All of us have storms we go through in life, some easily passed and others, endless. But either way, they are inescapable. Sadly, many don't ride out the storms that well and end up nearly drowning in their force. As we begin a new year and mark two years of Grace Moments' episodes, today's episode gives you a unique insight into how you can not only survive these powerful upheavals in your life but also learn to soar above them and allow them to take you to new heights of hope and faith as a re...
Jan 03, 2023•19 min•Ep. 106
Last year, my New Year's episode centered around a metaphoric "pile of stuff" I personally had to tackle come 2022. In that podcast, I shared about all the things I emotionally and mentally had to overcome in order to be "ready" to do the hard thing and close a bittersweet chapter in my life. I also challenged you to tackle your own infamous pile of stuff in the new year in hopes that we could keep each other accountable and inspire one another to get past what was holding us back. Now, I'm here...
Dec 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 105
Welcome to a special Christmas episode of Grace Moments, where we'll discuss the reasons why the arrival of Jesus in human form so long ago gives us both hope and strength for the personal challenges we face today. The simple fact that God loved humanity enough to send His own Son to earth in order to accomplish redemption's plan is proof that there is no length He won't go to in order to be with us and be Himself for us in whatever we're going through. Even if the holidays are hard for you this...
Dec 20, 2022•16 min•Ep. 104
So many of our struggles can be traced back to fear on some level, and most of us aren't taught how to properly engage fear in the way it deserves. Today's episode is going to take a look at the life of a man who knew about fear on a massive scale: multiple threats to his life, political upheaval, captivity... he saw it all. Yet, he understood how to combat his fear with truth, and there's a lot we can learn from his example. Come, take a few minutes to glance at the biblical story of Daniel and...
Dec 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 103
In many situations, assumptions equate with a certain level of trust - by assuming something, we're placing some confidence or assurance in it. However, when it comes to the ways of the human heart, assumptions can be deadly. Where it involves the core relationships between ourselves and others or ourselves and God, assumptions can literally destroy trust and create distance between us and those we care about most. If we don't learn how to grow our own curiosity and make room for alternative sto...
Dec 06, 2022•18 min•Ep. 102
For many, the holidays are a special time of celebration and tradition, of joining with loved ones and making memories that only come around once a year. Unfortunately, others don't have quite the same relationship with this season, and there is a lot of sadness, loneliness, depression, or confusion that comes with it. Past experiences or current hardships have made it difficult for them to appreciate and enjoy the holidays with any sort of pleasure. It's just a stretch of time to get through an...
Nov 29, 2022•20 min•Ep. 101
Welcome to episode #100 of Grace Moments! Thank you to everyone who has tuned in and supported it thus far. Cheers to many more! When life is relatively easy, thanks can be a fairly obvious response. When God's gifts come in the form of answered prayers and favorable outcomes, we can quickly sum up the gratitude due to Him for working on our behalf. But when life gets hard and what comes from God's hand appears ugly and undesirable - when results aren't what we hoped they'd be, and pain is wreak...
Nov 22, 2022•23 min•Ep. 100
The human brain and heart is wired for love, created for attachment and affection at its most basic level. God made us with the ability to desire closeness and acceptance. Sadly, many of us experience failures in this quest for satisfaction and turn to things like sex, money, careers, food, or even substance abuse to fill the longings of our heart that only God can meet. We've turned His good gifts into the ends in and of themselves that we convince ourselves will quench our inner thirst for con...
Nov 15, 2022•18 min•Ep. 99
As we've discussed many times on previous episodes, your thoughts are extremely powerful...and not always very productive or positive. How you manage your mental attitude and the beliefs and information you allow into your brain on a daily basis determines what kind of person you're becoming - for better or for worse. Most of us don't realize the role that we play in being a sort of gate-keeper or guard over our thoughts, checking to see if what is coming in is helpful or hurtful. Today's episod...
Nov 08, 2022•16 min•Ep. 98
Grief is such a complicated and difficult process. Anyone who has encountered loss knows that it can be such an unpredictable, challenging journey as you try to make sense of what has happened and somehow figure out a way to move forward. But something many circles fail to address is the role that our core beliefs we bring into that loss inform and shape how we view it. Depending on whether they are true or false, those key thoughts and concepts determine how we grieve - how we see God in the mi...
