The Built Different Podcast with Dr. Zach Clinton

We’ve all heard of resilience, but do we really know what it means and how to develop it within our own lives? Although there is no concrete definition for resilience, a common theme that seems to exist includes positive adaptation in the presence or face of adversity – or in simpler terms – the capacity to recover quickly from one’s difficulties. Some have even defined it as the ability to ‘bounce back’, but we must acknowledge the fact that coming back from challenge or adversity is a process and is not necessarily an immediate occurrence. Thankfully, today’s Built Different Guest, Jim Cress, is a renowned speaker, author, and Licensed Professional Counselor who has a deep interest and passion built around the topic of resilience himself. Having overcome some significant challenges in and throughout his own personal life and testimony, Jim loves reminding people that resilience is at the core of the Christian life. Jim reminds us in this week’s episode that the ultimate form of resilience is that of the ressurection - Because of what Christ did on the Cross defeating sin, and then through the power of His ressurection defeating death, we all have the opportunity of living with resurrection power… So when experiencing adversity, challenge, and difficulty, we no longer have to scratch and claw and fight for Victory, rather we now get the opportunity of fighting FROM a place of VICTORY. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever just been frustrated with life? Maybe upset with the way life has gone, the pain you’ve had to endure, and the adversity that keeps stacking up which just seems unfair? Today’s Built Different Guest, is no stranger to that very feeling! Our guest today is world renowned speaker, author, and podcast host, who at the age of 15 was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually steal her sight. When I hear Jennifer‘s story, my worldly perspective immediately makes me think that she is someone that has every right to be mad, frustrated, bitter, and disappointed with the life she has been given, but as you hear in and throughout the episode today Jennifer experiences and displays such joy, peace, and a deep love and adoration for the Lord! How you may ask? Well in and throughout this episode what Jennifer helps us understand is that God‘s power is truly made perfect in the midst of our weakness. What we see as obstacles, God sees as opportunities to truly reveal Himself to us! Jennifer reminds us that when asking the questions such as “Why pain? Why blindness? or Why adversity?” We must also ask the questions, “Why grace? Why forgiveness? Why death on the cross for me?” When we understand that God has our best interest in mind and that He is with us and He is for us and if He is for us then who could stand against us, that is when we can truly proclaim and live out the words, “It is well with my soul!” We pray that this episode leaves you encouraged today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’ve all heard the words of James 1:2 which remind us to, “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds.” But let’s be honest there are moments where life is just flat out painful, and as the infamous movie character, Rocky Balboa, once taught us, “life will beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it.” There are moments where it seems like no one hits as hard as life does. But then Rocky’s words shift to encouraging us that, “it’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward… how much you can take and keep moving forward.” Sometimes all it takes is a shift in perspective to realize that we’re never out of the fight. You see happiness is external, but joy is internal. Joy is a fruit of the spirit, and as our guest today reminds us, although there are moments that may seem difficult and challenging, we get the opportunity to surrender our burdens to the Lord and give control over to the Holy Spirit allowing His joy to then invade and flow through us. Today’s guest is a man who, like all of us, is no stranger to challenge or adversity having endured plenty of painful and waiting seasons along his journey thus far. Our Built Different Guest today is Manager of the Texas Rangers, Coach Tony Beasley!! To know Coach Beasley is to love him. This man is an incredible leader and truly possesses an unwavering and contagious joy that is a direct reflection of the Lord dwelling within him. In and throughout this episode Coach Beasley discusses how we can TRAIN for our TRIALS, the importance of prioritizing rest and solitude with the Lord in the midst of the fast paced culture and society we find ourselves in, sport psychology nuggets to help you separate yourself from the rest of the pack, and how we can find confidence in knowing that our worth, value, and identity are not attached to our performance. Trust us, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever taken a second to realize how much we have here in the U.S.? We are so blessed and fortunate to have so much. However, several sources have revealed heartbreaking statistics stating that nearly 10% of the world population lives in extreme poverty, meaning they live on less than $2 a day. Thankfully, our guests today on the Built Different Podcast have incredible hearts to extend the love of Christ through the gift of giving and helping those in need! Our Built Different Guests today will include world renowned