Being Human with Steve Cuss

By Christianity TodayHealth & Fitness Mental Health Religion & Spirituality Christianity

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Being Human with Steve Cuss episodes

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

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41 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

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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

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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
August 10How Politics Hijacked the Pulpit with Ryan Burge
In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss speaks with political scientist and pastor Ryan Burge about his book The Vanishing Church. They explore how American Christianity has become increasingly radicalized by political partisanship, the role of social media algorithms in amplifying extreme voices, and the disappearance of moderate congregations. Burge discusses how partisanship now shapes religious identity rather than the reverse, the impact of COVID had on churches, and how the church has become a "hospital for the healthy."

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

Michael Wear’s CT review of Ryan’s work on the “big church sort”

Pew research: How the Pandemic Has Affected Attendance at U.S. Religious Services

A Look at The Donatist controversy

Who was Count Zinzendorf?
Scripture Referenced:
1 John 1:5 (ESV)

Matthew 20:16; Luke 13:30; Mark 10:31 (ESV)

Mark 2:17 (ESV)
More from Ryan Burge:
Ryan’s Graphs about Religion

Ryan on X (formerly Twitter)

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
55 min
August 03Carrying What Only God Can Carry
In this special travelogue episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss records from Tinos, Greece, where he discovered a profound Orthodox Christian pilgrimage tradition. Pilgrims crawl a half-mile uphill to a famous church, seeking healing. Steve reflects on desperation, hope, and faith across traditions, he draws on MLK's words: "If you can't walk, crawl—but keep moving forward." He invites listeners to consider their own pace and bring their whole selves to God.
Episode Resources:
Learn about Christian Missionary Fellowship International

Read about the church of Our Lady of Tinos, Greece

History of Our Lady of Tinos (Panagia Evangelistria)

More about Fred Craddock
Scripture Referenced:
Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (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
24 min
July 27Steve & Lisa Cuss: When Jesus Meets the Judgmental with Listener Questions, Matt Smallbone, & Jenny Brown
Hosts Steve and Lisa Cuss address listener questions about navigating judgmental believers, generational anger, and caregiving burnout. They encourage listeners to define their own positions without trying to change others, explore emotions beneath anger, and build connections through small, consistent moments. Steve and Lisa also revisit recent guests Matt Smallbone and Jenny Brown to offer insights on relating to strong personalities, praying the Lord's Prayer intentionally, and recognizing unhealthy family patterns.
Episode Resources:
Matt Smallbone’s The Prayer Experiment: How Praying Like Jesus Realigns Everything - Our Thoughts, Our Hearts, and Our Posture Toward God and the World

Jenny Brown’s The Parenting Paradox: Loving Our Children by Giving Them Space to Grow

Explore the Enneagram

Brad Gray & Brad Nelson’s Bringing Heaven Here: How The Lord's Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World

Brad Gray: The Lord's Prayer (documentary)

What is the Anger Iceberg
Scripture Referenced:
The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV)

Read Matthew 7:3–5 ESV
More From Matt Smallbone:
Matt Smallbone’s website

Church of the City Downtown teaching podcast
More From Jenny Brown:
Jenny Brown’s Website

Jenny Brown’s Author Page

Jenny Brown’s Growing Yourself Up: How to bring your best to all of life's relationships

Parent Hope Project

Parent Hope Podcast

Family Systems Institute

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52 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…