Embracing Brokenness

Richard Blackaby joins Steve Adams for a powerful conversation about spiritual maturity, daily rhythms with God, and what it really means to experience God in everyday life—not just in the extraordinary moments.

Drawing from the legacy of the bestselling study Experiencing God and the new release Experiencing God in Everyday Life, Richard shares deeply personal stories about his father, Henry Blackaby, spiritual formation, abiding in Christ, and how ordinary believers can learn to recognize God’s presence in the middle of everyday life.

Together, Steve and Richard discuss:

Why many Christians feel disconnected from God in daily life

The danger of reducing faith to activity instead of relationship

The role of spiritual rhythms and habits in transformation

The importance of spiritual companionship

How suffering and disruption shape maturity

The next generation’s hunger for authentic faith

Why most of life is lived in the “valleys,” not the mountaintops

This conversation is filled with wisdom, encouragement, and practical insight for anyone longing to walk more closely with Jesus in the ordinary rhythms of life.

🎥 Video opening courtesy of Lifeway.

📘 Get Experiencing God in Everyday Life by Richard Blackaby and sons:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/experiencing-god-in-everyday-life-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005853831

Buy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/066sB40o

🌐 Learn more about Richard Blackaby and Blackaby Ministries International:

https://blackaby.org/

🌿 Learn more about Embracing Brokenness Ministries:

https://embracingbrokenness.org/

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — Opening Video (Courtesy of Lifeway)

01:24 — Welcome & Why This Conversation Matters

04:06 — Richard Blackaby on Family, Ministry & Legacy

10:54 — Grandchildren, Prayer Journals & Spiritual Heritage

14:12 — Writing Prayers & Hearing God More Deeply

15:28 — Leadership Trivia Begins

17:38 — Why Experiencing God in Everyday Life Matters Now

20:20 — Religion vs. Relationship with God

24:18 — “The Bible Is the Only Book Where You Can Know the Author”

25:18 — The Seven Realities of Experiencing God

26:15 — George Barna’s 10-Stop Spiritual Formation Journey

29:10 — Activity vs. Intimacy with God

31:30 — Humility, Abiding & the Presence of God

35:29 — Spiritual Legacy Across Generations

40:46 — Why Richard Wrote This Book with His Sons

45:19 — The Spiritual Hunger of Younger Generations

47:23 — God in the Ordinary Moments of Life

50:00 — Spiritual Maturity & Daily Rhythms

53:12 — Habit Stacking & Walking with God Daily

56:58 — Spiritual Companionship & Community

01:00:49 — Ministry, Prison Work & Walking Together

01:01:30 — Richard’s Message to the Younger Generation

01:03:05 — Leadership Trivia Answer Revealed

01:05:28 — Why This Book Is an Invitation Into a Way of Life

01:07:11 — Final Encouragement from Richard Blackaby

What does it really cost to follow Jesus? And what does it cost us when we don’t?

In this powerful conversation, Steve Adams welcomes Morgan Snyder to the Embracing Brokenness Podcast for a deep and honest discussion about discipleship, formation, healing, risk, and the slow work of becoming whole in Christ.

Morgan reflects on his 26 years in formal relationship with Wild at Heart, his transition with his wife Cherie into the Become Good Soil movement, and the deeper work of apprenticeship to Jesus in the second half of life. He shares why he and Cherie are now focused on “going deeper with fewer,” investing in the thirsty few who long for more of God and the abundant life.

Together, Steve and Morgan explore the danger of consumer Christianity, the difference between information and formation, the invitation to become wholehearted men and women, and why brokenness is not the end of the story but often the beginning of deeper restoration.

This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, spiritually dry, overextended, or aware that simply “believing the right things” has not produced the healing, maturity, intimacy, and purpose they long for. Morgan reminds us that God is not far away. He meets us at the end of our rope, in our need, in our pain, and in the ordinary moments where we create space to notice His voice.

Learn more about Morgan and Cherie Snyder’s work at Become Good Soil:

https://becomegoodsoil.com

Learn more about Embracing Brokenness Ministries:

https://embracingbrokenness.org

Chapters

00:00 — God Meets Us at the End of Our Rope

01:00 — Welcome to the Embracing Brokenness Podcast

01:32 — Introducing Morgan Snyder

02:14 — Morgan’s History with John Eldredge and Wild at Heart

03:34 — Becoming Good Soil and Going Deeper with Fewer

04:55 — Husband and Wife Ministry in the Second Half of Life

05:45 — Don’t Waste Your Pain

07:01 — Preferring a Circle Over a Platform

08:00 — The Hidden Years and Carrying Water

09:11 — Steve’s First Wild at Heart Retreat

11:08 — Trusting the Slow Work of God

12:33 — The Interior Work of Becoming Whole

14:23 — We Are All Being Discipled by Something

16:21 — Leaving Platform, Salary, and Momentum

17:45 — Brokenness, Anesthesia, and the Fire in the House

21:22 — The Cost of Not Following Jesus

22:36 — Sabbath as Resistance

23:48 — God as the Father Who Initiates Our Children

24:56 — Why Embrace Brokenness?

