Send Me Questions on Attachment

A secret doesn’t stay small for long. When one partner is hiding pornography use or sexual addiction, the damage shows up everywhere: emotional distance, confusion, defensiveness, and that aching sense that you’re married to someone you can’t fully reach. We wanted to name that reality clearly and still hold out real hope, so we invited Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith to share their story of betrayal, disclosure, and the long road back to connection.

Matthew and Joanna talk candidly about what kept them stuck for years, what finally brought the truth into the open, and why the betrayed partner often feels a storm of anger, fear, grief, relief, and even hope at the same time. We dig into betrayal trauma, why “just trust me” doesn’t work, and how recovery has to include more than willpower. They explain the concrete supports that helped them rebuild, including weekly therapy, 12-step community, and the kind of honesty that doesn’t depend on getting a good reaction.

We also unpack their practical framework for rebuilding intimacy, what they call the intimacy pyramid: honesty first, then safety, then trust, then vulnerability, then intimacy. You’ll hear why reliability and predictability matter so much, how everyday conflict becomes a chance to practice rupture and repair, and why the goal can’t be forcing your partner to trust you again, it has to be becoming genuinely trustworthy. We close with small daily habits that compound into real change, plus resources from the Rab Smith Team, including their book Building True Intimacy and a free couple check-in.

If this helped, subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more couples can find tools for healing and secure attachment.

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God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

If your spiritual life depends on how moved you feel on Sunday, you might be building your faith on weather instead of rock. We sit down with Dr. Tim Yonts to name a problem many Christians sense but struggle to describe: emotionalism in Christianity, where feelings become the test of truth, the proof God is present, or the reason we stay or leave. 

We get specific about church culture and the modern “worship experience.” Music is meant to stir the heart, and Scripture is full of emotional honesty, joy, and celebration. But when worship sets lean on endless repetition, predictable emotional peaks, or shallow lyrics, it can train people to chase an emotional high instead of growing in doctrine and theology. We talk about why that matters, how theology-rich worship strengthens both mind and heart, and why the healthiest churches make room for expressive and reflective believers alike. 

From there, we dig into the real dangers of emotional reasoning: “I feel peace, so it must be right,” or “I feel bad, so God must be disappointed.” We discuss confirmation bias in spiritual spaces, the temptation to make instant declarations after prayer, and why discernment requires slowing down, examining our thoughts, and testing conclusions. The aim is not to become less emotional, but to become more mature, so our emotions serve our faith instead of steering it. 

If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. Where have you seen emotions help your walk with Christ, and where have you seen them derail it?

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FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

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God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

If you’ve ever thought, “I know the right things about God, so why don’t I feel close to Him?” you’re not alone. That tension sits right at the crossroads of God attachment, church hurt, and spiritual maturity, and it’s exactly where this conversation goes. I’m joined by Dr. Tim Yonts, a theologian and ethics professor with a background that includes growing up in an extremely strict church culture and then pursuing formal training in biblical studies, divinity, and theology.

We break down what theology actually is (the study of God) and why it’s not reserved for academics. We talk about systematic theology versus biblical theology, how doctrine functions as the church’s core teaching, and what words like orthodox and heresy really mean in everyday Christian life. Along the way, we get practical: where do you start if theology feels overwhelming, what resources can help, and why asking pastors and elders for guidance can protect you from convincing but harmful teaching online.

We also make space for the personal side. Church hurt can shape how we “hear” Scripture, even changing the way we read Jesus’ tone and character. We explore how emotions belong in a faithful life with God without becoming the test of truth, and why a balanced approach helps believers grow from spiritual infancy into steady, grounded maturity. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s rebuilding their faith, and leave a review with the theology question you want us to tackle next.

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

Addiction doesn’t usually start with rebellion. It starts with relief. Then relief turns into compulsion, and compulsion starts stealing your joy, your relationships, and even your sense of who you are. I sit down with my friend and colleague, Louis Alvey, an addictions clinician and soon-to-be Dr. Alvey, to put clear words to what so many people live in silence: doing the thing you don’t want to do, again and again, despite the fallout.

We break down a practical definition of addiction, then widen the lens beyond substances to process addictions like pornography, gambling, and endless scrolling, plus the emerging reality of AI “relationships” that can mimic connection. We talk dopamine and the pleasure-pain swing that keeps the brain chasing another hit of comfort, and we wrestle with a Christian framework that sees addiction as misplaced worship without turning every enjoyment into a moral panic.

