Have you ever wondered if God really can turn your pain into purpose?

Our guest today shares the peace he felt when he found Jesus after a lifetime of violence and how he uses it now to help others get free.

Hector "Lefty" Perez is a mental health and sobriety advocate. He works installing HVAC systems and helps as many people as he can know the love of Christ. Today, Lefty shares what it was like growing up in East Los Angeles among violence, gangs, and drugs. He tells how he got sucked into the life, the moment he decided to get out, and turning his life over to Christ once and for all.

Left also shares the difficult times he's experienced including relapse at times and how it led him to a life where he encourages others to give up drugs and live for Christ.

Lefty's story reminds us that God loves us no matter what we have done.

Listen to Lefty's story wherever you get your podcasts!

Stories Lefty shared:

• Moving states to Colorado
• Being diagnosed with ADHD at seven and how it’s helped him with a career in trades
• Growing up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in an immigrant family
• His family’s Roman Catholic background
• Feeling angry as a child at God and his parents
• The violence he experienced in the neighborhood
• The neighbor who groomed him to become a criminal
• Beginning to get involved in crime
• Working as a bodyguard and making more money than he’d seen before
• Achieving everything he wanted and feeling anxious about it
• Attempting suicide and surviving
• Being given a choice about his future
• Getting married and struggling with drug addiction
• Meeting a pastor who shared the Gospel with him
• Reading John and feeling God’s presence
• Leading his father to Christ
• His mother’s disappointing reaction to his new faith
• Struggling with drug addiction
• Breakthrough with vulnerability

Every word I read was like painkiller for my soul and I wanted more.

I was searching for peace and I only found it when I allowed Christ in my heart.

I prayed, "I've done worse things for a nobody, let me do something good for you, a somebody."

• Lefty's Instagram (DM him)

• Christina Dent and Compassion for Others
• Randy Mortensen and Removing the Stigma of Addiction
• Mike Bolton and the Power of Yes

You grew up in church but suddenly, you can't tell if God cares about you. What do you do?

Our guest today shares the moment when she didn't recognize herself, didn't feel God's presence, and what she did next.

Ciara Laine Myers is an award-winning business owner, blogger, and author of Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone. Today, Ciara shares with us her reaction to trauma, the moment her secrets became known, and the practices that brought her back to health. Plus, we talk about calling and why it may not mean what you think.

Ciara's story reminds us that no matter how far we feel from God, it's only one step back.

Listen to Ciara's story wherever you get your podcasts now!

• Struggling with calling and asking God for fresh insight
• Growing up on a little ranch in Texas in a Christian family
• Getting saved when she was five
• Being abused sexually by a friend at seven
• Processing her experience in college
• Deciding to be “bad Ciara” and where that led her
• Realizing that she didn’t feel God anymore and how that felt
• Going to the hospital with severe pain being forced to confess her drug use to her grandma
• Getting back with a previous boyfriend and getting pregnant
• Deciding to have a date with God for 60 days
• Getting “serious” about finding her calling
• Why humility is so important in an influencer culture
• The vision of her purpose from the Lord
• The urgency test and the action you need to take

If good Ciara is being abused, I’m going to be bad Ciara.

There was one moment that I looked in the mirror and thought "I don't really feel God anymore, and it was cold."

Calling is not a career. It’s a space on Earth to live out your purpose.

• Ciara’s website

• Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone by Ciara Laine Myers

• Mary DeMuth and Her Avenue for Healing
• Chuck DeGroat and The Invitation to Obscurity
• Dan Rudman and Ripples of the Gospel

What was the experience for you that changed your faith dramatically?

Our guest today shares the moment that moved his faith from his head to his heart and how it changed how he sees everything.

Jeff Haanen is a writer and entrepreneur. He’s the founder of Denver Institute for Faith & Work, an educational organization that creates content and experiences around topics related to faith, work, the economy, and modern culture.

Today, Jeff shares how he found faith while recovering from an injury, his funny response to praying aloud for the first time, and how he started thinking about faith and work. Plus, Jeff shares his process as he learned humility.

Jeff's story reminds us the Gospel is best infused into every aspect of our lives.

Listen to Jeff's story anywhere you get your podcasts!

• Growing up in a Minnesota without a strong faith experience

• Getting hurt before his senior year and reading the Bible and other books

• Praying in a group for the first time

• Joining a missions organization and going to Ecuador

• Learning how to pay attention to people

• Deciding to go to seminary with an insatiable curiosity

• Starting the Denver Institute for Faith and Work

• Noticing “cracks” in his armor

• Realizing that he was looking for his identity in his work

• Going on a self-awareness journey

• Deconstruction how he lived his Christian life

• Leaving Denver Institute for Faith & Work

• How serving is crucial for work

My brain was way ahead of my heart and that's been a lot of my own faith journey.

We need to go on a journey of seeking deep spiritual health.

