The Built Different Podcast with Dr. Zach Clinton

Are you feeling overlooked, under appreciated, and just about ready to throw in the towel? Maybe you have sought to continually do what is right, yet do not feel like the Lord sees you or is pleased by your efforts. Today’s guest Alex Bachman, standout wide receiver at Wake Forrest and current NFL NY Giants player, has experienced all these feelings and more in his journey to the heights of the sporting world. By sharing his testimony, Alex encourages us to keep “fighting the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12) and to “not grow weary in doing the next right thing” (Galatians 6:9) because even in our darkest moments God will provide the harvest if we “do not give up”. Get a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a professional athlete and be encouraged to lean into your adversity through today’s podcast. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In the fast paced, go get it mentality, and hustle oriented society and culture that we found ourselves in, how would you define success? Is it about the fame, the fortune, or the followership? This world does a really good job of constantly preaching discontentment, but what our Built Different Guest today offers us is a message of hope to remind you of what it takes to just be still and know that we serve the One, True, and Living God. Our guest today is Michael Perron. Michael serves as the Minister of Life Recovery at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He describes this position as one that exists to help individuals recover the life that God has always intended for them. In this episode, Michael shares his incredibly moving testimony which reminds us of Mark 8:36 which says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit His soul?” At a point in time in his life, Michael had everything - the looks, the money, the ladies, and more - but he was the emptiest he’s ever been! Ironically, the Lord used the height of his fitness modeling career as his rock bottom moment where he ran cliniging to Christ where he finally found the joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment he’s always desired. He leaves us with this thought - Are you living a life of success or are you living a life of significance? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you feel like you are caught between two masters: trying to serve yourself and serve God at the same time? Or taking it further, Have you ever felt like you are too far gone for the Lord to use your life in mighty ways? You are too sinful, too broken, or a waste? Today’s guest speaks life and truth into all of these challenges and fears. With a powerful testimony that for the first time in podcast history brings Brooke and Zach to tears, the pastor from Coastal Christian Ocean City in New Jersey and founder of http://TruthOverTrend.com, Matthew Maher, explains that “nothing is wasteful to a God who is faithful”. Matthew shares his journey from a christian household, to professional soccer player, to a career ending ACL and meniscus tear, to the devastating night of March 7th, through five years in prison, and into the freedom and open arms of Jesus. Pastor Matthew’s testimony is one that you will not want to miss: listen and be encouraged to press into the voice of your Savior instead of the voice of your failure. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Did you know that the word “passion” has its roots in the Latin word pati, which means 'to suffer or endure.' Therefore, at the root of passion is suffering. One of the best movies ever made is Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ”. What most people believe this movie is all about is what most people believe the word Passion is all about - love, adoration, and affection for something. The truth is, yes, that is partially true, however, this movie is actually more about the suffering that Christ endured while on the cross. Jesus had and still has such a passion for His people and therefore He endured great suffering to demonstrate His love for us. Unfortunately, Satan loves to use anything he can to make us feel alone, isolated, overlooked, and even forgotten. Often times, he uses negative experiences, tragic events, toxic relationships, wounds, mistakes, and even bad decisions from our pasts to let the trauma affect the truth we believe about ourselves, others, and even the Lord. Thankfully today’s Built Different Guest, Stu Epperson Jr., is committed and passionate about spreading the light and truth of the gospel of Christ. Stu is the Founder and President of the Truth Network as well as host of the nationally syndicated radio show “Truth Talk Live”. In this episode, Stu joins us to share his personal testimony and how he is continually able to find joy and cling to the truth of God’s Word to help him navigate the challenges and adversity life has thrown his way! Don’t miss this powerful conversation! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It is all too easy to get caught up in comparison culture: Do I have enough money? Am I respected enough by my peers? Am I beautiful? Am I worthy? It makes sense that we feel so downcast while looking through the comparison lens because “comparison is the thief of joy”. If you feel caught up in this cycle, our guest today is ready to reaffirm your worth and help you to put a halt to the comparison game through her specific life experience and prowess in the medical arena. Today’s Built Different Guest is Dermatologist Megan Allison talks about why our worth and our beauty is not merely “skin deep”. Megan begins by giving medical advice on how to be good stewards of our body by taking care of our skin, shares her personal battle against acne and how she overcame the physical and mental challenges that came with it, and lastly applied scriptural wisdom to the topic of beauty and comparison. Megan’s unique perspective as a physician assistant gives us deep encouragement to reorient our hearts towards God’s perspective of worth and beauty as she challenges our community to “remember our worth”, that it is “okay to ask for help”, and to “stop the comparison game”. Imagine how you could live differently if you knew the source of your true worth! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What if I told you today, the life you’re looking for is WITHIN YOUR REACH? Would you live any differently? Would you work a little harder? Would you love a little deeper? If you’re answer is yes, then what are you waiting for? Today’s podcast episode is all about how you can begin creating the life you want to live through the power of GOOD DECISION MAKING. 1 Kings Chapter 3, Solomon was given one request from the Lord. He could have asked for anything in the world, but he chose to ask for WISDOM. What wisdom can also be viewed as is the ability or skillset in making more effective and beneficial decisions. I’ve heard it said that Decisions determine direction and direction determines destiny. Today’s Built Different Guest understands the weight and affects decision making can have on our lives. Our guest today is Dr. Karl Benzio who is a leading Christian Psychiatrist and serves as the medical director for the American Association of Christian Counselors and is the cofounder and medical director at Honey Lake Clinic as well. Dr. Karl shares his powerful testimony, and he also discusses his SPEARS decision making model with us so we can begin implementing these simple steps into our daily lives and decisions as well. As Dr. Karl mentions in this episode, we have the ability to slow our minds down. There are these steps or space that happens between a stimulus or a situation and our decision or response to it. Viktor Frankl says, “In that space is our power to choose, and in that choice is our freedom and our growth.” What if you were just one or a couple of good decisions away from living a completely different life?  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

