The Heal Ministry Podcast

Today on the show Dr. Alicia Britt Chole shares with us how disillusionment is not the negative idea we've often assumed it to be. Disillusionment means our illusions about God, us, and others are being taken away - and that's a good thing, y'all! But it can be a painful process. Often physical suffering throws us into the cycle of disillusionment, and Dr. Alicia shares about her own recurrences of cancer on the show today.

Like her books are some of the most cherished works of wisdom on my bookshelf now, so this episode is one of my favorites of all time. I hope you enjoy her as much as I did!

Tammy Comer lived with severe chronic illness for over a decade. She experienced its affects in her body, her mind, and in her walk with God. Through that journey, she learned what it truly meant to trust God. After such a long journey with illness, a few years ago God dramatically healed Tammy's body. In this episode, Tammy shares how God has met her in radical kindness and generosity through the healing part of her journey.

This is the second part of this interview; to listen to the first half of the episode, head to Episode 127 of this podcast.

Links from our conversation:

Tammy Comer lived with severe chronic illness for over a decade. She experienced its affects in her body, her mind, and in her walk with God. Through that journey, she learned what it truly meant to trust God.

This is the first part of this interview; part two will be published next week, where Tammy shares how she was dramatically healed by God from her illness. Stay tuned!

You can check out some of her husband's books that I mentioned in the introduction below:

We have one of our favorite guests back on the show for the second time! Author and speaker Vaneetha Risner recently released a fantastic Bible study about the questions we ask in suffering, loss, and longing. Join us today as I talk to her about why it’s good to ask questions in suffering, what her past and present experiences with profound suffering have taught her, and how the peace God has given her in the storm takes away her fear of the worst happening in the future. Get your notes ready - this is a quotable one that I think you’ll want to process for many days after you listen.

Hey friends! Listen to this episode to hear some things I've been learning recently as well as some updates on what's next for the podcast.

“Do you want Story 1 or Story 2?” When God asked Allen this question, he weighed his options. What did God mean? Should he cancel his surgery and see what God was inviting him into? Using the nodules in his throat as the backdrop, Allen takes us through the dramatic lesson God taught him about our stories with God. Plus, he put it all in an INCREDIBLE book called the Eden Option that you can find below. If you’re at an impasse in your suffering journey or you could use a little encouragement to press in again to what God has for you, this episode is for you. Check out this interview with author, speaker, and innovative coach Allen Arnold.

Why does Christ’s resurrection matter to you, right now, in your current circumstances? What does Christ’s resurrection really mean for His followers? And what does it look like for your own body to be resurrected with Christ one day? Jeff Brannon and I delve into these questions and more today as we discuss his book about the theology of resurrection. This is a good episode to nerd out on, but it is also an episode to give your faith the weighty grounding of the hope of redemption amidst your suffering.

Jennifer Ji-Hye Ko is a disabled writer, author, poet, and speaker. Her full-time job is managing her intensive treatments for Lyme Disease, several co-infections, comorbid conditions, as well as Lyme and Autism-related psychosis. In addition to all of that, Jennifer is working to help bridge the gap between the Church and the disability community to avoid exclusion and unintentional spiritual or religious abuse. Curious how she came to do all this? Jennifer shares her story on the pod today, including her deep dive into Scripture herself and how God gives her hope on a daily basis. Check out her book, A Lamenter’s Pathway to Joy, and her website below!

Do you ever struggle to have the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. Well Alan Noble wrote a book about it, and he joins us today to talk about the burden of living. Don’t worry - it’s an encouraging conversation. We just talk honestly about the responsibility and gift of living, as well as how it is genuinely hard to view life in such a way sometimes. This is an honest conversation about mental illness, physical suffering, and just the plain ole difficulties of normal life. Heads up - we talk specifically about suicidal ideation for a bit in this conversation, so if that’s a trigger for you then maybe take a pass on this episode. I think it’s an important topic, so we try to have gentle grace for the conversation while also giving people hope who are in the darkest places.

Faith is a factor in healing, but there is complexity and nuance within that statement. One thing we do know is that Jesus told us to have the faith of a child. Lacy Finn Borgo wrote a book on just that, and today she shows us what the innocence and faith of children have to teach us amidst our suffering. Lacy also talks to us about her children’s book, All Will Be Well, which she wrote to help children process the loss of someone dear in their lives. This is a great episode that might surprise you! Take a listen today and check out Lacy’s resources below.

After nearly a decade of struggling through infertility, Laura Brandenburg still believes that even through the hardest chapters of our lives, God writes good endings. If you’ve been waiting on healing, waiting for God to show you His goodness amidst your pain, or just asking God to give you the patience to wait on His timing, then this is the episode for you. Laura shares the lessons her season of waiting taught her (they’re GOOD, y’all), as well as how her body was healed when her husband started praying specifically over her each night (but catch-that’s still not all there is to the story - you’ll have to listen to see what I mean). Plus, one of the great redemptions of her pain is her debut nonfiction book that comes out TODAY: Not Forgotten: Unraveling Questions of Faith and Fertility. Check it out below!

