The Built Different Podcast with Dr. Zach Clinton

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.

When experiencing difficult seasons of life filled with stress and anxiety, where do you turn or what do you do to find freedom? Today’s Built Different Guest, Rebekah Lyons, has found 4 unique rhythms to help trade stress and anxiety for a life of peace and purpose! Even though Rebekah has reached some mountain top moments being a nationally acclaimed speaker, podcaster, and best-selling author of 3 incredible books: Rhythms of Renewal, You are Free, and Freefall to Fly, she has also experienced some deep valleys which have included mental health battles with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Her four rhythms which include Rest, Restore, Connect, and Create have opened her eyes to not just managing and going through the motions of life, but truly thriving and living the abundant life that John 10:10 describes! With God at the foundation and intentionality throughout the healing and recovery process, you too can find the freedom that you’re looking for! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Did you know that Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental health disorders and affect nearly 30% of U.S. adults at some point during their life? I believe at some point in all of our lives, we’ve all felt a little anxious about something - a current situation, relationship, finances, work life, the future, etc. But how do we stop anxiety from robbing our joy and stealing our peace? Thankfully, today’s Built Different Guest, Dr. Gregory Jantz, who is a leading expert on the topic of mental health, especially on the topic of anxiety, is here to hopefully bring some clarity to that question. In this episode, through Dr. Jantz’s wisdom, knowledge, and expertise, he breaks down the differences between anxiety and worry/fear, some common signs of anxiety in our day to day lives, as well as some simple tools and techniques that we can begin implementing into our mental health hygiene to spark the peace that God initially intended for us. Philippians 4:6 reads, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God.” Although anxiety will speak lies, God always wants to remind you of His truth. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever found yourself trapped or stuck in patterns you no longer desire? Maybe you’ve been hurt or wounded in the past and you’ve turned to anything to numb or anesthetize that pain, and now that very thing you looked to for instant relief is now your greatest source of destruction. Well there is good news my friends, recovery is for everyone and recovery is possible for you. Our Built Different Guest today is the Pastor of Temple City Church in Selma, NC as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), John Eklund. In this episode, John shares his powerful testimony involving brokenness, addiction, and suicidal ideation, yet in his darkest moment God showed up and provided a spark for his recovery journey. He has since then written a book and founded an exceptional program called Recovery Alive - Known for Resurrecting Hope through the power, people, and process of the 12 steps. John’s passion rests in helping others find the hope they feel has been lost and the freedom they never knew was possible. Listen to this episode, and be prepared to start your Recovery Journey today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever experienced something difficult and began questioning God? Maybe even doubting His goodness, grace, and faithfulness? Starting to ask Him the ‘Why’ questions, like “God, Why are you allowing this to happen to me?” Today’s Built Different Guest, Christian singer and songwriter, Danny Gokey, is no stranger to challenge and difficulty. After losing his late wife, Sophia Martinez, to complications during her third surgery to treat her congenital heart disease, Danny was left broken and uncertain of what was to come. Yet, in those moments God encouraged him to reframe his ‘Why’ questions into ‘What’ questions… Rather than “Why me?” he began asking “What can I learn in the midst of my pain?” or even “God, what is your will so that I may begin walking in it?” It’s amazing what God can turn our pain into. Just four short weeks after losing Sophia, Danny tried out for American Idol and placed in the top-3 sparking what we now see as one of the most decorated Christian music careers in history! He was also remarried to his current wife of over a decade, Leyicet, and together they have 4 beautiful children! Danny’s heart and music rests in reminding us that God is for you and not against you. He has a beautiful and perfect plan for your life. And He can turn your pain into your greatest purpose if you let Him. If you’re struggling to believe and see it with that perspective today, maybe you just haven’t seen it yet. Keep on believing! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our Built Different Guest today is former legendary MLB pitcher, Andy Pettitte. After an 18 year professional baseball journey, Andy racked up one of the most decorated careers collecting 5 World Series Championships, 3 All-Star Game selections, and 256 career wins along the way. There is obviously no question that Andy is a fierce competitor who wanted to do his very best while playing the game that he loved, but what Andy shares with us is that his main priority has always been to grow and strengthen his relationship with Christ above everything else. Throughout this episode you will hear a common theme that Andy reminds us of which is the consistency of God. Even in the ups and downs throughout Andy’s baseball career, but more importantly his life, God has always remained the same. The heart of this interview rests in helping you understand that no matter what you may be going through, God is still God, and He is still Good! Even when you can’t see it, He is working on your behalf! Rest in His consistency today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But let’s be honest with ourselves, it can be really hard to “have faith” during times of uncertainty, transition, and challenge. Yet during these difficult moments, we must remember that true and genuine faith in God can be forged in the valleys of our journey. God wants us to press into Him during these times more than ever! Hebrews 11:6 goes on to remind us that “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Today’s Built Different Guest, is no stranger to understanding what it means to step out in faith even in the midst of uncertainty. Today’s guest is world renowned Christian singer and songwriter, Micah Tyler. Micah knew he was called to ministry at a young age, but it wasn’t until his late 20’s that he felt the Lord calling him into music! After literally selling over half of what he and his wife owned at the time, they devoted their lives to following and trusting the Lord’s leading. Even in the midst of fear, difficulty, and sometimes frustration that they experienced, God continually showed up and provided like He always does! My friends, we can always have faith, because of the hope that Christ offers us. Hope is never lost, sometimes it just needs to be redirected. Why? Because Hope is a person. Micah believes that living out your faith will ultimately reflect what it means to be DIFFERENT in our world today. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.