27:16 — Living Where God Has to Show Up

29:16 — Becoming the Kind of Person God Can Entrust

30:25 — Risk at the Core of Discipleship

31:05 — Prison Ministry and Holy Ground

34:11 — What Is Burdening Morgan’s Heart?

35:48 — Dallas Willard and the Discipleship Crisis

37:40 — Power, Service, and the Vulnerable

39:52 — The Incomplete Gospel

41:57 — Consumer Christianity and Hyper-Individualism

43:53 — Information Is Not Enough

45:22 — What If God Feels Distant?

46:31 — How Do I Find God?

47:31 — Creating Space to Notice God

48:37 — The Gift of Margin

49:35 — Micro-Shifts That Change a Life

50:31 — Start with What Is Necessary

51:08 — Becoming a King and Practical Resources

52:02 — Become Good Soil and the Thirsty Few

53:28 — Participating in the Restoration of All Things

54:05 — Closing Thoughts

What happens when artificial intelligence reads a manuscript about intimacy with God… and then creates a podcast explaining it?

That’s exactly what happened when one of our endorsers uploaded our upcoming book Embracing the Way into NotebookLM. Within moments, it generated a 20-minute conversation—two voices unpacking the heart of our message with surprising clarity, accuracy, and even emotional tone.

So we decided to do something different.

In this episode, we:

Play the AI-generated podcast in full

Reflect on what it got right

Explore what felt… incomplete

And wrestle with a critical question for our time:

Can something that sounds human… begin to replace relationship?

This isn’t a rejection of AI.

It’s a call to discernment.

Because while AI can:

organize truth

explain ideas

accelerate productivity

…it cannot:

experience God

heal your wounds

or lead you into intimacy with Christ

We close with practical, biblical guardrails for engaging AI wisely—without losing what matters most.

Link to 5 Biblical Guardrails for Working with AI

https://embracingbrokenness.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/5-Biblical-Guardrails-for-Working-with-AI.jpeg

00:00 – AI Needs a Warning Label (Part 2)

02:30 – The unexpected AI-generated podcast

06:15 – What surprised us most

09:30 – Playing the AI podcast (full segment)

29:00 – Our reaction: what it got right

31:30 – Where it missed: relationship vs replication

34:30 – Identity is received, not achieved

36:00 – 5 Biblical guardrails for AI (RAILS)

39:00 – The Great I Am is greater than AI

What if the greatest danger of artificial intelligence isn’t what it can do—but what it can replace?

In this episode of the Embracing Brokenness Podcast, Steve and Colleen Adams explore a growing concern: AI is no longer just a productivity tool—it’s becoming a relational substitute. From AI companions to emotionally intelligent chatbots, we are entering a moment where technology can mimic what only God was meant to fulfill.

This conversation goes deeper than headlines. It gets to the heart.

Why AI feels like it “understands” you

How it subtly meets core human longings

The danger of synthetic belonging, love, and purpose

Real stories of how far this has already gone

Practical red flags to evaluate your own usage

How to use AI without letting it use you

This isn’t fear-based. It’s a warning—and an invitation.

👉 The truth:

“I AM is greater than AI.” (Use this URL and create a bookmark next to your AI tab in your browser): https://bedecked-litter-95f.notion.site/I-Am-AI-29c29def361b80dc867df86090d3bfe0

Use this prompt in your favorite AI chat. You may be surprised at the answer it gives you.

If Screwtape (from C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters) were to write a letter to Wormwood on how to thwart my faith and effectiveness personally, what would that letter say based on what you know about me?

Chapters:

00:00 – A chilling real-world example of AI companionship

01:30 – Why this episode matters right now

03:00 – “AI may replace your need for God”

05:00 – The emotional evolution of AI

07:00 – Productivity vs. transformation

09:00 – AI and the loss of human connection

12:00 – The Screwtape exercise (eye-opening)

16:00 – Spiritual warfare and identity

18:30 – Core longings: Belonging

20:30 – Purpose vs. productivity

21:30 – Love and affirmation

23:00 – Understanding and being “seen”

24:30 – Safety and relational risk

26:30 – Significance and generational impact

29:00 – The substitution problem

31:00 – The “synthetic steak” analogy

33:00 – AI companionship and the future

36:00 – Red flags to watch for

39:00 – What if you’re not using AI yet?

