Abide and Thrive Podcast

Drew and Kelsea sit down with Autumn Eade and let her tell the full story behind her chronic pain journey, from early symptoms to hard-won progress and the faith that keeps her steady. We talk honestly about what chronic illness costs socially, emotionally, and spiritually, and what it looks like to live with real limitations while still choosing joy. 

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Drew and Kelsea talk about healthy ways to communicate in marriage. We ought to continue to have new goals of successful communication as time goes on and they model a number of ways this could play out. 

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The first half of the Ontiveros story took us into addiction, loss, betrayal, grief, and the years of brokenness that seemed impossible to escape. But this is where the story turns. In this episode, Gerianne and Keisto share what happened when they stopped trying to simply survive and began intentionally pursuing Jesus—and how encounter after encounter with the Lord began changing everything. From Keisto’s journey toward freedom from addiction to their baptism in the Holy Spirit, Z Experience, Pursued, and the radically different ways God met each of them, this is the story of what happens when broken people encounter a God who is deeply personal, present, and relentless in His pursuit of them.

But redemption doesn't mean pretending the ashes weren't real. They talk honestly about confession, forgiveness, rebuilding trust, processing grief, learning to receive the Father's love, and allowing the Lord to reshape their marriage into what He designed it to be. Through it all, they began to see something they couldn't have understood in the middle of their darkest years: God was bringing beauty from places that once only looked like destruction. As Gerianne says, “roses come up from the embers.” This is a story of freedom, healing, and a marriage being transformed—not by willpower or perfection, but by encountering Jesus and learning to walk with Him.

https://www.illuminate-ministries.com/z-experience-info-1

https://www.illuminate-ministries.com/pursued-info

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Gerianne and Keisto Ontiveros are the kind of couple who make you grateful to know them. Their marriage is beautiful, their family is thriving, and their lives are marked by deep faith, intentional parenting, friendship, and a genuine love for Jesus. But it hasn’t always been that way. In this deeply honest conversation, they take us behind the curtain of the years that shaped them—family conflict, addiction and relapse, the fight for sobriety, shame, spiritual battles, and the devastating loss of their daughter, Ember. They don’t tell these stories from a safe distance or pretend the hard things weren’t really hard. They talk about what it cost, how differently they each experienced the same seasons, and how brokenness affected their marriage, faith, family, and identity.

And yet, this is not a story about brokenness. It is a story about what God does in the middle of it. Throughout the conversation, we look at their story through a redemptive Kingdom lens—asking where God was when they couldn’t see Him, how He was pursuing and protecting them before they even recognized Him, and what it looks like to trust His goodness when circumstances make no sense. There are no tidy answers here, but there is hope: hope that God can redeem generations, restore what has been fractured, bring beauty out of grief, and write a story that looks radically different from where it began. This is the first half of the Ontiveros story—and it is a testimony that Jesus doesn’t avoid the hard places.

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When swimming in content, even positive spiritual content, it's easy for subtle illusions to form: “I know this,” when I’ve really only heard it. In this conversation, Drew and Kelsea name that “false sense of wisdom,” where borrowed insight starts to feel like spiritual maturity, even though we haven’t had to steward it, suffer through it, or live it out when it costs something. When we mistake information for transformation. 
This isn’t a call-out—it’s a call-up. A gentle invitation to slow down, meditate, and let truth become formation, not just consumption. Because real fruit doesn’t come from fast-food Christianity; it comes from abiding—rooted, resilient, and grown with Jesus over time.

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How do you set healthy physical boundaries in dating or engagement without falling into shame or just making a list of rules? In this episode, we explore what Scripture teaches about physical boundaries and why they're meant to flow from a loving covenant with Jesus—not fear, guilt, or religious obligation. 

Through 1 Thessalonians 4, we unpack how pursuing holiness is less about avoiding a line and more about becoming disciples who honor God with every part of our lives.

We also share practical examples of healthy boundaries, discuss how they can strengthen future marriages, and explain how every couple is to seek the Lord for wisdom in their unique relationship. 

Whether you're dating, engaged, or discipling others, this conversation will encourage you to pursue purity through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, breaking shame, and embracing the freedom found in Christ.

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Drew and Kelsea have a deep conversation about true humility of the Kingdom verses lesser forms. They discuss how often times false humility leads to two different extremes: superiority or insecurity. If you are a disciple trying to keep in step with the Spirit and walk in accurate humility, this episode is for you!

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In this episode, we revisit the wedding vows we spoke 12 years ago—reading them out loud and letting them measure the life we’ve actually lived. We talk candidly about the difficulties and trials we’ve faced, and what it’s taken to endure with tenderness, honesty, and grit. More than anything, we reflect on what it means to keep our word: to keep choosing each other and to keep giving one another our best, even when it’s costly. Along the way, we ask each other vow-shaped questions that open up meaningful conversation about love, trust, sacrifice, and growth. We also unpack the difference between a contract and a covenant—and why we believe “we meant what we said and said what we mean” still matters today. If you’re married, engaged, or simply curious about lasting love, this is an invitation to remember, recommit, and lean into the beauty of faithful promises.

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Everything in creation has seasons, including humans. We discuss the ins and outs of the seasons - pruning and dormancy as well as bloom and harvest. We hope this episode equips you as you navigate your current season.

A throwback to season 2! Drew and Kelsea originally released this episode on 10/16/24 and it's too good to not share again. 

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This encore episode returns to the April 2025 release where Drew and Kelsea taught from Proverbs 2 to help listeners walk in wisdom and move with discernment. 

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