How can you believe you are highly favored when you experience great loss? What does it look like to trust that God still loves you when tragedy strikes your family?
Kurt and Denette Schaer had already seen how God can redeem suffering—having walked through Kurt’s infidelity and experiencing radical healing in their marriage. But even that couldn’t fully prepare them for the heartbreak they would face years later with the loss of their teenage son, Logan. The grief they endured was unimaginable, and yet God sustained them through it. Their journey also led Denette to wrestle deeply with the idea of favor—what it meant for her family in the midst of profound loss—which she explores in her book Highly Favored?: Discovering Hope in the Shadows of Grief.
In this episode, Davey sits down with Kurt and Denette to talk about staying faithful in difficult circumstances, the different ways grief can manifest within a marriage, and how our testimonies can become powerful tools in the healing journeys of others.
If you’ve ever wondered how God’s favor rests upon you in seasons of pain, this conversation will remind you that even in difficulty and heartache, His love and favor endure.

Website: brokenforbetter.com
Instagram: instagram.com/brokenforbetter
Facebook: facebook.com/brokenforbetter
Book: Highly Favored?: Discovering Hope in the Shadows of Grief
https://amzn.to/4nYDVjO
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide and suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers.
How do you experience Jesus fully after coming to Christ? How can you continue to experience Him when life is full of pain and difficulties?
Naeem Fazal has an incredibly powerful testimony of how he first encountered Christ. Born into a Muslim family, Naeem experienced a supernatural experience as a young adult that forever changed the trajectory of his life. The cost was significant as he grew to know Jesus more intimately—eventually becoming a pastor—and faced being disowned by his loved ones. Later, he walked through his father’s attempted suicide and the sudden loss of his brother-in-law, moments that ultimately allowed him to show his family how they, too, could encounter Jesus in a personal and transformative way. In his bookTomorrow Needs You: Seeing Beauty When You Feel Hopeless, he explores how fear can be our greatest enemy and how life with Jesus leads us into a new way of living—not from fear, but from love.
In this episode, Davey and Naeem talk about the supernatural and spiritual warfare, the differences between the Western and Eastern Christian experience, and how to navigate the estrangement that can arise when you choose to follow Christ.
If you’ve ever longed for a deeper connection with Jesus in the midst of hardship, this conversation will encourage you that—even in your wrestlings—you can find the intimacy with Him that your heart desires.

Website: www.naeemfazal.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naeemfazal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naeem.fazal.3
Book: Tomorrow Needs You: Seeing Beauty When You Feel Hopeless
https://amzn.to/3KvfM63
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does suffering offer us when it comes to spiritual awakening? How can we experience a movement of God after walking through a season of pain?
In 2023, Pastor Zach Meerkreebs was an ordinary pastor serving at a local seminary, still walking through the emotional pain from the loss of his infant daughter, Esther, three years prior. On what seemed like an ordinary day, he delivered a chapel message at Asbury University and stepped off the stage, feeling as though his words had fallen flat. Little did he know, God would use that moment to ignite a movement of the Spirit, launching over two weeks of continuous revival at a small university in rural Kentucky. Through that experience, Zach came to see how God can use anything—and anyone—to bring revival. He tells this story in his book **Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility.**
In this episode, Davey and Zach talk about what God does in our wrestlings after pain, how He works through our weakness, and how to faithfully steward our encounters with Him.
If you’ve ever wondered whether God will move again in your life or community, this conversation will remind you that when we humble ourselves, we position our hearts to encounter God in ways we never expected.

Website: zachmeerkreebs.com
Instagram: instagram.com/zachmeerkreebs
Facebook:facebook.com/zach.meerkreebs
Book: Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility
https://amzn.to/3KzDI8a
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you trust God in seasons of waiting? How do you testify to His faithfulness when the outcome isn’t what you hoped for?
Pastor and author DawnCheré Wilkerson never expected her long journey through infertility to become such a significant part of her story. Yet, as she found herself in an extended season of waiting, God invited her to share honestly about both the pain and the promises she discovered along the way. Though she eventually welcomed four children, DawnCheré encountered a unique beauty available only in seasons of anticipation—and learned that even in the wait, God continually reveals who He is. She captures this experience in her book Slow Burn: The Work and Wonder of the Wait.
In this conversation, Davey sits down with DawnCheré to discuss how to remain tenderhearted as a leader, how to discern when to begin sharing your story, and how to recognize what God is forming in you during seasons of waiting.
If you’re in a chapter where your heart longs for something yet unseen, this episode will remind you that God is at work in every season—and that there is wonder woven into the wait.

