Rev. Esau McCaulley, PhD is an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of many works including Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance and his book  Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope won numerous awards, including Christianity Today’s book of the year. His latest project is a memoir entitled: How far to the Promised Land: One Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. His writings have also appeared in places such as The Atlantic, Washington Post, and Christianity Today. He is married to Mandy, a pediatrician and navy reservist. Together, they have four wonderful children.


Keep up with Esau: 
On Instagram
His website
His books

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Episode 35: How Far to the Promised Land with Esau McCaulley

On The GoodHard Story Podcast, we believe the good story and the hard story can be the same story. Host Katherine Wolf—stroke survivor, speaker, author, and disability advocate—is inviting you to join her in discovering the treasures hidden in our hurting. Sit in on candid conversations with Katherine, the Hope Heals team, and some beloved guests as they work out what it means to wholeheartedly live a good/hard life. Katherine is a defining voice of our time, so you don’t want to miss her hard-won insights on the places where pain and joy can co-exist. We are so excited to welcome you to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

Before the GoodHard Story Podcast takes a short summer break, Katherine is recapping her favorite moments from Season 3. She’s distilling over 30 hours of conversations and reflections into a potent 20-minute dose of hope!
What you’ll take away from this conversation…

 Start a community from scratch

 Reframing our emotions as a strength instead of a weakness

  Becoming better—instead of bitter—because of our losses


As we prepare for the next season of the podcast, we need to hear what YOU want to hear! Let us know what hurt you’re holding today so that we can start some helpful, healing conversations between Katherine and her most trusted teachers.
If you want to help us create future episodes, email us at resources@hopeheals.com or DM us on Instagram (@hopeheals) with questions you’d like answered or topics you want covered.

Show Notes:

Donate to Hope Heals: hopeheals.com/give
Favorite Season 3 Moments:
Episode 37: Ask Amy Julia
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-37-ask-amy-julia
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ueGdkR3BPASl10PY319Gx?si=e1356478bdc240f7
“Experiencing disability or being in proximity to disability is a way to embrace our own humanity. It can also call us into love, care, and mutual receiving.”
———
Episode 39: Putting It Into Practice with Caroline Young
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-39-putting-it-into-practice-with-caroline-young
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/39AXj8Bk71LjcUbHAHQpnH?si=0625bc43b2a74d63
“Find the people without the people and make them your people.”
———
Episode 46: “Strong Like Water”: Designed for Emotional Agility with Aundi Kolber
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-46-strong-like-water-designed-for-emotional
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EN8lXrxbRjGXNY7WyFWqg?si=d3474bb03cf94a3c
“When Jesus promised to give us ‘life to the full,’ he was giving us permission to embrace the full spectrum of human emotion. We are being invited into experiencing deep feeling and emotional flexibility as a strength, not a liability.”
———
Episode 55: Hard-Fought Contentment: Integrating Our Losses into Wholeness with Jerry Sittser
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/epiode-55-hard-fought-contentment-integrating-our-losses
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fzhl7BoYlQ0S2K4IKvEEe?si=1bcf5b1d507c4a12
“Grief does not have to diminish us. Grief can become integrated into healthier, more whole versions of ourselves.”
“Our responses to loss can define us, rather than the loss itself defining us.”
“God, spare me from a perfect life.”
———
Episode 60: My Prayer for YOU: Borrow This Benediction for the Good/Hard Life
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-60-my-prayer-for-you-borrow-this-benediction
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4vJvuFKDPa2a765SojnlQS?si=77c38e6cd34c4320
“I’m not responsible for what has happened to me, but I am responsible for what I do with it.”
———
Episode 63: Wonderful/Terrible: Cultivating a Gritty Faith Instead of a Pretty Faith with Kay Warren
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-63-wonderful-terrible-cultivating-a-gritty
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Iq8Y3prH2QQMfIoezsRIX?si=62242adb5e3b4a0d
“We are never more like Christ than when we are sitting with people in their suffering.”
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Romans 8:32
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Romans 15:13
***
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⁠⁠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/


Episode 66: Katherine’s Top Takeaways: One Year of Wisdom in 20 Minutes (Solo Episode)

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/






Episode 65: Re-ordering Our Ambitions: Uncovering God-Designed Humility with Joel Muddammalle

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/




Episode 64: AUDIOBOOK SNEAK PEEK: What the Locusts Ate

In this episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast, Katherine discovers a kindred spirit in Kay Warren, who founded the beloved Saddleback Church with her husband Rick. Kay and Rick have endured the earth-shattering loss of one of their sons, who died by suicide in 2013.

Both Katherine and Kay were in tears by the end of the conversation, which spans from the complexities of mental illness to the life-saving power of respite to the privilege of sitting with suffering people. Kay could not have been more generous in sharing her hard-won insights into the most terrible kind of grief.

What you’ll take away from this conversation…

 What to do when God stops making sense
 The single experience that can make us more Christlike
  The one question you should never ask someone who is suffering
  How a marriage can withstand unimaginable loss

If you need to hear a story of deep hurt and even deeper hope, this episode is for you.

Show Notes

Hope for Mental Health: https://hope4mentalhealth.com/

Breathe: https://saddleback.com/connect/ministry/outreach-retreats

The Wounder Healer by Henri Nouwen - https://henrinouwen.org/read/the-wounded-healer/

Lews Smedes - https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/smedes_recordings/

Walter Brueggemann - https://www.walterbrueggemann.com/resources/

“Pay mind to your own life, your own health, and wholeness. A bleeding heart is of no help to anyone if it bleeds to death.” - Frederick Buechner

Scriptures referenced in this episode:
1 Corinthians 15:43-45

***

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/

Episode 63: Wonderful/Terrible: Cultivating a Gritty Faith Instead of a Pretty Faith with Kay Warren

As Katherine observes the sixteenth anniversary of her stroke this week, she’s reflecting on one of the most transformative treasures she’s discovered in the darkness of her pain: If the worst day of Jesus’ life was eventually called good, then maybe one day my worst day could be called good too.
But this is no ordinary podcast episode! We are so excited to be sharing a clip straight from the Treasures in the Dark AUDIOBOOK!
If you enjoy this little preview book, we sure hope you’ll pick up a copy of your own. And if you’re listening on Spotify Premium, you can stream Treasures in the Dark for free as a part of your subscription!
Grab your copy of the book today in print, ebook, or audiobook formats at treasuresinthedark.com or wherever books are sold.
Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures


***


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/


Episode 35: How Far to the Promised Land with Esau McCaulley

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