This Christmas season, many of us are carrying more than gifts and traditions. We’re carrying fear, weariness, uncertainty, and unanswered questions. We sing the familiar words, “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight,” but what do they really mean when the world feels anything but peaceful?

In this special Christmas reflection, Jonathan Youssef explores the meaning behind this beloved hymn lyric and the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World who meets us in our deepest hopes and fears.

Join Jonathan to reflect on:

• Why true peace and security are found in Christ alone
• How Jesus’ grace transforms fear into lasting hope
• What our response to Christ means for our lives today

If you’re searching for hope at Christmas, longing for peace in uncertain times, or wondering where God is in the midst of fear, this episode offers a gentle, gospel-centered reminder: Christ has come and He is enough.

For questions or to connect with the Candid community, visit LTW.org/Candid. 

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Our culture doesn’t just move fast—it demands that we keep up. But what do our souls, our families, and our faith lose when we never slow down?

Jonathan Youssef is joined again by author and nonprofit leader Kristen Welch for a deeply honest discussion about busyness, spiritual burnout, and the life-giving invitation to sit with Jesus. Kristen shares how years of faithful work and constant activity slowly led her toward spiritual depletion and how solitude and surrender became the pathway back to intimacy with God.

Together, Jonathan and Kristen explore the dangers of equating productivity with faithfulness, the role of spiritual disciplines in a distracted world, and what it looks like to lead and live from a place of rest rather than striving.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

• Why busyness is often celebrated, but spiritually dangerous
• The difference between doing things for God and being with God
• How distraction can quietly create distance from the Lord
• The role of silence, solitude, and Sabbath in spiritual formation
• Learning to listen for God’s voice in a noisy, over-stimulated world
• Creating rhythms and habits that form us toward Christ
• Rediscovering identity as a child of God, not a performer

About Kristen Welch

Kristen Welch is an author, speaker, and the founder of the global non-profit, Mercy House Global. She is currently writing a forthcoming book titled The Little Big Life: Quieting the Noise to Find the Secret Place with Jesus, to be released in the fall of 2026.

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Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things, but you still feel tired, anxious, and spiritually stretched thin?

Jonathan sits down with Justin Whitmel Earley for part 2 of an insightful conversation on why your body's habits may be the missing piece in your walk with Christ. Justin shares how a season of panic attacks and sleepless nights exposed deeper spiritual needs and how rediscovering God’s design for rest transformed his life.

Together they take on our culture’s obsession with control, the illusion of self-sufficiency, and the freedom that comes when we finally admit, “I am not God and praise God for that.”

This episode invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and allow the Gospel to shape how you live every single day.

Justin Whitmel Earley is a lawyer, speaker, and author whose work focuses on how habits and disciplines shape our spiritual, emotional, and relational lives. He is the author of:

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms

The Body Teaches the Soul: How Your Physical Life Shapes Your Spiritual Life

Justin lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and four sons.

What do your everyday habits—your screen time, your schedule, your workload—have to do with your spiritual life?

In this two-part conversation, Jonathan sits down with Justin Whitmel Earley author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul. In Part 1, Justin shares how a season of crippling anxiety and mental collapse as a young lawyer forced him to reconsider everything he thought he knew about discipleship, the body, and the habits that quietly shape our lives.

Justin tells the story of moving from missionary work in China to corporate law in the United States and how, even with solid theology and a half-finished seminary degree, he found himself preaching a gospel of peace while his body was a wreck of anxiety. That crisis became the doorway into discovering how God uses ordinary, physical habits to form us spiritually.

Together, Jonathan and Justin explore why what you repeatedly do, often without thinking, matters more than you realize, and how the “liturgies” of our phones, work lives, and cultural moment either draw us toward Christ or away from Him.

Justin Whitmel Earley is a lawyer, speaker, and author whose work focuses on how habits and disciplines shape our spiritual, emotional, and relational lives. He is the author of:

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms

The Body Teaches the Soul: How Your Physical Life Shapes Your Spiritual Life

Justin lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and four sons.

If Candid Conversations has encouraged your faith or helped you think more deeply about following Jesus in today’s world, would you prayerfully consider supporting Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef this Giving Tuesday?

Candid is a ministry of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a listener-supported ministry, and your generosity helps us bring Gospel-centered Bible teaching, discipleship resources, and outreach to people around the world.

This Giving Tuesday, your gift can make an even greater impact.
To partner with us, visit: ltw.org/donate

Every Sunday, the preaching and singing of the Word work together as a powerful discipleship tool for the church. 

In this special Thanksgiving week episode of Candid Conversations, Jonathan Youssef sits down with four members of the Apostles Worship team—Jeremy Ezell, Sean Crawford, Amy Miller, and Seth Rice—to talk about the heart behind their ministry, the theology that shapes their songwriting, and the release of their new EP Psalms. 

This is a rich, joyful, deeply encouraging conversation for worship leaders, pastors, musicians, and anyone who loves the ministry of music in the local church.

Learn More About Apostles Worship and Download the Songs

Sainte Jane (Lauren St. Jane and Jeremy Ezell):

Www.SainteJane.com

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sainte-jane/1437044527

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zfyuGXL52qotOmFEq9Nm8?si=r19ysfT1T1OflDJ1HBSJCw

Seth Rice:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2U33Z40JQLnyrS53JTOHQz?si=RRHN_hIKS4mVxj98AW775Q

Aimee Miller

https://open.spotify.com/artist/76XDxhCKHhDYfs95kovNd0?si=

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What if the biggest obstacle to raising grateful kids… is our own entitlement?

