Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith God Is Near to the Broken Hearted: Lola Sheen & Levi Lusko
*This episode mentions suicide and depression and may not be suitable for all listeners.
This week, we sit down with podcaster Lola Sheen, daughter of actors Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Lola bravely shares her story, detailing the unique challenges of growing up under public scrutiny and its impact on her mental health. She opens up about a pivotal turning point in her life—discovering her faith and the profound difference it has made. Now, Lola is channeling her experiences into her own podcast and online platforms, passionately dedicated to supporting others who may be walking a similar path.
Later in the episode, pastor, author, and founder of Fresh Life Church, Levi Lusko, returns to the show to speak about how he hit a wall in midlife, reevaluating his identity, and learning to live within the limits of time. Levi also shares practical tools that helped him move forward—and invites us to consider the hidden gifts that can come from life’s hardest seasons.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Angela Braniff
Upcoming interview: Kerstin Lindquist
Interview Quotes:
“I just didn’t know my purpose. I didn’t [know] my worth. I believed all these other things that everybody would say about me. I never had someone be like, ‘No, this is the truth. This is who you are.’” - Lola Sheen
“I didn’t see Him, but I felt Him. It felt like Jesus came and took my hand, and I can’t even explain it—my room just had this overwhelming sense of peace and safety and I knew I was going to be okay.” - Lola Sheen
“I felt such a calling on my life to minister to people who have experienced depression and anxiety and to help them and show them that you are never too far gone for Jesus.” - Lola Sheen
“I just want to show that His heart is like a father. He wants to be there for you, help you and to show you what real love looks like.” - Lola Sheen
“I would say the habit that has kept me focused on the more positive things is spending so much time alone with God and letting Him fill my mind before anybody else does. When things get hard, I just have to look up and remember that I serve an audience of One.” - Lola Sheen
“The last two years, I look back on it as a really important time—a milestone that I smile when I think about—because joy came from digging once again in the field for fresh treasure, which is what Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like.” - Levi Lusko
“It’s really important for us to remember that we are in an upside-down kingdom. So everything is inverted. Want to find your life? Lose it. Want to keep your life? It is not going to be yours anymore. You want to be great? Serve.” - Levi Lusko
“That kind of became a rally cry for me, going all in for fresh treasure, because there’s no end to the treasure of knowing Jesus.” - Levi Lusko
“If you feel like you’ve hit a wall, it might mean you’ve just gone as far as you can go with the tools you currently possess and the season of life that you’re in. That’s okay to mourn the ending of whatever it is that is making you feel bad. We tend to belittle our grief if it’s not worthy of making us sad.” - Levi Lusko
“Maybe I’m feeling so much despair because I’m trying to make permanent what was meant to be a season.” - Levi Lusko
“After you’ve mourned what’s behind you, let God build up excitement for what’s in front of you, because with Jesus, the best really is always yet to come.” - Levi Lusko
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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