Nov 01, 2022•20 min•Ep. 97
Pain is a harsh but factual reality in all our lives. Yet many of us struggle to properly accept it or know how to develop an honest relationship with it. We find ourselves wrestling with the paradox that we can't escape it while also realizing that it has the capacity to help us grow and transform. Understanding how to relate to and harness the existence of pain in any form is a tough but necessary part of developing mental, spiritual, and emotional wellness. Because without pain, so much about...
Oct 25, 2022•18 min•Ep. 96
Words are powerful! They have the ability to wound or to heal, to lift up or destroy, to enforce lies or to speak truth. Within the God-made vehicle of communication exists an entity that can either help us move our stories forward or keep us stuck in our past - can either kill or resurrect, speak death or speak life. Whether these words are aimed at ourselves to toward one another, the principle remains the same: how you use your words matters. Today's episode explores the power of words and th...
Oct 18, 2022•17 min•Ep. 95
Most of us admit, at some point, that we want to change something about our personal life. We all make resolutions to "do better" and may even follow through for a bit of time. But realistically, many don't have the discipline nor the determination to actually stay the course and allow our lives to be transformed for the better. We can talk a good game but then fail when it comes to sticking out the process and letting growth do its work in developing habits and choices that reflect the life we ...
Oct 11, 2022•19 min•Ep. 94
Everyone has their version of what the ideal life looks like. Everyone wants a "happily-ever-after" ending to their story when it comes to love, meaning, and personal success. Yet so often, we are confronted with the reality that we don't always get the perfect outcome that we wanted. Sometimes we must face and accept the painful fact that the hopes and dreams we had have cruelly fallen apart. This episode delves into this dilemma and why we actually are foolish to expect our perfect ending here...
Oct 04, 2022•17 min•Ep. 93
Like all trees and shrubs, pruning is a necessary aspect of keeping our souls thriving. This sometimes involves painful and difficult situations that we'd rather avoid. But unless we are willing to welcome the refining work of God in our lives, none of the suffering we endure will make sense and we won't develop the strength to cut away things out of our own lives that no longer fit the larger purpose. This episode takes on a quick crash course in gardening and a lesson in John 15 about how and ...
Sep 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 92
In order to really understand people and know how to help them through a time of crisis, we have to be students of them. We have to learn how to read the subtle because there will be times when others hide behind a mask and are afraid to tell us the truth. Becoming a pursuer and not a pry-er is a delicate yet necessary thing. Today's episode discusses how to observe and learn to pick up on the silence of others as well as their words - to realize that it's not always what they are saying as what...
Sep 20, 2022•18 min•Ep. 91
Part of discovering mental wellness is learning to get honest with yourself, others, and God about the un-named things in your life - the things that are uncomfortable to talk about, painful to remember, and that carry with them so much embarrassment, shame, and guilt. Today's guest has personal experience with this on a level most of us couldn't imagine. She's a college student, a rape survivor, and a beautiful soul who's proof that you can emerge from your tragedy stronger, braver, and more re...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 90
Most of us have moments when we just don't like ourselves. We get tired of dealing with our own drama and the complicated inner workings of our deepest souls. We get discouraged at ourselves, angry at ourselves, impatient with ourselves and this frustration can spill over into how we treat those around us too. In a word, we can often feel - untamed. Like untrained animals with wild sides we don't know how to control and are at the mercy of. This episode gets real and honest as we talk about how ...
Sep 06, 2022•25 min•Ep. 89
Knowing when to walk away can be one of the hardest things to ever figure out. Whether it be in relationships, employment, ministry, or personal achievement, making the decision to quit can feel like failure. But what if learning how to walk away could set us free? What if giving ourselves the option to let something go in favor of a better thing held the key to maintaining healthy boundaries and quality of mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health? Using the analogy of a sinking ship, t...
Aug 30, 2022•19 min•Ep. 88
Handling criticism and judgmental attitudes plays a big role in mental health. If we trend toward being critical or judgmental toward ourselves and, especially toward others, that's a reflection of some unhealthy patterns in our brain and emotional well-being. If we've been the recipient of it, it can cause damaging effects on our self-confidence, peace of mind, and overall quality of living. Knowing how to work through criticism and judgmental behavior is essential to having a healthy mental an...