The heart of the conversation is attachment and shame. If the core belief is “something’s wrong with me,” hiding makes perfect sense, from friends, from family, and even from God. We explore why “just try harder” is often what Christians get wrong, and what actually helps: safe community, truth told with love, and radical honesty that pulls people out of isolation and back into real relationship. We end with a challenge for the church to act like a hospital again, welcoming people who are already sitting in the pews and quietly struggling.

If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What question do you want us to answer next in a Q&A?

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

The “psychology vs theology” fight sounds serious until you realize it often hurts the very people we’re trying to serve. I’m joined by Dr. Jichan Kim, associate professor of psychology at Liberty University and a researcher in forgiveness psychology, to map out a better way: a thoughtful integration of Christian theology, philosophy, and psychological science that doesn’t flatten human suffering or sideline Scripture. 

We unpack why many Christians feel suspicious of counseling, where that suspicion comes from, and what gets lost when churches replace soul care with pop psychology or, on the other side, reduce every struggle to “just pray more.” Dr. Kim makes a sharp distinction between science and scientism and explains why data never interprets itself. We also talk about how theology shapes our view of the person through creation, fall, and redemption, and why sin affects every aspect of life without making therapy pointless or faith optional. 

Then we go deeper into philosophy, naturalism, and supernaturalism, including why some people try to explain miracles away and why Christians don’t need to fear honest inquiry. We end with a sober conversation about suffering and theodicy, plus practical wisdom for pastors, counselors, and friends who want to avoid cheap answers and offer real empathy. 

If you care about Christian mental health, biblical counseling, therapy, attachment theory, and building a more faithful approach to healing, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s wrestling with these questions, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re sitting with.

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

Rejection doesn’t just hurt. For someone with anxious attachment, it can hijack your story about who you are. We got a listener question from Jameson in North Carolina: he asked a girl out, she turned him down, and now he keeps seeing her at church groups. The hardest part isn’t the no, it’s the constant reminder and the lingering feelings that won’t switch off.

We talk through what anxious attachment does after rejection: the obsession with “why,” the fear of abandonment, and the reflex to assume you caused it because you’re not good enough. Then we get practical about next steps that actually help you heal. Sometimes the mature choice is to treat her like a friend and let time soften the feelings. Other times you need real boundaries and a season of space because proximity keeps reopening the wound. We also explore why repeated rejection can push people into passivity and how continuing to ask people out can be part of growth, not desperation.

Because this is a faith-based podcast, we go deeper into God attachment too. When dating discouragement hits, it’s easy to think God is disappointed in you or withholding something. Instead, we practice honest prayer, grounded self-worth in Christ, and leaning into encouraging community so your confidence isn’t decided by one person’s answer. If this connects with you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s stuck in the spiral, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re working on.

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

Some stories force a question most of us try to avoid: what do you do with God after life takes something you can’t replace? Ashley Glader joins me to share a journey marked by layered loss, starting with her brother’s death in the Columbine shooting when she was 11, and continuing years later with the medical crisis of her newborn son, months in the NICU and PICU, and his death shortly after coming home.

We talk honestly about Christian grief, trauma triggers, and the kind of doubt that doesn’t mean you’re walking away from Jesus, it means you’re trying to trust Him with your whole heart. Ashley explains why believers sometimes rush past pain with quick answers, why “everything happens for a reason” can wound, and what actually helps: steady presence, specific care, and friendship that can hold raw questions without trying to defend God.

You’ll also hear practical guidance for supporting a grieving friend, how marriage can strain when partners grieve differently, and what it looks like to parent children through loss as they revisit questions at each developmental stage. Ashley shares the Scriptures that anchored her, including Joshua 1:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, and why God’s greatest promise is not prosperity but His presence.

If you’ve been through infant loss, cancer, sudden death, or faith-shaking suffering, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more Christ-centered healing conversations, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review. What part of grief do you wish the church understood better?

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Jesus right now, but the hard question is the one most of us avoid: are we following the real Jesus or a version we’ve edited to fit our preferences? Sam sits down with Ryan Shieh, author of Counterfeit Christianity and a teacher of evangelism at Liberty University’s School of Divinity, to unpack how cultural Christianity creates people who recognize God but resist surrender.

