Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick

“Artists are gardeners who are called to till the soil of culture.” - Mako FujimuraOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael spends an hour with Mako Fujimura, visual artist, author, thought leader, and cultural-shaper who was recently appointed Director of The Brehm Center at Fuller Seminary. His paintings have been exhibited around the world and he is one of the first artists to paint live on stage at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall.Mako is an artist whose process driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”. Mr. Fujimura is also a well-read author. He and Michael will discuss Mako’s books Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life and Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering.Find out even more about Mako here.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!

On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael kicks off a 6-part series (including this episode as the Introduction) on the debilitating effects of shame and what the path to true freedom looks like.Shame is a judgement upon ourselves that is an experience within but is also put upon us from the outside. Shame also says, “I am not good.” But we need to remember the promise from Paul in Galatians 5:1 that says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”It is our hope that through this exploration into the relationship between shame and addiction, you will learn to live loved and free.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it is about shame that relates to addiction.Why this an important conversation to have.How shame fuels addiction.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 trajectory of spiritual growth is in the direction of simplicity rather than in the direction of complexity.” - Alan FadlingOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael and his guest Alan Fadling ponder the questions that not many people want to - or have the courage to ask, “Do you want a Jesus who is relaxed? When you think of Jesus, is He relaxed?” Living an Unhurried Life is central to Alan’s story and in his conversation with Michael, you will hear about his journey out of the fast lane and into the rhythms of Jesus. You just may find a kinship with him that will help you in your recovery as well.Alan Fadling is a frequent speaker and consultant with local churches, national organizations and leaders internationally. A trained Spiritual Director, Alan is author of An Unhurried Life and An Unhurried Leader. He has also written What Does Your Soul Love? (co-authored with his wife Gem Fadling).Discover more about Alan and his ministry here.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:What a lifetime of being “fruitful that lasts” looks like.The Christian life is a relationship with God through Christ Jesus.What disengagement practices look like.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 the gift of limits is one of the critical issues of rebelling against God.” - Pete ScazzeroOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, we’re taking a deep dive into our archives for the first ever interview produced for the podcast. We kicked off Restoring the Soul on July 21, 2016 and we are now celebrating 126 more episodes with nearly 800,000 downloads! The interview you will hear today is one Michael conducted with Pete Scazzero - and it’s near the top of as one of our favorites and one we believe will still be relevant 50 years from now. After leading New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, NY for 26 years, Pete Scazzero co-founded Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, a groundbreaking ministry that moves the church forward by slowing the church down in order to multiply deeply changed leaders and disciples.Pete currently hosts the top-ranked Emotionally Healthy Leader podcast and is the author of a number of bestselling books, including The Emotionally Healthy Leader and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.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!

“Our deepest identity does not lie in our gender, our sexual orientation, our wounds. Our identity lies in Christ.” - Heather KingHeather King has always described herself as “an ex-lawyer, a former barfly, and a Catholic convert.” Her previous life as a functioning alcoholic led her to numerous illicit relationships that resulted in three abortions and a long-term, but failed, marriage. She is raw and open about her past. On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael spends a good part of an hour speaking with returning guest, Heather King, about her brand new book, Ravished: Notes on Womanhood, that explores parts of her former life and comes to the conclusion that our deepest identity does not lie in our gender, our sexual orientation, our wounds. Our identity lies in Christ. Ravished is also her love letter to the Church for bringing her to full flower as a woman and as a human being. As you will hear in their conversation, Ravished is a book that is as challenging for men as it is for women.To learn more about Heather, visit her blog.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:Love doesn’t confine itself to one gender.The difference between victim hood and spiritual poverty.What it looks like for a woman to be a real warrior and a real feminist and to be a follower of Christ.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!

“God meets people in their moments of vulnerability and suffering and transforms them. And what they get is friendship with God.” - Jason GabouryWhat would happen if we met God in the midst of our isolation, loneliness, grief, and vulnerability? What if our loneliness became the context for a deeper life with God and greater compassion for others?As the global pandemic is affecting millions the world over, widespread loneliness is also impacting the lives of many - and for some, feelings of isolation, emptiness, and abandonment have devastating consequences.In this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael discusses the issue of loneliness with Jason Gaboury, whose brand new book titled, “Wait With Me: Meeting God in Loneliness” will help you understand that loneliness can be the avenue to empathize with Jesus.We’re thrilled to introduce you to Jason as his life mission is; to know God and to live, lead, and serve in a way that others are inspired to know God. He has served the ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship since 1997, leading ministries on campuses in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn in the USA, as well as pioneering efforts with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.  And in an effort to come alongside you and provide you with resources to accompany our podcast, visit the following link for this week’s download called, “Wait With Me: Meeting God in Loneliness”.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:The deeper issues of the heart that are connected to loneliness.The essence of loneliness.How to know God in the context of loneliness.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!

“All spirituality is about what we do with the unrest in our soul.” - Ronald RolheiserHow are you caring for your soul? Are you in touch with the Father on a deep and intimate level? Today you will be introduced to iCARE. iCARE is a way for you to be still, guard your heart and the treasure inside, in a way that you can become more aware of it and be connected to that reality and live out of it as you live in the gaze of God’s love.On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael will teach you how to regulate your body...to bring you back to a place where you are in a window of tolerance in your nervous system. Where your feelings, experiences, perceptions, and sensations in your body - that you can be present to them and to be present to God.To receive a helpful iCARE guide, click this linkIn this podcast, we hope you will discover:What it means to guard your heart.How to practice the presence of God?What sacred sorrow means.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!

“Suffering doesn’t work like a statistical map. It’s up close. It’s personal.” - Philip YanceyEarlier today, a conversation was recorded between Michael and best-selling author and thinker Philip Yancey. Although Philip needs no introduction, you should know he has spent his entire career as a journalist and writer exploring themes of suffering and pain and asking the question, “Where is God when it hurts?”.As everyone around the world is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to offer you this special edition podcast so you will receive hope and encouragement as we move into Easter weekend. If you would like to find out more about Philip Yancey, visit his website.From all of us here at Restoring the Soul, we pray blessing and health over you, your loved ones, and all people everywhere.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 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.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!

“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.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!