Podcast appearances and mentions of hope heals camp

This season of The GoodHard Story Podcast has been rich beyond belief. Every episode was inspired by a question or suggestion YOU sent to me, so thank you! Because of your thoughtful contributions and vulnerability, we've had dozens of life-giving and heart-changing conversations with people who are living their good/hard lives with clarity, intention, courage, faith, and (of course) transcendent hope.I am so grateful that you shared so many hours of the past year with me, friends.So many of these episodes have been a balm to my own soul, and I don't want to forget all the goodness I've found here. So to celebrate the final episode of this season, I'm rounding up my ten favorite takeaways. (And they were SO hard to choose!) I plan to preach these truths to myself when I need them most and I hope you can do the same!The GoodHard Story Podcast team will be taking a much needed summer break, but we're already planning the most glorious lineup for Season 5. We'll be back with all-new conversations in September! Remember, our catalog of over 100 episodes is always available in your favorite podcast app for you to savor (or binge!) in the meantime.Show Notes:Ep. 68 with Debra Fileta - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/88d861cf62c5b4da4d75c7785fc488bcSoul Care: Find Life-Giving Rhythms, Live Restored, Avoid Burnout, Discover Unspeakable Joy by Debra Fileta - https://a.co/d/8SV3xKCEp. 71 with Adam Young - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/127f135d0f8f4b67fd2d4b5de256ad7cEp. 76 - 5 Reasons You Are Worthy of Receiving Care - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/cd2cbb41bb24b4579194d998830fb778Ep. 78 with Ken and Joni Tada - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/137f31e9a3346ad15652b286b65cc0ccEp. 81 with Dan Allender - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/52f3e1bcc8767db0cb460dc734ba528bStory Work Conference - https://theallendercenter.org/event/storyworkconference/Ep. 82 with Lysa TerKeurst - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/e37e33f2946bef380ca85f60b7b0f792Ep. 85 with Brook Hensley - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/73c154ab9a616c9219a36816624e92f1Ep. 93 with Mary Austin Hall - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/9ef2f04fc5f02e71b20fa5b7aa2a6014Ep. 94 with Dr. John Swinton - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/565eb21c7e2a0b580d942c64560f312fEp. 98 with Philip Yancey - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/7ff1ca2eb98b273f3d5479dc5504d9f3Where the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey - https://a.co/d/47InSUWLearn more about Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Learn more about MEND Coffee and Goods: https://www.mendcoffee.com/Make a donation: https://hopeheals-bloom.kindful.com/Hope Heals Hangouts: https://hopeheals.com/hangoutsScriptures referenced in this episode:Genesis 50:20Galatians 6:5***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

What story do you believe you're living in? Friend, your answer to that question could not be more important.Learning to tell the truest version of my story to empathetic listeners has healed my heart after so much breaking. A decade and a half of this work has helped me integrate the hurt with the hope, and God's goodness with his mystery. Today I'm sitting down with the person who taught me how to start telling that story years and years ago—Dr. Curt Thompson.Dr. Thompson is a renowned psychiatrist, author, and speaker who brings together the wisdom of neuroscience and spiritual formation to help people (like me!) understand and re-narrate their lives. In this episode we'll cover:Discovering your suffering in the context of communityAllowing Jesus to access our entire selvesSuffering can be redefined even when it isn't resolvedTransforming your anger into something usefulBecoming the empathetic listener that other people needIf you want to be transformed by your suffering but need some support in making that happen, this conversation is for you.Show Notes:The GoodHard Podcast Episode 71 with Dan Allender - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/127f135d0f8f4b67fd2d4b5de256ad7cMake Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything - https://a.co/d/6XHzUiJScriptures referenced in this episode:John 16:33Mark 5:25-342 Corinthians 4:16Deuteronomy 8***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Seasons of suffering can take so much from us—our health, a loved one, our sense of security. There's a more expansive loss that runs through all those other kinds of loss: we lose our ability to imagine a good future. We only remember pain and hurt, which means we anticipate a future filled with more pain and hurt. I don't think it has to be this way. Even when the worst things happen, it's possible to dream new dreams. And it's possible to imagine a good future for ourselves and for the people we love.Today we're talking to a woman on the leading edge of imagining—and creating—good futures. Amy Julia Becker is an author, speaker, and one of my very favorite thought leaders in the faith and disability space. Hours after giving birth to her first daughter, Princeton grad Amy Julia received the unexpected news that her little girl had an intellectual disability. Amy Julia's lived experience paired with her brilliant mind and love of Jesus make her an invaluable guide as you and I take the next step toward a future filled with hope.Here's what you'll take away from this conversation:A refreshing redefinition of “the good life”One thing you can do when life takes a totally unexpected turnProof that the life you didn't expect can still be a life you loveTons of practical resources and recommendations for taking your next stepIf you need inspiration to begin imagining a good future, this episode is for you.Show Notes:The GoodHard Story Ep. 94 with Dr. John Swinton - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/565eb21c7e2a0b580d942c64560f312fA Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny by Amy Julia Becker - https://a.co/d/hHW7XfsHope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/camp/The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch - https://a.co/d/hpkQxOOThe GoodHard Story Ep. 98 with Philip Yancey - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/7ff1ca2eb98b273f3d5479dc5504d9f3Where the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/7ff1ca2eb98b273f3d5479dc5504d9f3Re-Imagining Family Life with Disabilities Workshop - https://amyjuliabecker.com/workshop/The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children by Alison Gopnick - https://a.co/d/70JXPiSAmy Julia's Substack - https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/Amy Julia's podcast - https://amyjuliabecker.com/podcast/Amy Julia on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/Scriptures referenced in this episode:***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Blessed are those who mourn. Most of us have heard it over and over…but I know I'm not the only one wondering how this could be true in God's kingdom.Megan Fate Marshman will give you imagination for how the mourning and meek and poor in spirit might be called blessed…and might actually believe they're blessed. This friend of mine has navigated the deepest kind of loss after her husband's death in 2021. Since then, Megan has become a survival guide for grieving and healing with hope. She is navigating her “new normal” with incomparable grace, gratitude, and a steady trust in God's good plan. Today she's sharing how she's managing to do that, and how you can too.Here's just a bit of the riches waiting for you if you listen:The surprising blessing of being needyWhy we've got to be honest with God about our anger and anxietyBuilding your dream team of friendsWhat “good” actually means, by God's definitionThe role of spiritual rhythms in our soul formationIf you need a fresh vision for flourishing in the most difficult seasons, this episode is for you.“The good things of God are chiefly peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost in this life; fruition of God's presence, and vision of his blessed face in the next, and these good things God never bestows upon the wicked, never withholds from the godly.” - Sir Richard Baker“Settled Into Place” by Oh Sparrow - https://youtu.be/oa7zaK_lP-k?feature=sharedMegan Fate Marshman on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/meganfate/Relaxed: Walking with the One Who Is Not Worried about a Thing by Megan Fate Marshman - https://a.co/d/4m4JNv2Scriptures referenced in this episode:Matthew 5Revelation 21Psalm 139Romans 8:28Psalm 84:11There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

From the early days of my stroke recovery, home—and all the rituals of home—have been a major part of my healing. Home has looked a lot of ways over the years, but my family and I have always tried to make it a place of comfort, rest, and connection. If you're on a journey to finding a “new normal,” I cannot overstate the importance of making your home into a place of healing.So how do we do that exactly? Today I'm joined by Phylicia Masonheimer, who believes in the power our homes have in forming us and ministering to others. We're talking through the big and small ways that any home can be a place of soul-deep rest and renewal.Phylicia is a mom and wife, bestselling author, Bible teacher, and the founder of Every Woman a Theologian. Her work is all about helping Christian women understand, live out, and communicate their faith with clarity and grace. I took away so much from our conversation. Here's a preview:How to make home a place of peace and productivityConnecting with God in our daily home routinesA beautiful new definition of hospitalityCreating a healing space when you don't have a typical home lifeIf you're looking for the first step toward your new normal, this conversation is the place to start!Show Notes:Mend Coffee and Goods - https://mendcoffee.com/Every Home a Foundation: Experiencing God through Your Everyday Routines by Phylicia Masonheimer - https://a.co/d/4WZyrQhPhylicia's website: phyliciamasonheimer.comPhylicia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phyliciamasonheimerScriptures referenced in this episode:Psalm 16:6Psalm 84:11***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

At some point, you've probably felt like you were living in some strange alternate version of your life. Maybe it was after a tragedy as dramatic as a stroke. Perhaps it was something as mundane as realizing you're middle aged. We desperately want to find our way back to the way life used to be, but it turns out that version of life is beyond our reach. So what are our options here? We can keep longing for what was—unsatisfied, absent, and stuck. Or we can learn to love the “new normal” in front of us. Yeah, I like that option.Today I'm joined by my wise and wonderful friend Susan Robinson to uncover how we can learn to love the lives we never imagined living.I loved this conversation so much. Here's a preview of what we got into…The thing that helped make my post-stroke life feel not only normal, but hopefulWhat advice I'd give to my pre-stroke selfWhat I miss most about my old lifeThe childhood dream that has been the most difficult to releaseI hope you enjoy this important conversation, friend, and, even more than that, I hope you can learn to truly enjoy your one precious life.Show Notes:Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting - https://a.co/d/51XN3fqWhat's Here Now?: How to Stop Rehashing the Past and Rehearsing the Future--and Start Receiving the Present by Jeannie Stevens - https://a.co/d/4EUeIXuThe GoodHard Story Podcast Episode 96: Losing Memory and Keeping Hope with Alzheimer's Expert Megan Carnarius - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/60ed5c2e5e34383a7079f18c20333809Scriptures referenced in this episode:***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

“Hope is believing in advance what can only be understood in reverse.”These words have been the rally cry of my soul for over a decade now, but I didn't come up with them myself. Philip Yancey did. This gentle, thoughtful writer has spent his career exploring the topic of suffering which, as you can imagine, has meant so much to me. Today I have the honor of sitting down with Philip to talk about some things that we can't understand today, but trust we'll understand some day. (Like his recent Parkinson's diagnosis.)This hour with Philip filled my soul, and I think it'll do the same for you. Here's what you can expect if you join us in the conversation:Why pain is not the enemyThe most helpful definition of health I've heard yetWe can receive God's comfort, even when we don't understand HimStewarding the suffering we never wantedThe best thing we can be for God to use usIf you need a compassionate, encouraging voice speaking into your suffering—whatever it may be—then this episode is for you!Show Notes:Where Is God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey - https://a.co/d/6xf3QxVThe Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand - https://a.co/d/3GapVr9“Parkinson's—The Gift I Didn't Want” by Philip Yancey for Christianity Today - https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/02/philip-yancey-ct-parkinsons-diagnosis-gift-i-didnt-want/How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis A. Schaeffer - https://a.co/d/f5H3bxkWhere the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey - https://a.co/d/47InSUWScriptures referenced in this episode:2 Corinthians 1:4Romans 8***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Just in time for Mother's Day, Jess is joined by a favorite guest, her daughter, Gloriana Connolly, for a fun and meaningful Q&A, driven by questions straight from you, the listeners.Gloriana takes the hot seat as she and Jess share laughs, stories, and reflections on life, family, and faith. It's real, it's relatable, and it's full of love.Whether you're a mother or a daughter, there's something here for everyone who values connection, conversation, and the beauty of growing together.Let's Go.Disclaimer: This conversation includes brief mentions of topics such as disordered eating and self-harm. While nothing graphic or detailed is shared, we want to give you a heads-up in case those subjects may be sensitive or triggering. Please take care as you listen and feel free to skip or pause anytime.Don't Miss:Want to support Gloriana in her upcoming trip this summer with Hope Heals? Click here to donate to Hope Heals Camp + to learn more about this amazing organization. Become a part of the Fully Awake Women's Club! Calling all women who have ever felt weary, defeated, heavy, or tired. We're starting a club, and you're invited. Join Here.Interested in having Jess come to speak at your event? Book Jess today!Connect further with Jess:https://jessconnolly.com | Instagram | hello@jessconnolly.com

