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“In success, I sought to self-medicate. In failure, I sought to self-medicate.”

From the outside, Travis Blakeley had the kind of life many people would envy. He grew up in an affluent area of Dallas, attended a prestigious school, followed Jesus, worked in professional basketball as a coach, executive, and broadcaster, and built the picture-perfect life in the suburbs with his wife and children. But underneath the success was a growing alcohol addiction that had quietly attached itself to nearly every area of his life.

But as Travis explains in this episode, alcohol was never really the root issue.

What began with trauma and escapism eventually turned into doing things he said he'd never do, manipulation, secrecy, and desperation. He drank before basketball games. He got drunk while doing television broadcasts. He hid vodka in ponds behind his house. He walked miles on crutches to buy booze before 7 a.m. And eventually, after years of avoiding consequences and convincing himself he still had control, he found himself standing on a bridge overlooking a Texas highway contemplating how to end it all.

What makes this conversation especially powerful to me is that Travis once wanted to keep all of this hidden. In fact, when I first reached out to him years ago after hearing about his story, he ignored me completely. He ran, just like he had ran from so much else in his life. Fear and shame kept him from opening up. But over time, he’s come to understand the power of our stories—not just for his own healing, but because other people are introduced to freedom when we share where we've been and how far we've come.

Travis goes deep. He shares how repeated attempts at recovery never truly addressed the deeper issues underneath his addiction, and why everything changed when he found Men of Nehemiah, a Gospel-centered recovery ministry in South Dallas. There, over the course of nine months, through radical vulnerability, accountability, Christian community, and a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ, Travis began experiencing something he had never truly found before: freedom.

This conversation is raw, emotional, funny at times, deeply honest, and full of hope. It’s also one of the clearest examples I’ve seen of why sobriety alone is not enough. True recovery requires repentance and aiming for Jesus.

And perhaps most importantly, Travis’ story is a reminder that addiction does not discriminate. It can exist underneath success, influence, church involvement, and outward achievement. But so does grace.

Follow Travis on Instagram: @chefblakeley
Explore Men of Nehemiah
Get Gospel-centered addiction recovery resources and help: veritasrecovery.org
Follow me: @jonseidl
Order my new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic

We explore:

— How childhood trauma and performance-based identity fueled Travis’ addiction
— Why success and professional achievement actually helped hide his alcoholism
— What it was like getting drunk while coaching basketball and appearing on live television
— The slow progression from social drinking to complete dependency
— How addiction impacts spouses, children, finances, and trust inside a family
— The danger of believing “at least I’m not that bad”
— Why repeated rehab experiences failed to produce lasting transformation
— What made Gospel-centered recovery fundamentally different for Travis
— How Travis now approaches the 12 st

What if worship was never just about music?

In this episode of The Walk: Faith in the Real World, Alexandra Osteen of Lakewood Music shares an honest conversation about worship, calling, healing, church community, and the faithfulness of God across generations.

As the Worship Director at Lakewood Church and part of the leadership behind Lakewood Music’s newest album House of Worship, Alexandra opens up about growing up in ministry, discovering her own personal faith, and learning to say yes to God’s calling—even when it felt intimidating.

She also shares the powerful story behind the song Made You Well, inspired by scriptures on healing that her grandmother held onto after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis decades ago. What began as declarations of faith eventually became part of her testimony of miraculous healing—and now a song being sung by the Church.

From songwriting and collaboration to the role worship plays in shaping hearts, this conversation is a reminder that God is still faithful, still moving, and still drawing people close through worship.

Guest Bio

Alexandra Osteen is the Worship Director at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and a leader with Lakewood Music. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Alexandra has spent years leading worship and writing songs that point people toward the hope and faithfulness of God. She has been featured with Lakewood Music since its debut album Live in the Wonderful and continues to help lead worship for one of the largest and most influential churches in America.

Episode Highlights

• When faith becomes personal
  Alexandra shares the moment she stopped living off her family’s faith and personally said yes to God’s calling.
• Why worship is more than music
  “God inhabits the praises of His people.” Alexandra explains why worship creates space for people to encounter God.
• The healing story behind “Made You Well”
  How her grandmother’s miraculous healing shaped one of the album’s most personal songs.
• How Lakewood Music writes songs for the Church
  Why their focus is creating worship music rooted deeply in Scripture and hope.
• The role of community in spiritual growth
  Why youth ministry and church community played such a critical role in Alexandra’s faith journey.

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center: the all-in-one software to help your church schedule volunteers, plan services, and stay organized. Try it free today at

Ezra learns of a great sin that the leaders are doing only a few months after he arrives in Israel:

• The Levites, priests, and elders have intermarried into pagan families
• Was God against "interracial" marriage?
• What Deuteronomy 7 tells us about sin
• 99% of Christians don't view sin strongly enough

Ezra's prayer is a powerful expression of his people's guilt and shame. He recognizes that God's grace has been shown to Israel, allowing them to escape and revive. Jenn encourages Faithful Listeners to take sin seriously, just like Ezra, and to recognize all actions have consequences for those around them.

