Holy Saturday is the day in between.

Friday’s pain has already happened.

Sunday’s redemption is coming.

But today… it can still feel quiet.

In this Holy Week episode of Here’s the Lesson, Jon reflects on the meaning of Holy Saturday and what it teaches us about waiting, grief, unanswered prayers, and the sacred growth that can happen in seasons of silence.

Drawing from personal experience—including the devastating loss of his father to brain cancer—Jon shares how some of life’s most painful chapters can also become some of the most transformative.

This episode is for anyone walking through:

• grief and loss
• spiritual waiting
• marriage pain
• fractured family relationships
• unanswered prayers
• job loss or life transition
• seasons where heaven feels quiet

Holy Saturday reminds us that silence does not mean abandonment.

Just because nothing looks different yet does not mean nothing is happening.

Some of God’s holiest work happens where we cannot yet see it.

And if life still feels like Saturday right now, please hear this:

the story is not over. Sunday will come.

In the episode, Jon also references Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s powerful message, Sunday Will Come, and shares why that sermon has deeply shaped his faith and hope.

For so many people, these “Saturday seasons” are not just moments in Holy Week — they are chapters of real life.

The waiting after the loss.

The silence after the prayer.

The ache between what broke and what has not yet been rebuilt.

That is one of the deepest reasons Ashley and I wrote Leave Then Cleave.

We wrote it for people navigating grief, painful family relationships, betrayal, and the difficult work of healing while holding onto faith and hope for what God is still doing.

📖 Start with the free first chapter:
https://www.leavethencleave.com/free-chapter

🎧 Explore the full book and audiobook:
https://www.leavethencleave.com/store

#HolySaturday #SundayWillCome #ChristianHealing #HopeAfterLoss #LeaveThenCleave

Good Friday brings us to one of the most sacred and sobering moments in all of scripture:

the cross.

This is the day when betrayal, grief, abandonment, and suffering seem to reach their deepest point.

And yet Good Friday reveals one of the most powerful truths of the gospel:

love stayed.

In this episode of Here’s the Lesson, Jon reflects on what Good Friday teaches us about suffering, family pain, betrayal, grief, and the hope we find in Jesus Christ.

The Savior did not remain distant from human pain.

He entered it fully.

He knows betrayal.
He knows abandonment.
He knows grief.
He knows what it feels like to carry something all the way to the end.

For anyone navigating family wounds, broken trust, loneliness, or a sorrow that feels heavier than words can hold, this conversation is for you.

We talk about:

• Good Friday and the meaning of the cross
• grief and suffering
• betrayal and abandonment
• family pain and emotional wounds
• Christ-centered hope
• why suffering is not proof that heaven has left you

Good Friday reminds us that when everything else gave way, love remained.

And because love stayed, so can hope.

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If today’s episode resonated—especially if you are carrying grief, betrayal, family wounds, or the ache of trying to hold onto faith through suffering—that is one of the deepest reasons Ashley and I wrote Leave Then Cleave.

We wrote it for people navigating painful relationships, family systems, broken trust, and the difficult work of healing without losing their faith.

📖 Start with the free first chapter:
Visit LeaveThenCleave.com/free-chapter

🎧 Explore the full book, audiobook, and resources:
Visit LeaveThenCleave.com/store

📰 Join our Weekly Note for faith-centered healing and family clarity: Click here.

Holy Thursday brings us to one of the most sacred and deeply human moments in all of scripture:

The Garden of Gethsemane.

This is the night Jesus is not before the crowds.

He is alone.

In anguish.
In prayer.
Under the full weight of what is coming.

And what makes this moment so powerful is this:

Jesus did not deny the pain.

He did not rush past the sorrow.

He brought the full weight of His suffering before the Father and still said:

“Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Holy Bible

In this episode of Here’s the Lesson, Jon explores what Holy Thursday teaches us about pain, surrender, grief, faith, and what it means to trust God in the middle of something heavy.

If you are walking through your own Gethsemane—family pain, betrayal, grief, uncertainty, spiritual exhaustion, or the ache of surrendering something you did not choose—this conversation is for you.

We talk about:

• Holy Thursday and Gethsemane
• Faith in suffering
• grief and Christian healing
• surrender without emotional bypassing
• trusting God in painful seasons
• discipleship in the middle of uncertainty

And if this tension feels painfully familiar—the ache of holding onto faith while carrying something heavy—that is one of the deepest reasons Ashley and I wrote Leave Then Cleave.

We wrote it for people navigating family wounds, betrayal, grief, painful relationships, and the difficult work of healing without losing their faith.

📖 Start with the free first chapter in the show notes
🎧 Explore the full book and audiobook

Plus, explore TONS of Free Content over at leavethencleave.com

Follow Us on Social Media and YouTube: @leave_then_cleave

Holy Wednesday confronts us with one of the most painful truths in all of scripture:

Jesus was not betrayed by strangers.

He was betrayed by someone inside the circle.

Someone who had walked with Him.
Sat with Him.
Learned from Him.
Shared meals with Him.

That is what makes this day so deeply human.

Because some of life’s deepest wounds do not come from obvious enemies. They come from people close enough to know what would hurt us most.

In this episode of Here’s the Lesson, Jon explores what Holy Wednesday teaches us about betrayal trauma, family wounds, church hurt, grief, broken trust, and the sobering realization that proximity does not always mean safety.

If you have ever been wounded by a parent, spouse, sibling, trusted friend, or church leader, this conversation is for you.

We talk about:

• family betrayal
• church hurt and spiritual wounds
• broken trust
• grief after betrayal
• Christian healing
• the difference between closeness and safety
• why Jesus understands this pain intimately

Holy Wednesday reminds us that Christ is not distant from betrayal.

He has entered it.

And if this conversation feels painfully familiar—if you are trying to make sense of family wounds, church hurt, or the grief that comes from someone close becoming unsafe—that is one of the deepest reasons Ashley and I wrote Leave Then Cleave.

We wrote it for people living inside this exact tension: trying to hold onto faith, truth, and healing while making sense of betrayal from within the circle.

📖 Start with the free first chapter here.
🎧 Explore the full book and audiobook at leavethencleave.com/store

Holy Tuesday gives us one of the most sobering lessons of Holy Week:

not everyone who sounds spiritual is safe.

Jesus was not hardest on weakness.

He was hardest on what looked righteous but quietly harmed people.

In this “Here’s the Lesson” episode, Jon explores what Christ teaches about hypocrisy, spiritual pressure, false holiness, and the difference between appearance and fruit.

Jesus never confused how someone sounded with what their presence actually produced.

That question still matters:

Does this relationship produce peace… or pressure?
Freedom… or fear?
Clarity… or confusion?

If you are navigating spiritual manipulation, toxic family systems, false guilt, emotionally immature parents, or Christian boundaries, this episode is for you.

This is part of our Holy Week series, helping connect the life of Christ to the realities people face in marriage, family systems, faith, and healing.

If today’s lesson stirred something in you, and you’ve been trying to make sense of the difference between true discipleship and spiritual pressure, that is exactly why Ashley and I wrote Leave Then Cleave.

This book was written for people navigating painful family systems, false guilt, unhealthy loyalty, and the confusion that comes when relationships sound spiritual on the surface but quietly produce fear, pressure, and silence.

It helps put language to what so many people have felt but struggled to explain:
the difference between peace and passivity,
love and control,
forgiveness and avoidance,
faithfulness and self-abandonment.

If that tension feels familiar, start with the free first chapter at leavethencleave.com/free-chapter.

And if it resonates, the full book, audiobook, and additional resources are available there as well.

📖 Start with the free first chapter of Leave Then Cleave:
https://leavethencleave.com/free-chapter

🎧 Explore the full book, audiobook, and resources:
https://leavethencleave.com/store

On Holy Monday, Jesus does something many Christians do not know what to do with:

He cleanses the temple.

He overturns tables.
He drives things out.
He disrupts what everyone else had learned to tolerate.

And He does not do it because He lacks love.

He does it because something sacred is being violated.

In this episode, we explore what Jesus cleansing the temple reveals about faith, truth, boundaries, false peace, and the difference between being loving and being passively tolerant. If you have ever struggled to reconcile your Christian faith with the need to protect your marriage, your peace, your home, your children, or your relationship with God, this conversation is for you.

We talk about spiritual pressure, unhealthy family systems, religious guilt, and why Christlikeness does not mean allowing what is holy to be exploited while everyone calls it normal.

This episode is for those wrestling with questions like:

• What does Jesus cleansing the temple teach us about boundaries?
• Does being Christlike mean staying soft no matter what?
• Can Christians set boundaries and still be faithful?
• What is the difference between real peace and false peace?
• How do I protect what is sacred without becoming hard?

If you are navigating toxic family dynamics, spiritual manipulation, religious control, emotionally immature parents, difficult in-law relationships, marriage boundaries, or the tension between truth and family loyalty, we hope this episode gives language to what you have been feeling.

If this episode resonates, start with the free first chapter of Leave Then Cleave.

Comment or message CHAPTER on any of our social channels, or get the book and resources here:
Free Chapter: leavethencleave.com/free-chapter
Book, Audiobook, and Resources: leavethencleave.com/store

On Palm Sunday, the crowds welcomed Jesus with praise, palm branches, and celebration. But beneath that moment was a painful tension: many people were not surrendering to who Christ truly was. They were embracing who they hoped He would be.

In this mini episode of Here’s the Lesson, Jon explores what Palm Sunday reveals about discipleship, people-pleasing, family pressure, Christian boundaries, and the cost of following Jesus when truth disrupts the systems around you.

This episode is for the person who is trying to be faithful to Christ but feels torn between obedience and approval… between truth and keeping the peace… between honoring others and betraying what God is doing in their own heart.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions like:

• Why does following Jesus sometimes create tension in relationships?
• What does Palm Sunday teach us about people-pleasing?
• Can a Christian set boundaries and still be faithful?
• What happens when Jesus doesn’t fit the expectations of the people around us?
• How do I follow Christ when family pressure, guilt, or religious image management are pulling at me?

This conversation is for you.

In this episode, Jon talks about:

• the deeper meaning of Palm Sunday
• why crowds are dangerous places to build your identity
• how people-pleasing can disguise itself as faithfulness
• the difference between following the real Christ and following a version of Jesus that protects our comfort
• why discipleship often requires disappointing people
• how Christian faith, truth-telling, and emotional maturity are deeply connected

If you are navigating emotionally immature family dynamics, religious guilt, boundary-setting, estrangement, or the painful tension between loyalty and truth, this episode will help put language to what you may be carrying.

Leave Then Cleave is a podcast about Christian boundaries, family dysfunction, estrangement, emotional maturity, marriage, healing, and learning how to follow Jesus with honesty and courage.

If this episode resonated with you, here are a few ways to keep going:

Get the book: Leave Then Cleave was written for the person who loves God, loves family, and still finds themselves carrying confusion, grief, pressure, or pain in their closest relationships. It explores what it means to follow Christ with honesty when loyalty has become unhealthy, peace has become appeasement, and truth feels costly. This book offers language, clarity, and a faithful path forward for those navigating boundaries, family dysfunction, emotional immaturity, estrangement, and the deep work of choosing truth without losing their soul.
Download the free first chapter by commenting or messaging CHAPTER on our social content
Book a Clarity Conversation with Jon
Explore more episodes, articles, and resources at leavethencleave.com

If this podcast is helping you, please follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who may need it.

What does it actually mean to be a “peacemaker” as a Christian?

For many of us, “keeping the peace” meant staying quiet…
avoiding conflict…
and carrying things that were never ours to carry.

But that’s not the peace Jesus talked about.

In this episode, we break down the difference between true peacemaking and unhealthy appeasement, and why so many people—especially in family systems—confuse silence with peace.

