
Hope + Help Podcast
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. A production of the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship, show host Christine Chappell invites Christian authors, ministry leaders, and seasoned biblical counseling professionals to help listeners apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyday challenges.
Latest episodes

May 13, 2025 • 43min
Hope + Help for Wayward Children with Stuart Scott
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In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Stuart Scott about his book, Wayward Children: Finding Peace, Keeping Hope. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• Why is the issue of wayward children one so difficult to talk about in the church?
• Why is it so challenging to fully entrust our children to the God who gifted them to us?
• How might parents respond to the anguish they feel in response to their wayward child?
• Why is it important to consider our heart posture before the Lord when grapple with the pain of wayward children?
• How might God work through our wayward children to reveal were we're setting our hope?
• Why is it a comfort that God—who is the perfect Parent—knows the pain of rearing rebellious, wayward children?
• What are some practical ways that can parents work against (or begin to reverse) relational disconnect?
• What role does prayer play in the context of wayward children, and what are some things we can be intentional about praying for?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/wayward-children-scott
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Apr 14, 2025 • 41min
Hope + Help for Preparing for Glory with Elizabeth Turnage
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Elizabeth Turnage about her book, Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What is glory, and why do we need to prepare for it?
• What happens to us when we die?
• What will life be like in the new heavens and the new earth?
• Is there an “art” to dying?
• What do sickness and death say about the strength of our faith?
• What is anticipatory grief?
• What is lament, and how does it help us to face dying and death?
• How does prayer prepare us for glory?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/preparing-for-glory-turnage
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Mar 13, 2025 • 40min
Hope + Help for Listening Well with Joe Hussung
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Joe Hussung about his book, Learning to Listen: Essential Skills for Every Counselor. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• Why is listening well an important component of loving people well?
• What makes listening well an essential skill for biblical counselors?
• What role does posture, purpose, and practice have in our ability to listen well in counseling sessions?
• What Christlike characteristics do we mimic when we listen well to the people we're caring for?
• What difference does body language and tone of voice make in a counseling session?
• How does personal preparation ahead of a counseling session impact our ability to listen well during it?
• What makes asking good questions a key component to listening well to our counselees?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/listening-well-joe-hussung
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Feb 8, 2025 • 37min
Hope + Help for Engaging Mental Disorder Diagnosis with Jenn Chen
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Jenn Chen about her book, Biblical Counseling and Mental Disorder Diagnosis. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What is the difference between the terms “mental disorder” and “mental illness?”
• In what ways might a disorder diagnosis impact a sufferer’s perception of themselves and their world?
• How does identity in Christ offer hope to those who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder?
• How can we think about our “goal” and “role” as biblical counselors (or disciplers) when it comes to walking with someone who’s been diagnosed with a mental disorder?
• How does considering a person’s fallenness, finitude, fragility, and faltering empower caregivers to minister God’s Word to a sufferer’s experience in a meaningful, relevant way?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: https://ibcd.org/mental-diagnosis-jenn-chen/
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Nov 14, 2024 • 45min
Hope + Help for Depression with Ed Welch
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In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Ed Welch about his book, Depression: Finding Christ in the Darkness. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• In what way does Jesus welcome those who are experiencing depression?
• Why is it true that "faith can feel good, and faith can feel horrible," and how might this comfort a despondent heart?
• How does the gospel offer hope to those who fear that healing and change will never come?
• How might hopelessness "be anxiety that is exhausted"?
• How can we broach the topic of confession in such a way that is productive for the sufferer?
• How might sufferers take aim at hopelessness by taking part in God's "family business"?
• Why is it true that "God must fight [the sufferer's] battle" and what makes this a reality they can rest in?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: https://ibcd.org/depression-ed-welch
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit https://ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Oct 16, 2024 • 49min
Hope + Help for Unanswered Prayer with Ste Casey
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Ste Casey about his book, I Prayed and Nothing Changed: What God is Up to in the Silence. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What makes unanswered prayer a "strange double sorrow" for believers?
• Why is it important to "fight for sight" in seasons where God seems unresponsive to our prayers?
• How does Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians 12 help us to process the fact that God is still good even when "he gives pain to those he loves"?
• In what ways might unanswered prayer be God's way of keeping us from "soul-destroying self sufficiency"?
• What are some of the voices we hear in our suffering and how might they negatively influence the way we interpret God’s apparent silence?
• How might asking a "magic-button question" help biblical counselors to engage and encourage those living with unanswered prayer?
• How might we engage a fatalistic attitude toward prayer?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: https://ibcd.org/unanswered-prayer-ste-casey
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit https://ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Sep 16, 2024 • 35min
Hope + Help for Children and Identity with Jonathan Holmes
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Jonathan Holmes about his book, Grounded in Grace: Helping Kids Build Their Identity in Christ. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What is meant when the term "identity" is used in everyday conversation?
• What positive role can parents or caregivers play in the formation of a child’s identity? How might parents or caregivers negatively influence it?
• How has the concept of personal identity evolved over the years?
• What are five different yet common areas where kids tend to struggle with their identity?
• How do the Scriptures speak to the problem of a child grounding their identity in their academic performance?
• Why is it good news that our identity is ultimately “something we receive, not something we achieve?”
• Why is it important to "connect before [we] correct" when it comes to having identity-related conversations with our children?
• What role does the local church play in helping children learn how to base their identity in Christ?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/children-identity-jonathan-holmes
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Aug 12, 2024 • 39min
Hope + Help for Perfectionism with Jeremy Pierre
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Jeremy Pierre about the topic of perfectionism. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What is meant by the term "perfectionism?"
• How might perfectionism manifest in a person's life?
• What are some of the physical, relational, emotional, and spiritual impacts of perfectionism in our lives?
• How does the gospel of Jesus Christ minister to those whose perfectionistic ideals have driven them to total exhaustion?
• How is perfectionism a reflection of impatience towards God?
• If someone has experienced a bent toward perfectionism for most of their lives, what might the change process look like for them?
• If there is someone listening to this conversation who wants to help a friend or family member who’s struggling with this kind of thinking, what are some meaningful ways they could offer support and encouragement?
• What role does the local church play in helping those who desire to break free from the bondage of perfectionism?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/perfectionism-jeremy-pierre
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

Jun 3, 2024 • 34min
Hope + Help for Waiting on God with Mark Vroegop
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Mark Vroegop on his latest book, Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• Why do we seem to have a natural aversion to waiting?
• How do the Scriptures help us build a robust understanding of what "waiting" is?
• What are some unhelpful ways we might respond to situations that require us to wait?
• What are six aspects of waiting that are helpful for believers to reflect deeply upon?
• What are biblical four principals we can apply when we find ourselves in a situation that requires us to wait?
• What role do our expectations have in our struggles with impatience?
• In what ways does viewing our waiting as an intentional choice benefit us and honor the Lord?
• How does the gospel offer encouragement to someone who feels like their waiting is a waste of time?
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/waiting-mark-vroegop
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.

May 20, 2024 • 36min
Hope + Help for Redeeming Sex in Marriage with Scott Mehl
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Scott Mehl about his book, Redeeming Sex in Marriage: How the Gospel Rescues Sex, Transforms Marriage, and Reveals the Glory of God. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• Why might the topic of sex be such a difficult one for husbands and wives to discuss together?
• What are some prevailing views about sex—both inside and outside the church—that have distorted God’s good design for sexual intimacy?
• Why is it important to build a solid theological foundation of God’s design for sex?
• What are five fundamental purposes of God’s design for sex in marriage?
• Why does sex in marriage seem so difficult and complicated?
• How does observing the life of Jesus help us to see God’s intention to redeem, bless, and honor the sexually broken?
• Why is it important to consider the emotional, spiritual, and mental aspects of our personhood in addition to the physical aspects of sex?
• What makes sex in marriage a “journey?”
View the full show notes & links for this episode: ibcd.org/redeeming-sex-scott-mehl
The Hope + Help Podcast offers biblical conversations about life's challenging problems. The podcast accomplishes this by offering a mix of interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics. Hosted by Christine Chappell. To learn more about the show and to access helpful resources, visit ibcd.org/hopeandhelp.
Connect with host Christine Chappell at https://christinemchappell.com.
IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast is available on most podcast streaming platforms, so please don't keep the show a secret! If you know someone walking through a challenging season of life, please share the Hope + Help Podcast with them.