Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick

“The Enneagram is the Face of God and the Body of Christ.”  - Kelley GrayToday, we’re continuing a 5-part series on how the Enneagram can strengthen your marriage or intimate relationship. Michael’s Restoring the Soul colleague is Kelley Gray, our resident expert on the Enneagram. Part 2 will focus on understanding how your partner handles conflict.A popular guest on a previous Restoring the Soul podcast, Kelley—is a self-proclaimed growth nerd--works, counsels, and teaches at Restoring the Soul and specializes in intensive counseling with couples and individuals. Prior to coming to Restoring the Soul, she worked as a private practice psychotherapist in the Denver area for 17 years. She is deeply passionate about therapy, growth, and laughing. She is a writer, teacher, speaker, and group leader who is passionate about transformation and wholeness. As you will hear, Kelly’s knowledge of the Enneagram is as practical as it is deep. In this podcast, we hope you will discover:How the Enneagram can be used effectively in counseling for couplesThe “Holy Idea” or “positive reach” for each of the Enneagram numbersThat conflict doesn’t have to be a barrier to intimacy and connection. It can be a bridge.HELPFUL RESOURCES:Episode 91 - Kelley Gray, “Passion for Growth"Episode 99 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part 1: Expertise in your Spouse"Episode 101 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part 3: "How to Not to Take Things Personally"Episode 102 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part 4: "How to Celebrate and Bless Your Differences"Episode 103 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part 5: "Getting the Log Out of Your Own Eye"Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“A relationship will never ever improve or thrive on autopilot.”  - Kelley GrayOn the next two episodes of Restoring the Soul, we’re going to feature the first two parts of a 5-part series of conversations with Kelley Gray, our resident expert on the Enneagram. Michael and Kelley will unpack how the Enneagram can strengthen your marriage or intimate relationship.The Enneagram isn’t a new phenomenon. Depending on who you ask, its earliest iterations were either in the 1950s or the 1910s, though there are some experts who say versions of it can be found in the writings of fourth-century Christian mystics (and there are some who trace its roots all the way back to ancient Egypt). But it is a phenomenon, and it has gained new popularity in recent years, particularly among Christian circles.On this episode, listen closely as Michael and Kelley describe how you can become an expert in knowing your partner or spouse, how they’re wired, what they think about, what they do with their emotions, and understand what’s difficult in their life. To become an expert in someone else means you need to know yourself first. All good marriage and relationship work has to begin with good individual work. I know you’re going to learn a ton in this episode and you’re not going to want to miss any parts of this series of podcasts whose goal is to open up brand new pathways for intimacy and connectedness.HELPFUL RESOURCES:Episode 91 - Kelley Gray, “Passion for Growth"Episode 101 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part III: "How to Not to Take Things Personally"Episode 102 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part IV: "How to Celebrate and Bless Your Differences"Episode 103 - Kelley Gray, "5 Ways the Enneagram Can Strengthen Your Marriage, Part V: "Getting the Log Out of Your Own Eye"Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“I believe every leader in ministry is broken. And they are not alone.” - Sean SeayThere is a growing crisis for church leaders in America. Recent data collected from Barna indicate that U.S. pastors are currently in crisis and at risk of burnout causing them to give up their ministry calling or even jeopardize their marriages and families. In 2021 alone, there was a dramatic increase in the number of pastors who were thinking about quitting ministry entirely. With pastors’ well-being on the line, and many on the brink of burnout, 38 percent indicated they had considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year.We here at Restoring the Soul recognize the crisis and want to do everything we can to support pastors and their wives in this fragile season of their lives.On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes Pastor Sean Seay of Athens Church. Sean discovered Restoring the Soul and took part in a two-week intensive with Michael that changed the very course of his life. Today, they’ll discuss the story of his crisis moment, the redemption and healing that grew from that time, and how today he lives and loves, and leads from a place of vulnerability.Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“I think it is naive to ignore the journey of people who have been on the margins in our society.” - Rev. Dr. Dennis EdwardsOn this edition of Restoring the Soul and in honor of Sunday’s Juneteeth holiday, we would like to present one of Michael’s most compelling conversations with Rev Dr. Dennis Edwards where they discuss race and Christianity in modern America as it relates to current events.  Michael was deeply impacted by Dr. Edwards's article in Christianity Today from May 2020 titled, "The Revolution Will Not Be Videoed.”Dr. Edwards is currently an Associate Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago and the author of Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice. In addition to his academic work in biblical studies, Dennis has served as a pastor in Brooklyn; Washington, DC; and Minneapolis.Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“The call of spirituality is to be fully human and fully alive.” - Brian BoeckerRuth Haley Barton once said, “...there is a truer self waiting to be recognized and breathed into life by the Spirit of God.” The war between the false self and the true self is real and for some of us, is fought throughout our lives. Franciscan priest Richard Rohr feels that there is no more challenging spiritual issue than the "problem of the self."On today’s podcast, Michael welcomes back Restoring the Soul colleague Brian Boecker to discuss the false self versus the true self and consider questions like, ”What are the repetitive patterns that keep me deadened to my own desire and how do I awaken those things?” We also hope you come to realize that the call of spirituality is to be fully human and fully alive.Brian Boecker is an Intensive Clinical Soul Care Specialist at Restoring the Soul. With over ten years of working with individuals and couples, he specializes in counseling pastors, missionaries, and other Christian leaders. For 27 years he served with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) in a variety of leadership capacities primarily throughout Southeast Asia. He has served with multiple ministries and currently trains graduate students at Denver Seminary. He has a deep love of entering the stories of people in ways that move them toward restoration, healing, and wholeness.HELPFUL RESOURCES:Episode 215 - Brian Boecker, "The Awakening: A Move Toward Wholeness"Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“Relationship in community at its best is always bearing fruit.” - Michael John CusickToday on the podcast, we conclude Michael’s conversation with Mark Vesper and Steve Sargent of Foxhole Symphony, which is a podcast about the transformational value of men in authentic Christian community. Mark and Steve spoke with Michael a few weeks ago and were kind enough to lend us the recording to feature on this week’s and last week’s episodes. Visit our archives page for a link to hear the first half of their conversation. We’ve included a link in the show notes if you would like to discover more about Foxhole Symphony.Today, Michael unpacks the 5 Ws of human brokenness as well as the role authentic, transformational community plays in the Christian life.HELPFUL RESOURCES:Foxhole SymphonyFoxhole Symphony: Episode 9, John Mazuera"Surfing for God" by Michael John Cusick"Unwanted" by Jay StringerSupport the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“Our weakness and our brokenness is our power.” - Michael John CusickFor the next two episodes of the podcast, we’re excited to partner with the fine men of Foxhole Symphony. Mark Vesper and Steve Sargent have served arm in arm for over a decade seeking authentic Christian community by helping other men fight against isolation and living in the dark.Together, they host an amazing podcast called Foxhole Symphony. We highly encourage you to subscribe. It’s a podcast about the transformational value of men who are on a journey from broken to whole.A few weeks ago, they interviewed Michael and featured their conversation on the Foxhole Symphony podcast. We’re thrilled to be able to share their discussion with you and trust you will also be impacted enough to share with someone who could use the encouragement.HELPFUL RESOURCES:Foxhole SymphonyEpisode 6 - Dallas Willard Part I, "What We Are to Do"Episode 7 - Dallas Willard Part II, “The Transformed Life”Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“Most Christians are stuck between ceaseless striving and brokenness.” - Dallas WillardOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael continues a series about Dysbelief. He will look at the “gap between what you believe what and you actually experience.” Dysbelief, in this instance, is not a lack of belief, but the existence of a dysfunctional belief system. Today, he will look at moralism and the motivation that drives it to help us answer the question, “Are you trusting God or pleasing God?”The various topics Michael will explore in this series are:MoralismEmotionalismRationalismBeliefismActivismSupport the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“Belief is actually about trusting that God is good.” - Michael John CusickOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael debuts a series about Dysbelief. He will look at the “gap between what you believe what and you actually experience.” Dysbelief, in this instance, is not a lack of belief, but the existence of a dysfunctional belief system. The various topics Michael will explore are:MoralismEmotionalismRationalismBeliefismActivismSupport the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!

“Despite the grim circumstances, we could see God’s hand in it all.” - Julianne CusickOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael spends one of the most important hours of his life in conversation with his bride of over 30 years, Julianne Cusick, who put off the dream of grad school for nearly 25 years because of the discovery of Michael’s betrayal and infidelity. So how do you recover from your husband’s sexual brokenness, addiction, and infidelity? That’s the degree nobody signs up for.Not only is Julianne Cusick an ordained minister, but she is also a registered psychotherapist with a Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy. Her passion is to fight for the hearts of women who have experienced sexual betrayal as well as the trauma and the wounding of betrayal. She thrives on personal & professional growth. She’s a dynamic speaker and is a 1 on the EnneagramIf you would like to listen to previous episodes that feature a more in-depth look at Julianne’s journey, click here to listen to, “Devastated But Not Destroyed” or her conversation with Ian Cron on Typology.You can also learn more about Julianne Cusick here.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:The importance of following your God-given dreamsHow to recover from your husband’s sexual brokenness, addiction, and infidelity.Why you need to untangle the past from the present.Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!