Dr. Richard Tran was on his way down a mountain biking trail when he accidentally took a much harder path than he had to. Since Dr. Tran is a chiropractor, he knew when he crashed that it wasn’t good. But becoming a Christian recently in his adult life, he took the accident as an opportunity to trust God’s provision more fully. Not only was God with him as he walked down the mountain, but God was also present through a horrible infection of his wounds and a nasty bout of pain-med related mental illness. I think you guys are going to love Dr. Tran’s episode - what a witness of faith and God’s grace through it all!

Shontel-Jackson Taylor is a mother, daughter, U.S. Air Force Veteran, and a woman of God who has had her share of pain. She joins us on the podcast today to share about her journey through endometriosis, fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Shontel shares how before she really understood God’s grace, she didn’t think He wanted her pain or her mess. But now that she knows Christ personally, He’s redeemed all of her pain into beautiful things - one of which is a ministry! Shontel is now a Christian Life & Empowerment Coach as well as a Christian Care Counselor. I think you’ll be encouraged by the beautiful way God has redeemed her deep pain. Check out her resources below!

I am thrilled to introduce you today to one of the sweetest and on-fire women in my church community, Denise Moyer. She has a spirit that is always wanting more of whatever God has for her, and that shows up in the story she shares on the podcast today.

Denise and I were both present at a healing training our church put on in December of 2022. At this event, we were seeking to practice in a healthy way and low-risk environment what it looked like to ask God for miraculous healing. Denise shares in this episode how her shoulder was healed miraculously, not as a result of being prayed for at the event, but as a result of her own experience with God in the audience at the event. As of this interview, recorded four months after this event took place, Denise has been pain-free since that moment.

Today I got to talk with one of the best people I know, Gerald Griffin. We talk about what it looks like to view God as a good Father, to climb up into His lap and tell Him not only what you need, but also what you want, and then to be disappointed when He chooses something different for your life. In Gerald’s life, one season of trial came when he had many years of recurring sinusitis and horrible sinus infections. These sinus infections became debilitating, leaving him unable to breathe well and affecting his sleep and quality of life. Join us to discover what Gerald learned through this season of his life and how it applies to your current season today.

Hey friends! We're publishing a bonus episode today because Bonnie's book came out this month and because I want you all to have this resource before I reference it in my sermon for the Diamonds Conference in June. Enjoy!

As Tera continues to adjust to her new life as a mom, we'll be continuing the podcast in seasons! Season 3 of the Heal Podcast will launch on September 25, 2023. In this episode, Tera shares some updates for the Heal Ministry as well as a few lessons God has taught her in the past few months. We're grateful for you and we'll see you in September!

Links from this episode:

Author and creator Rachel Marie King joins us today to talk about how one can both create and partake in the creations of others when something in our bodies has made the act of creating difficult, what it looks like to fight back against an illness or pain stealing the childlike faith and joy that Jesus invites us into as followers of his Kingdom, and what the practical steps are to both accept the limitations of our bodies while also giving ourselves permission to create, fail, and enjoy life in new ways. Check out her book and other resources below!

We’ll have one more short episode in Season Two next week where Tera explains the plan for Season Three of the podcast moving forward. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss any episodes!

Links from our conversation with Rachel:

Whatever kind of pain you’re in today, I’m guessing that you’ve either cried a lot of tears or you’ve wanted to. That’s why I brought on author S.A. Morrison to talk about the theology behind our tears. What does it look like to embody a healthy spiritual discipline of tears amidst our daily trials? Sarah shows us how when we choose to embrace the companion of tears in our journeys of suffering and hope, they both bring us closer to God and closer to the human experience we were made to have. Check out her book and resources below, and enjoy the episode!

Presbyterian minister Marjorie Thompson joins us today to talk to us about courage, hope, and curiosity amidst our pain and grief. How do we have courage when facing loss? How do we not become fearful when we are brave enough to become curious about our pain? We talk about these questions as well as themes like care versus cure in Marjorie’s book, Courage for Caregivers. In the book, Marjorie builds on the work of her spiritual mentor, Henri J.M. Nouwen, to address the demanding physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of caregiving and care receiving, while also illuminating the gifts each can bring into our lives. Check out some of the resources we talk about below, and enjoy the peace and wisdom Marjorie brings to the pod today!

Jessie Pick has been healed. She survived an aggressive, cancerous brain tumor that had only a 2% five-year survival rate. God moved mountains and provided for her through the journey in ways that she can hardly believe. But even in healing, there is complexity. What do you do with survivor’s guilt? How do you accept God’s extravagant goodness with odds like Jessie beat? How do you not live in the fear of recurrence when so much of what you do daily has to do with keeping the cancer from returning? Jessie and I talk about these topics and more as she shares her story on the Heal Podcast today!

