It can be so hard to see, let alone accept the hand of God in the middle of our deepest pain. How can you learn to trust God's sovereignty in your darkest moments? For Greg and Cathy Buffkin, that was no small feat. After losing their adult son Ryan to suicide, it was difficult to accept their loss and find the strength to move forward after so much pain. Living every parent's greatest fear, the Buffkins found themselves wrestling with difficult emotions and yet, managed to find the Lord in the most heart wrenching loss they had ever endured. From their pain, they have a new found purpose as they've sought to equip others as they navigate walking alongside someone who has lost a child. In this episode, Davey sits down with Greg and Cathy to talk about what it looks like to experience God's sovereignty in grief, the best ways to support someone who has lost a child, and the difference between healthy and unhealthy ways of healing after loss. Grief is an inevitable part of our lives this side of heaven, which is why this conversation is so important for all of us as we come face to face with pains we never imagined. Whether or not you've endured the loss of a child, this episode will give you important insight into what it means to choose healing when grief threatens to overwhelm.   Website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmptyChairEndeavor/

How do you persevere in the face of unending challenges and difficult circumstances? Where can you find the strength to keep going when life tries to knock you down over and over again? For Dr. Danisha Keating, building resilience seemed impossible after a traumatic childhood filled with abuse and moving in and out of the foster care system. Her journey in life was hard, at one point leading her to be a caretaker for her younger siblings while in college and yet she persevered to graduate and go on to earn her PhD. Now, she spends her life reaching back into the fire, encouraging kids walking a similar journey in the foster care system, to know that their lives have promise and hope beyond their current circumstances. In all the trials she has endured, Dr. Keating has anchored her hope in the Lord and her identity in Him. In this episode, Davey sits down with Dr. Keating to discuss what it looks like to build resilience in a life that is full of difficulty, the power of community in encouraging those low on hope, and how healing can lead us into a life of purpose in helping those who are walking the road we once did. This conversation will leave you inspired as you hear how even the most dire of circumstances can forge a deep-seated resilience in our hearts as we move forward into a future filled with possibility.   Website: https://www.dkeducationconsulting.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DKEducationConsulting Book: From Foster to PhD: Letters from a Suitcase: https://www.amazon.com/Foster-PhD-Letters-Suitcase-ebook/dp/B09MGC57RM

How do you choose joy when it feels impossible? What can you do when a chronic diagnosis leaves you debilitated? For Lindsey Wheeler, the answer did not come easily. After a Lyme disease diagnosis left her struggling to get out of bed everyday, Lindsey knew she had to make a choice: to see the good in life in spite of her circumstances or to dwell in self-pity. It wasn't easy, but Lindsey chose to change her perspective on her life in the middle of so many challenges that included her health and raising a child with special needs. It was that perspective shift that has given her the strength to bring hope to others in their pain. She started a company called Bottle of Tears that provides curated gifts of comfort to those who are hurting. In this episode, Davey talks with Lindsey about what it looks like to choose joy when life feels hard, the power in reminding people that they are seen in their pain and why community matters so much in our suffering. This conversation is an encouragement for anyone who has ever felt like some parts of life cannot be "fixed" this side of heaven and offers an invitation to hope and joy in the midst of it.   Website: https://www.bottleoftears.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottle_of_tears/ https://www.instagram.com/lindseyewheeler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottleoftears Book: Sacred Tears: Simple Reminders That God Sees You and Loves You: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Tears-Simple-Reminders-Loves/dp/073698173X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2QD78389NPU7&keywords=sacred+tears&qid=1645388803&sprefix=sacred+tears%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-2

What do you do when fear wants to rule your life after loss? How do you find freedom when anxiety threatens to steal your peace? For Katie Piazza, it was the truth from God and His Word that set her free from what could have been a life full of unending anxiety. After losing her young daughter Colette to cancer, Katie faced a decision that would be difficult for any mother to make: would she allow fear and despair to rule over her life and home or would she choose the antidote to fear, Jesus? Though a long and difficult journey, Katie choose to place her hope in Christ even after such a devastating loss. From that, she has experienced freedom like never before. In this episode, Davey sits down with Katie to talk about how to reconcile God's goodness in the midst of terrible circumstances, where to place our hope when life is hard, and how to live unafraid of the future in spite of all the pain and grief we face. You don't have to know the deep ache of losing a child to encounter the incredible encouragement Katie's story and faith offers to anyone who wrestles with fear, despair or regret in a broken world.   Book- Victorious: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow https://www.amazon.com/Victorious-Mother-Daughters-Journey-Through-ebook/dp/B08LMCL22R http://thispresenthope.org https://www.facebook.com/Colette-the-Victorious-103414871575330/photos

How do you grieve what never was? What does it look like when your grief is over a dream rather than a reality? For Megan Smalley, learning to navigate the unseen grief and pain of infertility was difficult and at times, lonely. Megan experienced the whole range of emotions that came through her initial diagnosis of infertility to the arduous, sometimes discouraging path through IVF to the wrestlings that came after three miracle babies. At no point was her journey easy, but within it, God had important lessons and unending comfort to guide her through. And from that, she was able to in turn help others walking a similar path through an online community called The Infertility Sisterhood. In this episode, Megan joins Davey to talk about learning to take difficult seasons step by step, why knowing the truth of God's Word matters in the midst of it and how community can help us along the way in our pain. Whether infertility is part of your story or not, this conversation will teach you how to walk in your own hurt over the loss of a dream as well as how to help others through theirs.   Website: https://www.megansmalley.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MEGANSMALLEY/ Book: Give Grace: How to Embrace the Beauty of Life’s Brokenness https://www.amazon.com/dp/140021758X?psc=1&smid=A2JP70VDYUHTKB&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp The Infertility Sisterhood: https://www.theinfertilitysisterhood.com

