcast, Steve asks us to revisit the highlights of 2021 with gratitude and look ahead with anticipation consecra...

As Christmas arrives and 2021 comes to a close what should be our posture and focus as we move forward, not only on the calendar but in our daily lives? Let's explore that question in more depth in this Podcast.

This time of the year we think of Turkey and Thanksgiving, followed closely by Christmas and New Year.  A lot of celebrating, eating and time with family and friends. But.... it's not that way for everyone. Yet, we all have one thing we can do to help ourselves and others, extend gratitude. There is always something or someone to be thankful for, especially our Creator God. Tune into this pod...

In today's Podcast, Steve delves deeper into the practice of being in God's presence. What does that look like for each of us? Like the mental preparedness of Navy Seals, we need the same discipline in our spiritual lives.  Entering the battle for our hearts and minds we must be equipped by developing a personal intimacy with our Creator God. The one that formed us and desires to know us and...

Every Believer is a work in progress. Uniquely ordained to be in relationship with God and loving others as He commands. Our enemy seeks to sideline us in the journey. Don't let discouragement, driven by the wounds of your past, give him a foothold in your life. We are all unfinished works of art that God desires to complete before he returns or you stand in His presence. In this Podcast, Steve te...

Our hearts have been assaulted during these last 18 months. The enemy is attempting to derail us from our calling and our own individual healing journeys.  In this episode, we talk about the danger of leaving God out of the equation and taking control of our own lives.