If you’ve ever struggled with:

• Setting boundaries with family
• Feeling guilty for speaking the truth
• Being labeled “difficult” for not staying quiet
• Trying to follow Christ without losing yourself

This episode will help you reframe what peace actually looks like.

Because real peace is not the absence of tension…
it’s the presence of Christ in how you live, speak, and set boundaries.

🔑 In this episode, we cover:

• Why “keeping the peace” often leads to self-abandonment
• The biblical meaning of peacemaking (and what it’s NOT)
• How to set Christ-centered boundaries without guilt
• Why you can’t control others’ repentance or emotional maturity
• What it means to say: “This stops with me.”

📖 Want to go deeper?

We wrote Leave Then Cleave for people navigating exactly this— family tension, boundaries, faith, and emotional clarity.

👉 Get the first chapter FREE: https://www.leavethencleave.com/free-chapter

🎙️ Listen, watch, and connect:

🌐 Website: https://www.leavethencleave.com📩 Join the Weekly Note📖 Get the book: https://www.leavethencleave.com/store🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leave_then_cleave

📱 Follow for more:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leave_then_cleaveFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Livingintruthproject

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s been told “keeping the peace” means staying silent.

Because it doesn’t.

Have you ever been told, “Don’t talk about that… it’s gossip”—when you were just trying to make sense of something painful?

In many families and faith communities, truth-telling gets mislabeled as gossip. And when that happens, harmful patterns stay protected, voices get silenced, and the people who need support the most are left carrying it alone.

In this episode, we break down the difference between gossip and truth, why this confusion happens, and how to discern when speaking up is actually an act of integrity—not betrayal.

If you’ve ever questioned yourself for naming something that felt off… this episode is for you.

You’ll learn:

• The real difference between gossip and truth
• Why “keeping the peace” can actually protect dysfunction
• How silence reinforces unhealthy systems
• A better question to ask when you’re told to stay quiet

This is about clarity, courage, and learning how to walk in truth—wisely.

📖 Get the Free Chapter of Leave Then Cleave
Start here if this episode resonated:
👉 https://www.leavethencleave.com/free-chapter

📘 Get the Full Book (Ebook, Audiobook, + Workbook Bundles)👉 https://www.leavethencleave.com/store

🎙️ Explore More Episodes + Resources👉 https://www.leavethencleave.com

🎵 Eterna Tribute (Custom Songs for Loved Ones)👉 https://www.eternatribute.com/collections/memorial-collection/products/custom-tribute-song

Why do conversations with your parents feel impossible?

Why does it feel like you’re asking for something simple—honesty, accountability, understanding…
and getting defensiveness, silence, or “we did the best we could” in return?

In this episode, we break down what’s actually happening beneath the surface.

This isn’t just a communication issue.
It’s not just personality differences.

👉 It’s generational.

We walk through:

• Why older generations struggle with emotional accountability
• How therapy culture changed the way millennials see relationships
• Why “we did the best we could” feels so painful to hear
• The real reason family systems resist truth and change
• And why awareness can feel both clarifying… and incredibly isolating

If you’ve ever felt:

• misunderstood by your parents
• frustrated trying to explain your pain
• or questioned your own reality in family relationships

This episode will give you language—and clarity—for what you’re experiencing.

Because you’re not imagining it.

You’re seeing something that previous generations were never taught to see.

And while that awareness can feel heavy…
it’s also where generational healing begins.

📖 Want to go deeper?
Our book Leave Then Cleave walks through how to navigate boundaries, truth-telling, and healing in family systems—without losing yourself in the process.
You can find it here: leavethencleave.com/store

🎵 A meaningful way to honor someone you love:
If you’re navigating grief—or want to preserve the story of someone important in your life—check out the Custom Tribute Song at EternaTribute.

They take memories, stories, and moments… and turn them into a professionally written and recorded song your family can keep forever.

👉 Learn more: www.eternatribute.com/products/custom-tribute-song

🎙️ Cleave is about learning to leave what’s unhealthy—and cleave to what’s true.