The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

How do we find meaning in suffering without pretending that the suffering itself is good? And what does it look like to bring our pain, doubts, anger, and questions fully into our relationship with God? Kelly M. Kapic, Dr. Liz Hall, and Jason McMartin bring together perspectives from theology and psychology to explore what it means to suffer faithfully without minimizing the reality of pain. In th...

How can we bring our hardest questions to God when trauma has left us with pain, confusion, and uncertainty? And what if the Psalms of lament can become a resting place where we are free to be honest about our suffering and discover that God meets us there? Former Navy Chaplain Nick Hamilton has spent 25 years walking alongside people in some of the darkest moments of their lives, including deploy...

What happens when the life you've built around pain, addiction, and survival comes crashing down and God meets you in the middle of the brokenness? And how can confronting the pain we've tried to avoid become the beginning of discovering who God created us to be? Jermaine Wilson's story is one of remarkable redemption. After growing up surrounded by poverty and becoming involved in gangs, addictio...

How do we keep going when we find ourselves exhausted, spiritually weary, or in a season that feels like a desert? And what can the wisdom of ancient Christian traditions teach us about developing resilience in the midst of modern life? Tish Harrison Warren is an Anglican priest and author who writes about the ordinary practices that shape our life with God. In her book, "What Grows in Weary Lands...

How do you find rest when grief comes in waves and the child loss you’ve experienced changes everything? And how can faith prepare us to endure child loss while still believing that God is good? Matthew Efird knows the profound pain of child loss and the questions that come with walking through grief. In the midst of his own journey, he discovered that God’s character remains steady even when our...

How do you move forward when the marriage you once hoped would last forever comes to an end? And what does it look like to rebuild your life with faith, courage, and hope after divorce? For Alisha Roth, walking through divorce meant facing not only the loss of her marriage, but also the questions, judgment, and uncertainty that can come with rebuilding life as a Christian woman. Through her own jo...

How do you continue to choose love when marriage brings disappointment, failure, and unmet expectations? And how can God's grace sustain a family through the valleys of loss, grief, and the refining seasons of life? For Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, more than 40 years of marriage have brought both extraordinary joy and unimaginable pain. As Steven's music has impacted generations of listene...

How do you find hope after the unimaginable loss of a child? And what does it look like to walk through grief with people who truly understand your pain? After losing their 17-year-old daughter, Hannah, to brain cancer, Brad and Jill Sullivan discovered the life-changing power of being surrounded by others who had experienced a similar loss. That journey led them to found While We're Waiting, a mi...

How can churches become places of healing for people navigating trauma and mental health challenges? And how can those who care for others avoid compassion fatigue and burnout? Laura Howe is a mental health clinician and community development strategist who equips churches to care well for their communities without burning out. Through her work with Hope Made Strong, she helps ministry leaders bui...

How do we bring hope to communities facing generations of poverty and hardship? And what role does the local church play in renewing neighborhoods and transforming lives? Pastor David Washington knows firsthand the power of hope in the midst of impossible circumstances. Growing up in an environment marked by violence and instability, David encountered the life-changing love of Christ through a chu...

How can speaking to God in a new way invite us into a deeper way of seeing and hearing from Him? What role can poetry play in helping us communicate with our Creator? For pastor and author Tyler Staton, the words penned on a page during his cancer journey were never intended for anyone but himself and the Lord. Yet he discovered that the way he communed with God through scribbles in a tattered not...

How do we find the true rest our souls need in the most pressing seasons of life? What does it look like to stay grounded in who we are when the needs around us feel constant and consuming? Author Jess Ronne knows this reality deeply. As a mother caring for her special needs son into adulthood, she has experienced the kind of depletion that can come with long-term caregiving. Like many caregivers,...

