Join Rachel for an episode with Beth Wahl, a wife, mother and women’s ministry director. Beth suffered the tragic loss of her son, Jason, to suicide when he was only a senior in high school. This episode dives into an impactful conversation on navigating grief and how to find the goodness of God in the midst of sorrow. Beth gives timeless advice on how to best support a friend who is grieving. 

Bible Verses Mentioned

• Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
• Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”
• Hebrews 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
• Psalm 31:14-15 “But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.”
• Psalms 31:19 “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.”

Join Rachel for part 2 of this episode series that follows a mother’s journey in finding a diagnosis and answers for her daughter’s health crisis. In this week’s episode we will jump back into Rachel and Regina Caves conversation. As a recap, in episode 5 we listened to Regina as she discovered her daughter, Kaci, has a rare neurological disorder, Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Kaci would undergo a highly profiled surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital with one of the world’s top neurosurgeons, Dr Ben Carson. During the 12-hour surgery half of her brain was removed! In this episode Regina discusses the long recovery process and Kaci also joins to give a word of encouragement to those listening.

Resources Mentioned:

• Will’s House: https://willshousetulsa.org/news/

Bible Verses Mentioned:

• Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” NIV
• Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” NIV

Quotes from this Episode:

• “You can’t do something this big and not have God be behind you.”
• “They come out and tell us. She is alive, she is well, and that she speaks!”
• “God has never left, God is faithful, God walks with us and God has given me a gift in this child”
• “God loves you and he loves his children even those who aren’t quite the same as the others”
• “Each and every day it WILL be better and better.”
• “Even when you have half of your brain, you can still function and be a testament to God’s goodness and God’s glory”

Join Rachel in a Two-part episode this week! In part 1 Regina Caves details the beginning of discovering her daughter has a rare neurological disorder. She leans on God through all the uncertainty to guide her in making the best choices for her daughter’s health. And talks about how God’s providential hand led them to John Hopkins where Dr. Ben Carson performed a rare surgery taking out half of her brain. 

Books mentioned:

• Seizures and Epilepsy in Children: A Guide for Parents by: Professor John M. Freeman, MD, Eileen P.G. Vining, MD
• Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by: Ben Carson, MD

Quotes from this Episode:

• “God just preordains, his providential hand touches everything”
• “The more I read it, the more I was convinced she did not just have a regular seizure disorder”
• “Rasmusen’s Encephalitis is a very rare neurological disorder, it is a seizure disorder, at the time, this is 1993, less than 100 people in the United States had it.”
• “It was like the packman game and packman was eating away at half of her brain”
• “We get a call out of the clear blue from Dr. John Freeman of John Hopkins stating he has heard about Kaci”
• “John Hopkins called stating, “We need to get the word out about Rasmussen’s, we believe your family is a good candidate and we have talked to Dateline, and they would like to follow you”

Bible Verses Mentioned:

• Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Join Rachel for another uplifting episode of Authenticity Rachel this time with Jamie Phillips. Jamie shares how her once blissful easy life was turned upside down when she started having kids. She suffered 3 traumatic births each one causing her to grow closer to God. When it would have been easy to be angry at God, through His grace, He used her pain for good! 

Quotes from this Episode:

• “Undeniable peace in the midst of a storm” 
• “We can take anything to God, there is nothing He can’t handle, nothing is too big.”
• “Suffering is horrible, but you have the ability to grow closer to God”
• “Praying for all the things that I’m thankful for… and if you pray for that and say the words eventually it will get into your mind.”

Join Rachel for another encouraging podcast, this time with Diana Plummer. Diana unfortunately experienced great loss throughout her life, but her reliance and dependence on the faithfulness and goodness of God is laced through every single moment of this episode. She is sustained, provided for, and comforted by her relationship with Jesus. There is hope on the other side of loss, just keep your eyes on Him. 

Scriptures mentioned: 

• Psalm 27:13 
  • (KJ21) "I would have fainted, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
  • (NLT) “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”
• Psalm 91:2 “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”
• Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
• Isaiah 43:2 “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
• Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
• Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who] have been called according to his purpose."

Quotes from this Episode:

• “Through loss there is always some gain God has for us” 
• “Our hope is only found in Jesus Christ, our anchor” 
• “Out of his death new life began”

Join Rachel for a conversation with Irene Inda. Irene is originally from Guatemala and shares her life’s journey with us and how God is in all the details. From childhood hosting exchange students, to meeting her husband and immigrating to the United States, and then to most recently having a child diagnosed with Autism- Irene paints a beautiful picture about how God prepares you for things before you even know what's coming. She shares vulnerable lessons of what God has taught her through the years and how He has prepared and equipped you for such a time as this.

Quotes from this Episode: 

• “This was perfectly orchestrated by God that these people would come and change my life, we just didn't know it yet.”
• “We walked out of that office with an autism diagnosis for our son and a death sentence for our marriage.”
• “To be able to support my child with a disability I had to mourn the child I thought I was going to have…so I could appreciate this child God gave me.”
• “God gives us the grace that we need at the moment that we need it.”

Resources mentioned: 

• Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power - by Levi Lusko: https://a.co/d/84hANZ2
• Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery - by Karyn Seroussi: https://a.co/d/fqFk5Yf

Join Rachel for an authentic episode with Rachel Wagner, a Wife, Homeschooling Mom, Writer, and Worship Leader at First Baptist Jenks in Oklahoma. Wagner shares her personal story and struggle with miscarriage. She bravely details her heartbreaking fertility journey and some of the difficult times she's encountered. She gives encouraging advice one can only learn through experience. Through every part of this conversation, you will be reminded that God sees you in your grief and is always working.

Quotes from this Episode: 

• “Lord, I want to squeeze every ounce of faith out of this trial.”
• “I'm just going to sing these songs, in the faith that one day this is something I will believe to my core.”
• “The Lord sees you; it's not a glance it's a gaze and… it's unbreakable.”

Resources Mentioned: 

• Rachel's Website: https://www.rachelhaughtonwagner.com
• Struck: One Christian's Reflections on Encountering Death - by Russ Ramsey and Scott Sauls: https://a.co/d/ia24Bj3
• The Moon Is Always Round - by Jonathan Gibson and Joe Hox: https://a.co/d/3PsdXvh
• Walking with God through Pain and Suffering - by Timothy Keller: https://a.co/d/ex56FO8
• Two Lace Shoes - Handmade Family Portraits: https://www.twolaceshoes.net
• The Life Bible - Hope in Miscarriage Devotional: https://tbibles.com/VPgQ

Join Rachel and her mother Gail in this special prequel episode 0 where they have an authentic conversation about Rachel's own life story. They discuss Rachel's early life and Turner Syndrome diagnosis, as well as the violent car accident where she suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and "Internal Decapitation". Gail recalls vivid details about the aftermath of the accident, and they talk about what it’s like being in the eye of the storm and how God held them both in the palm of his hand through it all.

Key Scripture: Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Quotes from this Episode: 

• "Everything was out of my control… I couldn’t do anything else but pray."
• "God is real, we are not just mind and body. We are mind, body, and spirit."
• "Was no accident, have faith, to do well is gain, God knows."
• "It’s when we give up control when we are held in such peace."

Resources Mentioned: 

• Turner Syndrome Society of the US: https://www.turnersyndrome.org/

Hi! I’m Rachel! Welcome to the Authentically Rachel Podcast!