How to Handle Life - Series 17
Practical answers to pressing questions
We know there are a lot of things going on in your life that aren’t easy to accept or manage. Every day, we meet with clients who struggle with unanswered prayer, stress, difficult relationships, how to know God’s will, and much more.
We designed these episodes to be useful espresso shots full of wisdom that will leave you with a greater sense of confidence to handle all that life is throwing at you.
How to Manage a Panic Attack
In this practical start to our series, Austin delves into panic attacks: what they are, why they feel so intense, and, most importantly, what you can do in the moment when one hits. He’ll help you understand what’s happening in your body, learn practical tools to calm your system, and remember that you’re not alone in the middle of it.
How to Handle Unanswered Prayer
In this powerful conversation, Shay sits down with his father-in-law, Pastor Erwin Lutzer, about the discouragement of unanswered prayer. When your earnest prayers seem to go unanswered, it’s difficult to comprehend how God’s “no” might serve a greater unseen purpose. It turns out that God may accomplish more through unanswered prayer than through the answers you long for.
How to Deal With Difficult People
Do you have a difficult person in your life? In this perceptive episode, John shares three effective, biblically-based strategies for dealing with difficult people. He’ll also explain God’s different responses to repentant and unrepentant people, why gentleness works in some situations but not in others, and how boundaries can actually be a form of kindness.
How to Handle Stress
Chronic stress can lead to burnout, cynicism, numbness, or feeling disconnected from yourself and from God. Listen in as Lynn shares 3 intentional shifts you can make right now so you can move out of survival mode and into a more grounded, present, and renewed way of living.
How to Forgive Someone Who Has Hurt You
One of the Bible’s hardest commands is forgiving someone who has hurt you. Jesus’ words from the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” sounds good, but it can feel impossible in the face of a painful offense. In this episode, Austin will encourage and equip you to enter a process of forgiveness that leads to freedom and hope, one step at a time.
How to Know God’s Will
Modern life bombards you with endless choices (career, marriage, major life moves), often leaving you fearful you will miss God’s “perfect” path. But overanalyzing every detail and possible option can keep you paralyzed with anxiety or regret.
Drawing from insights in the book Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, Shay will walk you through three biblical categories of God’s will and then get practical about two of the biggest decisions you might face: what career path to follow and who to marry.
How to Handle Anger Towards God
Have you ever felt angry with God… and then immediately felt guilty for even thinking that way? You’ll want to listen in as John talks about what it means to feel anger toward God and why bringing that anger into the light might be one of the most transformative steps in your spiritual life.
You’ll discover why it’s okay to be angry, the way that anger protests and protects, what anger can teach you about your soul, and how to use lament to communicate your anger to God in a healthy way.
How to Accept Estranged Relationships
Estrangement is one of the most painful and misunderstood experiences in family life, yet it’s far more common than most people realize. In this thoughtful episode, Lynn walks through what estrangement actually is, why it happens, and how it impacts a family on multiple levels.
She’ll share 5 hard but essential truths for anyone navigating estrangement, including why reconciliation isn’t guaranteed, how to navigate the feelings of grief and loss, and insight about the ripple effects of estrangement.
How to Handle Singleness
In this compassionate episode, Austin talks about how to navigate singleness right where you are—rather than feeling like your life is on hold. He’ll share 5 practical ways to approach singleness with honesty, courage, and faith. As you listen, you’ll get perspective and wisdom that will help you hold the multi-faceted experience of being single while simultaneously loving, following, and trusting Jesus.
How to Respond When Your Pastor Fails
In this timely episode, Lynn and Shay discuss the many and varied responsibilities of ministry, the complicated dynamics that many pastors face as they gain success and notoriety, and how Christian leaders can benefit from personal therapy and soul work.
They’ll also talk about 5 ways to respond when your pastor fails, including acknowledging your feelings and seeking support, exercising discernment about who you follow, and remembering that God’s work through the church cannot be thwarted even through imperfect people.
How to Grow Through Sadness
You may have a complicated relationship with sadness. Perhaps you grew up in a home where feeling sad was considered disrespectful or distressing. Maybe sadness was viewed as a weakness or only seen as a problem to solve.
In this perceptive episode, John will help you understand sadness better: why it feels so disorienting and uncomfortable; how Jesus is the ultimate example of engaging with grief from a place of strength; and the reason sadness isn’t the enemy of healing, but the path to it.
How to Spend Eternity with God
In this pivotal episode, Shay contemplates one of the most important questions you will ever face: How do you spend eternity with God? And more importantly, can you know if you’ve gotten the answer wrong?
Using Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, Shay unpacks why the path to God isn’t secured by achievement, but by humility. This is a story that flips our instincts upside down, because the one who goes home right with God isn’t the one who had his act together. It’s the one who showed up with nothing.
How to Manage a Narcissist
Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling confused, exhausted, and somehow convinced that everything was your fault—even though you couldn’t quite explain why? If so, this episode is for you.
As we end this series, Lynn addresses one of the most requested and personally meaningful topics she’s tackled: how to manage a narcissist in your life. She’ll give you 4 strategies to help you protect your peace, stay grounded in truth, and navigate one of the hardest relational dynamics without losing yourself in it.