What if “forever” didn’t last?

Troy and Holly never imagined divorce would be part of their story.

Both grew up in strong Christian homes.

In this episode, they share:

The emotional shock of divorce

Wrestling with anger, grief, and unanswered prayers

Learning to trust God in loneliness

Rebuilding identity after loss

Risking marriage again

Blending six adult children into one family

Turning personal pain into Divorce Care ministry

This is a story about divorce — but even more, it’s a story about redemption.

If you’re walking through heartbreak, single again, or wondering if it’s too late to love again, this conversation is for you.

God does not waste pain.

Divorce Care & Support Ministries:

Upcoming Divorce Care Event:

What if the life you built on your own terms still left you empty?

Jarod Taylor grew up in chaos — broken homes, addiction, instability, and learning early that if anything was going to work out, it would be on his terms.

God wasn’t someone he hated.

Through his teens and 20s, Jarod became his own authority — chasing women, music, nightlife, success, and control. Eventually, he built a strong career, a home, and a family.

And still felt hollow.

What followed wasn’t a dramatic conversion.

Jarod decided to “try on” Christianity — reading Scripture analytically, wrestling with doubt, logic, science, and reason.

Somewhere in the process, he fell in love with Jesus.

If you’ve ever:

Lived life on your own terms

Believed faith and logic were opposites

Felt spiritually numb or hardened

Wanted proof before belief

Jarod’s story is a reminder:

You don’t need all the answers.

Connect with Jarod

What if the faith you thought you had wasn’t the same as surrender?

Jason Kanapkey grew up in church. Baptized at eight. Knew the language. Believed in Jesus.

But by 12, he was experimenting with drugs.

He believed in God.

Years later, sitting on his couch as a young adult, reading Scripture with fresh eyes, everything shifted. And when he finally let go of the identity he was clinging to, he discovered something unexpected: obedience felt like abundance.

In this episode, Jason shares:

Growing up around religion but discovering relationship

Addiction, identity, and the quiet drift from God

The surrender moment that transformed everything

Serving before fully understanding

Finding deep discipleship and brotherhood

Navigating open-heart surgery and learning to receive grace

Living out faith in the marketplace, not just the church

This isn’t a story about having it all figured out.

Connect with Virtuous Cycle Coffee

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Read: Romans 12:1–2, Matthew 6:33, Hebrews 11:6, Revelation 3:20

What do you do when the faith you inherited never brings the peace you’re promised?

Suzanne Hancock was born and raised in the Mormon (LDS) church. She followed the rules, did what was expected, and built her identity around a faith tradition handed down for generations—yet peace always felt just out of reach.

In this episode, Suzanne courageously shares her long, honest journey of seeking truth:

Growing up Mormon and quietly questioning what didn’t sit right

Feeling trapped between loyalty, identity, and unanswered questions

Wrestling with shame, anxiety, and depression while searching for peace

Stepping into a Christian church for the first time—alone and uncertain

Discovering Jesus not as a system, but as a relationship

Walking away from a lifelong identity and choosing Christ for herself

Experiencing baptism as freedom, joy, and new life

Learning to trust God daily with anxiety, parenting, and purpose

This is not a story about switching religions.

If you’ve ever:

Felt spiritually restless even inside a faith tradition

Feared disappointing people by asking hard questions

Struggled with anxiety, shame, or identity loss

Wondered whether Jesus could really bring peace

Suzanne’s story is a powerful reminder that Jesus keeps His promise: “Seek, and you will find.”

🎧 Listen now to hear how surrender, courage, and grace reshaped one woman’s faith—and future.

What happens when the life you’re chasing leaves you empty.. and God meets you at rock bottom?

Jackson Ford didn’t grow up deeply rooted in faith. For years, God felt distant - something reserved for holidays and church buildings, not everyday life. College only amplified that distance as partying, addiction, and isolation quietly took hold.

Then everything changed.

In this episode, Jackson shares his raw and hopeful story of transformation:

Growing up around church but never really knowing God

How COVID isolation exposed deeper emptiness and addiction

Hitting rock bottom during college and encountering grace for the first time

Saying yes to Jesus and watching identity, relationships, and purpose change

Learning to love selflessly instead of living for himself

Discernment, surrender, and an unexpected call into ministry

This isn’t a story about having it all figured out.

If you’ve ever:

Felt far from God even when you knew about Him

Tried to numb emptiness with success, relationships, or habits

Wondered if God could really use your past

Wrestled with obedience when it didn’t make logical sense

Jackson’s story is a reminder that God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up - He meets us in the mess and leads us forward.

