The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

It seemed like an evening like any other for Karen Millsap. She picked up her kids from her husband’s CrossFit gym in the evening and headed home to do some work. But a single phone call was all it would take to shatter the illusion of normalcy forever. Amid the chaos on the other end of the phone, Karen was able to make out just one word. “Shot.” By the time she got there it was too late, and Karen found herself widowed at only 29 years old. Karen sits down with Davey to talk about the things she’s learned from grief and how she’s using her story to help others who find themselves in the same situation.

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Debra Moerke’s story is one that is almost hard to process. It’s a story of immense tragedy and hardship, but also one of incredible grace and forgiveness. Being a foster parent couldn’t have seemed easy, but when Debra agreed to take in a group of siblings from an abusive home, she could never have foreseen the amount of pain that she was about to step into. But out of that pain, God taught Debra an incredible lesson in forgiveness, and now in her book Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace, Debra shares that lesson. She sits down with Davey to talk about this story and what God has taught her through it all.

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When Sarah Forgrave was only four years old, her older sister was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The doctors said her chances of survival were slim. This worst case scenario became “normal” for Sarah as she spent some of her most formative years watching her sister’s four-year battle with cancer. Having walked through this trial, Sarah found herself unknowingly prepared for more to come, and as an adult she would watch her loved ones face more medical trauma and eventually go through it herself. Through all the valleys she’s watched and walked through, Sarah found her purpose. She sits down with Davey to share how she found the power in stories and how she’s using hers to help others.

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When Kevan Chandler was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease as a small child, it would have seemed that his life would have limits. How could it not be when he would never even take a single step? But Kevan chose not to let his disability define him. With the help of his friends, Kevan has traveled without a wheelchair across Europe and China, written a book called We Carry Kevan, and founded a nonprofit to improve accessibility all over the world. Kevan joins Davey to talk about how his disability has impacted his life and his faith, and how he’s taken what he’s learned beyond himself to make an impact on the world.

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We often think of our perfect life as being very peaceful. We want everything to be neat and tidy, and any chaos or messes are obstacles to be eliminated. But when an encounter with a homeless man changed her life forever, Ginger Spouse began to wonder if the best that God has for us isn’t a perfectly clean life, but one where we embrace the messiness that He brings us. Ginger sits down with Davey to share what God did through her willingness to invite chaos into her life, and what that means for each of us.

Misty Phillip’s story is not an easy one. Through loss, rape, abortion, suicidal thoughts, stillbirth, and more, she’s walked through darker valleys than most could imagine. With everything she’s gone through, it would be hard to blame her for turning her back on God. After all, who could believe in a good God in the face of so much hurt? Instead, she’s learned to walk closer with God through every painful step of her journey. Misty sits down with Davey to share some of her story and what she’s learned through unfathomable hardship.

Born into a life defined by poverty and crime, LaMorris Crawford had a pretty tough childhood. The orphaned son of a teenage mother, LaMorris looked for anything he could find to numb his pain. Sports, popularity, drugs — all the coping mechanisms available to a poor young kid were not enough. All of that changed when LaMorris had a radical encounter with Jesus. Once a poor kid with little hope for a future, he now works as a traveling evangelist and the chaplain for the Cincinnati Bengals. LaMorris joins Davey to talk about his story of transformation, how he’s finding redemption in the worst aspects of his own history, and some of the chances he’s had to share the hope he’s found with others.

The picture of life that existed in a young Justine Froelker’s mind was beautiful. She was a girl with a passion for dance, and she planned to make that dream her reality. But those dreams were shattered when mysterious pains landed her in the hospital, and she spent her high school years in and out of hospitals, surgeries, and body casts. Years later, Justine felt the ripple effect of these trials and another dream she had died when she found herself unable to have children. Now, as an author, speaker, and counselor, Justine spends her life taking the lessons she’s learned in her valleys and helping others walk through theirs. She sits down with Davey to share how she’s rewriting her painful story and teaching others to do the same.

No parent should ever have to bury their child. The amount of pain that comes with that experience is unfathomable, a grief so strong it defies words. Tammie Brenton knows this all too well. When her daughter Madi found herself in the hospital after the birth of her second child, everything changed for Tammie and her family. Through misdiagnoses and failed treatments, transplants and seeming recoveries, they walked through the ups and downs of a years-long battle with this disease. Tammie sits down with Davey to share her fresh story of grief and how she found God’s presence every step of the way.

Under even the best of circumstances, parenting is a challenge. Very little that’s worth doing is easy, and raising children is no exception. But for Colleen Swindoll-Thompson, that challenge was increased tenfold when her son was born with severe special needs that would leave him dependent on her care for his whole life. But Colleen’s trials didn’t end there. A divorce from an abusive husband, a daughter who struggled with self-harm and thoughts of suicide, and much more left Colleen walking through a deeper valley than she would have ever imagined. Colleen shares with Davey about what she’s learned about God in the midst of her trials and how she’s leveraging her pain to help others.