With You in the Weeds: Where Faith Meets Mental Health

One conversation can either strengthen a relationship or start to unravel it. Most of us don't wake up intending to say the wrong thing, yet we've all replayed conversations in our heads, wishing we'd responded with more wisdom, more clarity, or fewer words. Healthy communication isn't just something we wish we could do; it's a skill we all have to learn. That's why Austin Conner, PLPC, chose The...

Have you ever wondered if your body knows something that your mind hasn't caught up to yet?  Maybe you’ve always thought of stress as an emotional experience; something that affects your mood, your thoughts, or your relationships. But what if stress has a profound effect on your body? And what if that stress started when you felt like you couldn’t say no? In this next episode of our summer series,...

What if the problem isn’t that God has left you—but that he’s leading you somewhere you never expected to go? Few experiences are more unsettling for a Christian than the feeling that God has become distant. You pray, read Scripture, attend church, and try to stay faithful, yet the warmth and certainty you once felt seem to disappear. When that happens, many of us immediately assume we’ve done som...

It often seems like the Ten Commandments are about outward behavior: Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t kill. But “You shall not covet” reaches into the hidden places of the heart where comparison and dissatisfaction grow. Even when our lives look fine on the outside, our hearts can still be restless, angry, and convinced that everyone else has been given something better. In this introspe...

Words can either heal a relationship, or destroy a reputation. They can either calm a fearful heart, or leave a scar that lasts for years. At times, lying might seem like a not-so-harmful sin (“little white lie”) but there’s a reason that our words matter so much to God—and why the Bible treats careless speech with such seriousness. In this episode, Lynn Roush, LPC, and John Tinnin, MFT, continue...

What if stealing isn’t just about shoplifting or taking something off a shelf? What if it starts with anxiety, dissatisfaction, and the belief that God won’t really provide what you need? To make it even more complicated, what if it’s about the ways that we aren’t always generous with our time and money? In this layered episode of our ongoing series, 10 Keys to the Universe, Austin Conner, LPC, an...

Whether you go looking for it or not, attraction that crosses the line of marital fidelity may happen more easily than you think.  In this episode of the 10 Keys to the Universe series, Austin sits down with Ryan and Kelley Wampler, longtime small groups leaders at The Crossing, to discuss the subtle and seemingly harmless ways we may be tempted to break the 7th Commandment: “You shall not commit...

The 6th Commandment, “Do not murder,” may honestly feel a bit irrelevant to your life. Most of us have no desire to harm others so this can seem like a command meant only for the worst kinds of people.  But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exposes how personal it is to each one of us. As soon as he starts talking about anger, contempt, and the hidden conditions of the heart, we’re all on the hook...

When you attend your parents' funerals someday, will you be proud of the way you loved and honored them when they were alive? Or will you have some regrets? Few commandments feel as personal as the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” For some people, that command feels natural and healthy. For others, it raises difficult questions and painful memories. In this perceptive episod...

If you stopped working and striving for a full day this week, what do you honestly think would happen? For many of us, that question feels less peaceful than it should. Our schedules are packed, our minds are noisy, and even when we try to rest, we carry the weight of everything left undone. In this convicting episode of our ongoing series, 10 Keys to the Universe, Lynn Roush, LPC, and Austin Conn...

Do you ever think about how you use God’s name? For most of us the third commandment to not “take the Lord’s name in vain” feels like a gentle reminder to watch our language, avoid the OMGs, and move on. So it’s easy to disregard this command as not very important. But when we misuse God’s name, we diminish his power, authority and the very essence of his being. God’s name isn’t just a meaningless...

Where do you direct your attention, adoration, affection and trust? Your honest answer reveals who or what you worship. As we kick off our new series, 10 Keys to the Universe, Shay and Lynn look at the first two commandments that serve as the foundation for the rest of the commandments. The Bible states that we are always worshipping something–the question is never whether we worship but what we w...