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Raised in a deeply Mennonite home, Brad Brenneman grew up surrounded by faith, service, and spiritual discipline. But it wasn’t until adulthood—after success, ambition, and an unexpected sense of emptiness—that grace became personal.

In this episode, Brad shares a story best described as “surprised by grace”:

Growing up with a strong spiritual heritage—and learning faith for himself

Leading businesses with humility, stewardship, and love for people

Saying yes to international adoption - and watching grace multiply

Learning generosity as a pathway to joy, not obligation

If you’ve ever:

Wondered whether your career could truly be a calling

Struggled to reconcile ambition with faith

Felt God nudging you toward generosity, leadership, or adoption

Believed in grace, but wanted to experience it more deeply

Brad’s journey offers a compelling reminder: God often does His deepest work quietly... through faithfulness, surrender, and everyday obedience.

🎧 Listen now to hear how a life rooted in grace can shape work, family, generosity, and legacy.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (NIV)

Mark 10:45 (NIV)

Quote

What's So Amazing About Grace, Phillip Yancey

Tim Johnson was serving as a senior pastor when he received a life-altering Parkinson’s diagnosis. Overnight, certainty disappeared, plans unraveled, and the future became fragile.

In this second episode of This Is My Story, Tim shares the story after the diagnosis:

Hearing the word Parkinson’s and choosing not to waste it

Letting go of leadership, identity, and control

Learning to trust God without demanding answers

Finding peace, and even joy, while living with uncertainty

Discovering a new calling rooted in care, presence, and hope

This isn’t a conversation about healing formulas.

If you’ve ever:

Faced a diagnosis you didn’t see coming

Wondered why God didn’t intervene

Struggled to trust when your future feels unsteady

Tim’s journey offers a steady, honest reminder: God may not remove the suffering, but He never removes His presence.

🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, surrender, and purpose can grow even in the shadow of Parkinson’s.

Carly Patterson was just 16 when she won Olympic gold - then suddenly had to figure out who she was without gymnastics.

In our first episode of Season 3: This Is My Story, Carly shares the rarely told story after the medals:

The identity crisis that followed peak success

The pressure to live up to “gold” for the rest of her life

Her unexpected faith journey when control slipped away

A painful season of infertility—and learning to release outcomes

How purpose looks different when the spotlight fades

This isn’t a story about gymnastics.

If you’ve ever:

Reached a milestone and still felt unfulfilled

Struggled with identity after a major life transition

Tried to control an outcome that wouldn’t budge

Carly’s journey will meet you right where you are—and remind you that your worth was never tied to your achievement.

🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, surrender, and resilience reshaped life after Olympic gold.

In this powerful season finale of Why Do I Do What I Do? Exploring the Enneagram, host Paul Basden sits in the guest chair—interviewed by creative pastor and longtime friend Allison Harrell. Together, they explore Paul’s personal journey as an Enneagram Type 1 (The Reformer) and how understanding his type has shaped his spiritual life, leadership, and relationships.

With honesty, humor, and deep self-reflection, Paul shares how childhood experiences formed his worldview, why he mistyped himself as a Two for years, how spiritual direction and counseling transformed him, and how he’s learning to distinguish his inner critic from the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This episode also addresses big questions Christians often ask about the Enneagram:

Paul offers thoughtful, pastorally grounded responses while weaving in Scripture—especially Romans 8—to show how the Enneagram can be a tool for spiritual formation when held in the right way.

This episode takes a second, deeper look at the Enneagram Type 9—this time through the voices of two leaders on the Preston Trail staff: Ryan and Cody. With humor, vulnerability, and relatable honesty, they explore what it means to lead, parent, partner, and grow as Nines in a church setting.

Ryan and Cody share openly about their experiences as Nines working closely together, leading teams, raising young families, and seeking emotional and spiritual health in a fast-paced ministry environment.

Together, they unpack hallmark traits of the Type 9—harmony-seeking, calm presence, empathy, stubbornness, avoidance, and the quiet strength that emerges when a Nine steps into healthy leadership. You’ll hear real stories, vulnerable insights, and practical reflections on marriage, parenting, ministry, spiritual formation, and how the Enneagram helps them better follow Jesus.

Whether you identify as an Enneagram 9, love a Nine, or lead alongside one, this conversation offers practical wisdom and heartfelt encouragement for your everyday life and relationships.