Some of you will want to turn this episode off about three minutes in because we're talking about deconstruction. I say this with love: skipping this episode would be a mistake! Whether you've never doubted your faith for a moment or you're ready to burn it all down, today's conversation has something so good for you. I guarantee it.Having an out-of-the-blue stroke as a healthy 26 year-old and losing the life I loved so dearly pretty much cured me of pretending I had all the answers. Grief, heartbreak, and unmet expectations have a way of undoing the framework we have for reality—and that includes the way we understand God, the Bible, and our faith communities. Friends, on the other side of all my certainty I found something so much better. I learned mystery and doubt aren't something to fear or feel ashamed about.My guest is the remarkable Erin Hicks Moon. She's an hysterically funny and incredibly poignant writer and podcaster who has become a beloved spokeswoman for those of us who are tired of pretending to have all the answers.Here's a preview of what we'll get into:How to normalize doubt, rather than glamorize or villainize itWhy faith has become synonymous with certaintyHow to parent kids when we don't have all the answers about faithWhat do to when the Bible stops making senseIf you need to feel less alone and ashamed as you wrestle with your doubt, this episode is for you.Show Notes:I've Got Questions: The Spiritual Practice of Having It Out With God by Erin Moon - https://a.co/d/eqjrhLnMeredith Ann Miller - https://www.instagram.com/meredithannemillerCounterpoint series from Zondervan - https://zondervanacademic.com/products/category/counter-pointsGood Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu -https://a.co/d/1tXrmDUThe Faith Adjacent Podcast - https://faithadjacent.com/Erin on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/erinhmoonErin on Substack - https://erinhmoon.substack.com/Scriptures referenced in this episode:Genesis 32:22-32***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

I've processed and shared countless insights from my second-chance life, but no idea has resonated more deeply and widely with you all than the idea of “invisible wheelchairs.” You know what I'm talking about—those unseen parts of our stories that feel like they're holding us back from the most abundant versions of our lives.Maybe your invisible wheelchair is shame, doubt, worry, loneliness, or insecurity. As a physically disabled person, I'm dealing with “invisible wheelchairs” that have absolutely nothing to do with my stroke. There's plenty of dysfunction to go around (HA!) and I'm letting you into what feels most disabling to me these days.On this episode, my teammate Caroline and I are working through the invisible wheelchairs in our own lives and the opportunities they offer us, if we have eyes to see them.Tune into this episode to hear how you can…Identify your invisible wheelchairsFind creativity within your unique constraintsDe-personalize and get curious about your invisible wheelchairsShow up as the person you are today, not the one you thought you'd beIf you've needed language for the inside stuff that's holding you back, this episode is for you!Show Notes:Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything by Katherine and Jay Wolf - https://a.co/d/beOpiYdOpen Spaces Podcast with Jeff and Jourdan Johnson - https://www.theopenspacescollective.com/podcast⁠⁠Mend Coffee and Goods⁠ - https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠ - https://hopeheals.com/campThe Story Work Conference - https://theallendercenter.org/event/storyworkconference/Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything  by Adam Young - https://theallendercenter.org/event/storyworkconference/Scriptures referenced in this episode:Romans 12:!2***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

“It's not so much our story that makes us who we are. It's God's story who makes us who we are.” Identity, for so many of us, is the sum of our memories, our personality, and the ability to tell the story of who we are. So what's left when we lose all the things that make us who we are? John Swinton is a disability theologian who is helping people find God in the experiences of mental illness, memory loss, and intellectual disability. This gentle genius (with a glorious Scottish accent, I might add!) hangs out in the places where memory, identity, and disability meet. Turns out, there's much to be learned about how to live and how to love from people experiencing mental challenges.Dr. Swinton shared more profound thoughts in our hour together than most of us will have in a decade. You don't want to miss his insights on...How do you live well when your mind is atypicalWhy hope and joy are a possibility, no matter whatDealing with the fear of losing your memory or cognitionFinding flexibility and humility in the Christian faithWhat we have wrong about our relationship to timeIf you want to believe there's more of us beyond our memories and our minds—or if you want to hear my attempt at a Scottish accent!—then this episode is for you.Show Notes:Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship by Dr. John Swinton - https://a.co/d/fHyOjJWScriptures referenced in this episode:Colossians 3:3***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Today I'm offering you a masterclass in grieving well. One day—maybe even today—you will look at your story and see the very thing you prayed you'd never see. You could numb out and absolutely no one would blame you. But you have another option. It's harder, but so much better.Today, in my most tender conversation ever on The GoodHard Story Podcast, my strong-yet-soft sister-in-law Mary Austin Wolf Hall shares the treasures she's found in the deep darkness of a late term miscarriage. She's faced her grief head-on as an act of faith and I've been changed by witnessing it.Here's a preview of what we'll unpack:How we can prevent unprocessed griefWhat felt most comforting after her lossFinding the right proportions of mourning and distractionWhat to do when the platitudes don't feel satisfyingIf you want to face your grief head-on when the time comes, this episode is for you.Friends, my conversation with Mary Austin will focus on late term miscarriage and infant loss. I pray God will use our words to encourage those of you who are ready to hear them. If this discussion doesn't feel supportive to you today, please feel free to skip today's episode.Show Notes:MEND Coffee and Goods: https://www.mendcoffee.com/Treasures in the Dark: https://a.co/d/7JrkmFvDark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop: https://a.co/d/bC8aXBNEmpty Arms: Hope and Support for Those Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Tubal Pregnancy by Pam Vredevelt: https://a.co/d/enkfvtbRisen Motherhood Podcast Grief mini-series: https://www.risenmotherhood.com/griefScriptures referenced in this episode:Job 42:10-13***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Hope Heals Camp is the place I have felt closest to God for the past 7 years. It is the place that God softly whispered to me to start this podcast, start a gathering place (the Hangouts) for adults with disabilities, start Hoping Forward day program as a way for people to find purpose and serve, … God has also used camp as a place of healing and encouragement for me. It is the place that I learned to draw close to God and just how much He loves me.This year, we did not win the lottery and get into camp. Others will have the opportunities I have cherished to be in that sacred space, and I'm OK. I'm thankful for the opportunities I have had in the past and others I will have in the future. This year I am trusting that God has a different blessing planned, and I'm surprisingly OK with that. I'll be praying for all the families and volunteers that are there this summer, and I'm sure there will be a twinge of jealousy when I start seeing all the pictures, but Sarah and I are OK. I will look forward to future camp weeks. And I will thank God for bringing me to the place of being OK and having peace.I hope you are enjoying this podcast! If you are, please follow, rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts and share it with your friend and on social media so that it can reach more people. The purpose of this podcast is to glorify God and help others to see what He is doing in their lives.Want to tell me your God story? I'd love to hear it and share it on the podcast (either you can tell it yourself, or I can relay it). Send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or reach out on the⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keep looking for God in your story!

You'll reckon with depression at some point in your life, if you haven't already. Whether it's seasonal, circumstantial, or a lifelong reality, it's possible to “partner with God” as we navigate depression. I had the privilege of taking notes from the winsome and wise Hannah Brencher about the disciplines she's putting into place to live faithfully with depression. Whether you're dealing with darkness today or simply looking to optimize your mental wellness, this conversation is packed with practical tips and refreshing takes on caring for our minds and souls.This is what's waiting for you on this episode of The GoodHard Story Podcast:Building a battle plan for depressionReframing wrestling with God as intimacy with GodDeveloping a soft heart and thick skinQuitting our addiction to distraction and numbing outIf you're looking for trustworthy straight talk about being a person of faith living with depression, this episode is for you.Show Notes:Hannah Brencher on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hannahbrencherScriptures referenced in this episode:John 9***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopehealsSubscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals

Chronic pain is an (often) invisible form of suffering that can swallow someone whole—body, mind, and soul. Persistent pain is a daily reality for so many of us. It's vitally important that we learn to cope and hope in healthy ways.Today I'm speaking with Olivia Feller-Gerber. She's an  author, entrepreneur, and advocate who has lived with the “invisible wheelchair” of chronic pain since she was a teenager. For those of us dealing with the felt-but-not-seen reality of chronic pain,  I want you to lock into this conversation. I'm praying it feels like a pep talk from God himself about holding onto hope when the pain just won't stop.Here's what this conversation holds for you:Letting go of the story you thought you should haveLiving like a victor rather than a victimRejecting our entitlement to health, comfort, and easeFacing a lifetime of pain with a “manna mindset”Supporting friends living with chronic painIf life with chronic pain feels lonely and overwhelming, this episode is for you.Show Notes:Olivia Feller Gerber on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letterstoholdhope/Olivia's website - https://www.letterstoholdhope.com/Hold Hope: Encouragement for Christians with Chronic Pain by Olivia Feller - https://www.letterstoholdhope.com/holdhopebookEp. 85 - My New Way of Understanding Beauty with Brook Hensley - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-85-my-new-way-of-understanding-beauty-with/id1496882479?i=1000689600342Olivia's conversation starters Instagram Reel - https://www.instagram.com/p/DFJJOXPpdHf/Scriptures referenced in this episode:2 Chronicles 20:21Romans 8:28Exodus 16***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopehealsSubscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9...Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals

Most of us have been told a lot of lies about beauty. We've been given the wrong story about what beauty is, why it matters, and who it belongs to.Today I want to replace at least a few of those lies with five truths I uncovered when my outer appearance changed completely. These truths aren't popular and they might even make you uncomfortable. (In fact, I kinda hope they do!) Facing these realities took me decades and a lot of heartache, but the pain has been worth the freedom I now feel from our culture's ludicrous definition of beauty.During our time together, I'll share…Why beauty won't get you what you actually wantWhat happens when our priorities get out of orderHow sacrifice can lead to the truest beauty What our fixation on beauty is actually trying to tell usIf you feel compelled to refresh and realign your beliefs around beauty, this episode is for you.Show Notes:Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything by Katherine and Jay Wolf - https://a.co/d/hR7Yj4lThere's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Cacie Robichaux was born in Louisiana and has been living in Wisconsin since 2009. Cacie received her bachelors, worked for a hot minute then started a family and decided to be a stay at home mom for several years. She decided to go back to school where she received her second degree: an associate of software development. Her second degree led her to a career as a Scrum Master. Cacie is a facilitator who leads a team using the Scrum framework for agile project management. Scrum masters help their teams implement Scrum principles and practices, and coach them on how to improve their workflows. To Cacie, building solid relationships and a sense of psychological safety in the work place is very important. She likes to be a multipurpose person and help out wherever needed. Cacie is a mother of three daughters and very active in their lives coaching sports and ubering them around to lots of activities. She doesn't have to ever worry about meeting her favorite athletes because she gets to raise her own. Cacie loves a good physical challenge. She completed RAGBRAI in 2024, which is a bike ride across Iowa. She also plans to run a half marathon in Wisconsin this spring. In addition, Cacie and her daughters are volunteering at Hope Heals Camp, a camp for individuals affected by disabilities and their families. They would like to raise funds in order for campers to attend for free. To learn more about Hope Heals Camp, go to hopeheals.com/camp or click on the link below: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hhc2025/account/1947341/ She's an introvert, and gets her energy from reading a book in her basement. She loves Malcolm Gladwell, Brene Brown, Simon Sinek and Adam Grant. To find out more about Cacie Robichaux: LinkedIn: Cacie Robichaux

The first time I looked in a mirror after my stroke, I didn't know who was staring back at me. My face was unrecognizable, and my body might as well have been a stranger's. It took me years to accept the reality of my new appearance. Feeling anything close to "positivity" was not in the realm of possibility.We're living in the era of body positivity and I am HERE for it! But as a woman living with disabilities, I can't always muster up positive feelings about a body that doesn't function well much of the time. This reality could set me up for some major body negativity, but I've found another option.Today we're talking all about body neutrality—what it means, how I got here, and why I'm convinced it's the healthiest relationship I can have to my body. In this unguarded episode, my teammate Leah and I get vulnerable about our physical insecurities, the cultural beauty standards we have (and haven't) internalized, our experiences with weight loss, and the weirdness of postpartum body changes.If body positivity feels out of your reach, you need to hit play on this episode in your favorite podcast app.Show Notes:Suffer Strong - https://a.co/d/8DKyzM7Jess Connolly - https://www.instagram.com/jessaconnolly/Breaking Free from Body Shame by Jess Connolly - https://a.co/d/fAj7sL8Episode 85: My New Way of Understand Beauty with Brook HensleyMy Body Neutrality writing that appeared on Live Original: https://liveoriginal.com/author/katherine-wolf/Scriptures referenced in this episode:2 Corinthians 4:162 Chronicles 20:12 (Katherine did not make it up!)***There's so much more to the story.For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

“I am the embodiment of the worst case scenario. I am what every athlete fears and what pregnant parents dread. I am the catalyst for losing faith and questioning God.”Those stunning words were written by today's guest Dr. Amy Kenny, a brilliant author and scholar who lives with disabilities. That phrase— “worst case scenario”—resonates so deeply with me since I was born with a congenital brain defect that, essentially, exploded out of the clear blue when I was in my twenties.Today I have the privilege of hearing from Dr. Amy Kenny. This brilliant woman's work has helped me see that the “worst case scenario” might actually be the best case scenario for my life. She's guided me in learning that my body—disabilities and all—is not an impediment to being an image bearer of God; it's actually a channel through which I can bear God's image most fully. On this episode, we will… Unpack the controversial concept of a disabled God Investigate our standards of bodily perfection Parse out the critical difference between being cured and being healed Celebrate disability as a creative force Identify the traces of divinity to be found in our bodiesIf you need permission to believe your body bears God's image—whether you have disabilities or not!—this episode is for you.Show Notes:My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church - https://a.co/d/3DZTIt1Dr. Amy Kenny at Calvin University - https://youtu.be/URPc3nMll5s?feature=sharedScriptures referenced in this episode:Luke 14 - The Parable of the BanquetJohn 9***There's so much more to the story.For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

I'm going to make a big claim: This will probably be the most sweeping, inspiring conversation on beauty you'll hear in your life. I say this with such confidence because Brook Hensley changed the way I understand beauty. And she's about to do the same for you.  Over the next several weeks, we're going to focus deeply on the story of our beauty and our bodies—what the story is, who is telling it to us, and what needs to change. But before we get into the flesh-and-bones of it all, I want to talk about beauty as a concept. Why, oh why, does it matter to us so much? That's where Brook comes in. This brilliant friend of mine is inviting you and me into a surprising and subversive new way of thinking about beauty. Join in on this unmissable conversation to understand… What the “third way” of beauty means for your life Why beauty and vanity are not the same thing How beauty can be an act of resistance and rebellion If you're waiting to unlock a mind-blowing expansion of your relationship to beauty, this episode is for you. Show Notes: Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/camp/ Upcoming speaking events: https://hopeheals.com/upcoming-events The Soul of Desire by Dr. Curt Thompson - https://a.co/d/0J89OXU Beauty Will Save the World by Brian Zahnd - https://a.co/d/3N6yPdA Walter Wink - https://a.co/d/4xjwKxz “Why It Matters” by Sara Groves - https://www.saragroves.com/song-lyrics/why-it-matters The Overview Effect - https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/the-overview-effect/ Earth rise photo - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230511-earthrise-the-photo-that-sparked-an-environmental-movement Blue marble photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble “This Is What I Do To Feel Close To You” by John Guerra - https://youtu.be/nSozD9_vHo0?feature=shared Andrew Peterson - https://www.andrew-peterson.com/ On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry - https://a.co/d/bj0RBTC “The last act is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” - T.S. Eliot Scriptures referenced in this episode: 1 Samuel 14:7 Romans 1:20 Psalm 27:4 Psalm 90:17 Matthew 5:30-41 John 8:12 Matthew 5:14-16 *** There's so much more to the story: ⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠ for more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me! Follow me in Instagram: ⁠⁠@hopeheals⁠⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, my monthly digest of only the good stuff, like short reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet's most redemptive content. Subscribe here. YouTube Show Notes There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Recently I received emails from two people in very different circumstances who were grappling with (essentially) the same question: Who is telling me the story of who I should be? Their messages struck me so deeply because, for the first half of my life, I asked other people to tell me that story. I desperately wanted to please people by giving them the power over who I was and what I should do. Then I was set free by, of all things, a massive stroke. My new physical limitations meant I was no longer capable of pleasing everyone, all the time. And neither are you, whether you live with disabilities or not. So let's get real about it.  We simply cannot go any further into our conversation on identity formation without coming to terms with who we're trying to please. My teammate Caroline Young is joining me on this week's episode of The GoodHard Story Podcast to offer a glimmer of hope (and maybe a big deep breath) for all of us people-pleasers and perfectionists. Here's what we get into: Discerning God's conviction from man's condemnation My honest opinion on perfect church attendance Acting out of guilt versus obedience Identifying the outside influences on our self-image If you want to prioritize pleasing God over pleasing people, this episode is for you! Show Notes: I Shall Not Want by Audrey Assaud - https://youtu.be/e5xEYgGr6ms Star for Jesus and Other Jobs I Quite by Kim Stuart - https://a.co/d/4GnHtlN Scriptures referenced in this episode: Hosea 6:3 *** There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

If you think your calling is collateral damage in the hurt and hardship you've experienced, I understand how you're feeling. The work I'm doing now looks nothing like the dreams I had for my life. But now, I can't imagine dreaming up anything better. Today on The GoodHard Story Podcast we're covering one of my all-time favorite topics: how our limitations—rather than our strengths—invite us to lean into God's calling for our lives. Give me 45 minutes of your day and I'll give you a new way of approaching your purpose. I'm sharing how you can… Figure out what your “creative best” actually is Take radical responsibility of your story  Allow your calling to evolve and grow Dream new dreams for your life Find clarity through your boundaries If you need fresh vision for the good purpose in your hard story, this episode is for you. Show Notes: Treasures in the Dark Entry 46: Dreaming New Dreams - https://a.co/d/4n1npsd “The most progress we can make is turning around” - C.S. Lewis Scriptures referenced in this episode: Psalm 16:6 John 3:30 Galatians 6:4-5 Romans 8:28 Ephesians 4:1 *** There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

How could it be true that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly? I spent years trying to make God's ways align with my definition of goodness, but nothing ever seemed to click. Finally, I realized I actually needed to redefine what goodness meant to me. It was not an easy process, let me tell you, but it has formed me for the better. My friend Lysa has been on the same journey of redefining everything in a life that has upended every expectation she had. While our pain has taken completely different forms, she is my sister in suffering whose extraordinary character has been formed by hardship, not in spite of it. No one is more qualified to coach us on identity formation than Lysa TerKeurst. I'm inspired and challenged by who she is today and who she is still becoming, and I think you will be too. You do not want to miss out on the goodness and grit today episode of The GoodHard Story Podcast. Here's just a preview of what you'll take away: Identifying shame scripts in your life What to do with the things that will never make sense to you Making space for the sweetness of the unexpected Selecting your soul's board of directors If you're ready to become better instead of bitter because of your heartbreak, this episode is for you. Show Notes: Therapy and Theology Podcast - https://lysaterkeurst.com/therapy-and-theology/ I Want to Trust You, But I Don't by Lysa TerKeurst - https://a.co/d/2Q6mHfK Lysa's TikTok dance in New York - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDTBG8np6mm/ Scriptures referenced in this episode: 2 Corinthians 1:4 Psalm 84:11 *** There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

I don't re-listen to my own podcast episodes often, but I'll be replaying this one many times over. My guest Dr. Dan Allender is a trauma therapist. And if you just assumed this episode has nothing for you, consider Dr. Allender's words: “All life east of Eden is a form of trauma.” Whew.  So, yeah, you need to hear this. Dr. Allender's work has been a gamechanger in my life and I insist that you have access to his wisdom, too! He has given me a framework for understanding, grieving, and telling my story, and I cannot think of a more trustworthy voice to speak into our conversation on identity formation.  On this episode, the kind and brilliant Dr. Allender shares… The one thing you can do to take a step toward health Why wrestling with God can be a form of worship How to create the community you long to be a part of If you want support in becoming who you're meant to be, this episode is for you. Show Notes: The Allender Center - https://theallendercenter.org/ The Allender Center Podcast - https://theallendercenter.org/category/podcast/ Curt Thompson Confessional Community - https://curtthompsonmd.com/the-way-of-the-confessional-community/ Adam Young on The GoodHard Story Podcast Episode 71 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-71-what-your-feelings-are-asking-of-you-with/id1496882479?i=1000671653634 Scriptures referenced in this episode: 2 Corinthians 4:10 Romans 12:15 Psalm 22:1 *** There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

