In this episode of Joy Hour, Tom sits down with Micah May, a national award-winning speaker and clarity strategist who helps leaders anchor their message in identity so their words and results finally match. They talk in real time about what happens when God starts refining not just what you do, but who you are, and how that shift forces your message to get clearer, sharper, and more honest.

Tom opens up about the identity shift from a 30-year construction career into a calling, and why “success” can still feel empty when it is built on ego, comfort, or someone else’s definition. Micah breaks down why clarity is not found in more ideas, better marketing, or louder branding, but in alignment: identity first, then strategy. Together they explore how coaching, accountability, and the courage to face blind spots can move a man from surviving to thriving, especially in recovery and leadership.

If you were forced to define success today, what would it look like in your faith, your home, and your daily choices?

Financial pressure can expose cracks in our discipline, our identity, and even our marriage. In this episode, Tom sits down with Tony Sablan, financial advisor, coach, and founder of Ultimate Wealth Strategies, to talk about what happens when money stops being a tool and starts becoming a mirror. Tony brings a unique angle from two worlds: decades in MMA coaching and years of helping families build plans that survive real life, including downturns, transitions, and hard seasons.

They unpack “offense and defense” in finances, why most people never build a true plan, and how small habits (the coffee, the Amazon boxes, the “only $20” purchases) quietly shape outcomes over time. Tom gets personal about seasons when money amplified insecurity and pride, and why peace, consistency, and presence at home matter more than appearances. Together they challenge listeners to move beyond shame, stop reacting, and start building structure that protects your family without strangling your growth.

If you feel buried in debt, fear, or regret, what is one honest first step you can take today to move from setback to strategy?

Recorded on-site at The UPCI's 80th anniversary General Conference, this episode features Pastor G.L. Keene of Riverbend Pentecostal in New Madrid, Missouri, and the story behind Riverbend Recovery, a ministry that started with four guys, a coffee pot, and no curriculum, then grew into two weekly locations impacting dozens each week. Pastor Keene explains why he believes “everybody needs recovery,” not only those battling substances, but anyone carrying wounds, hidden habits, shame, pride, or pain that the church culture sometimes glosses over.

Tom and Pastor Keene talk candidly about why recovery works: taking the mask off, finding a safe circle, and learning to love yourself in a healthy way so you can truly love your neighbor. They dig into fear, confession, healing, and how God can use imperfect people, including Peter, who was powerfully used by God while still needing correction and growth.

This is a revival-minded conversation about grace, honesty, and the freedom of walking with Jesus without pretending. If you are tired of hiding and ready to heal, who is one safe person you can talk to this week?

Marine veteran Aaron “Sergeant Q” Quinonez shares how combat trauma, PTSD, depression, and suicidal darkness nearly took him out, and how God met him at rock bottom with a new path forward. He unpacks the moment that changed everything: serving others, not as a one-time trip, but as a lifestyle that rebuilt his mind, restored his faith, and gave purpose to his pain.

Together, Tom and Aaron connect Scripture, brain science, and daily discipline, breaking down what Aaron calls a “daily dose” of mental health: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, and why service, community, and consistency matter when the enemy’s strategy is isolation. Aaron also shares the “slag” metaphor from metallurgy: trials heat you up, impurities surface, and God refines you into something useful when you stay in the process instead of running from it.

This conversation is a direct call to action for anyone stuck in shame, addiction, anxiety, or burnout: stop healing in isolation, build your squad, and start small daily practices that rewire your mind and strengthen your walk with God. If your pain is trying to define you, what would it look like to let God turn it into a mission?

Kameron Burgess grew up as a missionary kid overseas, lived in constant transition, and eventually stepped into ministry full-time in Spain, carrying major responsibility while trying to build a marriage in an intense environment. Then COVID hit, isolation set in, and behind the scenes his marriage began unraveling through distance, distraction, and hidden choices that led to betrayal, miscarriage, and a heartbreaking separation he couldn’t stop from a world away.

