This week, we’re joined by Jennifer Tucker, an author and illustrator. When her youngest daughter began experiencing severe panic attacks as a teenager, Jennifer found herself seeking help for her daughter, only to discover that she herself needed help for her long-ignored struggles with anxiety. Through research and the practice of using breath as prayers, Jennifer discovered powerful ways for managing anxiety while deepening her faith.

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from college-age athlete Cole Prasse, who shares how a sudden cancer diagnosis upended his baseball dreams, forcing him to fight a battle he never saw coming. Through months of treatment, unexpected setbacks, and moments of deep uncertainty, he leaned on his faith and the support of those around him to find the strength to push through his toughest season yet.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Desiree Siegfried

Jesus Calling for Moms

Jesus Calling for Graduates

Jennifer Tucker

sympathetic nervous system

Psalm 23 NIV

www.littlehousestudio.net

ABVD [chemotherapy drug]

ICE treatment

immunotherapy

Interview Quotes:

“I did not know how to reconcile my own feelings of anxiety with what I thought I was supposed to be [in order to] be a good Christian. I must not have enough faith, I must not be praying enough or the right way. My personal anxiety was really enveloped in a lot of shame and a lot of just pushing it down, but inside I was struggling.” - Jennifer Tucker

“The breath is the bridge between the brain and the body, and [my daughter’s psychiatrist] really emphasized how important it was to really slow down those breaths and to breathe in deeply and slowly, and exhale slowly and fully, and how significant that was.” - Jennifer Tucker

“I found this idea of breath prayer where you connect that slow, deep breathing to a very simple, short prayer from God’s Word—like a little verse—and you inhale one part of it, exhale the other part of it.” - Jennifer Tucker

“God’s not mad at us because we’re anxious or afraid. He knows we’re gonna feel these things. He knows we’re gonna be anxious. He knows we’re gonna worry. He comes to us not as a harsh judge, but as a loving Father.” - Jennifer Tucker

“It’s an intentional choice I have to make every single day to return my heart to Christ, return my mind to the truth in His Word, and really cling to that regardless of what’s happening around me because that’s where my source of hope and peace is.” - Jennifer Tucker

“For me, being a pitcher, positive self-talk is a big thing for me in my game and when I’m on the mound. Being in that hospital bed alone at night on the seventieth day that you’re there, you learn a little bit about the way that you think and the way that you process things.” - Cole Prasse

“I wanted to be cancer free, and I surrounded myself with everybody that wanted me to be cancer free, and that made it a lot easier because they shared the same thoughts as me. The ministry of presence goes a long way.” - Cole Prasse

“You can’t plan for things like cancer. It’s about learning, moving forward, pushing through, trusting the process, and trusting that your story is written. So you can be mad at the story that’s been written, or you can make the most of the story.” - Cole Prasse