The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

How do we navigate those questions we have in the middle of our struggles? How can we hold onto our faith when doubt seems to want to unravel what we know to be true? For author and podcaster Laura Wifler, walking through a season of doubt in the middle of life's challenges wasn't something she anticipated. As someone who spent much of her time encouraging other women on her well-known podcast and through her book by the same name, Risen Motherhood, to cling to Jesus in their lives, she never imagined to find herself wrestling with uncertainty in her own faith. And yet through that season and through parenting a child with special needs, Laura found God reveal Himself to her more and more. Learning to cling to her faith when it felt impossible was a lesson that continues to carry her through the lingering questions and challenges she is experiencing. She also found that her vulnerability in sharing where she was in her journey with Jesus gave others permission to do the same. In this episode, Eric talks with Laura about what the gospel offers in parenting a child with special needs, how to find hope in our pain, and what it looks like to cling to faith in our doubts. If you or someone you know have found themselves in a season where there seems to be more questions than answers, this conversation is an invitation to ask God what is on your mind and know that there is no question or struggle with doubt that can keep you from His love.   Website: www.laurawifler.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurawifler Book: Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God’s Image in Every Personhttps://a.co/d/aM0aUrn To the Cross I Cling: A Mother’s Journey Through a Child’s Disability Diagnosishttps://laurawifler.com/tothecross Are you ready to take a step towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and learn 5 Steps to Taking Back your Story. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Do you need resources to help guide you in your specific pain point? Our Curated Pathways are designed to give you everything we offer in one place when it comes to your unique journey: www.nothingiswasted.com/pathways Has a recent loss, trauma or tragedy upended your world? Let us guide you through those early days: nothingiswasted.com/everythingchanges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do we do when we find ourselves in the middle of a medical crisis with our kids? How do we learn to trust God with our most precious gifts, our children? For author Jessika Sanders, learning to surrender and trust the Lord was a journey after she found herself in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It was through that experience that she began to not only pray for her own child, but the countless others that she met while attending to her son's medical condition. As she saw the need for support and care for those in the NICU and PICU, she felt led to begin a ministry for parents who find themselves in the stress and uncertainty of a medical crisis. Her ministry, Praying Through, offers practical support and encouragement for families journeying through the NICU, PICU, and child loss. Her upcoming book co-authored with Eric Schumacher, In His Hands: Prayers for your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis, helps parents with specific prayers to pray when the words may be hard to find. In this conversation with Eric, Jessika shares how God often will prepare us in advance for the valleys we will walk through, the importance of surrendering to the Lord in a crisis, and ways that anyone can help a family facing a difficult medical journey. If you or someone you know is a parent in the midst of a life altering medical diagnosis of their child, this episode will be a balm of hope in helping you remember that when everything feels completely out of your control, the Lord is inviting you to just be still and trust Him in the unknown.   Website: www.jessikasanderswriter.comwww.prayingthroughministries.org Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessikasanderswriter Facebook: www.facebook.com/JessikaSandersWriter/ Book: In His Hands: Prayers for your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis https://a.co/d/fbqoKXi 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: www.nothingiswasted.com/7-day-devo Do you have a child in your life dealing with some big feelings? Aubrey Sampson's new book, Big Feelings Days, can help kids and their adults process the pain of life. Get it now wherever books are sold: www.aubreysampson.com/big-feelings-days/ Want to start your Pain to Purpose journey? Learn more: www.course.nothingiswasted.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do we do when there is no cure for our pain? How do we live with joy and thanksgiving when our physical reality is a chronic condition?For author Andrea Herzer, learning to find joy in her chronic pain and incurable diagnoses was a feat. While her mind longed to be grateful, her physical condition made it seem impossible. And yet through her journey with chronic pain, cancer, and an accident, she was able to see God's kindness to her in the middle of her literal aches. Learning to rely on others and keeping her faith when God doesn't heal has been a struggle and yet through it, she has experienced more and more of the Lord's goodness in her life. It was through her own story that she was able to take the lessons God was teaching her and write Incurable Faith: 120 Devotions of Lasting Hope for Lingering Health Issues. In this conversation with Eric, Andrea shares how to hold on to your faith when God doesn't answer your prayers in the way you wish He would, where Jesus can be found in our physical pain, and why we can't expect medical professionals to be our saviors. If you're experiencing any form of suffering that is chronic in nature, this episode will remind you that God gives us unimaginable strength in our greatest weaknesses.   Website: www.andreaherzer.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/incurablefaith Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/lifeforillness Book: Incurable Faith: 120 Devotions of Lasting Hope for Lingering Health Issueshttps://a.co/d/gKUQ5uq Are you ready to take a step towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and learn 5 Steps to Taking Back your Story. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere 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: www.nothingiswasted.com/store/pain-to-purpose-devotional Are you looking to move from your pain into newfound purpose? Learn more about the Pain to Purpose course and start your healing journey today: www.course.nothingiswasted.