I don’t know about you, but it can sometimes be really difficult to not get caught up in the trap of the comparison culture that we live in. Always wanting to look better, make more money, buy bigger things, etc. to not only compete with other people but to compete with what we believe other people’s expectations are of us. But we must remember, comparison is the thief of joy and robs us of the abudant life that God has always intended for us. Thankfully, our Built Different Guest today, who is an incredibly powerful and passionate world-renowned communicator, podcaster, and best-selling author, Lisa Bevere, has dedicated her life to reminding people of their worth, value, and calling. One of our favorite quotes from Lisa says, “God doesn’t love us equally… He loves us uniquely! And Unique means without rival. You never have to compete or fight for the love and affection of the Lord.” In and throughout this entire episode, Lisa wants to remind you that God sees you. He hears you. He understands you. And He loves you more than you could ever possibly imagine. He is with you, and He has called you to greater things. Don’t give up now. Just keep pursuing Him, His will, and His calling and purpose for your life. Stop comparing, God created you intricately and uniquely to change the world. JUST BE YOU! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When experiencing difficulty, pain, challenge, hardship, uncertainty, fear, worry, anxiety, addiction, and more, have you ever just questioned where God was? Does He even hear my cry? Does He even know my thoughts? Will He ever show up? Why is this happening to me? Or how about the infamous, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”This makes me think of the book of Habakkuk where even in the midst of Habakkuk’s doubt, uncertainty, and frustration, God reminds Him that even though you may not understand what’s happening now, if you just TRUST me and live by FAITH, you’ll see that I can make ALL things work together for the good of those who love me and whom I have called according to my purpose (Romans 8:28). Today’s Built Different Guest is no stranger to affliction and adversity! Grant Troutt is one of the most kind, genuine, and life-giving people you will ever meet, but life wasn’t and still isn’t always easy! Having experienced countless injuries that eventually ended his athletic aspirations, to getting lost in addiction… Grant has had his fair share of anger and doubting God. Yet, even though this life is hard and God never promised otherwise, He has reminded Grant that His plan is still perfect and His timing is never late! He just simply asks us to trust His plan and pleads with us to not lose our hope, because hope is never lost, sometimes it just needs to be redirected. Hope is a person! Our prayer is that through this episode, you would feel encouraged, refreshed, and challenged to keep trusting, believing, and surrendering every day over to what the Lord has planned for your life! You know why? Because the Lord gets your pain. He understands your suffering. He too has experienced it and is currently in your midst experiencing it all with you right now! He has never left your side! Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…” but the beautiful thing is that as 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”My friends this too shall pass, and as Grant reminds us throughout this episode, what if your most PAINFUL moments and seasons were PREPARING you for your greatest PURPOSE in this life! Don’t give up now! When we TRUST in our trustworthy God, we don’t need to know why. We only need to know Him. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

One of my favorite quotes from this episode reads, “Most Christians are like the Arctic River - frozen at the mouth.” Have you ever wondered why it can be so difficult for us to share the good news of the gospel? Maybe it’s out of fear, wanting to just blend or fit in, maybe it’s so you’re not labeled that Jesus freak by your friend group. But unfortunately people are lost, wandering, and every day dying internally because sometimes we are too afraid to simply speak up! Today’s Built Different Guests include two amazing men of God, Jim VanSteenhouse and Sal Sberna! Both of these men have unbelievably powerful testimonies that I cannot wait for you to hear in this week’s episode. It’s amazing what God will use as an interruption in our lives to spark urgency and revival within our culture and society today who we know desperately need it! what if the change we were looking and even praying for all started with you? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s pretty evident that our country has been going through some challenging times here recently. A lot of pain, heartbreak, and devastation to say the least. One thing that has been breaking my heart specifically is the effects that we are seeing within our youth, adolescents, and next generation. For countless reasons including the crumbling of the home, traumatic events, and so much more, kids are being predisposed to experiencing mental health struggles and challenges such as issues with self-esteem, anger, emotion regulation, fear of abandonment, and we’re even seeing a staggering uptick in anxiety, depression, addiction, and suicidality as well. Thankfully, today’s Built Different Guest is someone who has been on the frontlines for quite some time as he has a strong heart and passion to help impact and influence our next generation, Dr. Jay Strack. Dr. Strack is the President and Founder of Student Leadership University (SLU), and he has had the opportunity of speaking and sharing within countless high schools, colleges, universities, companies, organizations, and professional sports teams across the world. Having experienced an incredibly difficult upbringing himself filled with abuse, broken homes, juvenile detention centers, and more, Jay wants people to understand that they are capable, seen, and pursued by a God who still has a plan for their lives. Your past, mistakes, challenges, and adversity do not define you. God fully knows you and fully loves you. Just be sure that you’re not wasting your sorrows! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.