Being Human with Steve Cuss

By Christianity TodayHealth & Fitness Mental Health Religion & Spirituality Christianity

Favorites
139
Followers
Typical duration
41 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Being Human with Steve Cuss episodes

October 19Ellen Vaughn Asks “Do You Trust God or Not?” Faith in the Middle of Suffering
Join Steve Cuss and author Ellen Vaughn, who once rode a rusty, cracked-fuselage Russian helicopter across Cambodia—and arrived to hear children from a local church orphanage singing “This Is the Day” in English, as they unpack stories from God’s Expansive Kingdom. Ellen’s chat with Steve captures the stories behind her book What Jesus Started: churches thriving in places marked by poverty, persecution, and violence. Vaughn reflects on what she learned from believers who don’t expect life to be easy, including the astonishing freedom of a Rwandan pastor who forgave the neighbor who killed members of his family. She also talks candidly about her husband Lee’s decade-long battle with brain cancer, Chuck Colson’s publishing integrity, and why the church must remain independent of political power.
More from Ellen Vaughn:
Ellen Vaughn’s What Jesus Started: The World-Changing Power of the Local Church

More about C.S. Lewis Institute

More about The Killing Fields

Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship

Charles Colson with Ellen Santilli Vaughn’s The Body
Episode Resources:
More about Ellen Vaughn

Ellen Vaughn’s Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years

Ellen Vaughn’s Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
Scripture Referenced:
Genesis 28:16 (ESV)

John 1:5 (ESV)

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV)

John 16:33 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

Isaiah 45:7 (ESV)
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
52 min
October 12When “You’ll Be Healed” Is the Wrong Thing to Say with Jackie Aviles
In 2016, doctors gave young mother Jackie Aviles six months to live. As cancer spread through her bones and lymph nodes, she prepared her children for her death and even chose a casket. Now, ten years cancer-free, Jackie tells Steve how faith, medicine, grief, and what she describes as God’s supernatural healing shaped her family’s journey. Jackie and her husband, pastor Emilio, also faced the pain of leading a church while grieving—and learned that listening can matter more than offering easy reassurance. Their conversation explores hope when healing doesn’t come, the difference between caring and carrying, and why peace may matter more than clarity.
More from Jackie Aviles:
Jackie Aviles’ website

Learn about Embassy Church
Episode Resources:
More about Matt Chandler

Learn about the Bright City Church team
Scripture Referenced:
2 Corinthians 4 ESV

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

Romans 5:3–5 ESV

Philippians 4:7 ESV

Romans 8:28 ESV

Philippians 1:21 ESV

Philippians 1:6 ESV

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

John 15:5 ESV
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
52 min
October 05Small Acts and World-Changing Faith with Ryan Keating & Tommy Lee
Bad news isn’t the main story of the church. On Being Human, Steve Cuss talks with pastor Ryan Keating and Resource Global founder Tommy Lee about faith in action—from feeding thousands of refugees in Turkey to equipping Christian leaders and expanding access to education in Indonesia. As part of the “God’s Expansive Kingdom” series, these conversations explore global ministry, faith and work, and the lasting impact of small, faithful investments in people. Discover how noticing God at work can interrupt anxiety, renew hope, and help you see fresh possibilities in your own community.
Episode Resources:
Learn about & support Resource Global

Learn about Fellowship Church in Connecticut

Learn about Doctor Share

Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavor
More about Tommy Lee
More about Ryan Keating
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
34 min
September 28Steve & Lisa Cuss: Liturgy, Life-Giving Habits, and Mental Health with Douglas McKelvey & Alexandra Thompson
In this recap episode of Being Human, hosts Steve and Lisa Cuss explore how God's kingdom expands through mental health ministry and spiritual formation. They highlight innovative church-based counseling models, including a "clinic in a box" concept, and community mental health collectives. The episode features interviews with clinical counselor Alex Thompson and Doug McKelvie, writer of the Every Moment Holy liturgy series. They discuss how ancient prayers provide grounding for modern struggles. Steve and Lisa also share personal stories of global ministry encounters, life-giving habits, and the power of liturgical prayer to connect believers across generations and cultures.
Episode Resources:
Learn about: Women Leaders Alliance

Build your Life Giving List

Partner with Cumberland Counseling Centers

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage

Book of Common Prayer (online version)

Thomas Keating’s contemplative prayer

Explore the Hope Collective
More from Alexandra Thompson:
More about Alexandra Thompson, LCSW
More from Douglas McKelvey:
Every Moment Holy Website

Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads

Every Moment Holy Live Experience
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
42 min
September 21Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy
In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss speaks with Douglas McKelvey, author of the Every Moment Holy series—books offering liturgical prayers for everyday and significant life moments. Both share personal journeys from skepticism toward formal liturgy to discovering its deep spiritual value. Douglas recounts how the Book of Common Prayer transformed his faith during a period of theological uncertainty, while Steve reflects on his experience as a hospital chaplain. They explore the power of communal liturgy, the specificity of prayers for modern moments, and how Douglas's latest volume, Rites of Passage, helps young adults connect with God throughout life's transitions.
Episode Resources:
Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage

Book of Common Prayer (online version)

More about Andrew Peterson
Scripture Referenced:
Psalm 131 ESV
More from Douglas McKelvey:
Every Moment Holy Website

Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads

Every Moment Holy Live Experience
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
41 min
September 14Is This the Church’s Bold Return to Mental Health Care? with Alexandra Thompson
In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss chats with Alexandra Thompson, founder of Cumberland Counseling Centers, a Georgia-based nonprofit embedding state-licensed counseling clinics inside local churches. Alex introduces her "clinic in a box" model, which allows churches to launch professional mental health services within weeks. The conversation covers trauma healing, EMDR therapy, faith integration, and the church's historical role as a community healing center.
Episode Resources:
More about Alexandra Thompson, LCSW

Partner with Cumberland Counseling Centers

Overview of EMDR

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Scripture Referenced:
Mark 12:30-31 ESV
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
49 min
September 07Steve Cuss: Beyond the Headlines in God’s Expansive Kingdom
In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss launches the new theme "God's Expansive Kingdom." Drawing from years of international travel, Steve shares inspiring stories of Christians making a difference worldwide—from floating hospitals in Southeast Asia to a small women's Bible study group running a halfway house for former inmates. He also addresses the prevalence of negative narratives about the church online, acknowledging that abuse must be exposed while cautioning against cynicism and shame-driven reporting. Steve emphasizes that despite troubling headlines, countless faithful believers are quietly and powerfully advancing God's kingdom globally.
Episode Resources:
Steve Cuss’s Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs
Scripture Referenced:
Luke 18:9–14 ESV
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
31 min
August 31Steve & Lisa Cuss: Social Media Extremes, Political Problems, and Moving from Legalism to Grace with Ryan Burge and Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz
In this episode of Being Human, Steve and Lisa Cuss explore how politics, social media, and the stories we tell ourselves shape who we become. Pastor and political analyst Ryan Burge explains how social media amplifies political extremes, distorts public discourse, and increasingly allows partisanship to shape religious identity. Jessie Cruickshank and Julia Schmaltz, co-authors of Becoming Good News, unpack how internalized narratives, legalism, perfectionism, and the Christian “Übermensch” ideal—the pressure to become a superhuman believer—can hinder spiritual growth. Steve and Lisa use these conversations to offer a path toward self-awareness, grace, presence, and embracing weakness as essential to genuine faith and transformation.
Original Episodes:
Being Human: How Memory, Identity, and Story Shape Discipleship with Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz

Being Human: How Politics Hijacked the Pulpit with Ryan Burge

Ryan Burge’s The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us

Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz’s Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science

Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch
More from Ryan Burge:
Ryan’s Graphs about Religion

Ryan on X (formerly Twitter)
More from Jessie Cruickshank and Julia Schmaltz:
Jessie Cruickshank’s Ordinary Discipleship podcast

Julia Schmaltz’s Sermons

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
38 min
August 24How Do Injury, Pain, and Faith Shape Our Identity with Dr. Eric Shoemaker
Host Steve Cuss welcomes physician Eric Shoemaker to explore the intersection of physical health, neuroscience, and spiritual fitness. Eric explains how injury and pain recovery mirror emotional and spiritual healing, and breaks down the difference between the body's "threat" and "challenge" responses, showing how faith can reshape our nervous system's reactions. Steve and Eric discuss whole-body discipleship, identity in Christ, and practical micro-habits to help rewire the brain toward trust over fear.
Episode Resources:
Eric’s article The Neurobiology of Victory: How the physical reality of performance reveals the spiritual power of faith

Dan Allender’s Leading with a Limp: Take Full Advantage of Your Most Powerful Weakness
Scripture Referenced:
Genesis 32:22-32 (ESV)
More from Eric Shoemaker:
Eric Shoemaker’s Substack: The Divine Design Lab

Follow Eric on instagram
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
30 min
August 17How Memory, Identity, and Story Shape Discipleship with Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz
In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss is joined by pastor and Harvard-trained brain scientist Jessie Cruickshank and first-time guest Julia Schmaltz to explore whether changing our internal narratives can enable transformation. Jessie and Julia discuss their co-authored book, Becoming Good News, and examine spiritual growth and discipleship through the lenses of theology, neuroscience, and personal experience. They challenge unrealistic “superhuman” expectations in church culture, advocate for grace-based discipleship, and emphasize that spiritual maturity means becoming more fully who God created us to be—joyful, childlike, and close to Jesus.
Episode Resources:
Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz’s Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science

Jessie Cruickshank’s Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel lecture: The Quest for Peace and Justice

Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch

Jessie Cruickshank’s previous appearance on Being Human: Episode 171
Scripture Referenced:
2 Corinthians 3 (ESV)

Psalm 139 (ESV)
More from:
Jessie Cruickshank’s Ordinary Discipleship podcast

Julia Schmaltz’s Sermons

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders
Capable Life Newsletter
Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List
Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive
Capable Life Intensives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
46 min

About Being Human with Steve Cuss

From the publisher's feed

From Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and leadership coach, guides listeners with a…