The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

WARNING: This episode contains mature content related to pornography and may not be suitable for all listeners. How do we begin having the difficult conversations around sexuality and pornography with our children? How can we teach our kids about sexual integrity in a way that fosters honesty and wholeness—without instilling shame? For Greta Eskridge, writing about how to talk to kids about pornog...

How do you move forward after a life marked by trauma and pain? Can looking back be the very thing that helps you discover your purpose in God’s plan? As a young orphan in war-torn Liberia, Jackson TerKeurst could never have imagined the path his life would take. After years in an orphanage surrounded by the devastation of conflict, Jackson was invited to join a group of children on a tour across...

How do you begin to heal after facing every parent’s worst imaginable nightmare — the loss of a child? And how can a marriage withstand, and even grow, through such profound grief? Amber Smith’s life appeared picture-perfect. Married to country music artist Granger Smith, she was a mother to three young children, living what many would consider a dream. But in an instant, that dream shattered. Whi...

How do our words impact the most important relationship in our lives—our marriage? And how can wives, in particular, learn to speak life into their husbands? Ann Wilson, a pastor’s wife, was taken aback during a speaking event when her husband, Dave, candidly shared that he didn’t feel like she was his biggest supporter. The admission was painful, but it became a turning point. Determined to make...

How do you experience God’s empathy in the midst of life’s challenges and struggles? How can you encounter the compassion of Christ in your own pain and sorrow? Drs. Bill and Kristi Gaultiere have devoted their lives to helping others navigate personal pain and discover soul care through their ministry, Soul Shepherding. Yet, it was through their own journeys—Bill’s battle with anxiety and Kristi’...

How do we hold on to hope when life is filled with pain and disappointment? What role can prayer play in our suffering as we learn to cling to hope? Sally Breedlove and Willa Kane became friends through a shared commitment to prayer during a season marked by uncertainty. In 2020, as the world faced the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, they felt led to invite others into daily rhythms of prayer—a...

How do you bring order to the chaos of dysfunctional family patterns? What does it look like to experience lasting peace in the midst of relational disorder? Pastor and Bible teacher Dr. Manny Arango knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up surrounded by chaos. Raised in a home where his father battled addiction, Dr. Manny became a stabilizing force for his mother, but what seemed like support at...

What do you do when life leaves you desperate for hope? How do you find redemption when all you see is brokenness? Angie Howell knows these questions all too well. On the verge of her third divorce and pregnant with her eighth child, Angie found herself in a place of deep pain and loss. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Jade, Angie sensed something was wrong. What followed was a long and di...

What do you do when anxiety suddenly takes hold and you find yourself spiraling? How do you begin to unravel the past wounds and circumstances that have led you to a place of chaos and uncertainty? For author and pastor Levi Lusko, a season of anxiety emerged seemingly out of nowhere. After years of pushing hard in ministry and leadership, he found himself waking up in the middle of the night grip...

How do we begin to untangle the wounds of our childhood and understand how they influence the way we show up in the world today? What do we do with the stories of harm, neglect, and pain that linger from our past? Therapist Adam Young came to realize in his thirties just how profoundly his family of origin and early wounds were shaping his adult behavior and emotional responses. Through the proces...

How do you find joy when the diagnosis feels devastating? How can you become the joyful person God calls you to be—even in the midst of your deepest pain? Author Margaret Feinberg was nearing the completion of a book on joy when she received a life-altering diagnosis: aggressive cancer. What followed was a profound season of wrestling—an honest, raw search to understand what joy truly means when s...

How can we learn to trust God when our prayers for healing go unanswered? What does it truly mean for the Church to become a place of belonging and welcome for individuals with disabilities? Dr. Laurie Thompson has deeply engaged with these questions—both personally and academically. At just 14 years old, a devastating car accident left her permanently disabled, marking the beginning of a lifelong...

