Sifted Wheat

In this episode, we sit down with Kennedy Johnson (KJ) to talk about identity, healing, and learning how to live from purpose instead of pressure. KJ shares how her experience in athletics, fitness, and business shaped both her discipline and her struggle with control, and how Jesus helped her break free from shame-driven patterns. This  conversation is a powerful reminder that when identity is ro...

Have you ever felt lost in your identity, especially when faced with life’s toughest challenges? In this episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Clint Davis, a licensed therapist and fellow podcaster, who shares how war, tragedy and trauma have shaped his deeper understanding of self and faith. Through his experiences and words of wisdom, we’ll uncover how embracing our struggles can lead to...

Join me as I talk to my friend, Rachel Vowtah Ochoa, a wife, mom, and therapist specializing in trauma. It is her mission to encourage and help people heal from trauma that holds them back from becoming who they are meant to be.  Rachel's story highlights several key takeaways for anyone looking to heal from trauma and guidance in securing their identity. In this episode we discuss: ⏩ How to Reco...

Hearing from God is the best way to learn about ourselves. But, it is often confused with New Age ideologies and compared to New Thought, creating tension with Christians and disconnecting us from the One Who designed them with intention and purpose and has been encouraging communication with us from the beginning! In this conversation, Bob Hamp and I dive deeper into the concept of identity and h...

This episode is about the multifaceted nature of identity, with the emphasis being - it is not solely defined by external opinions, past experiences, or roles in life. Instead, true identity is rooted in understanding whose we are—our relationship with our Creator. Through biblical references and personal insights, listeners are encouraged to rise above labels and personal failures, embracing thei...

Welcome back with a new season and a new topic! In this episode, we will dive into the topic of identity, exploring it's foundations, the influence of culture, and the journey of rediscovering out "true selves." The importance of this discovery is rooted in our creation by God and how societal pressures and expectations can distort that designed image.  The motivation of this conversation is to en...

Anyone that has been betrayed or cheated on knows the struggle of healing in that space. In this episode, we join Wes and Renee again as they share how they learned (and are still learning) to reconnect and rebuild after 3 affairs. As you will learn, it is not a step 1-2-3 of how to forgive and trust again, it is a consistent and intentional process of humility and faith, that is often interrupted...

This week in another bonus episode, I am joining my sister and brother in law, Wes and Renee Pippin, as they share their story. In this conversation they will share about the slow burn of outside attractions, where disconnection and compartmentalization lead to more temptation, and how resentment and bitterness, not dealt with and healed, can turn around and make the same choices. It isn't easy to...

"How did I get here?" If you have found yourself in the midst of an extramarital affair, at some point you asked this question.  We can’t leave a season on sexuality without opening up the closet of infidelity in a more personal space, especially since we have spent so much time highlighting the dangers of pornography. In this episode, I will shed some light on the following topics: 1) Adultery st...

I believe that sex was meant to be good, but with the prospect of big money and ravenous appetites for pleasure in our culture, it’s looking more and more unsafe. Because of that, let’s take one more deep dive into the nuances of sexuality and the importance of using your voice to find healing. Jesus was protective of women and when He called out adultery and lust, it appeared to be with the funct...

This episode is another invitation into the intellect and wisdom that is Tom Pryde’s brain. Tom is the High Conflict Coach through Banner Institute and an expert in the abuse dynamics in relationships. As a friend and someone who is equally as passionate about loving people safely, he did the hard thing of sitting with me in my struggles and questions and reminded me that both sexes have sensibili...

In this episode you will hear what can negatively inform our relationship choices: family dynamics, past trauma, fear of failure, emotional immaturity and a disconnected sense of identity. Shantray does a beautiful job of highlighting how each of these things led to choices that resulted in pain and suffering. She also shares about the “rescue” of God to call her back to life, how He met her in th...

