The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

What happens when our lived experience doesn’t align with what we believe about God? How do we hold on to faith when trauma, suffering, or loss shatters our spiritual foundation? Author and counselor Michael Cusick understands this tension intimately. As a survivor of childhood abuse, Michael found himself caught in self-destructive cycles that threatened his soul and relationships. Yet through his own healing journey, he discovered the profound impact our personal stories have on our attachment to God — and how restoring that attachment can transform our lives. Now, through his intensive counseling work at Restoring the Soul and in his new book, **Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love**, Michael helps others reconnect with a God who is both safe and loving — even in the wake of deep wounds.In this thoughtful conversation, Davey and Michael talk about what to do when your relationship with God feels fractured, why attachment is so important spiritually speaking, and why it seems like so many leaders are falling in our generation. If you've struggled in your relationship with God because of the pain you have experienced, this episode is an invitation to begin healing, to rebuild trust, and to rediscover a sacred attachment with the One who will never let us go. Website: michaeljohncusick.com www.restoringthesoul.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaeljcusick Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaeljohncusick Book: Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Lovehttps://amzn.to/3GMXH1l Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we help kids build resilience, especially after facing trauma? How do we teach kids the skills they need to persevere after pain?Dr. Nicole Wilke had a front-row seat to the impact trauma can have on a child's development. Her parents had a heart for kids with the hardest stories and welcomed seventy children through foster care and adoption. This experience had a profound impact on Dr. Wilke as she watched her siblings grow and struggle after experiencing pain. It was out of her own experience that she was drawn to the work she does now through the Christian Alliance for Orphans Research Center, where she is on the front lines of discovering how we can best help kids who have experienced difficult things find a way forward.Her latest book, which she co-authored—**Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience**—offers practical wisdom backed by science to help kids take whatever challenges they are facing and use them as fuel to build resilience that will carry them throughout their lives.In this episode, Davey talks with Dr. Wilke about how God is in the business of redeeming our kids' stories of difficulty, why our vision matters when it comes to the trauma kids experience, and how to build a child's resilience so that they can move forward through whatever may come.If you are a parent or love a child who has experienced challenges and difficulties due to trauma or pain, this conversation will encourage you that God can take the most painful moments and use them in our kids' lives so that they can become resilient overcomers. Website: cafo.org/research-center/resilience-books Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.nicolewilke www.instagram.com/cafoalliance Facebook: www.facebook.com/CAFOalliance Book: Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience https://amzn.to/4jGH4mw Caleb Koala’s Comeback Ride: A Journey to Overcominghttps://amzn.to/3F1yZtw Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you are faced with an unbearable decision? How do you walk firmly in faith when you know the outcome will most likely be devastation?For former local news anchor and author, Brooke Martin, and her husband, the choice to carry their daughter, Emma Noelle, to term even though she was diagnosed with a condition that meant she would not survive outside the womb, was one of trust. Although they knew pain was on the other side of their second pregnancy, they also knew that God could be glorified as they walked out their faith. While she only got a few short minutes with her daughter alive after her birth, Brooke has seen the ways in which God has used the pain and suffering to bring glory to Himself. With the vision of how life's fires can completely destroy or bring about unimaginable fruit, Brooke wrote the book **Controlled Burn: Rising from the Ashes to Forge an Unshakable Faith** and shared how her own story of pain brought about so much spiritual growth. In this moving conversation, Davey and Brooke discuss how we can step out in faith in decisions that feel impossible either way, why praying for God to be glorified is such a powerful request, and what grief looks like as time moves forward. If you've ever felt like an unexpected fire has rolled into your life, this episode will give you the courage to let it burn away what needs to be and watch as new life springs forth from the ashes when you lean on your faith in whatever suffering you are facing. Website: www.MOREwithBrookeMartin.com Instagram: instagram.com/brookemartin.tv Facebook: facebook.com/BrookeMartinMORE Book: Controlled Burn: Rising from the Ashes to Forge an Unshakable Faithhttps://amzn.to/438OsQG Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where can you find hope when a diagnosis is difficult to accept? How can you trust God when life's challenges feel insurmountable?For Alan Hester, finding out that he had ALS-a degenerative neurological disease-was devastating at first and yet, he now describes it as one of the best things that happened to him. Not because the suffering or the pain has been easy, but because of the depth and richness he has experienced in his relationship with Christ through it. Learning what it truly means to depend on God in the midst of his suffering, Alan has gained spiritual strength as his body has experienced more