It's 2025, friends. Who do you hope to become in the year ahead? You and I are probably not going to become people of resilience, compassion, and courage by accident. Our circumstances, beliefs, relationships, and decisions are shaping our souls—in both good and hard ways—every minute of the day. I want to understand exactly how it's happening. And what I can do to create the identity I want. Today we're talking to my winsome friend Bob Goff—author, speaker, and unofficial spokesperson for belovedness. This mentor of mine knows how to live whimsically *and* strategically, and I am determined to learn how to do it too. On this episode, Bob is sharing exactly how you can… Find God's one and only plan for your life and mine Start asking “What if?” with HOPE instead of anxiety Become a note taker of your own life (and why it will change everything) If you're ready to start living like you're loved (because you are), this episode is for you! Catching Whimsy: 365 Days of Possibility - https://www.bobgoff.com/books/catching-whimsy/ Treasures in the Dark Entry 32: The Habit of Hope - https://a.co/d/3mcRhmK Treasures in the Dark Entry 60: What If? - https://a.co/d/3mcRhmK Scriptures referenced in this episode: Romans 8:19-23 (The Passion Translation) Romans 5:3-5 Hebrews 11:1 Galatians 5:6 Philippians 4:6 Mark 9:24 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 *** There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine. Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

I became disabled in an instant, but my husband Jay did not become a caregiver in that same instant. No one, like, gave him a pamphlet or anything! He had to learn by trial and error, and the stakes were high. Many of you, dear friends, are in a marriage with a caregiver or care-receiver and you're navigating what it looks like to uphold a version of your vows you didn't see coming. I am the first person to affirm what a complex position you are in. After nearly 17 years of this caregiving-in-marriage deal, we've learned a few things about healthy conflict, surrendering control, and releasing old dreams. We've also made all the mistakes. So Jay and I want to share a little wisdom—and a LOT of encouragement. Here's what you can expect from our time together on The GoodHard Story podcast this week: The #1 way we “beat the odds” of divorce after a traumatic brain injury What's worked for us (and what hasn't worked) in conflict resolution Leaning into non-traditional gender roles in our marriage Deciding to dream new dreams for our lives How I stopped feeling like a burden in my marriage If you're longing to feel seen and supported in a caregiving marriage, this episode is for you. Show Notes: The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller - https://a.co/d/9P0hVVF Stanley Hauerwas - https://stanleyhauerwas.org/ Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/camp Ep. 76 - 5 Ways to Start Believing You Are Worthy of Care - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-76-solo-5-ways-to-start-believing-you-are-worthy/id1496882479?i=1000676043943 Ep. 74 - Unspoken Demands for a Perfect Life with Sho Baraka - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-74-unspoken-demands-for-a-perfect-life-with/id1496882479?i=1000674277593 Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Katherine Wolf returns for a heartfelt conversation with Levi and Jennie Lusko. They explore Katherine's journey through immense physical challenges, her ministry through Hope Heals Camp for families with disabilities, and the opening of her inclusive coffee shop, MEND. Tune in for an uplifting talk on finding treasures in suffering, living with purpose, and embracing community. Plus, hear about a potential Lusketeer mission trip to serve at Hope Heals! This episode is full of joy, inspiration, and encouragement to live life to the fullest, even in the hardest times. Connect with us on social!Katherine: @hopehealsLevi: @leviluskoJennie: @jennieluskoFresh Life Church: @freshlife [Links]Hope Heals: https://bit.ly/485T6koHope Heals Camp Interest Form: https://bit.ly/4dH8NzTThe Good Roads Movement: freshlife.church/goodroadsGet the 5 Gallon Bucket: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHYGet the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe Want to be on the next Q&A episode? Send us your questions! https://bit.ly/3RonhJI Timestamps:06:12 – Katherine's new coffee shop and the mission behind MEND13:30 – Hope Heals Camp: Changing lives through inclusion19:09 – Living with hope in the midst of suffering28:34 – The power of community and how Lusketeers can get involved35:46 – Treasures in Darkness: Finding beauty in life's hardest moments43:03 – The emotional agility of living through hard times

Katherine Wolf returns for a heartfelt conversation with Levi and Jennie Lusko. They explore Katherine's journey through immense physical challenges, her ministry through Hope Heals Camp for families with disabilities, and the opening of her inclusive coffee shop, MEND. Tune in for an uplifting talk on finding treasures in suffering, living with purpose, and embracing community. Plus, hear about a potential Lusketeer mission trip to serve at Hope Heals! This episode is full of joy, inspiration, and encouragement to live life to the fullest, even in the hardest times. Connect with us on social!Katherine: @hopehealsLevi: @leviluskoJennie: @jennieluskoFresh Life Church: @freshlife [Links]Hope Heals: https://bit.ly/485T6koHope Heals Camp Interest Form: https://bit.ly/4dH8NzT The Good Roads Movement: freshlife.church/goodroadsGet the 5 Gallon Bucket: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHYGet the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe Want to be on the next Q&A episode? Send us your questions! https://bit.ly/3RonhJI Timestamps:06:12 – Katherine's new coffee shop and the mission behind MEND13:30 – Hope Heals Camp: Changing lives through inclusion19:09 – Living with hope in the midst of suffering28:34 – The power of community and how Lusketeers can get involved35:46 – Treasures in Darkness: Finding beauty in life's hardest moments43:03 – The emotional agility of living through hard times

This is the second of two episodes I recorded at Hope Heals Camp 2024 in Nauvoo, Alabama. Hope Heals is an amazing place full of hope, acceptance, inclusion, and God's love. It is where the lines blur between serving and being served, ability and disability. It is like a week of heaven-practice! If you are interested in learning more about Hope Heals Camp or their other ministries, check out the Hope Heals website or reach out to me; I love to talk about it! This interview with Teisha Ray is one of adoption, loss, disability and advocacy. Teisha and her husband, Sean, live with their three kids in the central Texas area. Teisha is a pharmacist for poison control, a microcurrent neurofeedback provider and a certified biblical counselor.  They have three kids, 13, 11, and 5. They are passionate about adoption, marriage ministry, and love to play games and travel. Teisha can be reached by email at teisharay@gmail.com Want to tell me your God story? I'd love to hear it and share it on the podcast (either you can tell it yourself, or I can relay it). Send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or reach out on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page⁠⁠⁠ Keep looking for God in your story!

This is the first of two episodes I recorded at Hope Heals Camp in Nauvoo, Alabama. Hope Heals is an amazing place full of hope, acceptance, inclusion, and God's love. It is where the lines blur between serving and being served, ability and disability. It is like a week of heaven practice! If you are interested in learning more about Hope Heals Camp or their other ministries, check out their ⁠website⁠ or reach out to me. I love to talk about it! Jordan Gollnick is a precious young woman who was at camp all four weeks this summer. I met her at week 4, after she had been a volunteer for the first three weeks. Jordan graduated last May with her Master's from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. She loves hugs and loves to pray for people. If you would like to contact Jordan, she is on social media at https://www.facebook.com/jordan.gollnick. I hope Jordan's story helps you see some things that God has done in your life. He cares for each of us and works in amazing ways throughout our lives. We should all keep looking for Him in our stories! If you would like to tell me your God story, you can reach me at the ⁠Hoping Forward Podcast⁠ Facebook page or at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com. I'd love to hear it and share it with others!

It's Katherine Wolf's first time on the podcast and Sadie can't wait to introduce you to her (if you didn't know about her already!). After a life-altering stroke at the age of 26, why does Katherine call herself "a big fan of the good, hard life?" Katherine found a life-transforming hope in Jesus when she almost died and she wants to share it with everyone because we all are going through hard things! As Katherine says, no one can tell YOU how to feel about your own story — that's something you get to decide and she almost had to die to truly find this life-altering hope. Sadie and Katherine talk about the importance of showing up for friends and family in especially hard circumstances and why not knowing what to say is okay! After this conversation, we know you're going to feel lighter and more hopeful about what's currently going on in your life. We can do this hard life because we are NOT alone — we have Jesus and we have each other! To find out more about Hope Heals Camp visit: https://hopehealscamp.com/ and Katherine's book "Treasures in the Dark" is out now!  https://preborn.com/sadie — Visit the website or dial #250 and use keyword BABY to donate now. https://www.auraframes.com/whoa — Get $30 off Aura's best-selling frames when you use code WHOA at checkout! https://www.trymiracle.com/whoa — Get 40% off + 3 FREE towels with code WHOA at checkout! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever spent a thousand hours studying something? Other than the back of your own eyelids, that is. Today, Katherine is joined by her friend Dr. Joel Muddamalle, who recently spent one thousand hours studying everything the Bible has to say about humility. He's sharing everything he learned with us! What he has to say might surprise you, and it's certain to convict you. If you sense you might be harboring hidden pride and finally feel ready to recover your God-designed humility, this episode is for you. What you'll take away from this conversation… Why humility is the key to developing resilience against humiliation How to invite God to re-order your ambitions Making the switch from resenting your limitations to resting in them instead All things Joel Muddamalle: https://linktr.ee/muddamalle The Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility by Joel Muddamalle: https://a.co/d/bYj1ypQ Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp Proverbs 31 Ministries: https://proverbs31.org/ “These Are The Days” by Cory Asbury: https://g.co/kgs/fRaQBGz Scriptures referenced in this episode: Genesis 1, 2, and 3 Matthew 11:28-29 Philippians 2:8-9 *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Katherine spent her first Mother's Day unconscious in an intensive care unit, a fact that has brought a flavor of bittersweetness to every Mother's Day since. Today she's reflecting on the experiences of parenthood that were eventually restored to her, as well as the ones she will simply never get back.  If your life is feeling more like a famine than a feast and you're hungry to hear from someone who has found her way back to a full life, this episode is for you. Today's episode is an excerpt from the Treasures in the Dark audiobook! If you're listening on Spotify Premium, you can stream Treasures in the Dark for free as a part of your subscription. Grab your own copy of the book today in print, ebook, or audiobook formats at treasuresinthedark.com or wherever books are sold. Show Notes: Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures Scriptures referenced in this episode: Joel 1:16 Joel 2:25-27 *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Sherri Crandall interviews Katherine Wolf about her story and how she lives a hopeful life despite suffering.  Katherine Wolf is a survivor and advocate who leverages her redemptive story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts. Her latest book, Treasures in the Dark, is available now.  In 2017, she and her husband Jay they founded Hope Heals Camp, an intergenerational retreat experience for families with disabilities. In 2023, they announced Mend Coffee & Goods, a community hub offering dignifying employment to adults with disabilities in a beautiful, universally-designed space for customers of all abilities. Katherine and Jay live in Atlanta with their two sons. You can connect with her at hopeheals.com and on Instagram @hopeheals. Learn more about The MomCo!Find a group online or in person near you.We'd love to connect with you. Send us a direct message on Instagram or Facebook or email us at leaders@themom.co