A critical element of that self awareness journey is simply opening ourselves to what is and noticing what's there and not trying to fix it.

• Jeff's website
• Working from the Inside Out by Jeff Haanen
• Francis Schaeffer's work
• The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich
• The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society by Leslie Newbigin
• Bernard of Clairvaux
• Wellspring Church, Englewood
• With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani

• Skye Jethani and Eternity Breaks In

• Laura Flanders and The Mentored Life

• Matt Fagioli and Beyond Check Box Faith

Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you planned. Give me an amen if that resonates!

When the unexpected happens, it's tempting to believe that you did something wrong or that God is punishing you.

Our guest today says that community, communion with God, and even medication helped her overcome life's unexpected speed bumps.

Sarah E. Frazer is author of several books including her latest I Didn’t Sign Up for This. Today, Sarah shares about her friend from another denomination helped her grow, finding God while struggling through postpartum depression, and the moment she learned God isn't angry with her.

Sarah's story reminds us that while we are sometimes surprised by life, God isn't and he's always there with us.

Listen to Sarah's story wherever you get your podcasts!

• Moving overseas in January 2020 and how that inspired her new book
• How the journey of suffering shapes us
• Growing up in Charleston, WV in a Christian family
• Giving her life to Christ at AWANA on a Wednesday night
• Deciding on following Jesus during college
• Meeting her husband at church and getting married
• Finding a friend from another denomination
• The pastor couple who helped them through early marriage
• Struggling with postpartum depression
• Wondering if God was even real
• How her doctor helped her with medication
• How Scripture helps her to reframe and
• Learning that God isn’t angry at her
• Why we need the whole character of God

God isn’t angry at me.

God is a lot bigger than our black and white.

When we face interruptions, we are tempted to question God’s sovereignty and his goodness. We need both as we move forward into a life we didn’t plan.

• Sarah’s website
• I Didn’t Sign Up for This: How to Rest in God’s Goodness When Your Story Shifts by Sarah E. Frazer
• Lessons in the Desert by Sarah E. Frazer
• The Glorious Ordinary by Sarah E. Frazer
• A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Ed Welch

• Rachel Joy Welcher and the Spiritual Formation of Unmet Longings
• Jeff Brown and the Exponential Value of Reading
• Becky Castle Miller and Trusting Your Emotions

How often do you think about the end times? Ever come home to an empty house and wonder if you'd been left behind?

If so, you're going to love this episode because our guest explains where that theological belief—and others you probably hold—came from.

Dr. Dan Hummel is the director of The Lumen Center in Madison, WI and a research fellow in the History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He authored The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle of the End Times Shaped a Nation.

Dr. Hummel shared his own experiences including how he developed a global perspective as a missionary kid, growing up in a cessationist tradition, and the humility he developed by studying different traditions in Israel.

We also talk about dispensationalism, a theological framework that you're probably more affected by than you realize. He details where it came from, how it still influences us today, including how you read your Bible.

Dr. Hummel's work and story reminds us that understanding our theological tradition is essential for our spiritual growth.

LIsten anywhere you get your podcasts!

• Growing up as a missionary kid and developing a global perspective

• How his family of origin shaped his perspective

• Praying the “sinner’s prayer” as a seven year old

• How his college experiences in a small church shaped his faith

• Deciding to study Middle East history

• The humility he had as he read different traditions

• Growing up in a cessationist tradition

• Spending a year in Israel and the experience of being in the minority

• How studying Christian Zionism led to studying dispensationalism

• The effect of dispensationalism’s “hermeneutical innovation”

• Examples of the effects of dispensationalism in America today

Christianity is an inherently eschatological religion.

• Dan’s website

• The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End Times Shaped a Nation by Dr. Dan Hummel

• How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer

• The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John Walton

• With by Skye Jethani

Related episodes:

• Skye Jethani and Eternity Breaks In
• Peter Englert and Discipleship Ministry and Mentorship
• Chuck Malott is a Hippy Turned Saint

Have you ever tried to ask hard questions about your faith only to run into a roadblock somewhere?

Sometimes it's simple answers. Sometimes it's others who don't want to acknowledge the questions. Sometimes it's your own heart begging to keep life simple.

Our guest today says it's worth asking the questions and offers a path through the uncertainty.

Angela J. Herrington is a faith deconstruction coach and host of The Deconstructing Faith Summit who helps people break free from toxic religious culture & empowers them to recover from church hurt.

Today, Angela shares the situation that caused her to wonder if everyone could be included in her community and the questions that arose from it. She explains how an accepting community can help, and why you can't outrun yourself. Avoiding the questions doesn't work so Angela shares how she helps others release the stigma and follow where the questions lead.

Angela's story reminds us that following Jesus isn't always easy but it is always worth it.

Listen to Angela's story now in your favorite podcast app!