Why does it sometimes feel like different parts of us are pulling in opposite directions? How do we begin to notice, understand, and care for the parts of ourselves that are trying to cope with pain, loss, and grief? For psychologist and author Dr. Audrey Davidheiser, understanding Internal Family Systems (IFS) has transformed both her personal and professional journey. Through her own experiences...

How can men begin the journey toward vulnerability when they've been taught to hide their emotions? What does it look like to engage honestly with your feelings when you've never developed the habit of paying attention to them? Author and therapist Trey Tucker has helped countless men learn to recognize what is happening beneath the surface and begin addressing the emotions, wounds, and struggles...

How do you learn to embrace a story you never would have chosen for yourself? What does it look like to find hope in places where healing feels impossible? Author and speaker Katherine Wolf was living an ordinary life with her newborn son and husband in law school when in 2008, at just 26 years old, a massive stroke changed everything. In an instant, she went from being fully independent to facing...

How do we begin to understand the landscape of our soul in light of our spiritual journey? What does it look like to live a more integrated life—one that honors the connection between mind, body, and spirit? For pastors and authors Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw, these questions became deeply personal as they explored their own spiritual formation and the hidden forces that shape the way we relate to God,...

How can God's Word reveal His character to us in seasons of suffering? What can the stories of those in Scripture teach us as we walk through the valleys of pain? Authors and Bible teachers Anne Graham Lotz and Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright were raised on a firm foundation of faith and have spent their lives passionately teaching and sharing God's Word. Yet it was through their own personal trials—Anne'...

How do you begin to heal after one of the deepest forms of betrayal? What does it look like to reclaim your sense of self when it feels shattered or lost? Author and counselor Tammy Gustafson knows firsthand the pain of intimate betrayal. Through her own story, as well as the experiences of countless women she has counseled, she has come to understand the immense courage required to heal when betr...

What does it look like to discover who God is when you experience profound loss at a young age? How can a teenager find their identity in Christ while navigating grief and pain? For actress and author Alena Franklin, the sudden and tragic loss of her mother, Wynter, at just 14 years old left her reeling through some of the most formative years of her life. Carrying the weight of grief while also t...

How can we begin to untangle the thoughts and emotions that are keeping us stuck or pushing us toward unhealthy forms of coping? What does it look like to embrace the God-given agency we have over our minds? Dr. Lee Warren is a practicing neurosurgeon who has experienced the depths of grief and loss after losing his son, Mitch, years ago. Through his own journey of pain and healing—as well as his...

How do we find people who can help us carry the weight of our stories? How do we learn to experience safety in community when relationships themselves have often been the source of deep pain? Author, speaker, and podcaster Toni Collier has endured profound hardship throughout her life, including caring for a parent at a young age, surviving an abusive marriage, experiencing sexual betrayal, enduri...

How can you tell the difference between big emotions that are part of the human experience and true dysregulation connected to past trauma? What does it look like to safely move the energy of anxiety, fear, and stress out of the body? Lacey Jervis helps countless women recognize the ways their physiological responses impact how they show up in everyday life, relationships, and faith. Through her w...

How do we reconcile our dysregulation after trauma when it comes to our faith? What is the connection between our physiological experience and God? It was through Lacey Jervis own experience with trauma that she began to understand the profound impact the body’s physical responses can have after loss. After losing her dad to a heart attack at a young age while she was home with him, Lacey began to...

How can we partner with the Holy Spirit in our own journey toward healing? What role does the Spirit of God play in breaking strongholds in our lives? For author and pastor Alex Seeley, it was her own experience of healing through the power of the Holy Spirit that revealed how important—and often overlooked—the Holy Spirit is in the modern Church. After walking through breakthrough from a childhoo...

Warning: This episode discusses pornography addiction and may not be suitable for all listeners. How do we break the stronghold of addiction when it becomes deeply attached to our lives? What do we do when the pain of our past resurfaces through patterns of addiction? Drew Boa didn’t fully realize how much pain he was carrying beneath the surface until his struggle with pornography began to threat...