Where did you see God?

In episode 132 , previous guest Micalah Collins shares how a season of suffering led to an invitation to operate outside of the internal and external expectations that had been influencing her.  In this space she found peace; yet so many are still pressured by expectations, trying to fit into a construct counter to what God may have intended.  1 Corinthians talks of us as being a Bo...

In episode 131 , Dr. Pamela Mshana invites us to "run into the storm."  She found God inviting her into this when a challenging work situation brought up deep, forgotten trauma from her past, and she had a sense that God was inviting her to not flee or cower, but run towards Him.  While that experience deepened her spiritual maturity, she has sense discovered that the cycle continue...

In episode 130 , Heather Carter helps us discover a gift God has given us to thrive: public transparency.  That's not our gut expectation though, is it?  Public transparency seems risky, costly, and even foolish.  Yet, it was through public transparency that Heather was able to navigate a season of suffering, discover more about God, and find a purpose in life she wouldn't have...

In episode 129 , Joshua Marcengill uses his story of being met by Jesus at his lowest point to help us process that God invites us to more than simply positivity.  We've talked often about the risks of platitudes, and this conversation presses us further to note that positivity it limited; God's eternal gifts, however, are limitless, and He's inviting us to receive. What eternal mindset...

In episode 128 , Mark Steiner gives us a unique companion episode to his wife Darci's episode in the "Healing Series."  The theme of the caregiver in the midst of suffering continues to appear, and Mark gives us a transparent look into his experience of caring for (and at times not) for his wife, and how this journey has not only brought them closer together, but closer to God.  The...

In episode 127 , Kim Peacock opens up about a painful season when her life changed in one tragic moment.  Not long before, her husband had said, "We should talk about what we'd do if something ever happened to one of our kids," to which Kim responded, "God is not going to allow that to happen, because He knows I couldn't handle it ."  Are there things you think you couldn't handle,...

In episode 126 , Orlando Palmer, also know as the musician Iamson, paints for us a beautiful picture of how the gifts and passions God has given us can help us to find peace in the midst of suffering.  Orlando has always loved to create music, and in his hardest moments his songs have become ways to channel his ruminating thoughts; and sometimes, the God of "abundantly more" uses what he...

In episode 125 , Melinda Culbertson shares the many, many stories of health issues that have made this concept of "sitting in suffering" deeply relatable for her; yet in the midst, she has known God as loving and powerful.  As much as she longed for healing, she recognized that God was giving her an invitation to represent Him in the midst.  However, to do so required following Jesu...

In episode 124 , Debby Kruszewski presses us into a frustrating reality: it's possible for us to self-inflect our suffering.  For her, it was the years of ruminating on an event in 7th grade that led her to see how she was bringing herself now, and she now invests her time in lifting others up.  What if, instead of self-inflecting suffering, we found ways to pursue the peace and pre...

In episode 123 , Jim Barnard shares how he never wanted to be "a suffering guy", but three months into his marriage a mysterious health issue in his wife changed everything.  Jim presses us deeper into the experience of the caregiver, and he's as candid about his disdain for the suffering as he is about his confidence in the goodness of God.  God did not "fix" his wife, and yet some...

In episode 122 , Roger Butts helps us explore how we can create space for those sitting in suffering.  Having served as a Chaplain and Minister, he has often chosen to journey with individuals in incredibly hard spaces, including on the cusp of death.  He's learned how much we can bring to the table in those moments -- how distracting and even destructive that can be -- and how each...

In episode 121 , Diana Winkler shares a story of suffering that spans decades, and in the process presses us into the concept of "long-suffering".  Bible translations often swap this term out for "patience", but the former evokes something deeper, something prolonged, something intentional.  In fact, it's a fruit of the Spirit, and we learn from Diana it was the Spirit's capacity, n...