Shoshana Lipson is the founder of Living Waters chronic pain ministry, a patient advocate, writer, and public speaker for migraine and chronic pain. She has lived with physical pain for most of her life, including chronic migraine, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. Through all her pain, she has had an intimate relationship with Jesus. I think how she has walked through her conditions as a Christian, staying connected to a church, and surrendering her ways for God’s has made her a wise warrior in the Kingdom. Join us in this episode today to learn how to interrupt your interruptions, how to walk through the shame of Scripture being misapplied in a shaming way, and how to look at your journey with hopeful remembrance.

After becoming a victim to sexual abuse when she was six or seven years old, enduring multiple instances of abuse and assault as time went on, and then becoming a victim of rape as a teenager, Grace found herself in her 20s isolated by a trafficker and alone as a single mom in India. Driven to despair, she almost committed suicide. Miraculously, God spoke to her that both she and her daughter belonged to him, and that their lives were not their own.

The psychological, emotional, and physical stress and abuse Grace endured led to all kinds of health problems. At an early age, her immune system became compromised from the stress, leading her to be sick all the time. Then she developed chronic headaches that became full-blown migraines. Eventually, all the stress became fibromyalgia, with unexplainable pain all over her body. After experiencing chest pains that intensified to the point where she could barely breathe, Grace finally visited a doctor, who told her that without rest and help, she would leave her daughter an orphan within six months.

Join us on the episode today to hear how God has met Grace with healing emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

***This is the last episode before Tera’s maternity leave. The next season of the podcast will start in January 2023*** Please make sure you’re subscribed in case I drop some surprise episodes over the next few months!

Anmol Clairmont is a PA who specializes in neurology and pain management. In addition to her professional experience, I am thrilled for you guys to hear this conversation about the personal testimony of what God has done in her own physical limitation journey. We talk a lot about the gift of prophecy and what that can look like when it is utilized in a way that edifies the body of Christ. I think you’ll want to buckle up and get ready to clap, because God is just too amazing not to celebrate!

Our bodies are designed to heal. But what happens when they don’t heal properly? Better yet, what can the design of our bodies teach us about our emotional and social healing, as well? Physician Jennie McLaurin and molecular geneticist Bem Culiat join us today to talk about these very topics, which they wrote about in their book Designed to Heal.

Ep. 106 Will and Bill Kynes Show Notes

Bill Kynes and his son Will Kynes combine their knowledge today to bring us a compelling episode about the book of Job. Bill was a pastor for 36 years and brings the pastoral care side of the book of Job to the table, while Will, an associate professor of biblical studies at Samford University who has written extensively about wisdom and suffering in the Hebrew Bible, brings the academic side of Job to the interview. The combination of both Will and Bill's knowledge as authors and scholars, in addition to their own personal experiences with suffering, make this a great episode to listen to if you are in need of some defiant faith in the face of your suffering today. Buckle up as they address some of the thornier parts of the text of Job and teach us some powerful lessons about perseverance and faith through suffering. Then check out their book, Wrestling with Job: Defiant Faith in the Face of Suffering, below.

US Veteran Andrew Moceo joins us today to share his journey through a horrific spinal injury he sustained in the military, his addiction and detox from pain meds, and his recent journey through being diagnosed with end-stage Crohn’s disease. Mo shares the perspective of a warrior and soldier, both in his own life as well as how that applies to our role in the spiritual world.

Progressive. Degenerative. No cure. Those are the words that most people fear to hear spoken over their lives, and they are the words Katerina has grappled with since her diagnosis with CMT four years ago. Today on the show she shares how God has changed her heart and perspective after being diagnosed with a progressive disease at 18 years old.

Ever wondered what God’s purpose could be in your suffering? Have you ever thought about at least 12 different perspectives for suffering? Our guest today, Dr. Brian Gregg, has. In fact, he’s written a whole book about it, and he shares his insights with us today. I can’t speak more highly of how important I think his book and this conversation is for us if we are to think of suffering in a biblical, holistic way.

From 2+ decades of debilitating chronic back pain, Xochitl Dixon brings us her wisdom on waiting for God today. Author of a devotional on the topic, Xochitl has really grappled with what it looks like to wait with God and for God, and today we talk about what different kinds of waiting in our pain look like. I think you're going to love Xochitl's experiences as well as her resources as an author and speaker. Check out her ministries below!

Author Sarah Walton has endured her own battle with Lyme disease, the trial of watching all four of her children endure the same diagnosis, and many losses she and her family have faced financially and emotionally as they have sought to be faithful to God. She brings her deep experiences with suffering to the table today in a vulnerable, transparent, powerful way that will bring light into the dark places of your thoughts. She is the friend who will relate to you while also equipping you to keep wrestling and keep fighting. Check out her popular book, Hope When It Hurts, as well as her new book, Tears and Tossings, below.