Related Episodes:

Colossians 1:21-29 - You're a Sinner

Deuteronomy 7:1-11 - How the Book of 2 John Mirrors Deuteronomy 7

There are so many other things P40 does! Check it out:

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Contact - [email protected] 

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Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk 

Merch - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle

Check out LifeAudio for other faith-based podcasts on parenting, studying Scripture, and more:
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Today’s Bible Verse: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” — 1 Samuel 16:7

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Looking for a peaceful way to end your day? 

Listen to "Your Nightly Scripture" to end your day with God's word

Meet Today’s Host: Carol Ogle McCracken

Carol Ogle McCracken is a dynamic Christian speaker, author, and Bible teacher known for her warmth, humor, and transparency. She brings biblical truths to life through real-world stories and relatable experiences—whether navigating alcohol recovery, parenting a child with special needs, or walking through divorce.

Today, she serves as Minister of Discipleship at her local church and shares God’s Word through women's retreats, conferences, and online devotionals. Her book, Wisdom: Where to Find It if You’ve Lost, Forgotten, or Never Had It, was released in 2020 and continues to encourage readers in their pursuit of godly wisdom.

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It is one thing to trust God with the big decisions. It is another thing entirely to trust Him with the waiting that follows.

After selling a house, leaving a job, and moving a family into a tiny cabin on the side of a mountain — all in faithful obedience to where God seemed to be leading — the timeline expectations were clear: a temporary layover, a couple of months at most, and then on to the next thing. But the months stretched. The green light did not come. And slowly, the foot-tapping and watch-checking began to quietly erode the very trust that the step of faith had been built on.

Unmet expectations about God's timing can do that. They do not always arrive as dramatic crises of faith. Sometimes they simply drain the joy, one unanswered prayer at a time, until we find ourselves technically still trusting God's will but privately resisting His timing as though they were two separate things.

But they are not. His will and His timing belong together. And Psalm 121:8 reminds us why we can surrender both.

The Hebrew word translated "watch" in this verse is shamar — a verb meaning to guard, to hedge with thorns, to protect. This is not a distant, passive observation. This is God actively building a hedge of protection around you with His own hands. Around your comings. Around your goings. Around your staying put when every part of you wanted to move. There is not a single transition you make — whether across the country in a U-Haul or simply to the grocery store — that goes unguarded by your loving Father.

And while you sleep tonight, He does not. He never slumbers. He never looks away. He is on guard through every hour of the night, over every detail of the life He has placed in His own hands.

Surrender the timeline. Lay down the expectations. And rest in the One who guards your every transition — now and forevermore.

Ponder Tonight:

• Discover what the Hebrew word shamar reveals about the way God watches over us — and why it paints a picture far more active and intimate than passive observation from a distance
• You'll learn why trusting God's will and trusting God's timing are not two separate acts of faith — and what it costs us when we try to separate them
• Discover why there is not a single transition in your life, large or small, that goes unguarded by the Father who never sleeps and never looks away

Tonight's Scripture

"The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." — Psalm 121:8, NIV

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." — Psalm 121:1-2, NIV

Your Evening Prayer

Father,

Thank You that You do not watch our lives from a distance. You are active — building a hedge of protection around us, guarding our comings and our goings and our staying put. Even now, as we prepare for sleep, Your Word reminds us that You never slumber, never look away, never step back from the post You have taken over our lives.

We confess that we have acted as though we were solely in charge of our own transitions — tapping our feet, checking our watches, quietly resisting Your timing while claiming to trust Your will. Forgive us for that. Teach us to surrender both.

We yield to Your will and Your timing tonight. Be our Helper — in every move, every waiting season, every moment of uncertainty about what comes next.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Want More?

Continue your journey at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/

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In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Root to talk about his book Baal and the Gods of More and how the modern church can subtly drift into idolizing success, growth, and productivity over faithfulness to God. We unpack how ancient idolatry still shows up today, not in statues, but in our obsession with “more” and what it looks like to return to a Gospel-centered life and ministry. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to perform, produce, or prove yourself, even in your faith, this conversation will challenge you to slow down, refocus, and rediscover what it truly means to follow Jesus!

my book: the fabric of hope ~ https://a.co/d/00eAvIbM

my book: you can be free ~ https://a.co/d/06y2oXLy

andrew’s book ~ https://a.co/d/07qyaxQ3

free christian resources (devotionals, guides & more) ~ https://kirbykelly.myflodesk.com/kirbykelly

start your healing journey (10% off christian counseling) ~ https://www.faithfulcounseling.com/kirbykelly

sponsor a compassion child with me ~ https://www.compassion.com/kirbyisaboss

all my links ~ https://linktr.ee/kirbyisaboss

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contact + inquiries

podcast questions/guesting ~ [email protected]

business inquiries ~ [email protected]

✝️ book me to speak at your event, church, or conference ~ https://kirby-kelly.com/contact

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Have you ever faced something so big you didn't even know how to start praying about it?

In this episode, we sit with a king named Jehoshaphat who caught news of an army he could not beat, and we watch what he did instead of panicking. His prayer in 2 Chronicles 20 hands us a pattern for the battles we never asked for, the ones that show up before we have any idea what to do. The place where we don't know what to do turns out to be the exact place God's answer begins.

You'll discover:

How fear and faith can sit in the same chair, and why that isn't a sign your faith is failing

Why "we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you" is one of the strongest prayers in Scripture

What it means that the battle is not yours, but God's, and how that changes the way you pray

Why Jehoshaphat's people worshiped before the battle was won, and how George Müller did the same thing in front of a table of empty plates

A simple six-step way to take whatever you're facing and turn it into a prayer this week

Whatever you're walking into, you don't have to know what to do. You just have to know Who to look to.

Resources Mentioned:

The Pray Through It Battle Plan (free guide): battleprayers.com

Praying through Life's Battles, a 90-day devotional, releasing August 25 from Harvest House. Preorder now at battleprayers.com

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What would it look like to be silent, ponder, and wrestle with God? 

LINKS:
Download How to Pray God's Word for Your Children
Follow Everyday Prayers @MillionPrayingMoms

A Prayer for More Joy in our Hearts by Nicolet Bell

In a world where everything is loud, we're praying our children grow comfortable in the silence — so they can hear the voice of God in their lives.

Reference: Psalm 4

Prayer: Father, help my children to be set apart for you and for your work. Help them to resist sin, to live sacrificially, and to put their trust in you. Lord, help them to be comfortable in the silence so they can hear your voice. Lift up the light of your face upon them and put more of your joy in their hearts. May they lie down and sleep in peace, knowing you alone, O Lord, make them dwell in safety. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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If you’ve ever struggled to balance the demands of everyday life with an eternal perspective, this conversation is for you. If you’re a believer you know heaven is real. You probably even know you should thInk about living in light of eternal life. But how?

If you’ve ever struggled to balance the demands of everyday life with an eternal perspective, this conversation is for you. In this episode, I sit down with storyteller and ministry founder Joe Mayers to talk about what it means to “think forever.” Joe shares how a devastating personal loss deepened his faith, strengthened his hope in heaven, and shaped the mission behind his ministry. 

We also talk about the judgment seat of Christ, why our daily choices matter more than we realize, and what Joe learned while creating his newest project about the Apostle Paul. This conversation will encourage you to live today with eternity in mind.

And remember, I'd love to connect more on Instagram, where you'll find me at @donnaajones. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode!

Xo,

Donna

Key Takeaways:

0:00:12 - Donna’s Summer Speaking Tour & Connection Invite

0:03:14 - Think Forever: Using Storytelling for Eternal Perspective

0:04:52 - How “The Bema” Reshapes Life in Light of Eternity

0:10:37 - Losing a Son, Grief, and Making Eternity Personal

0:17:19 - “Zeal”: Paul’s Life, Hidden Years, and Redeemed Passion

What We Talk About

• The mission behind Think Forever
• The Bema Judgment Seat of Christ
• Why eternal perspective changes how we live today
• Joe's personal story of losing his infant son, Obi
• Finding hope in heaven after tragedy
• How God brings purpose out of pain
• Joe's new one-man show, Zeal
• Lessons from the life of the Apostle Paul
• The overlooked ten-year season of Paul's preparation
• How storytelling helps people engage with Scripture

Think Forever: Living Today with Eternity in Mind

Joe's ministry centers around one simple but powerful idea:

1. Remember that you are an eternal being.
2. Recognize that your daily choices matter forever.
3. Focus on what has lasting value.
4. Live faithfully in the responsibilities God has given you today.
5. Keep your hope fixed on Christ and eternity.

Donna’s Resources:

Order a copy of my latest book - 

Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life: A Biblical Guide to Communicating Thoughts, Feelings, and Opinions with Grace, Truth, and Zero Regret. 

It is available anywhere books are sold– here is the link on Amazon. 

If you need a helpful resource for someone exploring faith and Christianity or simply want to strengthen your own knowledge, you’ll want a copy of my book, Seek: A Woman’s Guide to Meeting God.

It’s a must for seekers, new believers, and those who want to deepen their faith.

Connect with Joe:

Think Forever: https://www.thinkforever.org/

Think Forever Podcast https://www.thinkforever.org/podcast

Let’s Con