In episode 120 , Wendy Wallace shares the powerful story of her life being utterly changed by an unexpected flesh-eating bacteria.  As a result of a quadruple-amputation, a long list of impossibilities was thrust upon her by others and her own mind.  However, she resolved to remove a word from her vocabulary: "can't".  "Can't" can lead our suffering to feel more unbearable, and...

In episode 119 , Tiffany Moore and I were initially going to explore how offense can lead us to sit in suffering, but God wanted to press us deeper.  We don't want to admit it, but focusing on the offense of the offender can make it easy for us to blame others... but what if the problem is us?  What if God has given us access to a super power that allows us to "take captive every th...

In episode 118 , Christian Bohlen's story presses us into a unique space in this series.  We've heard stories of suffering being thrust upon someone, but what about the moments when we choose to remain in the suffering of another?  For Christian, it was choosing to remain in a difficult marriage after realizing his wife struggled with significant mental health challenges, even when...

In episode 117 , Danielle Bernock brings us back to a topic we sat with in the "Healing series": rejection.  Sometimes suffering can end up feeling heavier because of the sense of rejection; this was true for Danielle, as in her childhood she felt rejected both at home and in church.  That rejection sat with her, leading her to believe God had rejected her as well; the truth was, He...

In episode 116 , Thola Bennie shares of a hard season she recently navigated.  In the midst, we discovered that one thing that made it so hard is the "deceit of normalcy".  Whether it was in her own mind or through the expectations of others, a pressure to be and pursue what is "normal" could easily intensify the hardships.  What if our pursuit of "normal" is actually impeding...

In episode 115 , Saroya Brown shares her story of being homeless for two years, but very quickly it escalated into so much more.  Saroya knows what it means to sit in suffering, and knows what it is like to feel unseen in the midst.  If you've ever felt unseen, you know how much heavier it can make the suffering.  However, through her journey Saroya came to learn she was seen b...

In episode 114 , Tricia Roos shares the difficult story of receiving devastating news during a pregnancy, and making the difficult choice to persevere against the odds.  Her story prompts a hard question: what if God is inviting us to allow our wishes and desires to change?  Afterall, some of the most painful moments amidst suffering is when the desires of our heart aren't met. &nbs...

In episode 113 , we find ourselves in a new series, "Sitting in suffering".  How do we hold to hope when the hardship seems too much and God seems too distant?  Lauren had been authentically seeking God when things began to hit -- the loss of a friend, unexplained pain, the loss of a relationship -- and at the hardest moment she found herself questioning God, something she never wan...

In episode 112 , we celebrate the 50th episode and finale of the "Healing Series".  It's been a wild ride of hearing from 50 amazing people that leaves us with an important question: where do we go from here?  What if God is inviting us into something deeper than inspiring stories?  In fact, what if God is inviting us to focus less on the healing of the body, and more on the he...

In episode 111 , we return -- again -- to the idea of identity and press in even deeper: what if our tendency to assume the identity of others is stifling the healing God has for them?  Or put another way: what if God is inviting us to see those around us as He sees, so that we can be participants in their healing?  I would not have chosen to talk about identity again, but out the g...

In episode 110 , we return the idea of identity and press in deeper: what if the reason we are not experiencing healing is because we are allowing a false identity to enslave us?  Paul Henderson found himself wrestling with the concept of identity when his career took a major shift, yet in a simple way God settled the matter.  This set him on a trajectory of confronting the reality...

In episode 109 , we meet the guest who was the catalyst for this entire series (without knowing it.)  Andy Hale shares the story of how he not only nearly lost his vision, but potentially his eyes, and how God brought healing.  In actuality, the conversation goes much deeper.  On several occasions, Andy acknowledges that he knew God would work things out, even if it wasn't in t...

In episode 108 , John Jarman has no memory before age twelve, so when it became clear as an adult that past traumas were impacting his life, it was difficult to know how to find healing.  Through the support of a counselor and spiritual mentor, John uncovered the brokenness of his past, and became surprised by God: God could bring redemption amidst the brokenness.  Do we believe tha...