We For Real types are the people who are curious to hear great stories, laugh together, and travel all roads, even the hairpin, pothole-filled ones, with the people we love. If you are any or all of these things, you are going to drink up this conversation with two women I deeply admire, love, and always want more time with, even when we are expiring in the Alabama humidity. Katherine Wolf and Alex Wolf are family and dearest friends. They have written a beautiful new book that comes out of Katherine's miraculous survival of a near-fatal brainstem stroke that left her with significant disabilities. I don't even want to take one more second without letting you hear from them, so click in right now and get straight to my conversation with the remarkable and generous, Katherine Wolf and Alex Wolf. Katherine Wolf is a stroke survivor and disability advocate who leverages her redemptive story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts. She and her husband Jay live in Atlanta with their sons, James and John. Together, Katherine and Jay are resourcing people experiencing disabilities through Hope Heals Camp and Mend Coffee. They have co-authored two best-selling books Hope Heals and Suffer Strong. Katherine's first devotional collection, Treasures in the Dark, is now available. Alex Wolf is the Resource and Experience Director at Hope Heals, where she has the honor of creating inclusive spaces and communities for families affected by disabilities. She also has directed Hope Heals Camp since its founding in 2017. It is the joy of her life. Alex and her husband, Henry (the other joy of her life), live in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about Hope Heals at HopeHeals.com and Instagram @hopeheals. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Author Katherine Wolf wants us to find the hope God has for us even in our most painful places. Be encouraged as Steve talks with Katherine about her devotional Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting. Katherine is a survivor and advocate who leverages her redemptive story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts. She and her husband Jay have coauthored two books, Hope Heals and Suffer Strong. In 2017, they founded Hope Heals Camp, an intergenerational retreat experience for families with disabilities. In 2023, they announced Mend Coffee & Goods, a community hub offering dignifying employment to adults with disabilities in a beautiful, universally-designed space for customers of all abilities. Katherine and Jay live in Atlanta with their two sons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Julia was a high-achieving, religiously devout Princeton grad who lived with the nagging feeling that there must something *more* to life than what she had experienced so far. Then her first child was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and Amy Julia began her journey into a version of “the good life” that she never expected. Amy Julia joins Katherine for a deeply vulnerable conversation about the theological reckoning that took place in her heart and mind when she became a parent to a child with intellectual disabilities. She emerged with a new understanding of God's love and her own inherent value. Today, eighteen years later, she's inviting us all to re-imagine what belonging and belovedness really looks like for people with AND without disabilities.  What We'll Cover: How to determine if you're settling for a lesser version of the good life The one place in the Bible where we get an “equation” for God and what it means about how we see ourselves and other people Why there are no such things as “special needs,” only human needs https://amyjuliabecker.com/ https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/ Reimagining the Good Life Podcast: https://amyjuliabecker.com/podcast/ Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp/ “The Blurring Is Part of the Beauty”: https://comment.org/the-blurring-is-part-of-the-beauty/ Andrew Leland: https://www.andrewleland.org/ Mend Coffee & Goods: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” - Philip Yancey  Scriptures referenced in this episode:  Luke 14:15-24 *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

This week, Katherine is sharing why Resurrection Day has never meant more to her than it does now. For most of us, “resurrection” means the one-time-only, past-tense miracle that proved Jesus was who he said he was. It was an experience specific to him. But after surviving a catastrophic stroke, Katherine realized she really needed resurrection to apply to her. In a slow-motion miracle of her own, she experienced victory over death. It's looked less like a rolled-away stone and more like being rolled away in a wheelchair. But even so, resurrection became personal and present-tense. So what has she learned? Jesus' resurrection wasn't a one-time event. It was actually a first-time event that sparked a chain-reaction of resurrection through the rest of time. He set the staggered but certain rhythm of disappointment then delight, hard then good, wounding then healing, death then new life. This week on The Good/Hard Story Podcast, we're unpacking what resurrection has looked like in Katherine's day-to-day and how you might experience it in your own way. And if now is NOT the time for new beginnings in your life, she has a word for you too. Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” from The Country of Marriage by Wendell Berry Mend Coffee & Goods: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom A Grace Disguised by Dr. Jerry Sittser Joni by Joni Eareckson Tada Hope Heals by Katherine and Jay Wolf: https://hopeheals.shop/collections/books-resources/products/hope-heals-signed-personalized “The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die…What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it…What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God's future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God's kingdom.” - N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope Scriptures Referenced: John 11:25 *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

After Katherine's stroke nearly 16 years ago, she was desperate for a “survival guide”—some voice to offer real hope in the aftermath of such disorienting loss. Jerry Sittser, the author of A Grace Disguised, was one of the few trustworthy resources she found after searching far and wide. Dr. Sittser became a bona fide member of the young suffering club when he lost his wife, mother, and young daughter in a catastrophic car accident. The lowest point in his life has developed an astoundingly robust faith and authentic joy.  Sounds like someone we could all learn from, doesn't he? What we'll cover… The possibility that grief could become integrated into healthier, more whole versions of ourselves Allowing our responses to loss to become what defines us, rather than the loss itself defining us Discovering new capacities to develop hard-fought contentment after losing the good things in our lives Practical ways to offer comfort to the people in our lives who are suffering If your loss is swallowing you whole today and you're in desperate need of a survival guide, this episode is for you. --- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

What if some of our problems were never meant to be solved or eliminated? What if we began reframing some problems as opportunities for knowing Jesus more? In this episode, author and former pastor Curtis Chiang joins Katherine to share how his lifelong experience of anxiety has led him to an entirely new understanding of loss, prayer, surrender, and even parenting. If anxiety has felt like a barrier to spiritual growth rather than an invitation into deeper relationship with God, then this episode is for you. What We'll Cover: How we know that Jesus experienced anxiety, and why that's good news for those of us dealing with anxiety today Biblically supported and science-backed ways to cope with our fear of loss How to thoughtfully parent the most anxious generation in history 3 practices that can increase our capacity to hold loss Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/hopenote⁠⁠ Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠ Instagram⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Few topics today are more taboo than death. We're told that nothing matters more than hanging on to our youth and health and beauty. So how could the END of life be relevant to this moment in our lives? In this solo episode, Katherine lays out three surprising lessons she learned after nearly dying and how they've changed the way she's living here and now. If you're hungry for fresh perspectives on your problems in the present moment, this episode is for you! What We'll Cover: The benefits of surrendering the illusion of control Gaining clarity on what matters by meditating on our mortality How confronting death can train us to cope with other losses Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

How would the narrative of your life, your pain, and your identity change if you started telling your story as if God intended it specifically for YOU? (Spoiler: he did!) Laura Wifler, who is raising a daughter with disabilities, shares how a conscious shift to gospel-thinking is transforming her experience of suffering. What We'll Cover Choosing stewardship instead of balance when schedules feel too full Cultivating “compassion paired with dignity” for hurting people Living out the motto “my life is yours” If you need renewed energy to join God in co-authoring the story of your life with trust, gratitude, and curiosity, this episode is for you. Laura Wifler is a writer, podcaster, and co-founder of Risen Motherhood and is based in central Iowa. She has authored multiple bestselling, award-winning books for children, including, "Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer," and "Like Me," and is the co-author of the Risen Motherhood book. You can find her on Instagram, @laurawifler. Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

In this podcast episode, the host, Marsh Naidoo, interviews Kim Larrick about their experience at Hope Heals Camp. Kim shares that her son, Ben, has a rare genetic condition called Menkes disease, which affects his mobility and other aspects of his health. Her daughter, Kelsey, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Kim and her family learned about Hope Heals Camp through Instagram and decided to apply. Kim and Marsh discuss their favorite moments at the camp, including worship sessions, mom's party, and the talent show. Timeline: 2:18 Introduction by Kim Larrick 4:25 Ben and Menkes Disease6:01 Kelsey and Cerebral Palsy 7:52 How did you learn about Hope Heals Camp 10:50 Camp experience12:11 The Road to Nauvoo Alamba 13:34 Highlights of Camp15:41 Kim and teaching elementary school. 17:06 Managing time and the work-life balance when you have a child/children with disabilities.18:06 RoundupThis episode is brought to you by Anderson Consulting. Your one-stop shop for all your IT needs --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marsh-naidoo/message

Most of us are living stories we never would have chosen. Even so, friend, it's possible for you to live these un-hoped-for realities well.  If you've found yourself in a place of suffering, this chapter of your life must start with total shock, sadness, and disbelief. But it doesn't have to stay in that place. Let's talk about how. Today Katherine is sharing a few tips she's picked up while learning to love—yes, really, LOVE—the life she has.  What We'll Cover… Taking intentional time to grieve your losses. Telling your story to empathetic listeners. Celebrating the process, not the outcome.  Recognizing your assignment in this life. Cultivating habitual gratitude for what remains.  Deciding to love your life. Today, if you only have capacity for the quickest and most practical tips for owning your story, this episode is for you. Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

In the dictionary of your life, what would be written beside the word “good?” Maybe health, fulfillment, beauty, wealth, comfort, or control? If God promises to withhold no good thing from those who walk faithfully with him, why doesn't life feel all that great for those of us who are doing it “right?” Everything we've been taught about goodness could use an update from the kingdom of God. Bold, hilarious Bible teacher Lisa Whittle joins Katherine to imagine how redefining what is good could revolutionize the way we engage our lives, our dreams, and our pain. If your old definitions of goodness aren't serving you too well anymore, this episode is for you. What We'll Cover: How popular definitions of goodness  lead us to unrealistic expectations that warp our understanding of God's goodness. Setting healthy boundaries that preserve, rather than prevent, relationships Maintaining compassion in the midst of empathy overload The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down by Lisa Whittle - https://www.lisawhittle.com/good Scriptures referenced in this episode: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 (ESV) “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) -- Lisa is the best selling author of 9 books and several Bible studies, including Jesus Over Everything and The Hard Good. She is a sought-out Bible teacher for her wit and bold, bottom line approach. She is the founder of online communities: Ministry Strong for ministry leaders and Called Creatives for writers and speakers, and host of the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast. She's a wife, mom, lover of laughter, good food, and The Bible, and a self-professed feisty work in progress. -- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

What happens when you invite thousands of people with medical complexities to middle-of-nowhere Alabama in the heat of summer? Radical joy and electrifying camaraderie, that's what. Katherine sits down with just a few of the people who make Hope Heals Camp happen. For nearly eight years, Katherine and the team have hosted this subversive gathering of people who have suffered greatly but are determined to heal together. What could sound like “the ultimate true bummer of all time” (to quote Katherine) is actually one of the most hopeful places that exists. Part classic summer camp, part church experience, and part group therapy, Hope Heals Camp is offering resources, respite, and relationships to entire families experiencing disabilities. No matter the diagnosis, age, or location. And the best part? It's free of cost to every camper. If you're interested in learning more about being a camper or volunteer—or you just need a big dose of optimism about the deeply good things happening in the world—don't miss this behind-the-scenes conversation about one of the most unique offerings on earth. Volunteer and camper applications open January 18, 2024 at hopeheals.com/camp. What We'll Cover: How Katherine went from resisting her place in the disability community to founding a camp for families affected by disability What exactly makes Hope Heals Camp unique among any other family retreat in the world Our culture of mutual ministry that invites every participant the dignity of serving and the comfort of being served -- Hope Heals Camp video: https://youtu.be/ZHlsGl_L3pI Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp The 5 Stages of Changing Attitudes from the Wheaton College Center for Faith & Disability: https://www.wheaton.edu/wheaton-center-for-faith-and-disability/disability-foundations/the-5-stages/ Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