authors, speakers, and Splash Podcast hosts, Shelene Bryan and Barbara Cameron!! This powerful conversation will be a reairing from their Splash Podcast talking all about an incredible cause and mission we all can give to in order to HELP and SUPPORT those in need. After seeing some of the statistics already mentioned, Shelene Bryan realized that the truth is, we’d all be okay if we skipped one or two or 500 things a year. Just think about how much money we spend on THINGS. On stuff we'll never use, or use once and give away, or never use again. This isn't an attempt to make you feel guilty, it's to get you to think about one or two things in your life that you could skip. Therefore, Shelene and her husband Brian decided to begin a nonprofit organization titled, Skip1.org,  with the idea that whether it's skipping $4 at a fast food restaurant or $50,000 on that new car, by skipping the extra unneeded THING, we have the opportunity of helping someone else in need. You'll never miss the thing you skipped, but a child could live because of it. Skip1.org exists to help solve world hunger, one Skip at a time, by building and renovating kitchens within orphanages and schools in impoverished areas. They also support food distribution and feeding programs in places where kitchens can't be built, and help with clean water and sustainable agricultural initiatives. It’s amazing what can happen when people Skip. Will you join us? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever just felt dissatisfied with life? Maybe felt disappointed or discouraged with how your life has been up to this point? Maybe even asked the question, “Is this really all life has to offer?” If that’s you, then I pray that this episode will speak such encouragement and motivation into your life today! Our Built Different Guest has been described as a passionate Jesus-loving, Bible-teaching, book-writing woman who loves to help people navigate life, connect in community, and live significantly. In this episode Bianca shares her powerful testimony of finding and fostering a deep and intimate personal relationship and faith in Christ in the midst of a very difficult and challenging season of life. She noted that often our faith is tested in the fire and that the biggest concern in our culture and society today is that when we go through difficult seasons and we experience deconstruction, we don’t put in the work to reconstruct what has been broken. Our prayer is that after listening to this episode you would be fueled and ignited to begin pursuing the Lord like never before opening up an opportunity for Him to work in and through your life to spark a revival that we all seek. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Everyone desires to be healthy and fit, but only few give the time, attention, and energy to doing so. And we aren’t just talking physical fitness. We are talking about holistic fitness which involves the body, mind, and spirit. We want to help individuals pursue and reach their goals physically, mentally/emotionally, relationally, and most important spiritually. Thankfully, our Built Different Guest today, Shane Manney, has a significant amount of experience in all aspects of life. Physically speaking, Shane has accumulated over 20 years of coaching experience that includes wrestling, boxing, submission grappling, and strength training along with serving 6 years as an infantry machine gunner in the United States MARINE Corps, 2 years as a police officer in Richmond, Virginia, and 8 years as a private security contractor and security lead supervisor for Exelon Nuclear Security. On the mental, emotional, and relational level, Shane worked in the field of drug and alcohol rehabilitation at Pennsylvania Counseling Services for years helping individuals find freedom and recovery from strongholds within their lives. And spiritually speaking, Shane earned a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies from Lancaster Bible College in 2016, and now leads a ministry called 5 Stones Fight Club that exists to engage individuals in mixed martial arts and fitness so that they can become both physically fit and spiritually sound. His mission is to help individuals relate their struggles on the wrestling mats and in the cage to their daily battles in life, and to provide the necessary support to become moral representatives of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My favorite quote from the episode is, “Come as you are, but don’t stay as you are.” Don’t miss this powerful episode that will help you push past your comfort zones! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever just heard a story in which someone reacted with such grace, compassion, and empathy that it completely blew you away? Well today’s Built Different Guest, former professional baseball player and now world renowned inspirational speaker, Chris Singleton, joins us on the podcast to share his personal testimony that will do just that. Chris’s impactful story tragically involves the loss of his mother due to the horrific 2015 Charleston Church Massacre. In the midst of unfathomable pain, Chris was left with a choice of either hardening his heart or living out one of the lessons we’ve all heard being, “In this life we won’t always be able to control our circumstances, but we can always control how we respond to them.” In the midst of one of the most heinous acts imagineable, Chris clung to the truth and promises found in God’s Word and chose to respond with LOVE. He lived out the very thing he was always taught growing up found in Mark 12:30-31 which reminds us that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and secondly we are to love our neighbor as ourself. Chris’s testimony is one that truly echoes and personifies the grace and forgiveness found in Christ. His goal and mission now rests in reminding every individual to choose love no matter someone’s skin color, ethnic background, or circumstance. It’s time to be the change we have all been looking for! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s Built Different Guest is not only a survivor, but also an incredible storyteller. On April 21, 2008, at the age of 26, Katherine Wolf, experienced the unimaginable nearly dying from a massive brain-stem stroke. Following her life-saving surgery, Katherine still had to endure several significant challenges which included having to be on life support for an entire month, and then 2 additional years in rehabilitation to regain her motor skills. Her survival and recovery have been identified as nothing short of a miracle. However, although Katherine’s physical body would never heal completely beign reliant on a wheelchair to get around and having half of her face paralyzed due to the stroke, her spirit has mended. Most would hear Katherine’s testimony and say she has every reason to be bitter and frustrated with life, however, by clinging to the truth of God’s Word and His Promises, she has one of the most inspirational and joyous outlooks on life. In and throughout today’s episode you will be encouraged and equipped on how to properly handle adversity by embracing the process, cultivating a positive perspective, and choosing hope and joy through the act of gratitude. Remember, if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Growing up as a kid, something I was always reminded of was as you continue to grow and develop in whatever occupational field you may be pursuing, the tighter the skill gap gets. In simpler terms, as you continue to progress and rise to the top, when you look around everyone is going to look similar. They’ll be talented. They’ll have the abilities to get the job done, but there are only a select group of individuals who have what it takes to stand out in the midst of that elite group. What is it you may ask? THE INTANGIBLES… Our Built Different Guest today, Michael Strachan, knows a thing or two about what it takes to get to the next level and how to stand out when an opportunity arises. Ever since Mike was a kid growing up in the Bahamas, one dream has been on his mind - playing in the NFL. But to achieve this goal, he would have to endure several obstacles and make plenty of sacrifices to get there. From dropping everything to move to Virginia to play competitive high school football, to signing with and grinding at a smaller NCAA Division 2 University, to getting drafted in the 7th round by the Indianapolis Colts, to then standing out and having an unbelievable preseason last year, there was always something different about Mike and his mission. Yes, he was talented, but there’s always been something lying underneath the surface of all that talent. Today, Mike not only shares his testimony and journey with us, but he also discusses the intangibles that have helped him achieve his goal of getting to the NFL and have now propelled his goals higher to becoming an impact player in the NFL. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

At some point in life, we have to be real with ourselves about the gap between the life we want to live and the life our daily habits are leading us toward. As John Maxwell always says, “So many of us have uphill dreams but downhill habits.” But let me remind you my friends, we are what we continually do. It’s easy to make a commitment, but it can be really hard to stay committed or consistent to that initial commitment when our feelings or busyness or distractions get in the way. How many times have you made that New Year’s resolution to do some form of physical activity every day or read through the Bible chronologically or finish a 365 page devotional just to see your goal fall short by Februrary because “life happened?” We’ve all been there, but in today’s episode we dive deep into how we can begin developing strong habits that will honor the Lord in our daily lives. The most important habit that we touch on today is that of SURRENDER! Sometimes, it’s okay to admit that you don’t have the motivation or strength to get the job done, but thankfully by asking and surrendering to the Holy Spirit, He can and will equip and encourage us in our weakest moments. Today’s Built Different Guest is a man who is passionate about this topic and helping others live a life of IMPACT in all that they do. Our guest today is Lead Pastor of Impact Church in Forest, VA, Pastor Brad Bell. In and throughout this episode, Pastor Brad shares of the faithfulness of God and how he has seen the Lord’s hand and fingerprints all throughout his life even during the painful or waiting seasons. Our prayer is that after listening to today’s epsiode you would be reminded of the Lord’s love for you and be encouraged to continually fight the good fight and stand on the truth of His Word. No matter how difficult it may be, keep pushing, and make sure your habits are steering you toward the life God has always intended for you. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.