How do you find your way back to faith when grief seems to tear it apart? For Pastor John Onwuchekwa, losing his brother Sam sent him down a path that he never expected. Having spent his whole life teaching others about the goodness and power of God, John found himself questioning the very foundational truths he so often preached. Grief made him feel like a liar. But he slowly began to see that it was in the wrestling that these truths and others he hadn't learned, could be found. Through community, honesty with God and persistence, John traveled the road back from what seemed like a lost belief into a deeper faith than he ever could have imagined. In this episode, join Davey as he and John talk about the importance of others walking with us in grief, the wrestlings that can come out of loss and why hindsight is better than insight. If you are finding yourself drifting off the path of faith in your pain, this conversation will encourage you to find your way back. Website: https://www.johno.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jawn_o/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnosr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MrJawnO Twitter: https://twitter.com/jawno Book: We Go On: Finding Purpose in All of Life’s Sorrows https://www.amazon.com/We-Go-Finding-Purpose-Sorrows/dp/0310460115/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1PTJ7BY9UXHD2&keywords=we+go+on&qid=1651257118&sprefix=we+go+on%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-2

What happens when the life you've built turns to dust? For Steph Teague, it began with just a few short sentences: "I don't think I believe in God anymore and I want a divorce". Hearing those words from her high school sweetheart, Chris, was devastating and yet, she slowly began to rebuild her life after such a deep hurt. Chris was on a seemingly separate journey through addiction, doubts, and deconstruction. In time, the Lord got a hold of Chris' heart and he experienced true life transformation, only to realize the mistake he had made in leaving his wife. Through God's kindness, the two would later reconcile, remarry and go on to start a band called Out of the Dust, where they would write songs of the loss and redemption in their story. Join Davey, Chris, and Steph as they talk about how to trust God when those we love wrestle with doubts and deconstruction, healing a marriage after brokenness, and the importance of community in whatever pain we face. This episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels like life's circumstances are beyond repair and who longs for redemption out of the dust.   Website: https://outofthedustmusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedustmusic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outofthedustmusic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Yp0ywd05n7U64KpZ8JSbu?si=bJa7JY6_TJmwhAsyqiLpdg&nd=1

What do you do when you realize the things you've been taught don't quite match up with God's Word? How do you navigate when what you believed to be true of the body of Christ doesn't hold up when you need care and protection? For Carlie Cleveland, experiencing an abusive relationship was painful enough yet more hurt was heaped upon her when the response of Christian leaders was shaming and blaming. It was through that difficult season that Carlie began to rightfully question some of the lessons she had learned through the years about purity. Her questions led her to untangle some prescriptive religious rules that ignored the heart of God's purpose in pursuing purity. In this episode, Carlie and Davey talk about the heart of the matter when it comes to sexual ethics, warning signs in abusive relationships and the importance of deconstructing ideas that don't align with scripture. This conversation is so important for those who know or love young people who may be wrestling with what purity truly means.   Website: https://www.carliecleveland.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlieraecleveland/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmv4z5NLTvn-ZYVQdcmfAIw Real Truth Ministries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealtruthministries/ https://www.therealtruthministries.com/ "Ask the Question" available on Spotify, Apple, Anchor, Google, and Youtube: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-the-question/id1615108377 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmv4z5NLTvn-ZYVQdcmfAIw My Esther Bible Study: https://www.carliecleveland.com/theblog/queen-esther

What if your worst-case scenario happened? Could you still say that God is good? For military spouse Liset Navas, those questions prompted a searching and wrestling with God long before she lost her husband, US Marine Captain Mo Navas in combat in 2020. Just days before the world shut down from Covid, Liset got the knock at the door that no military wife wants to receive. In her grief, Liset found that she had to answer those hard questions about God and His goodness while walking her four young children through the painful loss of their father. In this episode, Davey has a conversation with Liset about the importance of numbering our days as well as our spouse's, grieving with hope, and leaning into the fears and doubts that come before and after a loss. Whether or not you are a military spouse, this episode is a powerful challenge for us all to keep a heavenward perspective about life and learn to live each day to the fullest.

What do you do when loss reveals more questions than answers? How do you navigate the doubts and anger that come when God doesn't answer a prayer or longing? For Abbey Wedgeworth, finding beauty in the valley of miscarriage was no easy feat. It was through her wrestling in her pain, that she began to see the lessons her heart needed to learn, even though her mind knew the truth of God's Word. While Abbey was well-versed in her knowledge of God's truth, the loss of a pregnancy brought a deeper understanding of the goodness of God in moments where she may not have fully felt it. And it was in one of her greatest pains that God brought forth an important and needed ministry for other women walking through a similar loss. In this raw and honest episode, Davey and Abbey talk about what it looks like bring our honest questions to God, the ways suffering can teach us to depend on the Lord in a new way, and the humility pain and lament offer us. You don't have to have experienced a miscarriage to glean from this rich conversation and find beauty in your own valley, whatever it may be.   Website: https://www.abbeywedgeworth.com Instagram: @abbeywedgeworth Podcast: Held https://www.abbeywedgeworth.com/podcast Book: Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God’s Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1784984779/ref=as_li_tl?camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1784984779&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&linkId=013acf4ce7fdcfd6c074f13b5bc2b033&tag=abbeywedgew01-20