Ryan shares his own story of growing up around church, mistaking “not doing the big sins” for discipleship, and eventually realizing that head knowledge without changed desires can’t hold up. From there we dig into the Western performance mindset that says you behave to belong, and why the gospel flips it: you belong by grace through faith, then your identity in Christ reshapes your life. We talk about the authority problem behind selective obedience, the danger of “fence riding,” and why “a Jesus you negotiate with is not a Jesus you surrender to.”

We also go deeper into the tension many people feel between the fear of God and the love of God. Ryan explains fear as reverence and awe, not hiding from a punisher, and why God’s justice and God’s love must coexist. Along the way we hit practical discipleship themes like holiness, repentance, gratitude, and the subtle apathy that grows when the gospel becomes familiar. Ryan closes with Jesus’ Matthew 13 picture of wheat and tares, a warning that convincing counterfeits can still lead to spiritual death.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your faith is more culture than Christ, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

Ryan's New Book: Counterfeit Christianity 

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

Prayer can sound like a constant stream of words, worries, and requests but what happens when we actually expect a relationship on the other end of the conversation? I sit down again with therapist Maggie McCane to connect everyday communication skills to something many of us forget to practice: communicating with God in a way that builds trust, closeness, and spiritual maturity.

We get practical about why listening is so hard. Most of us don’t hear an audible voice, so we look for God’s guidance through Scripture, a quiet stirring, wise community, and the slow work of discernment. We also talk about the “noise” that blocks connection: busyness, impatience, and the subtle confirmation bias that searches for the answer we already wanted. If you’ve ever wondered how to hear God’s voice, this conversation reframes the goal as creating space for a real response, not forcing instant certainty.

Then we go deeper into honesty, shame, and repair. Maggie breaks down guilt versus shame, why shame makes us withdraw even though God already knows, and how repentance involves both accountability and changed behavior. We connect these ideas to attachment and relationships: rebuilding trust often means choosing consistent actions even when feelings haven’t caught up yet. We also explore boundaries, including learning to receive “no” or “not yet,” and how suffering can become a catalyst for post-traumatic growth rather than isolation.

If this helped you think differently about prayer and connection with God, subscribe for more, share the episode with a friend who’s wrestling with faith and communication, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of communicating with God feels hardest for you right now?

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling. 

Send Me Questions on Attachment

What if the secret to fewer fights isn’t better arguments, but better timing, safety, and words that actually fit what you feel? We sat down with licensed clinical social worker Maggie McCane to break down communication that heals—starting with self-awareness and moving all the way to how faith communities handle shame and support.

We begin with a simple shift that changes everything: regulate before you relate. If you’re hungry, flooded, or exhausted, ask for consent to talk later. From there, Maggie walks us through the feeling wheel to expand your vocabulary beyond mad-sad-bad and into language that creates connection—hurt, overlooked, embarrassed, overwhelmed. We model how to use I-statements without sounding scripted, and how to open hard topics by first asking, Is now a good time for a heavier conversation? Consent makes space for listening rather than defense.

We also look at patterns that wreck trust: stonewalling, sarcasm disguised as play, phones on the table, and scorekeeping that treats your partner like an opponent. Instead, we build safety with simple ground rules, micro-moments of repair, and a team-first mindset. Maggie shares why many men were taught to express only anger and how shutdowns or addictive escapes take root—and how small, daily awareness interrupts that cycle. Then we zoom out to faith: why Christians can love Jesus and go to therapy, how shame silences growth, and the quiet loneliness pastors face without confidential support.

By the end, you’ll have a toolkit you can use tonight: regulate first, ask for consent, speak in I-statements, and practice active listening with clarifying questions and paraphrase. No perfection required—just a plan and a little courage. If this helped, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the one skill you’ll try this week. Your words can build a safer home. Let’s practice together.

Support the show

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
@godattachmenthealing

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK:
God Attachment Healing

MY HOPE FOR YOU
I hope these episodes bring you closer to Christ and encourage you in your walk with Him. 

ABOUT ME 👇
I have been a Christ-follower for the last 20+ years of my life, and have seen the Lord's grace, strength, and faithfulness through it all. He led me to pursue a degree in higher education and has given me a gift for the field of counseling.