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we move through our deepest hurts in marriage? What do we do when the marriage we envisioned is not the one we are living in? For authors and podcast hosts Aaron and Jennifer Smith, the difficulty they endured in the early days in their marriage made them wonder if they would even make it as a couple. Troubles with physical intimacy and disappointment threatened to undo their union. It took them learning to be vulnerable and transparent within safe Biblical community for God to start to heal the places of brokenness in their marriage. And it was through learning how to be honest with others that God began to reveal an opportunity for them to serve others in their marriages by sharing about their own. Through the Marriage After God podcast and their many books on marriage, including their latest, The Marriage Gift: A Daily Devotional Journey to Inspire, Encourage, and Transform Us and Our Prayer Life, the Smiths have been able to help others find healing in their relationships and to turn to God every step of the way. In this insightful conversation with Davey, Aaron and Jennifer share how the struggles in their marriage taught them the power of prayer, how community can be an agent of healing in our relationships, and the way God can use our own vulnerability to welcome others to share their pain.If you're in a season of difficulty in your marriage or know someone who is, this episode will encourage you to keep praying, even when you feel like giving up.   Website: https://www.marriageaftergod.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/marriageaftergod/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/marriagesaftergod Book: The Marriage Gift: A Daily Devotional Journey to Inspire, Encourage, and Transform Us and Our Prayer Life https://a.co/d/dtqYVUn 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. www.nothingiswasted.com/communityplus We know every pain is unique. That's why we created Curated Pathways to give you everything we have that applies to your specific pain point. www.nothingiswasted.com/pathways 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: www.nothingiswasted.com/7-day-devo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we begin to experience the strength of God in the middle of our weaknesses? How can we allow the Creator of all to enter into our greatest place of need? For author and podcaster Emily Jensen, walking through her son's medical challenges revealed weaknesses in her spirit that were unlike any she had faced before. The missed milestones, the extensive plans for intervention, and her own grief in the midst of it all revealed to her a need for God's strength where she felt the weakest. It was learning to navigate the waters of parenting a child with special needs that led her to a greater reliance on the Heavenly Father's power in her life. Through co-hosting the Risen Motherhood podcast and her recent book, He is Strong: Devotions for When You Feel Weak, Emily explores what it looks like to truly lean into the supernatural strength we all need when it comes to all the ways we experience brokenness this side of heaven. In this honest conversation, Eric sits down with Emily to talk about the different kinds of weaknesses we can face, the challenges of parenting a child with special needs and how the gospel applies to all of our weaknesses. If you've ever found yourself at the end of your own strength, this episode will serve as an encouragement that it is in that place that God's power is most magnified in your life.   Website: https://emilyajensen.com https://www.risenmotherhood.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyajensen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyAJens Book: He is Strong: Devotions for When You Feel Weak https://a.co/d/gkOMney Has a recent loss, trauma or tragedy upended your world? Let us guide you through those early days: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/everythingchanges Do you need resources to help guide you in your specific pain point? Our Curated Pathways are designed to give you everything we offer in one place when it comes to your unique journey: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/pathways Life is difficult and pain is real. Join Davey as he helps you move through your pain and on to a life of purpose and meaning in a LIVE Zoom call. https://www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does suffering shape our hearts? How do we tell the story of our pain in a way that both heals our own ache and helps others in theirs? Author and recording artist Andrew Peterson is a storyteller. His beloved Wingfeather Saga Series tells an epic fantasy-adventure tale about three children caught in a great mystery. Exploring themes of courage, sacrifice, and redemption, Peterson masterfully captures the attention of audiences young and old alike. His understanding in the power of story came from his own love of story and through navigating his own valleys as he walked through a deep season of depression and seeing God's story reveled more clearly to Him throughout his life. As an artist, Peterson has deeply connected to audiences through his honesty in his music and writings. In this conversation, Davey and Andrew talk about his personal journey through depression, the connection between writing and processing our lives, how we can hold both joy and sorrow in tandem, and what needs to happen before we start sharing our stories with others. If you are wondering how to tell the story God is writing through your life, this episode will show you how to take the first steps in sharing the remarkable ways God is shaping you through both the ups and downs of your experience and will remind you of who the ultimate hero is in the story.   Website: www.andrew-peterson.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/andrewpetersonmusic/ www.instagram.com/wingfeathersaga Facebook: www.facebook.com/WingfeatherSaga/ www.facebook.com/andrewpetersonmusic/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/andrewpeterson Book: A Ranger's Guide to Glipwood Foresthttps://a.co/d/4WiQ2SY The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom https://a.co/d/0SpDxfC Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. https://a.co/d/2QUjOlA Are you a pastor or church leader who wants to see redemptive healing take place in your church? Find out more about how you can bring Pain to Purpose to your church: www.nothingiswasted.com/churches 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: www.nothingiswasted.com/7-day-devo Have a friend who is walking through something difficult? Invite them to our next 5 Steps to Taking Back Your Story zoom call with Davey Blackburn. Send them this link to sign up: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: John Mark Comer - Author and Bible teacher leading others towards an apprenticeship with Jesus. Topics: John Mark Comer discusses spiritual formation and the importance of spiritual disciplines in times of pain. They explore the concept of the dark night of the soul and its impact on spiritual growth. The podcast also highlights the launching of a pain-to-purpose course for churches and addresses trauma and tools for healing. They share guidance on navigating the dark night of the soul, seeking God's presence, and the power of storytelling.