Website: https://www.vouschurch.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dawnchere
Book: Slow Burn: The Work and Wonder of the Wait https://amzn.to/3VKTgZi
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you engage with the Word of God when your world is falling apart? What does Scripture offer us in our deepest pain?
Pastor and author David Platt has built his life and ministry on the foundation of God’s Word—through his own personal struggles, challenges, and questions. As an adoptive father, David has witnessed firsthand the power of Scripture in guiding him as he shepherds the hearts of his children through trauma and hurt. As a pastor, he’s experienced the necessity of coming to the Bible with a heart longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus. And as a follower of Christ, he knows it is God’s Word that continually draws him into a fuller understanding of who God is. Out of this passion, David wrote **How to Read the Bible: A Simple Guide to Deeper Intimacy with God**, to help others engage Scripture in meaningful and transformative ways.
In this episode, Davey talks with David about the call to adoption and what it looks like to lovingly shepherd the hearts of hurting children, why Scripture is indispensable in the life of every believer, and how to respond when God feels absent in seasons of pain.
If you’ve ever wondered why Scripture matters—especially when you’re walking through suffering—this conversation will help you see how foundational God’s Word can be in revealing who He is and sustaining you in your most difficult moments.

Website: radical.net
Instagram: www.instagram.com/plattdavid
Book: How to Read the Bible: A Simple Guide to Deeper Intimacy with God
https://amzn.to/48cv2i4
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can life after trauma hold something more than pain? How can you discover new purpose and growth after suffering?
Nothing Is Wasted Coaching Director, Teresa Glantz, has walked her own path of trauma and healing—and has transformed her pain into a calling to help others heal through teaching about trauma and post-traumatic growth. She is passionate about showing others that while pain and trauma may happen to us, they do not have to define us, and that beauty can emerge even from the most difficult parts of our stories. Through the Biblical Trauma Care Specialist course offered at Nothing Is Wasted, Teresa is on a mission to help others understand the role trauma inevitably plays in our lives and how we can move toward post-traumatic growth.
In this episode, Davey and Teresa step into a time of year when many are seeking personal growth by exploring how to make healing part of a new year, what post-traumatic growth truly is, and the different stages of trauma.
If you are looking ahead and wondering whether anything good can come from your pain, this episode offers a reminder that growth can be found in the aftermath of trauma.

Website: nothingiswasted.com/coaching
nothingiswasted.com/btcs
www.teresaglantz.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/teresaglantzcoaching
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you hold onto hope while processing new losses after past ones? How do you reconcile the deep suffering you experience in life with the goodness of God?
Ashley Opliger knows these questions well. After losing her daughter, Bridget, to stillbirth, she couldn’t imagine a greater pain. Years later, when her father was killed by a drunk driver, she found herself navigating a new wave of grief layered over the old. Yet, in the midst of heartbreak, Ashley discovered hope and purpose through Bridget’s Cradles, the nonprofit she founded to support families grieving the loss of an infant.
She has also authored Cradled in Hope: Trusting Jesus to Heal Your Heart as He Holds Your Baby in Heaven—a practical guide for mothers walking through similar sorrow. In her book, Ashley shares her story and offers compassionate guidance for finding healing and faith after loss.
In this episode, Davey sits down with Ashley to talk about making sense of what feels like senseless suffering, learning to surrender our pain to God, and holding the tension between mercy and justice when we’ve been deeply hurt by others’ actions.
If you’ve ever faced a new grief after a profound past loss, this conversation will remind you that God continues to cradle you in hope—even in the midst of each new pain that comes your way.

Website: bridgetscradles.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleyopliger
www.instagram.com/bridgetscradles
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleyopliger
Book: Cradled in Hope: Trusting Jesus to Heal Your Heart as He Holds Your Baby in Heaven https://amzn.to/4mUKjb2
Every story shared through Nothing is Wasted becomes part of a living legacy and you can be a part. Join the legacy and give today: www.nothingiswasted.com/legacyofhope
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose
Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast
Visit www.OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, use
promo code FUN at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we make space for our grief in the midst of what is often called a joyful season? What happens when the traditions we once cherished become painful reminders of those no longer at our table?
Author Lanier Ivester understands the deep ache of loss and how it reshapes the holidays. After walking through multiple griefs—many within a single year—Lanier found herself reimagining the Christmas season traditions she once loved. Through that process, she discovered how to honor her grief while allowing traditions to evolve in ways that nurture connection and relationship.
In her book, Glad and Golden Hours: A Companion for Advent and Christmastide, Lanier shares cherished practices—many of which were passed down from her mother and explores the rich theology of the Christmas season—a theology that embraces both joy and sorrow in sacred tension.
In this episode, Davey sits down with Lanier to discuss how grief transforms our experience of the holidays, the invitation Advent offers to bring both our celebration and lament before God, and how to thoughtfully engage—or release—traditions after loss.
If you or someone you love is hurting this Christmas, this conversation offers a gentle reminder: this season is spacious enough to hold your pain and still whisper the hope of Christ—Emmanuel, God with us.

