Long Story Short

Season 5 of Long Story Short is coming soon!

Intentionality today reduces regret tomorrow. Long Story Short is a uniquely personal podcast where David Paul presents stories about people, circumstances, and events that help us live our faith a little more intentionally.

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On October 24, Steve Healy and his three children sat in the sand at Sandy Point State Park for a new family photo. It had been 132 days since Nikki died.

In this final episode of Season Four, you’ll hear about Steve’s first sermon at Lighthouse Church since April, a significant perspective shift about grief, and how Steve is preparing for some hard days on the calendar that are fast approaching

You’ll also hear some final thoughts about standing firm and an important, but unasked question from Season Three.

What’s the best thing to say and do when someone we know is suffering? During Nikki Healy’s three-year battle with cancer, she and her family were the recipients of a lot of words and actions from people who were concerned.  

Much of it was helpful. Some of it was not.  

In this episode, you’ll hear from their experience about things you might want to consider carefully before saying and also what truly was encouraging. 

On July 2, Steve Healy heads home from the beach towards a life that feels anything but normal after Nikki’s death. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Steve begins working towards that and what he set aside an entire month to do. Steve also talks about his return to work in August and something pretty important he now does at the end of each day with his son Everett. 

How do you stand firm in your faith when there are more questions than answers? That verse in 1 Corinthians 15:58 also provides something very practical we can do when our world gets rocked.  

Three days after Nikki Healy’s funeral her family went to the beach. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about the letter Nikki wrote to her husband telling him to go. You’ll also hear how Steve Healy used that time sitting by the ocean to begin processing his wife’s death, the moment their daughter learned some surprising news about her parents, and a funny exchange Steve had with his son towards the end of the week.

June 21 would have been Nikki Healy’s 40th birthday. Instead, it was her funeral. And, it was led by her husband who is a pastor.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Steve Healy prepared himself for the emotions of that day, a lighthearted moment early in the funeral, and how Steve used Nikki’s death to point people to Jesus.

When Nikki Healy died on June 14, a lot of people were crushed because they had been praying, hoping, and even expecting she would be healed.  

Five days later, Pastor Sammy Foster of Lighthouse Church in Glen Burnie, Maryland addressed the confusion, disappointment, and even anger. In this episode, you’ll hear the questions his children were asking and how they were a catalyst for what Sammy would preach. You’ll also hear some of that powerful sermon and then Steve Healy takes us backstage for Nikki’s viewing held the following day. 

The morning after Nikki Healy died, Steve had a moment in his kitchen with a really big question directed at God.

How do you stand firm in your faith when the questions outnumber the answers? Steve Healy came face to face with this in the days following his wife’s death from stage 4 rectal cancer. In this episode, Steve describes what happened right after Nikki died, guides us through the really hard days following, and how he was processing the deepest of questions.

At 1:32p on June 14, 2022, Nikki Healy took her final breath.

Steve Healy guides us through his wife’s last hours. We will hear about the gifts she ordered for loved ones, sweet family time as Nikki spoke encouragement, and the suffering she endured to the very end.

How do you “stand firm” when life itself doesn’t make sense? That’s the question running through each episode of Season Four. It’s a question that feels even more profound as Steve Healy describes the worst day of his life.

The final weeks for Nikki Healy were a surreal mix of some of life’s special events and her sudden decline.

Nikki’s husband, Steve, takes us backstage for a birthday dinner, a high school graduation in their backyard, and the moment they knew they were out of treatment options for Nikki’s stage 4 cancer.

Season Four of Long Story Short is also a guide to standing firm when there are more questions than answers. This week we talk about how to not fear uncertainty.