You're invited to ramble with Katherine and Leah as they reflect on when “the most wonderful time of the year” doesn't feel all that wonderful. Our hurt, especially during the holidays, could drive us into isolation, shame, or guilt. But it could also invite us into a unique camaraderie if we're willing to share our pain with other people. Join the conversation, covering everything from the holy burden of becoming a survival guide to releasing yourself of some holiday to-dos to a much-anticipated Hope Heals Camp announcement! -- “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10 ESV Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp Make a tax-deductible donation: https://hopeheals.com/give “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold  from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11 ESV “The good things of God are chiefly peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in this life; fruition of God's presence, and vision of his blessed face, in the next.” - Sir Richard Baker Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in Our Hurting: -- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet's most redemptive content. Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠ Instagram⁠

Did you know Hope Heals has run an online shop for almost as long as the organization has existed? In this episode, we're giving you a rare peek behind the scenes of the Hope Heals Shop and recommending our favorite gift-worthy items for the holiday season. Jay and Katherine catch up with our Shop Manager Tutta about our current lineup of mission-driven keepsakes that serve as a tangible reminder of hope. The foundational feature of our business is a commitment to partnering with ethically minded makers from around the world. Because if our whole deal is about connecting people with true hope, we want that to include the people making our shop items! And you know who else receives hope from your order? Our Hope Heals Campers! Every purchase from the Hope Heals Shop directly benefits Hope Heals Camp so our campers can continue attending free of cost. Prodigal Pottery HOPE Sweatshirts Holding Cross Kintsugi Frame Kintsugi Ornament Kintsugi Ring Dish Black Anchor Hat Camp Anchor Hat Keychain T-Shirts Tumblers Candles ------- Want some hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note⁠⁠ for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way. Learn more about us here: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Find us on Instagram⁠

Join Katherine for a new segment she is calling “Ask Amy Julia” with one of her dear friends and Hope Heals Camp alum, Amy Julia Becker! Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on faith, disability, and family. She is the author of four books, including To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope, a guest opinion writer for national publications, and the host of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast. Becker is a graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv). She lives with her husband and their three children in western Connecticut. Notes:  5 Things I Wish I Had Known When Our Daughter Was Diagnosed with Down Syndrome - Free Download from Amy Julia  Doctor's Still Don't Know How to Talk About Down Syndrome  Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way. Learn more about us here: Hope Heals Hope Heals Camp Mend Coffee Find us on Instagram

Cara Lewis is from Mobile, Alabama and is married to Jarvis, a firefighter. Cara and Jarvis have one son, Asher, who is 4 and such a little charmer! In 2020, after some devastating medical crises with Asher, Cara went from working as a medical assistant in a hospital and doctor's office to becoming Asher's full-time caregiver. God has now shifted her career plans to focus on advocacy. She is a parent advocate, and plans events and fundraisers for special needs and medically complex families in her area. She is also a director of a non-profit organization that financially supports local families with medical equipment, supplies, and other resources. I really enjoyed sitting down with Cara and hearing her testimony of how far God has brought her and the amazing things He has done in her life and that of her son. I know you will be inspired by these stories as well! You can find Cara on Facebook at “⁠A Special Mama⁠” or her son's page, “⁠Team Asher⁠”. The verse mentioned in this episode is Deuteronomy 33:24. Hope Heals Camp⁠ is part of the ministry of Jay and Katherine Wolf. It is a sacred space of "belonging and belovedness" where our good, hard stories come together to blur the lines between heaven and earth and hardship and hope. I have never felt closer to God than at that camp. I encourage all of you to check out the ministries of ⁠Hope Heals⁠, including their newest venture ⁠Mend Coffee⁠ in Atlanta bringing jobs and hope to the community. This is my second podcast interview with a fellow camper at Hope Heals Camp. I love doing these and getting to know a little more about these precious families. The stories of good-hard lives being blessed by God in amazing ways are touching and inspiring. I hope you are inspired to notice what God is doing in your life as well!

Join Jay + Katherine on the back porch of Hope Heals Camp for a conversation with their dear friends, Heather + Josh Avis.  Heather and Josh Avis are the founders of The Lucky Few, they are the proud parents to three amazing kids: Macyn, Truly and August. Together, they are a multi-able, multiracial family grown together by adoption. Heather is a New York Times best-selling author, podcaster and a Down syndrome advocate. Together Josh and Heather are working to create a more inclusive world where everyone belongs. For more than a decade, they have led this effort by shouting worth, shifting narratives and reimagining what it looks like when we embrace our differences. The Lucky Few is an invitation to build a kinder, more inclusive world. We accomplish this through a combination of advocacy and activism, narrative-shifting and storytelling. The Lucky Few believes in inspiring and challenging our audiences, calling them to listen, read, share, contribute and support as we work to create a world where differences are embraced and everyone belongs.   ---- Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way.  Learn more about us here: Hope Heals Hope Heals Camp  Mend Coffee Find us on Instagram

Join Jay + Katherine on the back porch of Hope Heals Camp for a conversation with their dear friend, and Pastor to Teens at camp, Nigel Darius, for a conversation of community, belonging, and belovedness. Nigel is a purveyor of all that is true, noble, good, and lovely. His formats and interfaces take just about every form—live lectures, poetry, illustration, podcasts, community organizing, and social justice work. No matter the medium, Nigel consistently communicates one resounding message: there is hope for the healing of humanity. You can find out more about Nigel on his website, check out his book, Fragments & Finality, and be sure to follow him on Instagram.  ---------------- Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way.  Learn more about us here: Hope Heals Hope Heals Camp  Mend Coffee Find us on Instagram

Hope Heals Camp is part of the ministry of Jay and Katherine Wolf. It is a sacred space of "belonging and belovedness" where our good, hard stories come together to blur the lines between heaven and earth and hardship and hope. I have never felt closer to God than at that camp. I encourage all of you to check out the ministries of Hope Heals, including their newest venture Mend Coffee in Atlanta bringing jobs and hope to the community. Abigail Tanner is a fun-loving California native who always dreamed of being a musician, hair stylist, wife, and mother.  After singing in jazz bands, completing 6 1/2 years of college, and getting her cosmetology license, she finally landed herself a handsome Southern husband.  Together Abigail and Justin raise their amazing four children in the heart of South Carolina.  While dreams do come true, the road to get there has been filled with painful and unexpected valleys.  The terminal diagnosis of their third child has been a journey wrought with heartache, loss, and immensely surprising joy - a journey where Abigail found music to be a continued platform for her own healing and the encouragement of others.  Her debut EP will be launching in October 2023, so be on the lookout! Lincoln's Socials FB:  www.facebook.com/lincolnsroad Insta:  https://www.instagram.com/lincolnsroad/ Abigail Lyn Music Socials FB:  https://www.facebook.com/abigaillynmusic Insta: https://www.instagram.com/abigaillynmusic I hope you enjoy this episode of the Hoping Forward Podcast! If you do, please share it on your social media and with any friends that might benefit. As always, keep looking for God in your story!

Join Jay and Katherine Wolf as they sit down with their friends, Jarrett and Jeanne Stevens on the back porch of our favorite place in the world: Hope Heals Camp. They discuss the complexities and joys of doing both life and ministry together, and the unimaginable grief their family has walked through these last few years. This is a conversation you won't want to miss. Jarrett and Jeanne Stevens are the lead pastors of Soul City Church in Chicago, IL. They are both prolific authors, speakers, and pastors, and parents to the lovely Elijah and GiGi.  Jeanne is a sought-after speaker, leader, and writer. Her passion to develop people to live boldly & fully gives her a unique voice of hope and challenge. Be sure to check out her most recent book:  What's Here Now - How to Stop Rehashing the Past, And Rehearsing the Future - and Start Receiving the Present.   Jarrett is the author of several books including Four Small Words, The Deity Formerly Known As God and Creative Matters, and his newest book: Praying Through.  Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way.  Learn more about us here: Hope Heals Hope Heals Camp  Mend Coffee Find us on Instagram  

Jay & Katherine Wolf are joined by their dear friend, Curt Thompson, MD on this very special episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast recorded at our beloved Hope Heals Camp. In this episode, Curt shares about his newest book, The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope, and how suffering is a defining reality of life. Yet so many of us are so focused on avoiding discomfort that we've never learned how to actually suffer. But what if we could move from anxiety to durable hope? Katherine and Jay take a dive in with Curt on what hope in suffering looks like, and how to find hope amongst the heartache. Be sure to check out Curt's other books as well: The Anatomy of the Soul, The Soul of Desire and The Soul of Shame.  -------- Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouaragement along the way.  Learn more about us here: Hope Heals Hope Heals Camp  Mend Coffee Find us on Instagram      

This week, Hope Heals team member, Caroline Young, joins Katherine to ask her what it has looked like over the last 15 years to put all of the lessons she has learned and shares about into practice.  We are so thankful you all joined us for this season on the podcast. We are headed to Hope Heals Camp for the summer, so we will be on a short break, but be sure to subscribe to see when our first episode of our next season airs in the fall!  To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at: www.hopeheals.com www.mendcoffee.org www.hopehealscamp.com www.instagram.com/hopeheals

About the Episode: Katherine and Jay talk about her stroke and the impact that experience has had on their faith, and how they have turned that trauma into a place of healing through their ministry, Hope Heals. From creating new dreams, to experiencing miracles, to the profound understanding that God made us to do hard things in the Good Story, suffering changes you. Katherine and Jay discuss the choice we have in life to decide that “this is Plan A”, the story that God is writing is great, and there is joy in the commitment to marriage and humility even through hardship and different seasons. If you are struggling, please don't hesitate to reach out to deeplight@pcpc.org or 214-224-2500. About Our Guests: Katherine and Jay Wolf are survivors, communicators, and advocates. Originally from the South, the two met in college, married, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue law school for Jay and the entertainment industry for Katherine. Their son James was born in 2007, and just six months later, Katherine miraculously survived a catastrophic stroke caused by a congenital brain defect she never knew she had. After a sixteen-hour brain surgery, forty days in the ICU, a year in neuro rehab, and eleven operations, she continues her recovery to this day. In 2015, she gave birth to miracle baby, John. Since 2008, they have been disrupting the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life through speaking events, best-selling books, a thriving online community, and Hope Heals Camp for families affected by disability. Today, they live in Atlanta with their two boys. Find out more at https://www.hopeheals.com/⁠ . About Our Host: Frances Mitchell has served as a co-Executive Producer of Deep Light podcast for the last two seasons. She is a Dallas native, having grown up attending PCPC since her middle school years. She graduated from Highland Park High School and then SMU, where she met her husband, Noah. After living overseas for several years, they returned to Dallas to start a family and raise their two precious children. Frances is passionate about lifelong learning and currently serves as a Founding Board Member of The Compass School of Texas. The opportunity to be a part of Deep Light has been a healing blessing, and Frances is honored to serve as a guest host on today's episode. Resources: Hope Heals is a ministry that disrupts the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life. https://www.hopeheals.com/ Hope Heals Camp is a week-long retreat and year-round community offering rest, resources, and relationships to families experiencing disabilities. https://www.hopeheals.com/camp Mend is an upcoming Atlanta-based coffee shop, retail concept, and community hub that will offer dignifying employment to adults with disabilities, as well as beautiful accessibility-first spaces for gathering, working, and celebrating. https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Shop & Support! https://hopehealsshop.myshopify.com/collections/online-store If you are struggling or feel alone, please reach out to PCPC counseling ministry: https://pcpc.org/care/ Email us at DeepLight@pcpc.org or Call 214-224-2500, and we will connect you with others that can walk alongside you. (music license ASLC-14EAD3E0-84F34F4276)