Website: https://lanierivester.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanierivester/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaniersBooks/
Book: Glad and Golden Hours: A Companion for Advent and Christmastide https://amzn.to/46TBND5
15% Code off any Glad and Golden Hours products at rabbitroom.com Code: KITCHEN15
Every story shared through Nothing is Wasted becomes part of a living legacy and you can be a part. Join the legacy and give today: www.nothingiswasted.com/legacyofhope
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose
Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast
Visit www.OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, use
promo code FUN at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you find yourself living a life you don’t always love? How can joy be rediscovered after seasons of sorrow and heartache?
For author, podcaster, and military wife Rachel Awtrey, learning to love her life hasn’t been an easy journey. After losing her father at a young age, walking through a messy season of grief, and navigating the uncertainty that comes with being married to a military member, Rachel has experienced her share of challenges. Yet through it all, she’s discovered how to find joy in the messy, mundane moments of everyday life.
In her latest book, Love Your Life (Even If You Don’t Like It All the Time), Rachel offers a refreshing and honest perspective on what it truly means to live a joyful life. She shares simple, practical ways to face daily frustrations and uncover meaning even in the hardest seasons.
In this episode, Davey and Rachel discuss the importance of giving yourself time and space to grieve after a loss, how our natural tendencies can become magnified in times of pain, and practical encouragement for military families—and those who love them—facing the unique challenges of that lifestyle.
If you’ve ever struggled to love your actual, everyday life, this conversation will remind you that joy can be found right where you are, no matter your circumstances.

Website: https://rachelawtrey.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel.awtrey/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realtalkwithrachelpod
Podcast: Real Talk with Rachel Awtrey https://rachelawtrey.com/podcast/
Book:
Love Your Life (Even If You Don’t Like It All the Time) https://amzn.to/48Iz0yY
Every story shared through Nothing is Wasted becomes part of a living legacy and you can be a part. Join the legacy and give today: www.nothingiswasted.com/legacyofhope
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose
Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast
Visit www.OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, use
promo code FUN at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you find hope when life unexpectedly thrusts you into the valley of loss? How do you navigate the rugged terrain of pain?
For Nothing is Wasted’s Podcast Producer and Content Director, Catherine Fitzgerald, the heartbreak and trauma of losing her brother, Zac, plunged her into a valley unlike anything she had ever experienced. In the aftermath came secondary losses of community and identity and a spiritual desolation that felt like a dark night of the soul. She found herself wondering how she would ever find her way back to faith.
And yet, God met her there—through the book of Psalms and through the stories of others, like Davey Blackburn—offering a glimmer of light to guide her toward hope.
Now, in Nothing is Wasted’s latest project, Catherine has gathered and edited a collection of stories from past podcast guests, Nothing is Wasted Coaches, and team members. Each story weaves together personal journeys through pain, loss, and trauma with reflections on the Psalms, forming a powerful new devotional—Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy.
In this episode, Davey and Catherine look back on their own stories and their shared journey through Nothing is Wasted. Together, they explore how loss reshapes every part of our lives, the often messy wrestle for hope, and why stories are such a vital part of nurturing faith in the valley of pain.
If you’ve ever believed that hope simply means “looking on the bright side,” this conversation will remind you that true hope is far more complex—gritty, raw, and worth fighting for. And often, it’s the stories of others that become our most powerful weapon in that fight.

Instagram: instagram.com/thecatfitz
Book: Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Every story shared through Nothing is Wasted becomes part of a living legacy and you can be a part. Join the legacy and give today: www.nothingiswasted.com/legacyofhope
Stories matter. They inspire, uplift, and remind us we’re not alone in our pain. Hope in the Valley: 42 Days of Healing Through the Psalms After Loss, Grief, and Tragedy is a new devotional featuring real stories from the Nothing Is Wasted community—offering strength, comfort, and hope in life’s hardest moments. Order your copy today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/hopeinthevalley
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast
Visit www.OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, use
promo code FUN at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices