The Storyed Podcast

The Problem With Wanting Control: When It’s Healthy, When It’s an IdolChaz Becker and co-host Jesse Ojeda discuss the problem of wanting control, exploring when a desire for control becomes unhealthy and what motivations drive it, such as safety, certainty, anxiety, mistrust of others, or a lack of trust in God. They contrast control as agency and stewardship—using gifts, protecting and providing...

Sabbath as a Mental Health Practice: Rest, Identity, and Breaking the Productivity CycleChaz Becker and co-host Jesse Ojeda discuss Sabbath as both a spiritual discipline and a practical weekly mental health practice, framing it as a rebellion against American productivity and consumerism. They explore how linking identity to performance fuels anxiety, comparison, burnout, and depressive states, a...

How the Holy Spirit Interacts with Mental Health | Storyed Podcast (Chaz Becker & Jesse Ojeda)Chaz Becker and Jesse Ojeda introduce the Storyed podcast and explore how the Holy Spirit influences mental health. They begin by clarifying who the Holy Spirit is—God’s personal presence who indwells believers, regenerates them, and empowers sanctification—emphasizing that mental health growth is not...

Why Christians Can’t Overlook the Nervous System (Fight, Flight, Freeze & Fawn)On the Storyed Podcast, host Chaz Becker and Jesse Ojeda discuss why Christians shouldn’t overlook the nervous system in discipleship and emotional health. They explain the nervous system as the body’s signaling system, distinguishing voluntary and involuntary processes and focusing on the autonomic nervous system’s...

What Is a Neural Pathway? Neuroplasticity, Spiritual Formation, and Slow ChangeChaz Becker and Jesse Ojeda discuss what a neural pathway is—routes neurons use to send signals that shape behaviors, emotions, and underlying beliefs—and why the topic is increasingly used in Christian contexts. They explain neuroplasticity as the brain’s capacity to change over time, emphasizing that new pathways form...

Why “Just Pray More” Is Terrible Advice: Spiritual Bypassing, Presence, and Real EncouragementChaz Becker and Jesse Ojeda discuss why telling someone to “just pray more” or “have more faith” can be harmful, even when well-intended, because it often functions as spiritual bypassing—using spiritual platitudes to sidestep the emotional reality of someone’s pain. They describe how this response can fe...

Welcome to The Storyed Podcast. A space where faith, theology, psychology, and spiritual practice meet real human experience. Here, we talk about how stories form us. How our brains, our beliefs, and our relationships are constantly writing us and how God meets us right in the middle of it all. We’ll explore the intersection of Christian spiritual formation and mental health. And teach you practic...