Fifteen years ago, Pastor Steve Ruetschle was left paralyzed after a catastrophic motorcycle accident. Doctors told him he would never walk again.

But this episode is not primarily about a medical outcome. It is about something deeper.

In this conversation, Steve reflects on the different ways God heals, the power of community, and what it means to participate in the fellowship of suffering. He shares how the faith of others carried him when he could not believe for himself, how pain can either harden the heart or deepen it, and how redemptive healing does not always mean the removal of suffering. This is a thoughtful and pastoral conversation about chronic pain, unanswered prayer, community, gratitude, and the surrounding love of God.

If you are walking through illness, loss, or long term suffering, this episode offers a steady reminder that you are not alone and that God’s faithful love surrounds you even here.

(0:00) Introduction and How Steve’s Story Reached Space for Life

(2:19) The Motorcycle Accident and Becoming Quadriplegic

(6:31) Degrees of Paralysis and Living with Chronic Pain

(11:26) Community and the Story of the Paralytic

(16:00) The Turning Point and Moving His Toe

(21:10) Different Types of Healing

(30:06) Redemptive Healing and the Fellowship of Suffering

(36:33) Guarding Against Bitterness

(45:09) A Word for Those Walking Through Pain

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So many people carry the quiet dream of writing something meaningful. A book. A devotional. A story that has been sitting inside them for years.

But the question lingers Where do I even begin?

In this episode of Space for Life, Tommy sits down with Terry Whalin, acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing and author of more than 60 books, to talk about what it really takes to move from dream to discipline.

Terry pulls back the curtain on the publishing world and explains why most aspiring authors start in the wrong place, what publishers are actually looking for, and why writing success is often 80 percent about the author and 20 percent about the book. They explore the catch 22 of publishing, the power of critique groups and apprenticeship, and why becoming a better reader is foundational to becoming a better writer.

If you have ever considered writing, or simply want to understand how books truly shape lives, this conversation offers practical clarity and grounded encouragement for taking your next step.

(0:00) Why So Many People Dream of Writing

(6:41) How One Book Can Change a Life

(14:16) What Publishers Really Look For

(18:07) Where Aspiring Writers Should Start

(32:32) The Catch 22 of Getting Published

(40:19) The Power of Critique Groups

(48:34) Why Reading Shapes Better Writing

(58:53) Building Consistency as a Writer

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Your 30s can feel like a decade full of tension. The tension between freedom and responsibility, living fully now and preparing wisely for the future, wanting clarity without becoming rigid. In this episode of Space for Life, Joe joins Tommy for an honest conversation about what it really means to live well in your 30s with freedom and intention.

Rather than offering formulas or life hacks, this conversation explores the deeper internal work of defining what truly matters. Joe and Tommy talk through why so many decisions feel exhausting, how guiding principles and guardrails can simplify life’s gray areas, and why postponing life often trains us to keep postponing it. They close by reflecting on how habits, more than any single decision, quietly shape the direction of our lives. This episode is for anyone navigating the weight of this decade and looking for a calmer, more grounded way to move forward.

0:00 Intro

7:41 Avoiding Comparison

13:04 Guiding Principles

26:23 Making Decisions Easier

34:13 Now Versus Later

53:56 Auditing Your Habits

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