Carrie Farrell has been an injured athlete, a coach of injured athletes, and a mental health counselor for people who live in chronic pain. She combines all of those experiences to give us practical and applicable wisdom on how to manage our chronic pain today. We talk a lot about the specifics of how chronic pain affects athletes, but whether you are an athlete or not, I believe this episode has something in it for you!

Daniel and Kelly Crawford lost their son to a life-limiting diagnosis a few days after his birth. Like Hebrews 11:4 says, Abel still speaks, even though he is no longer on earth. His parents are making sure of that through Abel Speaks, an organization they founded to support parents carrying children with life-limiting diagnoses. Join Daniel, Kelly, and me today as we talk about their journey, their combination of joy and sorrow through the events during and after their pregnancy wth Abel, and what it means to know God more while understanding Him less. Then check out the Crawford’s amazing resources below!

PS I was at a different location and my mic got messed up -sorry for the poor sound quality on my end!

In the middle of the pandemic, Mike Fennema was thrown off his mountain bike and landed on his head. Fighting through the recovery and new limitations of quadriplegia, Mike had to do it all in isolation. For over 100 days, he could not see his wife or children except through a fence six feet apart. Today we talk about what Mike has learned about isolation, identity, and what part these play in our healing.

Author Tara Johnson has battled dysautonomia for years, facing seizures and the effects of her neurotoxicity autoimmune disease daily (like taking over 900 pills per month). She joins us today to share her journey as both a patient and an advocate for those with chronic illnesses, all from her perspective as our sister in Christ.

Dana Lisowski defeated cancer in 2010. She was excited to celebrate 12 years of victory over cancer when she found out the horrendous back pain she had been experiencing was actually the cancer returning in another part of her body. Right now, she is going through various treatments to help her pain and keep her here a little longer, and she joins us today to candidly talk about what it looks like to live knowing you may only have a few months or years left here. This is a perspective I think we can all learn and grow from. Listen in, and then check out Dana’s blog and keep up with her journey below.

Sometimes we feel like we need a special kind of grace to endure and thrive in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Author Elrena Evans joins us today to talk about the special grace God has given her in being the mom of special needs children and what God has taught her about healing, limitation, and joy through it all. I loved this conversation, and I think you’re going to fall in love with Elrena’s joyful nature. Check out the trailer for her book below, and then preorder it for yourself or someone you think could use it in this season.

Life coach Shari Davenport joins us today to talk about her insights on walking with her husband through his cancer journey. She invites us to grapple with our own mortality, to respect those we love and their decisions for treatment, and to allow our emotions instead of resisting them. I think you’ll find more than one tip to take away from this episode and apply to your life!

Join both the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CURE International today on the podcast. Dr. Rick Gardner and Justin Narducci share with us the heart of CURE International, a Christian NGO operating eight pediatric hospitals to provide surgical care for children living with treatable disabilities like cleft palates and bowed legs. I cannot speak more highly about CURE, and I think this organization and the people in it are such an incredible example of how God often uses US to be His healing hand to others in the world. I believe God has something special for you in this episode today!

Dr. Kelly Kapic has been a theology professor for over twenty years, he's written fifteen books, and he has experienced suffering while walking alongside his wife through cancer and chronic pain. This conversation is like getting to ask your college professor all those questions you wanted to ask but were too intimated to - Dr. Kapic is gracious, passionate, and fun, and I believe you guys are going to love the breadth of topics we cover! Also, check out Dr. Kapic's books below on the gift of human limitations and the theology of suffering.

David and Renée join us today to talk about the deep stuff in life: surrender, joy, pain, loss, suffering, and the goodness of God amidst it all. If you're having trouble trusting God amidst your pain, then this is the episode for you. David and Renée shepherd us through the hard-won lessons in their journey by losing their son, Ian, to cancer, as well as losing David's sister, Linda, to cancer. This is one of the episodes where you are going to want a notepad and a pen handy, because there are so many quotes you'll want to remember. David and Linda co-wrote a book together that is also incredible, and you can find it in the show notes below.

From the Lyons Den Website: https://www.fromthelyonsden.com/ 

Denise was on her way home on December 23. 2011, when she stopped to help a family stuck on the side of the road. As she was helping them, a car lost control on the ice, crushing Denise between their car and her car. After losing more than the total amount of blood in her body, there were multiple instances where Denise lost her heartbeat or stopped breathing. During one of these instances, Denise saw a vision of her son, Kody, who had passed away in a car accident two years prior. Today she shares about this experience, her recovery after the accident, and what life looks like for her now as an amputee and blood donor advocate. Join us for this Christmas accident (Christmas miracle) story!