41:00 – Practical guardrails

42:30 – Final truth: I AM > AI

Easter reminds us that death is not the end—but it does invite a deeper question: how are we living in the time we’ve been given?

In this episode of the Embracing Brokenness Podcast, Steve and Colleen explore “The Dash”—the small line between your birth date and death date that represents your entire life.

Through the story of Alfred Nobel, personal experiences with loss, and a powerful reflection sparked by the song Live Like That, they unpack what it really means to live intentionally.

You’ll discover:

Why most people drift instead of live with purpose

The difference between happiness and lasting joy

How distraction and self-focus quietly shape your life

What people actually remember about you in the end

How to choose love at the “fork in the road” moments

This isn’t about achieving more—it’s about becoming someone who reflects Christ in everyday life.

Because the dash may look small… but it holds everything.

00:00 – Welcome + Easter Monday Reflection

02:00 – The Question: What Would People Say About Your Life?

07:30 – The Dash Explained (Birth → Death → Everything Between)

10:15 – The Alfred Nobel Story (A Wake-Up Call)

13:30 – Why Most People Drift Through Life

15:00 – Meaning Doesn’t Just Happen—It’s Cultivated

18:30 – Colleen’s Turning Point (Loss, Funerals, Clarity)

22:30 – “Live Like That” – The Measuring Line for Life

26:00 – The Fork in the Road: Choosing Love or Self

29:00 – Living Surrendered vs Living in Control

32:00 – Start With Why (and Where It Falls Short)

34:30 – Happiness vs Joy

36:30 – What Living for the Dash Actually Feels Like

40:00 – It’s Not About What You Achieve

42:00 – Final Question: What Is Being Written in Your Dash?

43:30 – Closing Challenge + What’s Next

In Part 2 of our Reclamation series, Steve and Colleen Adams explore what it looks like to reclaim the parts of our story that were shaped by failure, shame, and consequences.

In this deeply personal episode, Steve shares the part of his story he rarely tells publicly — the collapse of a successful real estate business in the 1980s, federal fraud charges, and the prison sentence that followed.

For years, the weight of that chapter lingered quietly in the background of his life.

Then, decades later, God prompted him to do something unexpected.

Go back.

Together, Steve and Colleen returned to the federal prison camp where he served his sentence — not as an inmate this time, but as a man who had experienced redemption.

What happened there became a powerful moment of reclamation — a reconciling of past, present, and purpose.

This conversation explores:

How God redeems even the most painful chapters of our story

The difference between shame and redemption

Why consequences can become part of God’s restoration process

How wounds and failures can shape our calling

What it means to reclaim the life God originally intended

Reclamation isn’t about rewriting the past.

It’s about seeing how God was present in it all along.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Background

02:16 The Journey of Reclamation and Writing the Book

04:12 Early Life, Success, and the Fall into Crime

07:21 Facing Charges and the Impact on Life

10:24 The Courtroom and Sentencing Experience

12:33 Returning to Prison and Reconciliation

15:54 Reflections on God's Mercy and Grace

18:39 Visiting Prison and Internal Reconciliation

22:37 The Internal Journey of Reclamation

26:17 Turning Point and Surrender to God

28:21 The Role of God's Word in Healing

29:37 God's Continuous Reclamation in Our Lives

What does it mean to reclaim the parts of yourself that trauma, shame, and pain taught you to hide?

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Reclamation, Steve and Colleen explore how Jesus restores what was lost through wounds, false beliefs, and spiritual fragmentation. Colleen shares deeply from her own story of abuse, abandonment, healing, and the reclaiming of the true self through Christ.

This is a conversation about more than pain from the past. It’s about the renewing work of God in the present—and the hope of restoration for the future.

Chapters:

00:00 Trauma, the true self, and the cost to our relationship with God
00:44 Welcome + introducing the Reclamation series (Embracing the Way)
01:59 War, current events, and the unseen reality of spiritual warfare
03:18 Defining reclamation: reclaiming what was lost in God, self, others, purpose
04:29 Reclaiming the Imago Dei + Joel 2:25 (“years the locusts have eaten”)
08:28 “Altar moments” + how healing unfolds over time
10:13 Fragmentation and “orphan parts” (IFS) through a Christ-centered lens
13:02 Colleen’s story: abuse, walls, and rejecting the vulnerable self
18:32 The “bitter root” memory + Jesus brings integration and healing
26:02 Why we don’t ignore the past: healing wounds without living stuck there

Jesus promises a white stone, hidden manna, and a new name known only to the one who receives it.

