What do you do when the gap between what you believe and what you experience feels insurmountable? Where do you turn when trauma leaves you feeling lost, ashamed, and exhausted, spinning spiritually, but still longing for a relationship with God?

In this episode of the Attaching to God podcast, Geoff Holsclaw talks with Michael John Cusick about themes from his new book, discussing the disconnect between belief and experience, particularly in the presence of trauma.

Michael John Cusick is the CEO and founder of Restoring the Soul, an intensive counseling ministry in Denver. He is a licensed professional counselor, spiritual director, and former assistant professor of counseling at Colorado Christian University. Along with other books, he has recently published Sacred Attachments: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

Is corporate worship just the transfer of information? Or to whip up our emotions into a frenzy? Or does corporate worship do something else?

In this episode, host Geoff Holsclaw engages with Reverend Dr. Joshua Cockayne about corporate worship, joint attention in spiritual formation, and perspectives from developmental psychology, attachment theory, and neuroscience. This episode challenges the traditional dichotomy between cognition and affect, proposing a more nuanced understanding of worship as a communal, transformative experience.

Dr Joshua Cockayne is the Director of the Bede Centre for Church Planting Theology at Cranmer Hall in Durham, UK, where he also lectures on mission and evangelism. He is the co-author of several books, including Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma Safe Churches, and more recently, Why We Gather: Psychology, Theology and Liturgical Practice.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

Have you felt overwhelmed and flattened by the sheer amount of noise and distraction in your home, your schedule, and your brain? In our fast-paced culture, is it possible to set up our families and children to thrive?

In this episode of the Attaching to God podcast, host Geoff welcomes Sarah Boyd, writer, child development expert, and founder of Resilient Little Hearts. Sarah discusses her new book, Turn Down the Noise: A Practical Guide to Building an Emotionally Healthy Family in a Chronically Overstimulated World, a practical guide to creating emotionally healthy families in today's overstimulated world. They delve into topics like self-regulation, co-regulation, the importance of play, simplifying home environments, and the balance between stress and joy.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

Is society producing more narcissists, or producing more people susceptible to abuse by narcissists? How has narcissism evolved in our internet age?

In this episode, we explore the evolving nature of narcissism in the internet age and its impact on church communities. We discuss the shift from authority-based to algorithm-based influence, the rise of performative narcissism, and the attack on empathy.

Our guest is Dr. Chuck DeGroat, the Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality and Executive Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI. He is also a licensed and practicing therapist, a spiritual director, author of five books, his newest book, Healing What’s Within. He also wrote When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

What are the limitations of our modern approaches to discipleship and spiritual formation? How do our neural pathways connect to our spiritual pathways? Does brain-wiring connect to spiritual warfare? And how does this all connect to our identity in Christ?

In this episode of the Attach To God podcast, host Geoff Holsclaw delves into the intersections of neuroscience and spiritual pathways with Dr. Marcus Warner, president of Deeper Walk International. They explore the limitations of traditional enlightenment and Puritan-based approaches to spiritual transformation, and cover deeper discipleship through the FISH model (Freedom, Identity, Spirit walk, and Heart-focused community).

Dr. Marcus Warner has served as president of Deeper Walk International since 2006. He has written 16 books on topics ranging from brain science to spiritual warfare, including Rare Leadership, The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages, and Understanding the Wounded Heart. Marcus is a conference speaker who works with both ministry and corporate groups around the world. His passion is taking complex topics and making them practical and accessible for everyone.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

In this episode of the Attaching to God podcast, host Geoff Holsclaw chats with singer-songwriter and poet Andy Squyres about his faith journey, his time in Santa Cruz, and reconciling disappointment with hope.

They discuss his creative process, dealing with grief and deconstruction, and the significance of embracing both doctrinal depth and authentic emotional experiences in faith.

Andy Squyres is a songwriter and author born and raised in the Bay Area of northern California who for the last quarter century has been working from the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Check out his latest EP, "Miracle Service".

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

What exactly is spiritual formation? Is it similar or different than discipleship? And who is having this conversation about spiritual formation anyway?

In this episode of the Attaching to God podcast, hosted by Geoff Holsclaw and produced by Embodied Faith, the focus is on spiritual formation—what it is, how it compares to discipleship, and its future. Dr. Strobel shares his journey into this field, discusses the historical background of spiritual formation within evangelicalism, and explains the importance of integrating theological depth into spiritual practices. Concerns about the potential pitfalls of spiritual formation becoming a mere self-help concept and the need for ecclesial context and communal life are highlighted.

Dr. Kyle Strobel is the director of the Institute for Spiritual Formation and is associate professor of spiritual theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, who writes and teaches in the area of spiritual formation. He is most recently the co-author of the book, Where Prayer Becomes Real: How Honesty with God Transforms Your Soul.

Be sure to follow his writing on his Substack.

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).

In this episode of the Attaching to God podcast, we explore the often overlooked emotional struggles faced by leaders.

Our guests are Nicholas and Sheila Wise Rowe. Nicholas Rowe is the Haslin Associate Professor of Leadership at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. And Sheila Wise Row is a seasoned counselor and author (and previous podcast guest). We talk about their new book, Healing Leadership Trauma: Finding Emotional Health and Helping Others Flourish. The conversation delves into the impact of trauma, attachment theory, and the myths of self-sufficiency in leadership. They also cover systemic challenges such as racial and gender trauma and share practical embodied practices for healing.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership and Trauma

00:44 Meet the Authors: Nicholas Row and Sheila Wise Row

02:04 The Journey of Co-Writing 'Healing Leadership'

03:16 Understanding Leadership Challenges

06:54 Attachment Theory and Leadership

09:06 Insecure Attachment in Leadership

17:00 The Myth of Self-Sufficiency in Leadership

22:12 Systemic Dynamics: Gender and Racial Trauma

25:45 Historical Context of Cultural Systems

26:35 Challenges Faced by Marginalized Leaders

28:10 Gender Expectations and Leadership

30:36 Defining Leadership Trauma

32:32 Embodied Practices for Healing

37:54 Community Support and Accountability

45:37 Final Thoughts and Staying Connected

Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.

Stay Connected:

• Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.
• Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.
• Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).