What does it really mean to be “attached” to God—and why do so many of us feel disconnected even while doing all the “right” spiritual things?

In this episode, counselor and pastor Phil Herndon shares his journey from “churchianity” in Marietta, Georgia, through addiction, marital struggle, and inner chaos, to sobriety and a deeper experience of attachment to God. He talks about his path into counseling, his work at the Center for Professional Excellence, and his partnership with Tin Man, where he helps leaders and pastors who are burned out, addicted, or emotionally shut down.

Phil explains how the brain is wired for protection, how trauma and unprocessed grief keep us stuck, and why lament—especially as seen in Scripture—is a kind of “cheat code” to attachment. He unpacks the eight core emotions (anger, hurt, lonely, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, and gladness) and shows how they act as a transport system to bring our stories into the light and reconnect us to God and others.

We also explore what real courage looks like: staying present, being vulnerable again, and letting trusted people into the painful parts of our story. If you’ve ever felt spiritually numb, emotionally shut down, or stuck in patterns you can’t explain, this conversation offers language, hope, and a practical path back to connection.

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Phillip Warren entered prison at 22 and walked out at 45 after 23.5 years for murder. In this raw, unfiltered episode of The Story Field, Phillip shares his spiral from a broken home, teenage rebellion, and a fateful night of rage to a life-altering encounter with Christ inside maximum-security walls. 

Hear how God met him in the pit—while he was still digging—and the jaw-dropping moment the victim's grieving parents offered not just forgiveness, but a job and a future. 

From parole setbacks to sobriety, fatherhood, and a marriage transformed by grace, Phillip’s story is proof: no pit is too deep for God to reach, and no past disqualifies you from His better plan. 

If you’re hopeless, hurting, or just need hope—email [email protected]

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Chuck Gschwend, co-founder of the Eden Project, shares his journey from attorney to minister and how his calling led him to help others connect deeply with God and each other. The Eden Project offers free resources, retreats, and small group experiences to nurture spiritual growth and authentic relationships.

In this episode, Chuck discusses the “God gap”—the disconnect many people feel between knowing about God and truly experiencing His goodness. He offers practical steps for bridging this gap, like honest self-reflection, simple daily prayers, and embracing our neediness as a path to deeper intimacy with God.

Listeners will discover that real spiritual transformation comes through loving relationships and honest connection, not just more information. Chuck encourages practices like emotions check-ins and solitude, reminding us that God’s love is unwavering and available to us right now, no matter where we are on our journey.

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Ryan Hurt joined us today on The StoryField.

In the small town of Lingleville, Texas (166 residents as of the last census) you will find this church:   Lingleville Baptist Church.

You will find Ryan Hurt preaching each Sunday to a crowd of around 1,200 people.

Ryan doesn’t look like your typically small-town Baptist preacher with his full arm sleeve tattoos.  And, he certainly doesn’t have a typical story about how the Lord used him to grow a church from 38 people to 1,200 in regular attendance in a town with only 166 residents.

Join us today for a CRAZY journey known as Ryan’s life which includes playing professional country music; snorting line after line of cocaine in hopes he didn’t wake up the next day; to the drunk driving car wreck that started the transformation which landed Ryan on the stage of a church each week.

Ryan prays all the time for the Lord to not let him lose his first love – Jesus and his amazing grace.  

Join us for this amazing story of God’s goodness and all the cool things He is doing out in Lingleville!  Ryan would want you to come as you are and receive the love of Jesus.

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Roland Warren joined us today on The StoryField.

He has been fighting for over 20 years to end abortion and is the author of an incredible new book entitled: The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must Be Pro Abundant Life.  You can order it HERE.

Roland is the President and CEO of Care Net.  He is a graduate of both Princeton and the Wharton School of Business and has spent 20 years in the corporate world before serving as president of the National Fatherhood Initiative then Care Net.

We asked Roland a hard question to kick the interview off:  

As a person who is a huge advocate for life – how in the world do you engage with a pro-choice person?

Join us for this incredible interview where Roland unpacks some big topics like:

• what it means to love your “neighbor” – in context of abortion.
• how the Great Commandment and Great Commission play a huge role in the abortion conversation.
• why we must include fathers when helping in unplanned pregnancies.
• why pro-abundant life approach to abortion alternatives creates amazing transformation.

Do you know what God did in response to the most celebrated unplanned pregnancy ever?  He created a family. Let’s help do the same!

 Listen in today as Roland helps us understand this incredible alternative to abortion - Pro Abundant Life.  

Want more information about Roland?  Check out his website here: https://rolandcwarren.com/ 

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Emily Edwards joined us today on The StoryField.

