“The crisis is not just creating anxiety, it’s revealing anxiety.” - Dr. Curt ThompsonThis podcast is one of the most important podcasts Restoring the Soul has produced. COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, is not just an infectious disease...it is the source of what defines the current reality of much of the world. Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are affecting millions and people are coming to grips with what life is like in quarantine. Here at Restoring the Soul, we don’t think the lasting effects of Coronavirus are just gloom and doom, in fact, much of the beauty that will be seen after this passes will be found in the realization of the importance of the discovery of the true self, the need for community and connection, and that we are best when we are not alone.Michael’s guest on this podcast is Dr. Curt Thompson, a psychiatrist inspired by deep compassion for others and informed from a Christian perspective. He is motivated by developing more authentic relationships and fully experiencing our deepest longing: to be known.Michael was inspired by a recent blog post Dr. Thompson wrote about COVID-19 titled Love and Lament in March Madness and we encourage you to read it here.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:How to remain calm in the face of a crisis.The essence of lament.How abandonment is the core anxiety related to what people are experiencing today.ENGAGE 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!

“We don’t ever get over ego. Ego is always at work. Are we aware of it so it doesn’t surprise us?” - Chuck DeGroatWe typically think of narcissism manifesting itself as big, loud, and even overtly arrogant. But narcissism can show up in very understated, subtle ways in each Enneagram type. On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael John Cusick concludes his conversation with professor and counselor Chuck DeGroat on the ways that narcissism shows up for each Enneagram type.Chuck is uniquely qualified to discuss narcissism as he has been counseling pastors with this disorder for over twenty years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:How knowing our Enneagram number is helpful in exposing our shadow side.How the false self loses its power.The importance of humility and character in leadership.ENGAGE 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!

“We all swim in the waters of narcissism.” - Chuck DeGroatDid you know there is an epidemic of narcissism in the church? Whether it’s in the pulpit, lurking behind the scenes, or embedded deep within the organizational systems of the church - narcissism is running rampant and needs to be addressed.Today’s podcast will do just that. In fact, the next two episodes deal with narcissism in frank yet hopeful terms as Michael John Cusick spends time with Chuck DeGroat discussing his latest book, When Narcissism Comes to the Church.Chuck is uniquely qualified on this topic as he has been counseling pastors with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over twenty years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is.It’s one thing to be able to point out someone’s faults and identify where people are broken, but as you’ll hear, Chuck offers hope for narcissists themselves—not by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery, possible only through repentance and trust in the humble gospel of Jesus. We all need to lean in and listen closely over the next two podcasts.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:Characteristics of narcissismThe difference between covert & overt narcissismWhy narcissism seem to thrive in our churchesENGAGE 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!