What do we do when pain and trauma affect our children? How can we guide them through the complex journey of grief and loss? Erin Nelson has walked through depths of sorrow that few can imagine. She lost her first husband in a sudden plane crash, her mother to suicide, and her young adult son in a tragic car accident. Having experienced grief in its rawest forms, Erin found healing—and through it,...

How do you even begin to talk to God when life is unfolding in ways you never wanted? What can prayer do when the pain feels unbearably raw and deep? For Rachel Wojo, these questions became deeply personal. She never could have imagined the depth of suffering she would walk through—navigating her daughter’s terminal diagnosis and eventual passing, enduring betrayal in a first marriage that ended i...

How do we support those in pain when we ourselves don’t have all the answers? How can we be present when we’re uncomfortable with the silence, the sorrow, and the questions that come with loss and tragedy? Pastor Jerry McFarland felt a twinge uncertainty the day he received a phone call asking him to visit a stranger at a local children’s hospital. Unsure of what he could say or offer, he still ch...

How can leaders heal from their own wounds? Why does emotional and spiritual health matter so deeply for those who are called to lead? Historian and Seminary Professor Dr. Nicholas Rowe and his wife, SheilaWise Rowe, author and counselor, have seen the ways unprocessed pain and trauma can impact leaders. While countless resources aim to help leaders grow in skill and strategy, few address the inne...

What happens when our lived experience doesn’t align with what we believe about God? How do we hold on to faith when trauma, suffering, or loss shatters our spiritual foundation? Author and counselor Michael Cusick understands this tension intimately. As a survivor of childhood abuse, Michael found himself caught in self-destructive cycles that threatened his soul and relationships. Yet through hi...

How do we help kids build resilience, especially after facing trauma? How do we teach kids the skills they need to persevere after pain? Dr. Nicole Wilke had a front-row seat to the impact trauma can have on a child's development. Her parents had a heart for kids with the hardest stories and welcomed seventy children through foster care and adoption. This experience had a profound impact on Dr. Wi...

What do you do when you are faced with an unbearable decision? How do you walk firmly in faith when you know the outcome will most likely be devastation? For former local news anchor and author, Brooke Martin, and her husband, the choice to carry their daughter, Emma Noelle, to term even though she was diagnosed with a condition that meant she would not survive outside the womb, was one of trust....

Where can you find hope when a diagnosis is difficult to accept? How can you trust God when life's challenges feel insurmountable? For Alan Hester, finding out that he had ALS-a degenerative neurological disease-was devastating at first and yet, he now describes it as one of the best things that happened to him. Not because the suffering or the pain has been easy, but because of the depth and rich...

What do we do with the doubts, disillusionments, and dead ends that can come in our faith journey? How do we help someone who has questions in their walk with Jesus? Authors Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague each had a unique experience when it came to wrestling with doubt and disillusionment in their faith. They knew the confusion and pain that can come when you have questions and are struggling t...

How can we help a child who may not have the words to express their own grief? How can communities be support systems to those who have adopted? Cameron Lee Small's story began with loss. At the age of three years old, he was adopted from his birth country of South Korea and placed in a home thousands of miles away in America. As he grew up and began to understand the complexity of emotions that c...

What do we do when people fail us in our greatest time of need? How can the church do a better job at entering into people's pain and walking with them in their stories? Dr. Michelle Keener walked through her own season of suffering and eventually found herself deep diving into Biblical research on the book of Job in the Bible through the lens of trauma. It was through her scholarly research that...

What do we do with the seemingly never-ending emotions that can come in this generation? How do we manage the persistent feelings of anxiety and depression that can overtake our lives as believers? Dr. Kevin Chapman has worked with countless individuals struggling with anxiety and depression. As a believer and clinician, he has seen how powerful emotions can be in the lives of the people he helps....

How do you heal as a parent when your worst fears come true? How do you move through the pain of losing a child unexpectedly to a drug addiction? Pastor Lance Ward and his wife, Jeni, tried to fight the tight grip addiction had on their son Kyle but lost him suddenly to a fentanyl overdose. The secret life he was living was well-hidden until it was too late and Kyle succumbed to the pull of pills....