The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

How do you even begin to talk to God when life is unfolding in ways you never wanted? What can prayer do when the pain feels unbearably raw and deep?For Rachel Wojo, these questions became deeply personal. She never could have imagined the depth of suffering she would walk through—navigating her daughter’s terminal diagnosis and eventual passing, enduring betrayal in a first marriage that ended in divorce, and losing her mother in her twenties and her father while writing her book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments. Pain came from every direction. And yet, in her desperation, Rachel discovered strength through raw, honest conversations with God.In this episode, Davey and Rachel talk about the wrestlings that come with a difficult diagnosis, the vital role of prayer in our darkest seasons, and how remembering God's past faithfulness can help us move forward through grief and heartbreak.If you’ve ever struggled to find the words to say to God in your most desperate moments, this conversation will remind you that you don’t need perfect prayers—just an honest heart willing to keep reaching for Him, even in the pain. Website: rachelwojo.comInstagram: instagram.com/rachelwojoFacebook:facebook.com/rachelwojoauthorBook: Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Momentshttps://amzn.to/4eLBw8K 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.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we support those in pain when we ourselves don’t have all the answers? How can we be present when we’re uncomfortable with the silence, the sorrow, and the questions that come with loss and tragedy?Pastor Jerry McFarland felt a twinge uncertainty the day he received a phone call asking him to visit a stranger at a local children’s hospital. Unsure of what he could say or offer, he still chose to show up—to step into someone else’s pain as an act of obedience to “mourn with those who mourn.” That’s when he met Amy Sylvestre, a mother clinging to hope as her infant son, Hudson, fought for his life.Healing didn’t come in the way Amy had hoped. But through Jerry’s quiet presence—a man she had never met before that hospital stay—Amy encountered the grace of God in the darkest chapter of her story. It was his willingness to sit with her in grief, to make space for her questions, her anger, and her heartbreak, that allowed her to begin to find comfort and hope again.In this tender episode, guest host Amy Sylvestre sits down with Jerry to reflect on that experience and explore what it means to walk with others through pain, how to entrust God with what is most precious, and why it's not only okay—but necessary—to let people be honest in their sorrow.Whether you're a leader or simply someone who knows a person in pain, this conversation will remind you: you don’t need to have the right words or the perfect response. Your presence, your listening ear, and your willingness to show up may be exactly what someone needs in the hardest part of their story. Episode 175: Amy's Story: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-175?rq=amy Need help navigating your own loss? Let Amy help: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/coaches/amy-sylvestre 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.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Dr. Nicholas Rowe, a historian and seminary professor, and Sheila Wise Rowe, an author and counselor, as they explore the deep impacts of unresolved trauma on leadership. They discuss how early experiences shape leaders’ emotional health and the importance of addressing inner wounds. Their insights highlight the necessity of balancing personal healing with leadership responsibilities, advocating for humility and vulnerability. This conversation offers a compelling roadmap for leaders to find restoration and genuinely support others.

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