Back in the States with two suitcases, no job, and a shattered sense of identity, Kameron describes a season where life kept piling on: grief, loss, and uncertainty about whether his calling was over. In the middle of that, God used a local church, steady leadership, and a place to serve to rebuild his purpose from the ground up, teaching him that biblical success is not platform or scale, but faithfulness and the value of one soul.

As healing took root, Kameron’s story took an unexpected turn: a new relationship, clear confirmation, restored hope, and a home he’d prayed for all his life, proving God can shape brokenness into something better than you imagined. If your world has fallen apart and you’re questioning your identity, what would it look like to rebuild your life through God-first priorities, healthy systems, and daily intentional love?

Tom sits down in-studio with his new friend Al Herrera for an unscripted, real conversation about identity, purpose, and the stories we’re tempted to hide. Al shares how early wounds and harsh words shaped “fake IDs” he carried for years: unworthy, dumb, and convicted felon, and how those labels quietly drove his decisions.

Instead of letting shame define him, Al describes the turning point where he surrendered control, trusted God’s plan, and watched his life reframe from “locking people up” to “unlocking potential.” Along the way, they talk about authenticity, obedience, and why bringing your story into the light removes its destructive power and turns it into a tool for someone else’s healing.

If your past feels like a stain you can’t erase, what would change if you stopped hiding it, reclaimed your God-given identity, and used it to help the version of you that’s still out there struggling?

Ian Bowen was 32, healthy, and training for a race when a rare diagnosis and spinal cord surgery left him paralyzed from the chest down. Doctors told him he might walk with assistance, but would never run again, and that his recovery would eventually plateau.

Ian refused to let that prognosis become his identity. He shares the mindset shift that carried him through years of rehab, the role of the right voices and tough love, and the “RINSE” framework he built from lived experience: Remember, Imagine, Notice, Shift, and Expect.

If you’re staring down a diagnosis, setback, or season that feels impossible, what would change if you decided, “I make it, or I make it” and started taking the next step anyway?

Dustin and Leigh Ann Long join Tom and Lana Lyman in the studio to share a story that’s messy, honest, and full of redemption. From addiction, jail, shame, and “starting over,” to single parenting, restored family bonds, and a new marriage built on healing, this episode is a raw look at what God can rebuild when life breaks apart.

You’ll also hear the heart behind High Hope Ministries, their “Gather & Grow” weekends, and why purpose matters after recovery. They talk about tough love, community, counseling, and the danger of isolation, plus the moment when surrender became the turning point instead of the end.

If God can take the broken pieces, fill the cracks, and turn pain into purpose, what might He be ready to bring you through next?

What happens when you stop treating gratitude like a nice idea and start using it as a discipline that re-centers your life?

Tom sits down with Warren Mainard to talk about why “rejoice always” is more than a verse. It can be a lifeline when stress, uncertainty, and pressure start stacking up.

They also unpack the power of brotherhood through Impact Players, a movement designed to help men thrive as husbands, fathers, and leaders through honest conversation, biblical truth, and real accountability. From parking lot conversations to small cohorts, this is about men refusing to live isolated and choosing to show up for each other.

If gratitude can shift your mindset and community can steady your steps, what would change in your life if you stopped doing it alone?

In this episode of Joy Hour, Tom Lyman sits down with longtime family friend Susan Jeffries for a raw, hope-filled conversation about what God can rebuild after years of pain. Susan has served quietly behind the scenes for decades, but today she shares the story many never heard: feeling unseen, surviving an abusive marriage, and carrying the lie that “you made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

Susan opens up about how unresolved trauma and isolation can pull you into deeper confusion, and how shame keeps humanity silent when they need help most. Then she walks through the turning point: a moment of desperation, God’s intervention, and the practical steps that helped her heal, including a powerful exercise of writing letters she never sent and releasing the weight she’d carried for years.

If you’ve ever wondered whether freedom is still possible after the choices you regret, the pain you couldn’t control, or the road you never planned to walk, what would it look like to believe God can bring you out too?