Katherine Wolf is an advocate, speaker, and survivor. From suffering a catastrophic stroke at the age of 26, to living with endless disabilities, she has profound wisdom to share with you about living beautifully. This episode is filled with hope, perseverance, joy and will inspire you to look at each day with a new perspective and appreciation. Connect with Katherine on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals For all of Katherine's books, story, and information on Hope Heals Camp https://www.hopeheals.com/ Connect with me on Instagram at ⁠Instagram.com/KatrinaScott⁠ Text me at this link- ⁠http://my.community.com/katrinascott⁠ Build Your Own Beautifully Branded Website ⁠http://LiveBeautifully.com/Tonic⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠https://anchor.fm/katrina-scott-podcast/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katrina-scott-podcast/message

Welcome to season 6 episode 9 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.   Shame doesn't just appear out of nowhere. Shame begins in the earliest communities in which we dwell. It is to those communities we now turn to see how shame emerges there—but also what we can do to retell the stories of those communities: our families, our churches and schools. Listen in as we get to the bottom of the places where our stories begin, and begin to reimagine how God can transform them on the way to doing the same for the larger communities in which we live.   . . . . Episode Links and References The St. John's Bible Ecclesiastes 3:9-14   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 8 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.   We live in a world that has trained us to believe that we each live in our own personal silo. But this flies in the face of what neuroscience tells us about the interconnectivity of our minds. So much of our anxiety—and our lack of wisdom—stems from our trying to live against the current of how God has created our minds to function. We think we need to be able to live life on our own, and we seek knowledge so that we can do just that. But wisdom tells us that we were not made for silos, we were made for each other.   Curt and Pepper have learned just how true this is, and invite you to join us as we explore the wisdom of having many advisers by whom we are deeply known.   . . . . Episode Links and References Duke Ellington: Take the A Train Proverbs 15:22   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 7 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.   It's hard to know where we are going if we first do not know where we are. The integration of the domain of our state of mind is critical if wisdom is what we seek. For if we are not aware of the state that our mind occupies—knowing where we are—how will we be able to move in the path of wisdom?   Join us as Pepper and Curt discover how being known enables us to more consistently be aware of our states of mind, and so have greater access to the wisdom that is being offered to us there.    . . . . Episode Links and References The Bible Project - Proverbs video Proverbs 1-9   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 6 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.   The book of Proverbs portrays Wisdom as calling out in the streets. She, in effect, is telling her story, and asking us to join her. As it turns out, it is crucial in becoming people of wisdom that we not only understand the stories we tell about ourselves, but that we tell them wisely. And to do this, we need other trustworthy people in our lives who can help us do this. For it is in the very process of telling our stories that we knead wisdom into the dough of our lives.   In this episode, Pepper and Curt have the opportunity to continue to tell each other their stories, a telling that opens the door for wisdom to enter.    . . . . Episode Links and References The book of Proverbs Jeremiah 6:16 David Wilcox: Covert War video David Wilcox; How Did You Find Me Here video   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 5 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.    The memory domain of integration is not only about the past, it's about the future. The future we are remembering. And indeed, becoming wise has everything to do with how you make sense of your past, something you are doing every moment of your life, even if you are not aware of it.   For if we are to be wise as we approach our future, we must be aware of how our past is shaping us as much as any new information we accumulate along the way. Curt and Pepper explore how our own memory—and the memory of those who have gone before us—enable us to be more deeply known, and people of greater wisdom as a result.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Jeremiah 6:6 Matthew 28:16-20 Makoto Fujimura: New Wine collaboration video and New Wine finished painting.   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 4 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.    We often assume that wisdom is to be equated with knowing things. And indeed, knowing things is important. But only to the degree that it enables us to create beauty and goodness in the world, not least that of flourishing relationships.   Our challenge is that so often we are interested in acquiring knowledge because we are more concerned with being right than we are about being loving.   The horizontal domain of integration—that of the relationship between the right and left hemispheres of the brain—is the setting in which we learn that wisdom is so much more than knowing: it's about being known. In this episode, Curt and Pepper will connect with their right and left brains—and with you—as we continue on this marvelous journey of becoming people of wisdom.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Ecclesiastes 3 The Time Jumpers   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 3 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.    God creates mankind in a particular sequence, as Genesis tells us. He begins with mud, into which he breathes his breath. And so we too, in order to become people of wisdom, people who are deeply known, must be present first to our bodies.   What are they telling us? And how do we then make sense of what we are sensing? How do we act with our bodies in such a way that wisdom is acquired?   We discover even more when we read how Paul considers the body of Jesus to be a collection of all of his followers together. This is the work of the vertical domain of integration. Pepper and Curt begin at the beginning of being present to what wisdom has to teach us.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Genesis 1:26-28 Genesis 2:7, 2:15, 2:18-25 Proverbs 9:10 Wisdom of Jesus' Body: John 1, John 2, John 6, Mark 10, John 20, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Exodus 3:14 Body Scan   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 2 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom.    In the beginning, it was God's presence that hovered over the deep waters of chaos. But before that wisdom was with God, and then was at his side as God brought order and purpose in his creating the world. Presence. For to know what wisdom is, let alone acquire it, we must first be present to it—in the same way that we must be present to God, to ourselves, and to each other as the starting point to being known; to becoming people of beauty and goodness.   We will encounter the conscious domain of integration—and so learn how wisdom begins by being present.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Genesis 1:1-2 Proverbs 8:22-31 Genesis 1:26 Makoto Fujimura - Art + Faith: The Theology of Making Makoto Fujimura art piece - Tears of Christ   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 6 episode 1 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are looking at The Beauty of Wisdom as we address the following: What does it mean to be wise, and how does life at the intersection of interpersonal neurobiology and Christian spirituality—a life of being known—reveal how we can become people of wisdom in a world that so desperately needs it?   We would expect there to be no debate: wisdom is something everyone thinks is a good thing. Who would ever want to be more foolish by the end of the day? But we often seem to be more interested in being right than being wise; more often interested in acquiring information than wisdom.    . . . . . Episode Links and References The Bible Project   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Hope Heals: Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain. And this season we are working to help five campers get to camp FREE.  Learn more about partnering with Hope Heals Camp and donate HERE.   Learn more about our passion for Hope Heals with this short video.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Dustin and Mel take time out of their busy day being millionaires (according to factsbuddy.com) and hop in the Frontseat to talk about planning kids' birthdays, how adults-only Christmas mornings are a bummer, and how Dustin is dealing with closing in on 40 (spoiler: not well). PLUS...Backseater emails! Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Garfield may hate Flemsdays but Dustin and Mel are back in the Frontseat to celebrate the new day of the week our corporate overlords will eventually bestow upon us, break down how Dustin prepped for his second special, and discuss how terrible it is to get a teenager to make actual plans. Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Dustin and Mel are back in the Frontseat and dressed to impress as they talk about Mel (surprisingly) being the most popular parent, a look back at the comedians who have helped mold Dustin's career, and the quagmire that is school dress codes. PLUS...Backseater emails! Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Mel and Dustin are back in the Frontseat, but they can't hear you! They chat about parents' preference for early shows, why Joel getting his license might not be the blessing they thought it would be and then dive deep into the mailbag for Backseater opinions on AirPod etiquette. Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Kristi Damron is a new friend from Hope Heals Camp this past summer. She is a former nurse (25 years) and lives on a working farm/ranch in the small town of Carter, Oklahoma. Kristi is married and has 3 children and 2 grandchildren. In January 2019, Kristi suffered a severe stroke at 44 years old. After a 6-8 hour surgery, a week in a coma, a week in the hospital, 45 days in rehab and lots of therapy, she has recovered many of her abilities. Her story is one of surrender, grief and hope and one that constantly points to Christ. Her faith has played a critical role in her healing, as has her belief that God is good even when our lives are not.  This episode was recorded in the beautiful chapel at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, AL in late July. (Beautiful, but so hot!) In the interview, Kristi mentions that her middle son would be going to the doctor in August for a follow-up due to an episode of A-fib. I reached out to ask how that went and her response was, "His appointment was great. PTL They slowly weaned him off the medication they had him on and he has not had anymore issues and no ablation was needed!!" Such a wonderful praise to tie a bow on her story. God is so good! Verses referenced by Kristi:  Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."  Psalm 46:10 (corrected from her citation of Isaiah 41:10) "Be still and know that I am God"  John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Kristi has now spent 2 summers volunteering as a Compassionate Companion at Hope Heals Camp in Alabama where my daughter, Sarah, and I have been coming as campers since 2017. If you are interested in coming to camp as a volunteer or a camper family (families impacted by disability), check out their website. To learn more about Jay and Katherine Wolf's books, Hope Heals and Suffer Strong, go here. It really is the most wonderful place on earth! You can find Kristi on Facebook here. If you would like to tell your God-story on the podcast, I would love to hear from you! You can reach me through the Hoping Forward Podcast page on Facebook, through a voice message on Anchor, or through email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com. I hope this story helps you notice things God is doing in your life. Don't forget to follow Hoping Forward: God Stories in Everyday so you don't miss an episode! 

Dustin and Mel are back in the Frontseat to spark an AirPods controversy, discuss why Dustin would rather that Mel hated sports talk, and breaking down the undeniable fact that NO ONE cuts loose quite like a mom can. PLUS...Backseater emails and a Bingo Dingo of Mel's day of "chaperoning" at The Getty. Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Welcome to season 5 episode 8 where this season we are bringing you personal stories and deep teaching into Curt's book, The Soul of Shame.  This week we are looking at chapter 7, “Our Healing Cloud of Witnesses”.   For shame to be healed and our lives recommissioned, we need more than good information so we can simply appropriate it on our own as individuals. In the same way that we were made as contingent, co-regulating people who, made in God's image, require the presence of others for our healthy growth and development, we also need a community for the healing of our shame.   A community that can bear witness to our lives and provide guidance in the re-telling of our stories.  Fortunately, we have a model for how to do that.    Join us as we examine what it means to live truly before a body of people who help us see Jesus seeing us more truly, so that we can see ourselves in the way.   Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   . . . . .   Thank you to our sponsor… Hope Heals! Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain.   . . . . .   Episode Links and References Connections Conference hosted by The Center for Being Known   . . . . .   Stay connected: Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts. 