In this episode, Steve & Colleen Adams explore identity, healing, and what it means to “conquer” when competing voices are loud. Colleen shares her story of hearing God call her “Delightful” through trauma and reintegration; Steve shares how God restored his identity as a Warrior in a season of loss.

A deeply practical invitation to ask God what He calls you—and to live from it.

Chapters

00:00 – Why identity matters in marriage & community synergy

01:10 – Podcast intro + Episode context (Episode 27 throwback)

02:30 – Anchor Scripture: Revelation 2:17 (new name on a white stone)

03:10 – “The one who conquers” = resisting false identities

05:03 – Colleen’s checklist (and why the “new name” mattered)

07:45 – Colleen’s “Delightful” story begins

11:49 – Trauma, the false self, and burying the “little girl”

14:03 – Redeeming “Delightful” + how God uses our wounds in service

15:35 – Steve’s crisis season + Wild at Heart Boot Camp context

17:45 – The moment Steve asked God: “What is my name?”

19:05 – Ephesians 1 & Psalm 139: identity before performance

20:55 – Father wounds, distortion, and why brokenness comes first

22:12 – Dark night of the soul: surrender vs self-reliance

24:20 – Biblical name changes (Abraham, Jacob, Peter, Paul)

26:42 – Peter’s journey: living into a name over time

28:20 – Exposure, blind spots, and sanctification (especially in marriage)

29:29 – Chesterton + Spurgeon: we’ve forgotten who we are

31:30 – Living from your new name: purpose between “now” and eternity

33:30 – Identity creates synergy in marriage & the Body of Christ

34:44 – Performance, people-pleasing, and resisting the world’s box

37:09 – Identity as spiritual warfare + Gladiator illustration

40:05 – Pain can become the doorway to calling

41:35 – Practical invitation: surrender, ask God, silence other voices

43:12 – Blessing & closing

In this annual conversation, Steve Adams, Colleen Adams, and Michael Kurtz invite listeners to begin the year through consecration, not pressure or performance. Rather than goal-setting, the focus is surrender—offering the year back to God as an act of union with Christ.

They explore listening for a word or phrase for the year as an invitation into formation, why God’s work is often cumulative over time, and how an eternal perspective reshapes how we live and suffer today. Eternity is reframed not as escape, but as restoration—returning to God’s “very good” design.

This episode serves as a formation anchor for the year ahead, calling listeners to resist striving, stop self-saving, and trust the God who holds both now and forever.

Resources mentioned:

• The Royal in You — Jordan Raynor Video Intro

• Heaven — Randy Alcorn

• All Things New — John Eldredge

Scripture references:Matthew 6:34 • Genesis 1–3 • Matthew 24:36 • Genesis 1:26–28 • Matthew 25:14–30 • John 15

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open — “Don’t add pressure… I have a month.”
01:01 Welcome + episode setup
01:54 Introducing Colleen & Michael + annual rhythm
06:19 What consecrating the year is (and isn’t)
08:49 Colleen: consecration as union, not performance
10:59 Michael: fasting + surrendering plans without demands
14:28 Steve: offering the calendar back to God
15:35 Colleen: “walking in the greater story”
19:06 Words build over time (stepping stones)
20:27 Word ≠ slogan (and a quick Eagles detour)
21:30 Colleen: “presence” (inward → outward) + carrying Jesus into chaos
26:54 Michael: Jacob’s purification + returning to “God’s house”
36:14 Eternity: The Royal In You + reclaiming a hopeful view of heaven
40:44 Colleen: recovering the supernatural worldview + “very good” restoration
44:22 Matthew 24:36 + living ready without obsessing over dates
46:53 Michael: dominion, stewardship, and being formed to rule & reign
49:19 Colleen: “Stop being self-saviors” (union restores surrender)
52:18 Suffering well: faithfulness, love, forgiveness in the fire
53:02 Colleen: NIH story — blessing others in pain + “table with Jesus”
57:38 Michael: Psalms—bring the unfiltered to God
01:02:17 Wrap + final encouragements
01:03:10 Colleen: don’t be discouraged; give the Spirit permission beyond awareness
01:06:49 Michael: don’t rush; a month-long posture of receiving
01:08:28 Steve: final send-off

Spiritual formation doesn’t happen in isolation—but it also doesn’t happen in unsafe spaces.

In this episode, Steve and Colleen explore what makes a community truly safe and why safety is foundational to healing, trust, and transformation. This honest conversation parallels themes from their upcoming book Embracing the Way, inviting listeners into a slower, relational vision of walking with Jesus and one another.

If you’ve longed for community but felt guarded, this episode offers language, clarity, and hope.