The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

When the Unimaginable Happens, What Next?Clarissa Moll was a wife and mother of four young children when The Massive Thing (TMT) showed up. Her husband Rob, an author and avid hiker, fell to his death during a morning hike with a friend. Clarissa was faced not only with TMT of losing her husband, but also thrust into many new roles WHILE she was facing grief and what she calls “the darkness” that it brought into her world. Clarissa was on the podcast once before (Season 6, Episode 48). You can hear that conversation by clicking the button below.Clarissa’s book is Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Walking with Grief and Thriving After Loss. I consider it a must-read, and I HIGHLY recommend you listen to her narration in the audiobook. She also has a wonderful Instagram account, in which she leads people into understanding the path forward after major life events. She was so kind to read my new book and is one of my inside-the-jacket endorsers. Here’s what Clarissa had to say about Hope is the First Dose. “When you stare into the abyss of loss that stands between you and the life you lived before, grasp hands with Dr. Lee Warren and hold on tight. Warren’s bedside manner is honest and kind, companionable and direct. Bring your heartache to these pages and find healing and abundant life again.”—Clarissa Moll, author of Beyond the DarknessYou can click on the cover below to pre-order Hope is the First Dose. Music by Paul Baloche, Matt Maher, and Taylor Leonhardt(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Life is a Series of Hobson's Choices(Adapted from Season 4, Episode 89)Hobson's choiceA Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is offered. Because a person may refuse to accept what is offered, the two options are taking it or taking nothing. In other words, one may "take it or leave it".WikipediaThere are some things you need to settle if you’re going to be happy. What are those for you? Write them down. Start praying for peace around them. Start clarifying the true things in your life, and disavow yourself from the notion that you need to have a pain-free life in order to be happy. The degree to which you couple emotion and circumstance in your life is inversely proportional to your ability to be happy.And what kills us, is the unwillingness to accept the quantum duality that life is hard and we can be happy anyway. We focus on the but and the and and the woe and the oh no and we forget the tho and yet.Scriptures MentionedJohn 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.Mark 9:28-29 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.Matthew 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.Hebrews 12:1-4Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Happiness is not achieved through perfect circumstances.Happiness, counterintuitively, is achieved in spite of difficult circumstances. Here’s how it works. (Adapted from Season 4, Episode 88)My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Music by Brenton Brown(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

A Lesson About “Promised Land Problems” (Adapted from Season 4, Episode 83)What if I told you that you could take a two-week trip and make it last forty years?What if I told you that you could spend your whole life chasing something in your future, or running from in your past and miss everything good you could have right now?And what if I told you that you could live in a version of what you really want because you think you have arrived, but you really wind up never getting the great life you were designed for, just because you never learned to wait for it?These are all tragic examples of something I call Promised Land Problems, and today we're going to learn how to avoid them.If we don't solve the Promised Land problems in our lives, we end up wasting our days, wandering in a desert version of what we were meant for, and die in the wasteland of an unfulfilled, unsuccessful, unrewarding life.I want to enjoy my life now, I want to make the best decisions I can make so I wind up where God intends me to be, and I don't want to make all kinds  of detours and missteps along the way.I'm betting you want those things too.Hang out with me for a few minutes, because this episode could save your life.I have noticed four types of what I call Promised Land Problems we can learn from this story that apply to all of us today.Focus On The Family Article: Scarlett's Arrival- Dealing With Grief and LossJoin us for the John to Know, James to Grow Bible StudyMy new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

It’s Tuesdays with Tata!(Note: I’m resting my voice for a couple more days, and Tata and I both had the flu and did not record a new episode this week. Here’s one of our favorites from last year, Season 6, Episode 66. Pray for my voice to come back before I have to record the audiobook in two weeks!)I asked Tata to shed some light on what it means to be “saved to the uttermost” from Hebrews 7:25!Scripture: Hebrews 7:25, John 6:37Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

When Life Brings Us Pain, We Have Two Choices(Note: I STILL can’t talk long enough to record a new episode. I’m going to rest my voice for THREE MORE DAYS, and then I have some AMAZING guests coming up later this week. So please pray that my voice gets stronger and that we can get back on track later this week. )When life brings us hard things- massive things- we can either sit down with our hurt and let it define the rest of our life, or we can press into it and let God lead us through. Today we look at Exodus 20-34 and see that the path to finding the light again always starts in the darkness. Will you go there with me?My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

We've Reached the End of Infinity, at Least for a WhileToday, a story about stumbling stones, brain cancer, finding God in unexpected places, and how God is always working to help all of us, even when we can't see it. Plus, Tommy Walker music, AND I'm going to pray for you WHILE teaching you more self-brain surgery techniques. Whew. A lot going on in this episode!(Adapted from Infinitely Happier, Part 15)Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.My prayer for you today, friend:I want you to have infinitely more than you can ask or imagine, now and in eternity.Infinite peace of mind.Infinite resilience for the hard parts of life- those you've already known and those to comeInfinite access to the glorious, unlimited resources to empower youInfinite family and comfort as he makes his home in your heart, and Infinite trust that he's always good and for youInfinite depth to the roots sinking into his foundation, to steady you.And an Infinite grasp of the width, height, and depth of his infinite love for youInfinite experience of his full life and powerAll so that you can accomplish infinitely more than you can ask or even imagine. So that you can be infinitely happier:Above the drama,Above the fray, happy and healthy, reset and resupplied and restocked and repositioned and ready for anything.Because he has more for you, my friend.Infinitely more. Music by Tommy Walker(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

The Science of Freedom is On Your SideFreedom starts with a choice- a declaration. In this episode, we talk about the science of freedom, and how vital it is to be willing to fight for it in all areas of our lives.(Adapted from Infinitely Happier, Part 14)Music by The Psalm Library (featuring Tommy Walker)(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

All of Us Have a Story We Tell OurselvesAnd it's often a lie.(Adapted from Infinitely Happier, Part 13) Today, we're taking a look at the art form known as Story, and we're going to finally learn how to find the courage to enter the scary places from which those stories come. We'll get into the cave of our minds, find the source of the lies we tell ourselves, and finally overcome them to find the treasure we seek- a life free of limits and labels. My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe

Life Is Hard, But God Wants Us to Be Happy Anyway.(Adapted from Infinitely Happier, Part 12)Here's some thoughts on why it matters so much that we learn to separate our mood/emotional state from our circumstances.Plus, a story about cows!Music by Cody Carnes(Music shared on The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast is authorized under BMI license #61063253 and ASCAP license #400010513 )My new book is called Hope is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. It is coming out on July 25, but you can pre-order it now anywhere books are sold.Self-Brain Surgery with Dr. Lee Warren is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drleewarren.substack.com/subscribe