In this episode, Jonathan sits down with author and Mercy House Global founder Kristen Welch, whose journey from “comfortable Christian mom” to global nonprofit leader started with a single, terrifying yes and a life-altering moment in the largest slum in Nairobi. What she discovered there forced her to confront a hard truth: gratitude isn’t something you can manufacture in your kids until it takes root in you first.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by comparison, overwhelmed by parenting pressures, or frustrated by the entitlement creeping into your home, Kristen’s story will remind you that the path back to gratitude begins with a changed heart, a slowed pace, and a renewed center on Christ.

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In a world where spiritual claims come from every direction—podcasts, platforms, pulpits, and social feeds—it’s becoming harder to discern what’s truly biblical. Many ideas sound close to Christianity yet miss the mark in ways that quietly reshape what we believe about Jesus.

If you’ve ever heard something that didn’t sit right with you, you’re not alone—and your instincts matter. And believe it or not… Christians were fighting these same battles 1,700 years ago.

In this Candid reflection, Dr. Jonathan Youssef takes us back to one of the most defining moments in church history: the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325). As the Council marks its 1,700th anniversary, Jonathan invites you into the story behind the Nicene Creed —a confession that has anchored generations of believers in the truth as heresy spread like wildfire.

Learn how a single false idea about Jesus sparked a worldwide crisis, why the early Church gathered to defend the truth, and how the creed they forged continues to safeguard our faith today. This isn’t dusty theology or ancient trivia. It’s the foundation on which your understanding of Jesus' divinity, incarnation, resurrection, and His return still rests.

Jonathan also guides you through the creed itself, and together, you’ll rediscover why these ancient words still matter today.

Vital Questions Answered by this Reflection:

• Why was the early Church gathered in Nicaea, and what was at stake?
• What was the Arian controversy, and why did it threaten the heart of the Gospel?
• How does the Nicene Creed boldly declare the eternal divinity of Jesus?
• Why does the creed still matter in a world of spiritual influencers and modern heresies?
• How does confessing ancient truth form a deeper, richer worship life today?

Why is grounding your faith in who Jesus truly is the most urgent task of every believer?

If You Enjoyed This Episode:

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We live in a world that tells us happiness is always just one more step away—one more raise, one more purchase, one more answered prayer. Yet even when we finally get what we thought we wanted, peace still feels out of reach.

In this powerful reflection, Jonathan Youssef invites you to pause and consider a radically different kind of joy, the kind that doesn’t depend on circumstances. He takes us to a Roman prison cell, where the apostle Paul, chained and hungry, wrote these astonishing words:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

Paul wasn’t celebrating victory; he was declaring trust. From that dark cell came a light that still pierces our restless culture today: the secret of contentment found in Christ alone.

Jonathan explores what it means to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving even when life hurts, and how gratitude can become a spiritual weapon in seasons of loss, waiting, or disappointment.

If you’ve ever wondered how to hold onto peace when everything feels uncertain, this message is for you.

True gratitude isn’t about pretending life is perfect. It’s about believing God still is.

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What happens when faith becomes about performance rather than grace? In this heartfelt and eye-opening conversation, Jonathan Youssef sits down with Cameron Cole, President of Rooted Ministry and author of Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth, to talk about breaking the cycle of performance-based Christianity and rediscovering the freeing power of the Gospel for parents and kids alike.

Cameron shares his personal story of striving for perfection, hitting burnout, and finally finding rest in the truth that the Gospel means Jesus carries the burden of your life. Together, he and Jonathan explore how parents can nurture grace-filled, Gospel-saturated homes, guide their kids through questions of identity, and help them experience true security in who God says they are.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by the pressure to “get it all right”—in parenting, ministry, or life—this conversation will remind you that freedom, peace, and joy are found not in performance, but in grace.

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In a culture where identity has become fluid, how can Christians respond with Biblical Truth with both conviction and compassion?

In this episode of Candid Conversations, Jonathan Youssef sits down with Dr. Katie McCoy, author of To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond. Together they unpack one of the most pressing questions facing the next generation: Who decides who we are?

Dr. McCoy traces the rise of gender confusion from the roots of radical feminism and expressive individualism to the explosion of gender dysphoria among Gen Z. With clarity and grace, she explains why this moment is not just a social issue but a spiritual one, a battle over what it means to be human and made in the image of God.

In this conversation, you will also hear:

• How culture’s “be whoever you want” message is leaving young people anxious and broken.
• The connection between feminism, Marxist thought, and modern gender ideology.
• What Scripture teaches about masculinity, femininity, and our created design.
• Practical advice for parents and churches walking alongside teens facing gender confusion.
• How believers can speak truth without hostility in an age of outrage.

Dr. McCoy also shares about The Identity Project, a free resource helping parents, pastors, and churches navigate questions of sexuality, gender, and biblical identity with wisdom and courage.

If you’ve ever wondered how to stand for truth while staying loving in conversations about gender and identity, this episode will equip you with biblical insight and hope.

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Instagram: @candidpod

TikTok: @officiallycandidpod

YouTube: @CandidPod

Subscribe & Share:
If this episode inspired you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others.

CANDID LISTENER SURVEY

We love bringing you honest, hope-filled conversations about the Christian faith, and we’d love your feedback. We’ve compiled a short listener survey to help us plan future episodes you’ll love. Will you take a couple of minutes to complete it today? Your voice will help shape what’s next! 

Take the Survey Now