When I sat down to write this episode, I was hesitant. I knew it would be difficult to navigate without a clear direction and landed on education and exhortation. I think we need to hear about how the world has invaded our personhood, how the environment might lend to sexual interruptions, and mostly how attraction can be the line where we can stay in the space of temptation instead of moving into...

This conversation might not be popular, but it is a powerful one to expose the hidden dangers of pornography and its effect to unravel and oppress marriages, especially in the church. Tom talks about the real hook of pornography and how that being exposed can lead to better choices within the marriage and not precipitate the engagement of pornographic scenarios which are abusive in nature. This co...

What is our issue with divorce anyway? Are our arguments situated in the CONTEXTUAL truth of God’s Word? I find all too often that our position with divorce is very much taken from scriptures that are not interpreted in context, which just adds to the complication and why so many feel trapped in unloving and unkind marriages. This episode, we will look at the full context of the infamous verse “Go...

This week we are engaging a raw and vulnerable conversation about pornography and childhood sexual abuse. It isn’t a topic that brightens up a room exactly, but we do our best to carve it out in a way that brings hope and healing to hurting souls that might listen. Some questions we will address: ▶️ How has abuse and introduction to pornography affected you? ▶️ What is the hardest part of your jou...

This our last episode in the “Dear Counselor” series (at least for this season), and we will address the following issues that often surface in this space of healing and support: 🌀What does our role as followers of Jesus look like for those around us who are suffering? 🌀The importance of not being quick to operate against spiritual forces without first considering the soul connected, and the phy...

Have you asked that question before? Are you struggling now? Anxiety and depression can be debilitating, but we don't have to stay in that state. We can start to move through those episodes by exploring and inquiring to release the threatening messages they represent and move into more hope and joy. As usual, we invite the Word of God to inform that process, without minimizing the experience or "p...

Despite the original question sent in by the listener, "How do I remove my anger?" I dig into how to move through anger so that we don't feel stuck in it, act out of it in ways that hurt others, or keep the toxic habit of pushing it away.   In this conversation we will address: What do we do with anger? Is it a sin? How do we know when our anger has crossed over into sin? Where does forgiveness he...

Struggling with family members? Not sure what steps to take or what it looks like to love and/or help someone who exhibits toxic behaviors? This conversation is important to listen to!   In this conversation we will address: The difference between “unhealth” and “toxicity” The difficulties of separation and validation What is our role in loving a toxic family member? What is the role of the commun...

This is a HARD question, but as a counselor I know it is a necessary one. We are starting a new series “Dear Counselor” where you asked me your questions, and I sat with the Lord and my experience as a counselor to bring you support and an answer that might instill hope. The truth is, you might not like the answer, you might struggle with the concept, and in either of those spaces, there is so muc...

We can’t end this series without talking about healthy sexuality, and in this conversation I provide a roadmap that can help us get back to it. We need to move through what pornography taught us, what trauma embedded and any other confusion that might be making it something different than it was meant to be. There are some points that might not be appreciated, that go against what culture tells us...

In this conversation, I’m joined by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Brooke Keels,  Ph. D., LPC-MHSP, LPC-Supervisor. She is the Chief Clinical Officer at Lighthouse, located in Dallas Texas, where she works to create, implement, and oversee multiple programs. She has worked in the recovery industry in a professional capacity for over 16 years in a variety of roles. I know you will appreciate her...

It’s time for another episode in the continued exploration of “sexuality.” What forms and develops our attraction? Why does that matter? And how can we safe guard our heart from the pitfalls of attraction? Those are the questions we are addressing today. And I pray they are not only revelatory but they are impactful to your relationships - the ones you are in, the ones you are developing and the o...

*Trigger Warning* This week’s episode is about exploring why it’s important to realize that sex isn’t everything and everything isn’t sex. I wrestled with what to name this because I didn’t want people to push it away without giving it a chance.. so, I might have given it a bit of a “clickbaity” title to encourage some curiosity? Maybe that’s why you are here, and now that you are, as promised, he...