Life can feel like wandering in a wilderness: moments of anxiety, parenting and marriage struggles, feeling a lack of purpose, dealing with disappointment, and more. But having a reliable compass can make all the difference because it offers guidance on where to go and how to get there safely. In this episode John Tinnin and Austin Conner launch our new series, 10 Keys to the Universe, where we'll...

Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling confused, exhausted, and somehow convinced that everything was your fault - even though you couldn't quite explain why? If so, this episode is for you. As we end our How to Handle Life series, Lynn Roush addresses one of the most requested and personally meaningful topics she's tackled: how to manage a narcissist in your life.  Drawing on in-de...

Do you know what it actually takes to get to heaven? In this episode of With You in the Weeds, Pastor Shay Roush sits with one of the most important questions you will ever face: how do you spend eternity with God? And more importantly, have you gotten the answer wrong? Using Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, Shay unpacks why the path to God isn’t secured by achievem...

Is sadness the enemy of healing or the path to it? In this episode of our How to Handle Life series, John makes a case for sadness as one of the most powerful, underused tools for navigating the difficulties of life. Sadness is like a river that will take you somewhere healthy if you’re willing to step into troubled waters and not fight against it. At the heart of the episode is a simple but count...

When news breaks that a pastor or church leader has fallen into serious sin, the ripple effects travel far beyond the individual. People who once felt spiritually safe may suddenly feel confused, angry, or grieved. Questions surface quickly: How could this happen? Did I miss the warning signs? What does this mean for my faith? In this thoughtful installment of our ongoing series, How to Handle Lif...

Is singleness a gift or a trial? Should I keep asking God to give me a significant other, or am I not resting in him by continually asking? If you’re single, it’s likely that you’ve wrestled with questions like these. If you’re not single, it’s easy to overlook the struggles of those who are.  Singleness is one of those topics that comes loaded with opinions. Culture treats it like a temporary pro...

Have you ever lost someone who is still alive? Estrangement is one of the most painful and misunderstood experiences in family life, yet it's far more common than most people realize. In this episode of our How to Handle Life series, Lynn Roush, LPC walks through what estrangement actually is, why it happens, and how it impacts a family on multiple levels. Whether you've made the hard decision to...

Have you ever felt angry with God… and then immediately felt guilty for even thinking that way? Most of us have internalized the idea that anger is bad—and that feeling angry with God is really bad! But what if the very thing you’re trying to hide is actually an invitation? In this meaningful episode of our ongoing series, How to Handle Life, John Tinnin talks about what it means to feel anger tow...

Do you believe that discovering God's "perfect" plan for your life is about waiting for a sign in the sky? Do you worry that you will make the wrong decision and miss out on God’s will for your life? As we continue in our How to Handle Life series, Pastor Shay Roush tackles one of the most common Christian questions: How do I know God's will for my life? Our modern life bombards us with endless ch...

Forgiving someone doesn’t mean forgetting, pretending it’s not a big deal, or going back to how things were, but it can bring freedom from the heavy weight of resentment and bitterness. In this episode of With You in the Weeds, Austin Conner tackles one of life’s hardest commands: forgiving someone who has hurt you. Jesus’ words from the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who...

When you find yourself exhausted even after resting, irritable for no clear reason, or fixated on ways you can numb your feelings, your body may be carrying more stress than you realize. In this empathetic and insightful episode of our newest series, How to Handle Life, Lynn takes a look at the ways chronic stress can lead to burnout, cynicism, numbness, or simply feeling disconnected from yoursel...

What do you do when someone keeps hurting you—and shows no signs of stopping? Is "being nice" always the Christian response, or does real love sometimes require a backbone? As we move through our How to Handle Life series, this episode condenses a lifetime of wisdom into 30 minutes! John Tinnin dives into one of life's toughest challenges: dealing with truly difficult, unrepentant people. You may...

Have you ever prayed desperately for something — only to be met with silence from heaven? In this powerful conversation, Shay Roush talks with his father-in-law, Pastor Erwin Lutzer, about one of the most painful questions believers face: Why doesn't God answer my prayers? Unanswered prayers lead many to discouragement or even deconstructing their faith, making it difficult to comprehend how God’s...