Join us for a great story of Emily’s journey from being recruited by 70 colleges to play basketball; to tearing her ACL which changed the course of her career.

Emily is a licensed Physical Therapist and is the Director of the Corporate Wellness program at Veritas Wellness. She also is a Wellness Navigator for Veritas.

Veritas provides a lot of great information about the 4 main pillars of health:

• Peace 
• Movement
• Hydration
• Nutrition

Emily is the Movement expert. Recent studies have concluded that sitting is the new smoking – it can be that harmful to your body.

Listen today for some practical and helpful tips on the basic things a person can do which will make a big difference to transform their lives.  Some are really practical, like-

• Go for a walk outside.
• Set a timer each hour – stand up and walk around.
• Do some basic stretching and strength training.

Emily will tell you to keep it simple and be intentional.  

Join us today for a great story with practical tips to encourage you to get moving!

PS. Check out Veritas Wellness. Become a Member. Book a session with Emily today.

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Jake Weidmann joined us today on The StoryField.

Jake is an artist and master penman. In fact, he is the youngest person to receive that certification by decades.

Join us today when we talk with Jake about the slow pace and process it takes to produce incredible works of art with God.  

You must check out Jake’s work at https://www.jakeweidmann.com/.

Do not forget to grab a copy of his new book “Old Soul, New Creation: Experiencing God through a Life of Art and Faith” HERE.

PS. You love amazing jewelry?  Check out the jewelry company Jake and his wife Hannah created: www.everydayheirloomco.com

PSS. You can also find Jake on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@JakeWeidmannArtist

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This is a freedom episode you will not want to miss. 

Here is the deal. Your brain is designed by God to run on Joy but most of us run on Fear.  This produces a “fear-bond” to God instead of a “joy-bond”. 

A couple cool things you need to know about Dr. Warner:

1) He is the author of many incredible books, some of the most recent are:

Breakthrough! 5 essential Strategies for Freedom, Healing, and Wholeness (March 2024)

The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People (2023)

A Deeper Walk: A Proven Path for Developing a More Vibrant Faith (2022)

Rare Leadership in the Workplace – with Jim Wilder (2021)

2) He has a great podcast called On the Trail

3) He is the founder/president of www.deeperwalk.com for almost 20 years.

This episode is an incredible overview of some amazing topics which will open the door to some incredible life-changing topics such as: 

- The 4Cs of spiritual warfare

- The FISH discipleship model showing us to how live a victorious Christian life. 

Join us today for this incredible episode.

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Jon Seidl joined us today on The StoryField, and wow. Jon is the Christian who became an alcoholic—not the other way around. Usually we celebrate stories of non-Christians coming to Jesus. But what about Christians who stumble in their walks? Those stories of what Jon calls “messy sanctification” that can be hard to make sense of.

This is an episode of encouragement and hope – not judgment and condemnation so don’t tune out. You will not want to miss this radically vulnerable interview with him.

Jon tells us the story of how he spiraled into addiction and how he climbed out of it – all of which led and is the focus of his upcoming book “Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: A Candid Conversation on Drinking, Addiction, and How to Break Free” which is set to release on October 7. However, you can lock in a 40% discount and FREE shopping by pre-ordering the book right here!

There are 4 main steps the Lord used in Jon’s life to help him break free of his unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Tune in today and listen how each of these steps can help anyone in their life – they are not only for people struggling with alcohol. They helped Jon finally stop the destructive cycle of shame and find freedom—and the key to doing that is something we all need in our lives! Listen today to this wild story of God’s transformation and be encouraged.

PS. Want to help Jon get the Gospel and his book into 50 treatment centers in all 50 States?  Check out: The 50/50 Campaign

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Dr. Ben Edwards joined us today on The StoryField.

Dr. Ben’s mentor shocked him when they first met when he said “There is no such thing as diseases. They are all consequences”.  To a traditionally trained medical doctor – this was blasphemy.

Hours and hours of research and a year later – Dr. Ben was trying some different approaches which resulted in radically difference health outcomes for patients.

He started seeing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart diseases, asthma, and other “consequences” get reversed.

Join us today as we hear practical tips you can implement tomorrow which may completely change your life and health.

We covered getting rid of the “Big 3”.   And adding the “Big 5”.  We talked about stress and the impact on your body and the 4 pillars of health along with other topics.

Just listening to this episode may make you healthier.

Check out some great resources from Dr. Ben’s company called Veritas Wellness here: https://veritaswellnessmember.com/ and on his YouTube channel You're the Cure.

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