• Growing up in Indiana around the church

• Being a VBS kid, steeped in Christian culture and giving her life to Christ as a young girl

• Getting involved in youth group in high school and college

• Deciding to raise her children in church for their good

• Finding a groundedness in her faith as she got more connected

• The decisions that started to crack her understanding of faith worked out

• Why viewing others as “projects” is harmful

• The Bible study that became a safe place to ask questions

• Deciding to go to a more liberal church and finding the same problems

• Feeling weary about finding safe places to discuss and the church that created that space

• The ten years of deconstruction she experienced

• Growing wiser about her involvement

• Why fundamentalism isn’t good on either side of the spectrum

• Learning how much her pursuit of connection was driven by trauma

• Why you can’t outrun yourself

• What she does as a deconstruction coach

Would I have been welcomed? Or would I have been a project?

What’s missing is a really humble understanding of how much in the church is influenced by power.

The more you try to outrun yourself, the more damage you’re doing to yourself.

The longer you've been in an environment that says you're bad, the longer it will take to discover your own goodness.

• Angela’s website

• Deconstructing Your Faith without Losing Yourself by Angela J. Herrington

• Angela’s free Facebook group for people experiencing deconstruction

• Brian Zahnd and The Beauty of Christ

• Jacci Turner and Tumbled People

• Paul Ybarra and Discovering Kingdom Character

Is heaven a far away place that you'll go to someday or an imminent reality?

Depending on what you were taught, you might have strong feelings about this. You may even wonder why the question is being asked at all.

Our guest today explains how Jesus viewed the idea of heaven and why it's a crucial idea to understand biblically.

Skye Jethani is the co-host of one of the most popular podcasts in the Christian space, The Holy Post, and author of some of the best books with the Kingdom of God in mind. His book With is a must read. And now he’s published his fourth in the What if Jesus was Serious? Series with What If Jesus Was Serious About Heaven.

Today, Skye discusses common misunderstandings about heaven, how those ideas can malform us, and what the biblical view actually is. He also shares how a biblical worldview of eternity changes our public discourse and decisions.

If you're interested in heaven, this episode is for you.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

Stories Skye shared:

• How to join Skye's mailing list
• The surprising reaction he found when he talked about heaven
• Where misunderstandings about heaven come from
• How our theological context shapes our spiritual formation
• Why training can help us understand much
• What Jesus meant by heaven
• How a first century view of citizenship helps us understand heaven
• How to be a conduit of heaven on earth
• The antidote to cessationism and spectacularism
• Why the values of nations are different from those of the Kingdom of God
• What to call this way of thinking
• The importance of the Resurrection

Great quotes from Skye:

When we make that vision of heaven the goal of our faith, it displaces what ought to be the real goal of our faith which is Jesus himself.

It's the vocation of every Christian to be a priest, to be that conduit between God's presence in heaven and the reality of the earth.

The Kingdom is breaking in all the time and often it's really subtle.

The values of any nation state is going to be opposed to the values of the Kingdom of God.

Resources we mentioned:

• Skye’s website
• What If Jesus Was Serious about Heaven?: A Visual Guide to Experiencing God’s Kingdom among Us by Skye Jethani
• With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani
• The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
• N.T. Wright's works
• The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight

Related episodes:

• Skye Jethani and Living Life With God
• Kaitlyn Schiess and Why Everything is Spiritual
• James Bryan Smith and Loved Beyond Imagination

It's the new year! Were you one of those who made a commitment to read your Bible more frequently and regularly this year? If so, you're not alone.

Our guest today offers a resource to help you reach your goal easier this year.

Michelle Nezat is passionate about inspiring you to read, study, and understand the Bible. She is the host of the More Than a Song podcast where she helps you use the songs you listen to on the radio to meditate on God's Word.

Today, Michelle shares her story including how she felt called to missions, the difficult conversation that shifted her direction, and the church situation that hurt her. Along the way, Michelle shares how it all led to embracing her calling in a way she never anticipated.

Michelle's story reminds us that a biblical worldview starts in what we consume and that God is always shaping us if we're paying attention.

Listen to Michelle's story in your favorite podcast app now!

Stories Michelle shared:

• Growing up in Idaho going to church
• Her mom’s spiritual journey
• Believing that the Heavenly Father is enough
• How her grandfather mentored her
• The conversation with her professor that shifted her course
• How she ended up in Louisiana
• How church trauma confused her
• Learning not to want the platform anymore
• Beginning to think more deeply about theology
• Starting her podcast and how the Lord led her through it
• What she’s learned about herself through podcasting

Great quotes from Michelle:

Sometimes it takes the uncomfortable to get us off a course.

This was really hard so whatever you want to teach me, don’t let me miss it.

You’re not going to have a Biblical worldview unless you actually read the Bible.

Resources we mentioned:

• Michelle’s website

Related episodes:

• Andrew Klavan and The Truth and Beauty
• Karen Swallow Prior and The Spiritual Practice of Reading Fiction
• Traci Rhoades and the Case of Holy Envy