Have you ever wondered if you are still truly healing when the pain feels as fresh as the day you experienced a past loss or grief? How do we know that healing is happening as time moves forward, but our ache remains?Davey Blackburn, Aubrey Sampson, and Eric Schumacher are not only hosts on the Nothing is Wasted podcast, but all have experienced their own seasons of deep grief, loss, trauma and tragedy. With pastoral wisdom and the heart of fellow sojourners in the valley, this episode is a unique roundtable conversation of what healing truly looks like at different points in our journey. Speaking from raw vulnerability, our Nothing is Wasted hosts share their own personal walk through pain and the often times messy, winding path towards healing. In this conversation, Davey, Aubrey, and Eric tackle the role time plays in our pain, what to do when it feels as though God is absent in the days after loss, and how the journey towards healing is never a perfectly straight one. If you are struggling to recognize whether or not healing is happening in your own life, this episode is a gentle comfort in knowing that hurt may remain for your days here on earth, but there is a hope beyond what you can see that will one day undo all the pain you've encountered.   Aubrey Sampson: Website: www.aubreysampson.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/aubsampFacebook: www.facebook.com/aubsampNothing is Wasted Episode 75 with Aubrey Sampson: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-75?rq=Aubrey%20Sampson Latest Book: Big Feelings Days: A Book about Hard Things, Heavy Emotions, and Jesus’ Love https://a.co/d/gcJu4mC Eric Schumacher: Website: www.emschumacher.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/emschumacher Facebook: www.facebook.com/emschumacher Nothing is Wasted Episode 267 Finding The Hope Of The Gospel In Miscarriage With Eric Schumacher:https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-267 Latest Book: Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage https://a.co/d/7YEwPu6 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: www.nothingiswasted.com/7-day-devo Life is difficult and pain is real. Join Davey as he helps you move through your pain and on to a life of purpose and meaning in a LIVE Zoom call. www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Are you looking to move from your pain into newfound purpose? Learn more about the Pain to Purpose course and start your healing journey today: www.course.nothingiswasted.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Davey Blackburn, a guest who has experienced loss and trauma, shares his personal journey after losing his wife Amanda and provides practical ways to walk into a new year after loss. The podcast discusses the emotions and challenges faced in healing, emphasizing the importance of holding two truths together. It also explores the power of expressing honest emotions to God, setting a rhythm to navigate through pain, and finding comfort and hope in Psalm 23.

The holidays can feel especially tender for those of us who have recently experienced a loss, trauma or transition. Figuring out how to move through a season where it can seem like the whole world is experiencing happiness while we are struggling with feelings of grief and sadness is hard. How do we begin to find hope for the holidays? How do we navigate the waves of emotions and the changes in traditions we once held so dear? In this special release episode, join Amy Sylvestre, Community Director here at Nothing is Wasted, as she shares practical wisdom from a previously recorded masterclass called Hope for the Holidays: Navigating the Season When it Hurts. This podcast episode is a special gift to you, our Nothing is Wasted listeners, as you walk through this season. If the holidays feel different than years past because of the pain you are enduring, let this episode offer you tangible ways to honor your grief and make it through this Christmas season.   Find this and other masterclasses available in our store: www.nothingiswasted.com/masterclass or as part of our Community Plus Membership: www.nothingiswasted.com/communityplus Do you need resources to help guide you in your specific pain point? Our Curated Pathways are designed to give you everything we offer in one place when it comes to your unique journey: www.nothingiswasted.com/pathways Has a recent loss, trauma or tragedy upended your world? Let us guide you through those early days: nothingiswasted.com/everythingchanges Want to help Nothing is Wasted to share more stories and resources of hope and healing? You can give now at: www.nothingiswasted.com/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices