Hakim survived what no child should ever see.At 11 years old he watched his parents and baby sister be killed, was kidnapped by rebels, trained as a child soldier, and forced to do unthinkable things just to stay alive.Years later, as a refugee in Utah, he met Wyatt, walked into an LDS church he did not want to be in, and felt something he could not explain.That moment eventually led him to the missionaries, to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and to a prayer where he felt his mother’s love still watching over him.His story is not just about survival. It is about agency, forgiveness, repentance, and a God who does not erase suffering but walks with us through it.If you have ever wondered where God is in tragedy, or whether forgiveness is really possible, this conversation will change how you see both.This episode is brought to you by Gina Alverson and the Stay Mentally Strong Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting men’s mental health and suicide awareness by providing free and accessible resources to those who are struggling.If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, we encourage you to explore their work and get support.Learn more herehttps://www.staymentallystrong.com/

I sat down with my dad to walk through his remarkable journey from addiction, aimlessness, and life without God to faith, redemption, and spiritual purpose.

What begins as a story about partying, nicotine, and searching for direction becomes a powerful testimony of how Jesus Christ changes hearts, heals wounds, and gives people entirely new desires.

This is not a story about becoming perfect overnight. It is a story about surrender, daily choices, and the quiet but profound work God does inside a willing heart.Together, we talk about temptation, prayer, repentance, marriage, fatherhood, and what it truly means to be changed from the inside out.This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, discouraged, distant from God, or unsure if real change is possible.

This episode is brought to you by Gina Alverson and the Stay Mentally Strong Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting men’s mental health and suicide awareness by providing free and accessible resources to those who are struggling. If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, we encourage you to explore their work and get support.

Here is the link to learn more https://www.staymentallystrong.com/

The story of the Provo Tabernacle is not just history. It is a metaphor for our lives.In this episode of the Redeeming Love Podcast, we tell the true story of the Provo Tabernacle fire in Provo, Utah, and how a building that was burned from the inside out was later rebuilt into the Provo City Center Temple. What looked like destruction became preparation. What looked like loss became transformation.This story becomes a mirror for what God does in us.Sometimes the only way God can give us a new identity is to first strip away the old one. Sometimes the only way He can rebuild our purpose is to let our plans fall apart. The refiner’s fire is not punishment. It is preparation.This episode connects the story of the Provo Tabernacle to:The refiner’s fire in the Bible and in our personal livesWhy God allows seasons of burning, loss, and rebuildingHow “our plans are not God’s plans” is often an act of loveWhy identity sometimes has to be destroyed before it can be rebuilt in ChristHow Jesus Christ walks with us through depression, addiction, shame, and heartbreakWhy the hardest seasons of life often become the most sacred- If you feel like your life has been burned down.- If your plans have fallen apart.- If your identity feels stripped away.- If you are in a season of loss, rebuilding, or waiting.This message is for you.Just like the Provo Tabernacle, you are not ruined. You are being prepared.The Savior does not abandon us in the fire. He meets us in it. He walks with us through it. And He uses it to rebuild us into something holier, stronger, and more aligned with who we were always meant to become.Sponsor: Thank you to Gina Oliverson and the Stay Mentally Strong Foundation, a nonprofit focused on men’s mental health and suicide awareness. If you or someone you know is struggling, please use the resources linked and reach out for help.Subscribe for more Christian testimonies, faith-based stories, and gospel-centered conversations about healing, repentance, restoration, and the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.I'd love to have your along for the journey!

In this episode of Redeeming Love, a young girl shares two sacred experiences that surrounded the loss of her father and forever changed the way she understands grief, faith, and connection.One week before her father passed, she felt prompted to begin journaling. Each night, she wrote what she loved about herself and what she was grateful for. When the hardest day came, that simple act became a quiet preparation for the grief she had not yet known was coming.After her father’s passing, something unexpected happened. During a Primary song at church, she heard his voice again. Not with fear, but with peace. He came back to reassure her that he was okay, that she was still his, and that she did not need to worry.This episode of Redeeming Love is about how God prepares hearts before loss, how heaven can feel very close in moments of sorrow, and how love does not end when life does. It is a gentle reminder that even in grief, we are never left alone.

For the twelve days leading up to Christmas, I’m sharing something really special on the Redeeming Love Podcast. Each day I’ll be posting a miracle. A real moment where someone saw the Lord’s hand in their life and felt the love of Jesus Christ in a way that changed everything.My hope is that these stories lift your heart and draw you closer to Him during this season. Christmas is about joy, peace, and redemption. And I want these twelve days to remind you that Christ is still working miracles in our lives today.I can’t wait to share them with you.

In this episode I share an important changes to the podcast and the reason behind them. The Overcoming Trauma Podcast is becoming the Redeeming Love Podcast. Every story we tell, every post we share, and every conversation moving forward will center on Jesus Christ and His redeeming love. His power to heal, restore hope, and lift us out of darkness is the message I want at the core of this show.Thank you for listening, for supporting the guests who have come on, and for being part of this journey. I am excited for the episodes ahead and grateful for every person who has trusted this space.

In this episode, Adam Allred shares the kind of story most men never let themselves speak out loud.

He opens up about a marriage that slowly broke apart behind closed doors. Years of trying to make it work. Years of grinding, praying, pushing, and hoping that effort alone would heal what was falling apart. Then one moment changed everything. A reversal. A shock. A decision he never expected to face again.

What followed was an identity collapse that hit him spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and as a father. Sleepless nights. Living in his grandma’s attic. Sharing custody. Praying in gym showers. Begging God to give him peace. Every morning he woke up wishing he wouldn’t. Every night he went to bed wondering how much longer he could hold on.

And in the middle of that darkness, something happened.
God spoke to him.

Not with a command. Not with judgment. But with a question that changed his entire life:
“Son, what do YOU want to do?”

That moment shifted everything.
Adam stopped fighting the pain and started learning from it.
He stopped asking God to take it away and started asking what it was meant to build in him.
He learned that pain is part of the process. Growth is uncomfortable. And becoming the man God wants you to be requires walking straight into the fire, not running from it.

This episode is a raw look at what real spiritual rebuilding looks like when a man loses everything he thought he was supposed to be.

Topics covered:

• What happens when a man’s identity collapses

• Divine communication in rock bottom moments

• Why pain is often the path to purpose

• The difference between a good man and a bad man

• Masculinity as strength, responsibility, and direction

• Why God cares more about your desires than your perfection

• How to rebuild your life when you feel broken beyond repair

• Becoming a man who can lead, provide, and protect with power and compassion

Share this with a man who needs this reminder:

• Your pain is not punishment.
• God is not disappointed in you.
• You are being shaped into someone stronger, steadier, and more capable than you ever imagined.

In this profoundly raw and inspiring episode, Jen Saunders opens up about a lifetime of trauma and a descent into darkness that nearly cost her everything.

Jen shares the story of a childhood fractured by sexual abuse that lasted for eight long years at the hands of a trusted figure who was active in the church. A broken home. A loss of innocence. A young girl's fervent prayers went unanswered, triggering a profound mental spiral and a conviction at age eight that "God didn't exist."

What began as simple heartbreak and self-blame quickly turned into a means of escape. Convinced she was "dirty" and a "victim," she started down a dark path of self-harm and turning to substances to numb the pain. The darkness took over faster than anyone could truly recognize, shattering her footing in reality.

Jen watched the girl she was supposed to be lose her way, hiding her pain and convinced she had to manage her suffering alone. This isolation led her to a violent, unforgettable rock bottom in her late teens, where she felt utterly broken and hopeless.

And yet, in that moment of despair, a path to recovery opened. Jen was left standing in heartbreak while embracing a new mission: to make sure no person ever feels they have to give up on their life.

Her story is a powerful look at the danger of believing you are permanently broken, and the truth that "doing the work" and finding a Higher Power is what ultimately saves lives.

Topics Covered:

- The devastating impact of childhood sexual abuse

- How trauma can lead to a loss of faith and spiritual crisis

- The link between self-blame, self-harm, and substance abuse

- Hitting rock bottom and the critical moment of choosing to live

- Finding God and forgiveness after being abused by a religious figure

- The importance of putting in the work for true recovery

- How to turn profound pain into a purpose by helping others heal

Share this with someone who needs this reminder:

You are not defined by what happened to you. Asking for help and "doing the work" is your path to freedom. Hope and a very blessed life are still possible.

In this episode, Gina opens up about a tragedy no wife ever imagines could happen to her.

She shares the story of a marriage that looked picture perfect from the outside. A driven husband. A beautiful family. A future planned out with purpose. Then one unexpected moment at work triggered panic, sleepless nights, a mental spiral, and a darkness that took over faster than anyone could recognize.

What began as stress turned into obsession, fear, and rumination. The confidence he always carried shattered into anxiety. Gina watched the man she loved lose his footing mentally while hiding his pain from everyone. He decided to not tell friends. He decided to not get help. He slowly isolated, convinced he had to hold it all together alone.

And in a moment of overwhelming despair, he ended his life.

Gina was left widowed after 25 years of marriage, standing in heartbreak while holding a new mission: to make sure no man ever feels he has to suffer in silence again.

Her story is a powerful look at the danger of secrecy, and the truth that vulnerability is what saves lives.

Topics covered:
- Mental spirals that start small
- Fear of being perceived as weak
- Why men avoid asking for help
- Emotional load wives often carry alone
- The importance of opening up before it breaks you
- And how to turn pain into purpose by helping others heal

Share this with a man who needs this reminder:

- Your strength is not measured by silence.
- Asking for help is not weakness.
- Hope and healing are still possible.

In this episode, Nick shares how a divorce and a slow build of casual drinking spiraled into full blown addiction.

What began as a once a month social drink turned into needing alcohol just to function, to have fun, to escape, or feel anything at all. Before he knew it, twenty ounces of hard liquor a day was normal.

He ignored the scares. He ignored the anxiety. He ignored the warnings. Until one day his body finally gave out. Nick went into multiple seizures, was rushed into an ambulance, and woke up in the hospital with no memory of how he even got there.

His organs were shutting down. His life was hanging by a thread.

But this episode is not just about brokenness. It is about what it takes to rebuild a soul.

From the woman who believed there was still good in him, to the daily discipline of scripture study, to the moment he finally surrendered his vice to God and never looked back.

Nick shares the redemption, the miracles, and the truth that addiction does not have to be a life sentence.

This is not just a story of rock bottom. It is a story of rebirth, hope, and the power to walk away from darkness forever.

Topics covered:- The slow slide into alcoholism- The moment his body began shutting down- The seizures that woke him up to reality- How shame and ego blind us to how bad things really are- The miracle of a changed heart through Christ- The role of love and consistency in recovery- Turning weakness into strength and purpose'

Share this episode with someone who needs to hear:
- You are not trapped.
- You are not too far gone.
- And with God, there is always a way back.