“You can’t make good wine from bad grapes. Wine is made in the vineyard, not the winery.”  - Josh HillmanOn today’s podcast, our host Michael John Cusick conducts a fascinating discussion based on John 15:1-17. If you’re not familiar with the reference, we’re sure the first few words of Chapter 15 will be all you need to remember. Jesus is speaking to His disciples towards the close of His earthly ministry and says, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener…”Knowing that Jesus was speaking to an agrarian culture, His disciples would not have missed the importance of the metaphor...especially a society that held wine in such high regard.So what can we learn today about the important connection Jesus was making between himself, His Father, the disciples and the relationship to a vineyard? On today’s podcast, Michael will be speaking with Josh Hillman. Josh is a certified sommelier with a passion for showing others the beauty of wine. He has worked with some of the greatest sommeliers in Denver and now is the wine director for Pearl Wine Company. His passion is to help others find the most possible pleasure from wine.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it means to be fruitful.What are good grapes? What are bad grapes?What are the best conditions for vines to bear fruit?ENGAGE 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 desire for centering prayer is to connect with God and to put ourselves in a position that offers the least resistance to encounter His love.” - Peter ZarembaOn today’s podcast, our host Michael John Cusick is continuing his conversation about centering prayer. In this episode, he will be speaking with Peter Zaremba about the benefits of centering prayer. You’ll want  to pay close attention to this discussion. We’d even encourage taking some good notes from their conversation.Centering prayer allows you to rest deeply in God in silence and to let go of the thoughts, emotions, memories, images or even sensations that will inevitably come into awareness during prayer. Based on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, centering prayer can be tied directly to chapter 4 verses 22 to 24 where Paul says, “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”In this podcast, we hope you will discover:Centering prayer is a practice.Centering prayer teaches us that everything we need is in every moment.Centering prayer is a posture of our heart that allows us to manifest what’s already true inside of us.ENGAGE 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 contemplative practice is the only place where you begin to learn how to step outside yourself, observe your place, and then begin to let go of that in a substantial way.” - Peter ZarembaBrad Jersak and Peter Zaremba are Michael’s guests on today’s podcast. Centering prayer is the topic of their discussion.There’s power in prayer and prayer is one of the best ways, indeed not the only way, to connect with God - but do you know that there are many unique and personal methods of prayer? Centering and contemplative prayer are a few of them.That’s what Michael John Cusick will be discussing today with our guests, Brad Jersak and Peter Zaremba. At its core, centering prayer allows you to rest deeply in God in silence and to let go of the thoughts, emotions, memories, images or even sensations that will inevitably come into awareness during prayer. Based on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, centering prayer can be tied directly to chapter 4 verses 22 to 24 where Paul says, “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”Centering prayer may be a new concept to you - it may be something you practice in your everyday life. It’s our hope you are drawn in and encouraged by this conversation.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:The purpose of centering prayer.The importance of humility and dependence in our prayers.The steps on how to practice centering prayer.ENGAGE 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 higher your Christology, the wider you see Abba’s love to be.” - Brad JersakBrad Jersak is Michael’s guest on today’s podcast. Their conversation centers around how Christ-followers might hold the tension of two abiding and complementary truths: 1. Christ’s one-of-a-kind revelation 2. Abba’s all-inclusive love.In their conversation you’ll hear how Brad lays out biblical and experiential evidence for integrating and celebrating both these truths together, espousing the beautiful gospel of Christ’s unique revelation of Abba’s all-inclusive love. Brad Jersak is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. Through his books and seminars, Brad shares the good news that God is Love, perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ. He teaches others how to encounter God through the practice of ”listening prayer,” through which God’s love heals wounded hearts and empowers us to heal this broken world.Brad was a former guest on Restoring the Soul. In the fall of 2017, Michael interviewed him about his book, “A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel”.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:The importance of knowing God the Father as Abba.The Lamb is the revelation of the nature of GodThe main point and purpose of the incarnationENGAGE 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!

“Betrayals that are sexual in nature have a significantly greater impact on the human heart and the female soul.”  - Julianne CusickToday Michael continues and concludes his discussion with Julianne on the 5 Things Husbands Can Do to Support Their Wives After Betrayal. This is one of the most important podcasts we have ever produced.Julianne Cusick specializes in issues related to the recovery of the heart for women. The advice that she gives in this particular discussion comes from first-hand experience and an empathy that is grounded in compassion and love. Julianne longs for women to be healed - not limping along with a gaping wound for all the world to see.By the end of this podcast I think you will agree that hope is certainly attainable and there needs to be an agreement and understanding that healing does not happen in a vacuum. It requires a willing effort from both sides. In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it means to suffer betrayal trauma.Causes of betrayal traumaWhy all is not lost. Hope is attainable.ENGAGE 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!

“Betrayal leaves a trail of devastation.”  - Julianne CusickToday we begin a 2-part series on the topic of betrayal. In particular, betrayal trauma - when defined refers to the damage that is caused when you experience a betrayal in your relationship that damages the trust, safety, and security of the bond you have with your partner. This type of betrayal is extremely traumatic, where you can experience devastating mental, physical, and emotional consequences.On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael and Julianne Cusick discuss the devastating effects of betrayal trauma but Julianne will bring hope by providing 5 Facts That Wives Need to Know About How to Heal and Recover from Betrayal Trauma. In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it means to suffer betrayal trauma.How you recover from betrayal trauma.Why betrayal trauma hurts so much.ENGAGE 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!

“We need to exchange the currency by which we do life for the currency of heaven.”  - Michael John CusickYou’re in for a treat as we’re featuring a talk given by our host, Michael John Cusick, to Denver Community Church titled, “The Currency of Heaven”. The text he will be speaking from is Matthew Chapter 5 verse 3. It is the opening verse of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and the section of the sermon known as the Beatitudes. It reads, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” A favorite translation of ours is from The Message by Eugene Peterson which says, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it means to be blessed.What is the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven.What does it mean to be poor in spirit.ENGAGE 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!