Aug 23, 2022•18 min•Ep. 87
Surprises are fun when it involves something pleasurable or desired. But when surprises come in the form of tragedy, loss, or unexpected pain, we often look for a way of escape. We like the unanticipated when it's something we find enjoyable but we'll fight it just as quick when it arrives in a way we don't like. Seems our response to surprise is mixed. But what if we began to look at all of it - both the fun as well as hard surprises - as ultimately good? What if our approach to the sudden coul...
Aug 16, 2022•18 min•Ep. 86
Everyone gets discouraged sometimes, particularly when it comes to how they think they're doing in their walk of faith. Falls and fails happen to us all the time, and it's easy to think that God's love or acceptance fluctuates with our performance. Believe this long enough, and doubt and hopelessness can start to sink in. Perhaps this is you, and you need some real, down-in-the-bones inspiration today to remind you that God keeps you, loves you, and upholds you through all the twists and turns o...
Aug 09, 2022•21 min•Ep. 85
Mental health has become an increasingly bigger topic in recent years and well it should! We definitely need more awareness out of there of the emotional struggles people go through and to let them know it's okay to not be okay and to talk about their difficulties. There certainly should be more conversation around finding solutions to these issues, and Christian circles are primed to be on the front lines in fighting the mental health stigma. After all, God intended His Church and His family to...
Aug 02, 2022•18 min•Ep. 84
In many cases, our perceptions go beyond just shaping our reality to actually BECOMING our reality and sometimes, inhibiting us from the life of bold faith and trust that God wants us to have. We look at situations and come to false conclusions that, in the moment, seem real but ultimately keep us from noticing God's sovereignty, care, and control. Fear is easy, but faith can be hard... because fear is our default and faith must be learned. In this episode, you'll be reminded about what it means...
Jul 26, 2022•18 min•Ep. 83
Have you ever thought about the role quiet (or lack thereof) plays in your mental health? Scientific research shows that even just a few minutes a day of solitude does wonders for helping the human brain process and properly store information, thus greatly affecting your overall wellbeing and the shape of your thoughts and actions. Sadly, our society doesn't encourage quiet, and most of us are at a deficit when it comes to having enough stillness in our daily life to really effect any positive c...
Jul 19, 2022•25 min•Ep. 82
What do you do with the perceived (or actual) negatives in your life? Do you detest them? Avoid them? Resist them? Or do you incorporate them as a vital aspect of your personal growth? Challenges and trials of any kind are never fun and often, in the moment, it's hard to see how they can produce any lasting good in our lives. But what if those very things we deem worthy of avoidance at all costs are actually the things that can't be avoided if we're to become people of strength and resilience an...
Jul 12, 2022•16 min•Ep. 81
For many people struggling with mental wellness, lack of purpose is a big issue. Perhaps the hurtful actions or words of others or the doubts and fears within prevented them from discovering their purposes or at least caused them to lose sight of it for a time. Learning how to rediscover (or find out for the first time!) what drives you to get up every day, what motivates you to learn, serve, and grow in your life is a huge part of healing and progress in the mental wellness journey. Understandi...
Jul 05, 2022•17 min•Ep. 80
Emotions. Feelings. What complicated things they are! Unpredictable, unruly, challenging. It's hard sometimes to live with and deal with yourself in all the twists and turns that come with being you. It can be frustrating and downright frightening to face the jumble that is your inner life and to give yourself grace and permission to feel and experience things you'd rather run from and avoid. Today's episode is going to discuss why it's important to lean into and make space for your feelings and...
Jun 28, 2022•19 min•Ep. 79
Pressure of some sort happens to all of us, and most people would admit that the last couple of years have brought an even greater share of it. And not everyone has responded well. While there are always going to be moments of intensity and testing in life, and we can't often anticipate how or when they'll come, we can always control our reaction to them. Using the example of a pressure cooker, we'll be talking in this episode about how to survive pressure in your life and why it can be a useful...
Jun 22, 2022•18 min•Ep. 78
All of us come up against hard transitions in life (either by choice or forced upon us) that challenge our identity and make us grieve a necessary ending. At the same time, such times can cause us to pursue new chapters and develop greater resilience and be open to opportunities we might never have found otherwise. University of Richmond baseball assistant coach Collin Radack knows this progression well and is here today to talk about his personal necessary ending as well as share his experience...
Jun 14, 2022•41 min•Ep. 77
