Lifted to Hope

All of our human relationships require one core element to thrive: trust. When trust on either end begins to dissolve, the entire relationship is instantly vulnerable, and take us In this episode, I've invited my friend Connie to share her story of a journey of answering the call for mission work alongside her husband. She will unpack how a crisis of faith for her husband led to a handful of destr...

Have you ever been overwhelmed or mystified by the idea of being able to forgive someone who has wounded you deeply? It can feel absolutely impossible in most instances, and it would be - without Christ. But God. In this episode, I'm sharing the practical steps we must take in order to forgive our offenders and be free of the shame attached to the pain they caused in our lives. Join me as I share...

Even though we try to hide our sins in the most effective ways, it's impossible to sin without affecting our relationships. In this episode, Scott is back to share more of how God showed up to guide him through the nightmare of loneliness as he faced truth. When Scott had the courage to stay still and stop retreating, he found a deep intimacy with God waiting for him. Discover how Scott learned to...

When the people who are designated to create safety and security in your home as a child can't show up well, it's easy to normalize chaotic and unsafe circumstances. In this episode, I've invited my friend Scott to share how his childhood was full of the damaging effects of his chaotic family life, including feelings of fear, confusion, and a distorted understanding of relationships. He specifical...

The need to forgive others is usually easy to recognize, but we often minimize the need to forgive ourselves for the damage we've done. It feels like a confusing process to navigate when we are both the offended and the offender. Yet when we overlook this very significant step in healing, we can unknowingly fuel the shame cycle, which leads to feeling stuck and hopeless.  We may be able to embrace...

Even when we know the work God has done in us is undeniable, it's hard to predict how God will continue to work in us to draw us closer to Him through the many seasons of our lives. He does consistently redeem the darkest parts of our story to emphasize his love for us.  Join me and Bill again to discover how God responded when Bill cried out to God asking for a life worth living. Hear how Bill le...

To really know God means that you know how to connect with Him in the little moments of the day just as much as you would in a crisis. When we slow down and turn down the noise of our lives, He's closer than we think. Today, my guest Bill Folz is sharing the first part of his story in which he shares that while he believed in God, he had no idea what it meant to connect with Him, or that God would...

Taking time to understand the concept of forgiveness is one thing, but practically learning how to accept forgiveness from God, others, and especially ourselves can feel so challenging. When we are stuck in cycles of sin, it is so easy to begin to believe the lie that we are too messy and that we have sinned above and beyond what God could look past.  In this episode, I'll share why there's always...

In this episode, author and leader, Bill Thrall returns to share more about how shame fuels sin. We discover how we were always made to live in relationship with God and with one another. Yet when we are hurting, we hide, and in the darkness, we sin. This sin always has an impact on our ability to connect with people around us and on our relationship with God.   Being able to analyze our own tende...

Have you ever stopped to get curious about what is behind compulsive sin? In this episode, I've invited author and pastor, Bill Thrall to dive into this very complicated question. Because of the shame that accompanies compulsive sin, it is hard to believe that behind it is a God-given need to trust God and others with our needs. But this is where the real recovery begins. Bill will share with us t...

Even if you've been walking with God for many years, the practice of confessing your sin to God or to others can feel challenging. In this solo teaching episode, I'll share the many reasons why we continue to avoid living in honesty and freedom.  The cost of confessing can be high because we have to come face to face with the damage we've done. But the cost of not confessing is even greater in the...

We've all been impacted by someone who is shameless in their actions. It can be difficult to understand how anyone, (including ourselves) can act without any regard for others around them. And yet it happens all the time. We have all been created with the law of God written on our hearts, but when we choose to live by our own law, our ability to hear and respond to God is weakened. In this solo te...

 In this episode, Mike returns to share more about how a support group like PAL can empower parents of young people who are struggling with addiction. You'll learn what you can expect to take away from a PAL meeting and why Mike is so passionate about equipping parents, rather than licensed counselors to facilitate these groups. Knowing when to show compassion and when to enforce a boundary as a p...

It is an incredible challenge to navigate personal recovery from addiction, but perhaps even more challenging to navigate it alongside a loved one. It all boils down to how little control we have. Today's guest is someone who has navigated his own recovery and now uses his story to compassionately and strategically support parents of kids who are battling an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Mike is...

Chances are you know someone who has attended or benefited from a 12 Step program. It's been around for a long time and the principles are powerful for those who are seeking healing and freedom. In this episode, Dick shares with us how God has used this program to not only guide him through the healing process but also turn around to serve those who are at the beginning of their journey by sponsor...

God has a way of putting a burden in our hearts for something long before we are ready and sometimes it is hard to wait to see how we will be used. This was certainly the case with Dick, my friend, and guest on the podcast today.  In this episode, Dick shares how his heartbreak over being abandoned as a child became impossible to bear. Alcohol suddenly became a long-awaited reprieve, but quickly b...

In this episode, Mike picks up where he left off in sharing the road to recovery that began the moment he was arrested. You'll hear why he was so ready for the authenticity and intensity of a 12 Step program. While being released from jail meant Mike got to start over, facing the mess he left behind could have led to his collapse. But God was ready to show him a new path. Join us in the episode as...

  The danger of any addiction is that in the beginning, many people manage to be functional drug users, where the consequences seem minimal. But in this episode, my friend Mike will share how that season was short-lived. He opens up about how the drugs quickly took a grip of his life as he chose to let go of all his significant relationships and took hold of any chance he could get high to keep re...

Kiera is back in this episode to share how God generously supplied the forgiveness she would need to offer her mom. Doing this allowed her to love her well as she began to age, regardless of how her mom treated her. Perhaps the biggest gift was the way it allowed her to have confidence in her own value and in her most significant relationships. Being able to forgive someone who doesn't understand...

Attempting to reconcile with someone who is completely unaware of how they've wounded you is incredibly challenging. How do you offer forgiveness to someone who doesn't ask for it - or worse, continues to hurt you even after you forgive them? And what do you do when you still ache to be in relationship, even when it's unhealthy?  It's not uncommon to wrestle with questions like these, especially i...

Only in hindsight can we recognize the miracle of God's healing in our lives. In last week's episode, Joe shared what caused some of the deep wounds in his relationships with his parents growing up. While Joe was incredibly uncomfortable in learning how to deal with anxiety, God was laying the groundwork for how he would use Joe to point other hurting hearts back toward God too.  Discover how this...

In this episode, I've invited Joe Scheid to share his story of growing up in a home with parents who struggled with addiction and codependency. Being able to understand the experience through his eyes as a child has brought clarity to the overwhelming feelings of resentment and rebellious behavior that surfaced as he got older.  But God graciously broke the cycle of unhealth in his life when his p...

In a fallen world, we all feel the impact of broken relationships. Sometimes we have caused the hurt, sometimes someone else has, and many times it's a messy combination. While repairing relationships takes an incredible amount of maturity and courage, avoiding the work can often cause much more damage.  Join me as I share some very practical tips for engaging in the process of reconciliation and...

God graciously wired us to thrive through relationships and desires us to live connected and in unity. Yet being human means we've experienced the brokenness of these relationships through disagreements, misunderstandings, and betrayal. In different seasons we are the offender or the offended, and often times we are both at once.  The hope for us is that God has also gifted us with the ministry of...

When a wound from grief is just barely healing, it can be devastating when another wave of loss rolls in, exposing your heart all over again. In this episode, Rich and Melissa continue sharing their story in marriage, the mission field, and their pursuit of building a family.  While this couple could never imagine being able to navigate an additional traumatic loss, they quickly realized that thei...