Dustin and Mel are back in the Frontseat to chat about Mel's BOLD wardrobe choice for her high school reunion, Dustin turning on the comedy charm in an elevator, and how high school dances are now apparently just kids filming each other doing flips and having chicken fights. PLUS...a Backseater email! Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Welcome to season 5 episode 7 where this season we are bringing you personal stories and deep teaching into Curt's book, The Soul of Shame.  This week we are looking at chapter 6, “Shame's Remedy: Vulnerability”.   Hiding and isolation are hallmarks of shame. Moreover, the very notion of exposing our shame is…shaming.   Who knew that the very thing that we are most fearful of—our shame being exposed—is the place we need to begin to discover shame's healing, and to have our stories begin to be told more truly.   This week we talk about how, like so much of the rest of the story of the gospel, it is in our vulnerability—that very place in which our shame first took place and took shape—that lies the key to its regeneration..   . . . .   Thank you to our sponsor… Hope Heals! Hope Heals offers the Hope Heals Camp is a truly unique offering in the world. No other space in existence today invites families experiencing disabilities – of any age, with any diagnosis, from any place – to enjoy multi-day respite, a rich network of relationships, and access to world class Christ-centered resources, all free of charge.   The week-long camp experience empowers suffering people to embrace their “good/hard” stories by choosing to see the God-given purpose in their pain.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Connections Conference hosted by The Center for Being Known     . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.   

Mel and Dustin are in the Frontseat to gab about traveling for kids' sports, how breweries took over the family-friendly dining scene, and the downside of getting a landmark named after you. PLUS...Backseater emails and Bingo Dingos of a concert from The Head and The Heart and She Hulk on DisneyPlus. Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Mel and Dustin are back in the Frontseat to discuss Dustin's teeth defying the laws of evolution, Mel missing her true calling as an ASB Advisor and her upcoming high school reunion. PLUS...Backseater emails! Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Dustin and Mel are back in the Frontseat to dive into the ins and outs of how (and when) comedians are booked at clubs, stories from a road trip with Joel, and why you should 100% be upset if your kid wants to become a comedian...but they 100% can't be. PLUS, a Bingo Dingo of DC League of Super-Pets! Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

It's back to school time in the Nickerson household, and Dustin and Mel are in the Frontseat to celebrate the first day of school (aka the best day in every parent's life), why youth sports might not always be worth the hassle, and recapping the final leg of the epic cross-country Nickerson family trip. Order Dustin's book: How to Be Married (To Melissa)  today! Go to www.MunchieMug.com where you can use promo code DONTMAKEME for 25% off and FREE shipping on your order of the world's #1 premium no-spill snack cup. Click here find out more about the great work being done at Hope Heals Camp. Check out our Patreon page! Head to https://www.patreon.com/DustinNickerson for exclusive bonus content and to help support the show. Want to be a part of the show? Shoot us a message to dontmakemecomebackthere@gmail.com and get your very own horrible parenting/relationship advice.

Hadley Stephens is an advocate working towards the goal of a more inclusive world for people with disabilities. Hadley is a senior at Murray State University studying Nonprofit Leadership and a minor in Special Education. When in high school, Stephens started a blog called Rolling in Faith discussing disability & Christianity & her personal experiences as a disabled person in the faith community. Soon after starting the blog, Hadley realized that the lack of access that people had to churches that understood disabilities on a Biblical and functional level was staggering. Seeing this issue Hadley started Rolling in Faith a faith-based Nonprofit that is dedicated to providing fellowship & enrichment skills to people living with disabilities through events, camps, & other training all done in a faith-based setting. Rolling in Faith has started a summer skills program teaching life skills to adults & teens with disabilities. Taking participants into their community and teaching them skills necessary to succeed in life. After graduation, Hadley hopes to pursue her efforts with Rolling in Faith full time. If you want to learn more about Rolling in Faith or Hadley Stephens, here are some ways to do that: Facebook Instagram Linkedin Website: https://www.rollinginfaith.com Email: rollinginfaith@gmail.com If you want to learn more about Hope Heals Camp, you can do that here. It is a life-changing experience for both volunteers and families affected by disability. I strongly encourage you to check them out! As I said in this episode, I'm going to be taking a little break from publishing the podcast for the summer. I hope you will follow the podcast so that you know when the next new episode comes out. I would love for you to take the summer to check out all 15 episodes if you missed any and it would be great if you could leave me some feedback on the FB page Hoping Forward Podcast, through the Anchor app voice message feature, or through email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com. If you are able to rate and/or review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast, that would help us spread the word to get people thinking about the way God works in our lives! Have a blessed and happy summer!

In this episode, you will hear about my favorite week of the year - Hope Heals Camp! God used our first week of camp to begin speaking to me about a new vision/mission for me. He later used a friend to share the verse Exodus 14:14 with me to let me know that this was God's battle to fight and not mine! I hope you enjoy this God story and share it with someone else that needs the encouragement! Thanks for listening! Links mentioned: hopeheals.com hopeheals.com/camp passioncitychurch.com bittyandbeauscoffee.com campmcdowell.org

Katherine Wolf is one of the most inspiring and incredible women we've ever spoken to. Katherine is a survivor, communicator, and advocate. In 2008 she suffered a massive stroke from a rare congenital defect she never knew she had.Since 2008, she and her husband Jay have been disrupting the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life through speaking events, their best-selling books, a thriving online community, and Hope Heals Camp for families affected by disability. This episode will leave you feeling insanely inspired it's a must listen!  https://www.hopeheals.com/  https://www.instagram.com/millennialwomentalk/

As we head into this summer, we want to equip you with some tools to help you keep running on mission while also setting helpful expectations during this season. In this episode, we're letting you in on all of our tendencies and how we are shifting to find God well during these months where the pace has shifted. Whether it's stepping away from social media for a few days (or weeks), establishing phases to keep yourself or your family on track, or making summer playlists, we're talking all about what what we're believing will bless us, our families, and others this summer and how we can honor God with our time this summer. And we would love to hear: what summer rhythms are helping you? What's working for you? What do you want this summer? What summer phases will you set this summer? What are your summer boundaries? Tell us everything over on our Instagram feed. We can't wait to cheer you on! Plus, to end this episode, we've got a special bonus for you. Listen in! THIS EPISODES LINKS: Get all the details on Hope Heals Camp here. The Rhythms e-course will help you evaluate your rhythms as a whole, while the Summer to Thrive guide will equip you to make the most of the season at hand. We know both resources will leave you feeling grateful for your life and ready to steward it well. Join The Rhythms e-course waitlist to receive an exclusive discount code in your inbox before the bundle goes live on July 1! Learn more about revenge bedtime procrastination.

Katherine Wolf is a survivor, communicator, and advocate. After giving birth to her first son in 2008, Katherine miraculously survived a catastrophic stroke. Since that day, Katherine and her husband, Jay, have committed their lives to champion the truth that suffering and joy can coexist in your good/hard story. In that pursuit, Katherine and Jay have written two best-selling books (Hope Heals and Suffer Strong), created a thriving online community, and founded Hope Heals Camp for families affected by disability. Katherine and Jay currently live in Atlanta, Georgia with their two sons.Today's episode is one where I often found myself pausing after Katherine responded to my questions. The beauty and profundity of what she said threw me off, but in a good way. I wanted to sit in her words, rather than move on to the next question or topic. There is so much wisdom, humility, and depth in what Katherine has to say. Her words on today's episode deeply impacted me and I hope they encourage you deeply too. I can't wait for you to hear more about Katherine's story, how she's found authentic hope, and be reminded that each one of our lives is a profound miracle.

"We're Katherine and Jay Wolf—survivors, communicators, and advocates.Originally from the South, we met in college, married, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue law school for Jay and the entertainment industry for Katherine. Our son James was born in 2007 and just six months later, Katherine miraculously survived a catastrophic stroke caused by a congenital brain defect she never knew she had. After a sixteen-hour brain surgery, forty days in the ICU, a year in neuro rehab, and eleven operations, she continues her recovery to this day. In 2015 she gave birth to miracle baby John, our “John Bomb” who has blown up our lives in every way.Since 2008, we've have been disrupting the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life through speaking events, our best-selling books, a thriving online community, and Hope Heals Camp for families affected by disability. Today we live in Atlanta with our two boys."Connect with Katherine & Jay Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/Twitter - https://twitter.com/hopehealsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/hopehealsBuy their books: Hope Heals: https://www.hopeheals.com/books#hope-healsSuffer Strong: https://www.hopeheals.com/books#purchase Follow The Story Box on Social MediaINSTAGRAM ► - https://www.instagram.com/thestoryboxpodcast/ TWITTER ► - https://twitter.com/jay_fantom FACEBOOK ► - https://www.facebook.com/thestoryboxpodcast WEBSITE ► - https://thestoryboxpodcast.com/SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE! Apple Podcast ► - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-story-box/id1486295252 Spotify ► - https://open.spotify.com/show/7h8Qv3r2ZV29f7ktJOwmgM?si=FXxYC1JFSHesBv7_d1WtNQ WATCH HERE:YouTube ► - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStoryBox If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe to YouTube & Apple Podcasts, and leave a 5-star positive rating and review over on Apple Podcasts. Share it around with your friends and family. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this riveting conversation, Dr. Bob talks with Katherine and Jay Wolf, authors of the books "Hope Heals" and "Suffer Strong." Their story is so moving, it will make you take a second look at your life and how we all have so much to be grateful for. Katherine & Jay Wolf are communicators and advocates. After meeting in college, they married and moved to Los Angeles to pursue careers in law and the entertainment industry. Their son James was born in 2007, and six months later Katherine's life nearly ended with a catastrophic stroke. Miraculously, she survived and continues her recovery to this day, including having a miracle baby, John, in 2015. Katherine and Jay have shared their journey of steadfast hope through their first book, Hope Heals, and at speaking events both live and online before millions. Together, they founded Hope Heals Camp, a community for families with disabilities like them. Katherine, Jay, and their sons now live in the Atlanta area. Follow their journey on Instagram @hopeheals. How to contact Dr. Bob: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton.1656 Seven Secrets Of The Newborn website: https://7secretsofthenewborn.com/ Website: https://roberthamiltonmd.com/ Pacific Ocean Pediatrics: http://www.pacificoceanpediatrics.com/

The depth of our character is tested when we go through difficult times. Katherine Wolf survived a catastrophic stroke at the age of 26, and along with her husband, Jay, they have since dedicated their lives to using their story of hope and love to inspire others facing similar challenges.   Katherine and Rena talk about the couple's latest book, "Suffer Strong" on this hope and joy-filled episode of the Relevate Podcast! To connect with Katherine and Jay: Hope Heals Website (includes a link to purchase their new book, a link to donate and info on Hope Heals Camp):  www.hopeheals.com On instagram:  hopeheals To connect with Rena: Rena-olsen.com On instagram:  renaolsen