and more weakness. In this heartfelt conversation, guest host Amy Sylvestre and Alan talk about how suffering can connect us more and more to Jesus, why scripture is so important in our pain, and the importance of allowing community to walk alongside us when we can't stand on our own. If you or someone you love is facing a difficult diagnosis, this episode will encourage a steadfast strength to trust in the Lord in whatever you are facing. NO SOCIAL MEDIA OR WEBSITE AVAILABLE for Alan; Instagram: @amysylvestrecoaching Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do we do with the doubts, disillusionments, and dead ends that can come in our faith journey? How do we help someone who has questions in their walk with Jesus?Authors Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague each had a unique experience when it came to wrestling with doubt and disillusionment in their faith. They knew the confusion and pain that can come when you have questions and are struggling to find the answers in safe places within the Christian community. It was out of their own personal experiences that they together wrote the book, **Mid-Faith Crisis: Finding a Path Through Doubt, Disillusionment, and Dead Ends**, to give others a roadmap through the twists and turns of walking out a true faith in Christ. In this helpful conversation, Aubrey sits with Catherine and Jason to talk about the beauty that can be found after a crisis in our faith, how we can better prepare children and believers for the realities that may come in life, and the way the church can better step into conversations and provide a refuge for those wrestling in their faith. If you're in a season of doubting or disillusionment and it feels like you have reached a dead end, this episode will be a reminder that no matter how big the questions are, God is strong enough to withstand them and you are not alone. Website: www.catherinemcniel.com www.jasonhague.com Instagram: instagram.com/catherinemcniel instagram.com/jasonhaguewriter Episode #208 with Catherine McNiel: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-208 Book: Mid-Faith Crisis: Finding a Path Through Doubt, Disillusionment, and Dead Endshttps://amzn.to/4iXBD1f Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we help a child who may not have the words to express their own grief? How can communities be support systems to those who have adopted?Cameron Lee Small's story began with loss. At the age of three years old, he was adopted from his birth country of South Korea and placed in a home thousands of miles away in America. As he grew up and began to understand the complexity of emotions that can arise as an adoptee, he realized the need for support and care for others who shared his journey. Through his practice as counselor and his interactions with other adoptees and their families, Cameron has seen the impact loss and trauma can play in the lives of those who have walked this path. And because of his own personal experience, he has been able to help adoptees and their families navigate a way forward towards healing. In his book, **The Adoptee’s Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment**, Cameron shares glimpses of his story and search for his birth mother as well as practical ways adoptees can regain their sense of agency and identity in the complexities of their story. In this insightful conversation, Davey talks with Cameron about the kinds of questions that can come in an adoptee, how parents and caregivers can help children regulate who have experienced trauma, and why it is so important for churches to be adoption informed so that they can best serve families who adopt. If you are an adoptee or an adoptive parent or you know someone who is, this episode will help you understand the nuances of the emotional experience many adoptees feel and how you can love and serve those who have welcomed children into their home through adoption. Website: therapyredeemed.wordpress.com Instagram: instagram.com/therapyredeemed Book: The Adoptee’s Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowermenthttps://amzn.to/4kay5tK Additional Adoption Resources:Cam's Minneapolis TEDx Talk: tedxminneapolis.com Virtual TEEN ADOPTEE Support Groups: https://mailchi.mp/25796625a7ab/virtual-group-for-teen-adoptees Adoptive Parenting Consultation Group [3-Month Coaching with Cameron]: https://community-adoption-support.mailchimpsites.com/ 10 Facts about Adoptees: https://therapyredeemed.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/10-facts-about-adoptees.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do we do when people fail us in our greatest time of need? How can the church do a better job at entering into people's pain and walking with them in their stories?Dr. Michelle Keener walked through her own season of suffering and eventually found herself deep diving into Biblical research on the book of Job in the Bible through the lens of trauma. It was through her scholarly research that she was able to find principles that applied to her own pain and to the Church at large when it comes to helping trauma survivors. In her book **Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors**, she connects the story of Job-a man who knew incredible trauma and pain-to practical ways individuals and the church can show up in suffering. In this insightful episode, Aubrey sits with Dr. Keener to discuss how we can connect our own personal experiences of trauma to those in scripture, why the church struggles to help those who are hurting, and how the gospel applies to pain. If you've ever needed people to meet you in your pain and didn't find the support available or if you've ever struggled to know how to step into the pain of someone else, this conversation is a gentle reminder of how we can steward each other's stories well as we move through grief and trauma in life and how God is always there to comfort us in the ashes. Website: MichelleKeener.comInstagram: nstagram.com/MKeenerWrites X: x.com/MKeenerWritesBook: Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors https://amzn.to/4iZNufx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do we do with the seemingly never-ending emotions that can come in this generation? How do we manage the persistent feelings of anxiety and depression that can overtake our lives as believers?Dr. Kevin Chapman has worked with countless individuals struggling with anxiety and depression. As a believer and clinician, he has seen how powerful emotions can be in the lives of the people he helps. And through his work, he has also seen the hope that can come in the healing that can be found through Christ and God's word. By learning to take captive the thoughts that often precede big emotions, Dr. Chapman has seen major shifts in how emotions impact a believer. In his book, Mastering Our Emotions: Biblical Principles for Emotional Health, he helps readers walk through how to do just that as they encounter their own emotional responses to life's challenges. In this episode, Davey and Dr. Chapman talk about how to untangle our identity in Christ from the labels of a mental health diagnosis, how to even begin to manage our emotions, and why so many teens are struggling with anxiety and depression in this generation.If you find it difficult to control your responses to the difficulties in life, this conversation will empower you to know that even in the midst of the most painful setbacks and challenges, you have agency in how you respond to your emotions and that with the power of God, you can learn Biblical principles to master your emotions. Website: drkevinchapman.com Instagram: instagram.com/drkevinchapman Book: Mastering Our Emotions: Biblical Principles for Emotional Healthhttps://amzn.to/3YDWpvP Looking for a tangible gift for a friend who is hurting? The restorbox is a beautifully curated gift box that will show your loved one you care: nothingiswasted.com/restorbox Get your copy of the Nothing is Wasted Book today: nothingiswastedbook.com Do you need someone to walk with you one-on-one through your valley? Our certified coaches are ready to meet you where you are and help you find a way forward: nothingiswasted.com/coaching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you heal as a parent when your worst fears come true? How do you move through the pain of losing a child unexpectedly to a drug addiction?Pastor Lance Ward and his wife, Jeni, tried to fight the tight grip addiction had on their son Kyle but lost him suddenly to a fentanyl overdose. The secret life he was living was well-hidden until it was too late and Kyle succumbed to the pull of pills. While completely shocked and upended by their loss, Lance and Jeni saw God's faithfulness after losing Kyle and the healing that came in the midst of their unexpected pain. In this raw conversation, Aubrey sits with Lance and Jeni to discuss how addiction can impact a family, how to walk alongside those who lose a loved one to addiction, and where to find God in the paths life can take us on unexpectedly. If you've lost a loved one to addiction or know someone who has, this episode will remind you that God will continue to show up in the pain of addiction and the destruction that can follow. Hope is Alive Ministries: hopeisalive.net/ Al-Anon Support: al-anon.org/ Would you love to help those in your church partner with God to take back their stories of pain and trauma? Bring the Pain to Purpose course to your church and let the healing begin: nothingiswasted.com/churches Want to access all that Nothing is Wasted has to offer to help you in your healing journey? Join Community Plus and get resources like our masterclasses, Curated Pathways, and more for just $20/month. nothingiswasted.com/communityplus Need some hope right now in your valley? Or have a friend who could use some encouragement through suffering? The Pain to Purpose 42-Day Devotional is the perfect companion in your pain. Get your copy and gift one to a friend who needs it: nothingiswasted.com/store/pain-to-purpose-devotional Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you find yourself in a crisis of faith? How can you help someone walking through the questions and doubts they are experiencing?Ian Harber came to a critical junction in his own faith after experiencing loss after loss. Doubts began to rise and yet, he didn't have a safe space to process the questions that can so often come in our journey in knowing and understanding God. But eventually, Ian found himself on the other side of that process and began to see the need for helping others find the space to process their own questions and doubts. In his latest book, Walking Through Deconstruction: How to Be a Companion in a Crisis of Faith, he shares his own story of deconstruction and reconstruction and encourages others to be a companion to those who are experiencing a crisis in faith. In this episode, Davey and Ian discuss what deconstruction is, what can happen to a person who is experiencing a crisis in their faith, and how to walk alongside those who are questioning and doubting faith as they once knew it. Whether you are struggling with questions and doubts in your own journey with Jesus or you know someone who is, this conversation will encourage patience and compassion through the ups and downs of walking with God. Website: backagainwords.com Instagram: instagram.com/ianharber Book: Walking Through Deconstruction: How To Be A Companion In A Crisis Of Faith https://a.co/d/9vQw1fT Want to start your Pain to Purpose journey? Learn more: course.nothingiswasted.com Do you need a reminder in your pain that God isn't done with your story? Sign up for our free, 7 day devotional delivered straight to your inbox: nothingiswasted.com/7-day-devo Are you looking for the perfect study for your small group? Check out the Nothing is Wasted Video Series: nothingiswasted.com/bookstudy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices