In this two-part interview, we continue our series Suffering Transformed, honest conversations about some of the hardest days and seasons in our lives and where we can go for help and hope. Barrett interviews Sladjan Milenkovic, who is from the country of Serbia. Barrett first met Sladjan during the season when he his daughter Sara were Memphis in receive treatment at St Jude for a serious, aggressive form of pediatric cancer that Sara had been diagnosed with in Serbia. A close relationship was formed between their families and Barrett’s church, which served as their church home while they were in Memphis. That relationship continues to this day, now in form of a partnership with Camp Hope, started by the Milenkovic family to minister to pediatric cancer families across the entire Balkan region. Sladjan is the director of HUB Bible

Sladjan speaks about the topic of suffering out of his life’s experience. He discusses suffering he knows as a man, as a dad, and as a citizen of his country in Serbia. He speaks not only from his experience with Sara’s cancer but also, more recently, his personal experience battling COVID-19 in Serbia.

This interview discusses a variety of topics related to suffering, including how to make sense of it and deal with it as children of God. The conversation speaks from depth of experience and desire for knowing more of the beauty and purposes of God. In this first part of the interview, Sladjan primarily discusses the present personal and societal sufferings because of the COVID-19 pandemic Serbia. He describes its potential impact in bringing people to greater awareness of the brokenness and indiscriminate nature of suffering in the world. He also discusses the opportunity for believers to grow in greater embrace of weakness that can lead them closer to God.

Not many people talk about these things as directly and authentically as Sladjan does, from his own heart, God’s Word, and the pain of his own experience. If you are in the midst of suffering, desire to know how to minister to others in the midst of suffering, or desire to be prepared for future season of suffering, this interview will benefit your greatly.

In this episode, we welcome Chris Memminger to our podcast for a helpful and encouraging interview about how to stay focused and faithful in relationship with God in times of prolonged distress of circumstances and the soul.

Imagine you’ve given everything to train for a marathon. Then, you run it with everything you have. To your shock, as you cross the finish line with exhaustion and excitement for some relief, you get handed a bike. You're told it’s not a marathon but an Iron Man competition. Just when you thought you’d successfully endured the greatest athletic trial of your life, you realize you’ve still got biking and swimming to go. What does this leave you feeling?

This is the exact feeling that many of us have experienced lately. In the latest turn in the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, our community and country have seen trend lines headed in the wrong direction. Just when we thought that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, that we might be getting back to normal…. it seems that we are all coming to the realization that this could go on for awhile longer. Just when we thought we’d successfully endured the greatest trial of our generation, we’ve been “handed a bike.”

This has led to a lot of feelings: discouragement, frustration, rebellion, resignation. This has also led to a lot of questions: What do we do? How do we survive? How do we thrive? How do we continue in trust, faith, and faithfulness in the right rhythms of life in ways that lead to help and hope?
Our guest, Chris Memminger, served most of his career in the United States military. There are some incredible parallels between his time on deployment in the military and the situation that we are facing right now. He will describe many of the things he learned about God - about faith, living a life of faithfulness, perseverance, and living a life of right discipline - that very much apply to the season we are in right now. You will benefit greatly from this interview and be encouraged to continue to persevere in truth in Him!

I’m excited to announce today that we are going to be beginning a new series on this podcast called “Suffering Transformed.” In this series, you are going to have an opportunity to hear from many people that will help bring God’s perspective on times of suffering in our lives. They will help answer the questions: What should we do in times of suffering? And what does the Bible say about suffering?

Thankfully the Bible is not quiet about this topic. Throughout this series we will discuss different themes found in Scripture related to suffering including: perseverance, selflessness, finding hope, waiting on God, learning to surrender to God, and learning to walk in holiness. Join us as we look at how we can put our hope in God in ways that can lead to the transformation of our suffering.

1 Peter 5:10-11, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

In this episode of the podcast, Barrett talks to Zach Watts about the significance of being adopted by God in his life own. Abandoned by his own father at a young age and growing up in the foster care system, Zach talks about the heartache that comes from his earthly father and the transformation that happened to him when he realized that he was chosen and adopted by a Heavenly Father.

This has been one of the hardest weeks that I can remember as a citizen of the United States of America. This week, we witnessed video of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer while he was lying in custody on a sidewalk begging for the opportunity to breathe. It has been a week full of emotions for personally and corporately- for our community, country, entire world. It has spawned not only emotions but a wide range of action, including protests around the country. We are hearing loud cries for change. Most of us have been wrestling with a lot of emotions, heart ache, confusion, frustration, and questions. What is the right perspective on all of this? What is really going on? This moment is so much more than just this week. That’s why this moment feels so especially painful. What do I do? What am I to say? How do I love my black friends well here in this community and speak with them and advocate for them - not only here, but in our country and around the world?

That’s exactly why I invited Steve Johnson to be on this episode. Steve is a friend who I trust and admire greatly. He’s a pastor of a multicultural church here in the inner city of Memphis. I invited Steve here on this episode because I needed time with him this week. First, I needed him to understand that I love him and care for him. That I’m with him. I also needed to hear from him to get perspective and help. And to understand where he is looking for help. Steve is a black leader here in our community. He has the ability to help bring understanding through his experience and, through his own processing, help me to make sense of what’s going on and to know where to go from here. Our conversation today is not political but gospel-centered. The aim of it is just to seek God together. We desire to seek the good that God desires for our churches, community, country and the world at large.

In this podcast episode, you’re going to hear me ask questions that I wanted to ask Steve. I’m glad you get to listen in, but really this interview was to help me. I want to know his perspective as a black man on all that’s been happening and how it differs from mine as a white man. I want to know what he wishes white people knew about the experience of black people. I want to know how it is that I can be a better listener and friend. How it is that I can be a better advocate for my friends of color in this time and all the time? I want to know what it is that I can do, because so often I feel paralyzed by fear or inexperience in the issue. I want to ask him questions that people have asked me as I’ve begun to speak up in my own church and community. Some have pushed back against it - that we’re making race a bigger issue than it should be, that we shouldn’t discuss the color of people’s skin, that it’s not a gospel issue. I wanted to ask these questions to Steve to listen and learn. I also want to hear what he hopes for and pleads for on his knees in prayer, and also in conversations with others. Where should the church should be on this conversation on race at this time? I also wanted to be very personal to understand how he talks to his kids about this... and how I can talk to mine.

This is a very personal conversation and I am
so grateful to Steve for his trust in me to allow me the opportunity to ask about some of these very personal issues that have brought great pain into his life in the past and even at this present moment. Today in this podcast, you are going to be listening to someone in the middle of processing their own grief and emotion, but doing it in a way that they are going to God and filtering it through the gospel. I believe you’re going to be greatly helped.

This interview is going to come to you in two parts and episodes. We did that to help give you space to process, repent, and pray. Make sure to subscribe and rate us in the iTunes Store.

This has been one of the hardest weeks that I can remember as a citizen of the United States of America. This week, we witnessed video of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer while he was lying in custody on a sidewalk begging for the opportunity to breathe. It has been a week full of emotions for personally and corporately- for our community, country, entire world. It has spawned not only emotions but a wide range of action, including protests around the country. We are hearing loud cries for change. Most of us have been wrestling with a lot of emotions, heart ache, confusion, frustration, and questions. What is the right perspective on all of this? What is really going on? This moment is so much more than just this week. That’s why this moment feels so especially painful. What do I do? What am I to say? How do I love my black friends well here in this community and speak with them and advocate for them - not only here, but in our country and around the world?

That’s exactly why I invited Steve Johnson to be on this episode. Steve is a friend who I trust and admire greatly. He’s a pastor of a multicultural church here in the inner city of Memphis. I invited Steve here on this episode because I needed time with him this week. First, I needed him to understand that I love him and care for him. That I’m with him. I also needed to hear from him to get perspective and help. And to understand where he is looking for help. Steve is a black leader here in our community. He has the ability to help bring understanding through his experience and, through his own processing, help me to make sense of what’s going on and to know where to go from here. Our conversation today is not political but gospel-centered. The aim of it is just to seek God together. We desire to seek the good that God desires for our churches, community, country and the world at large.

In this podcast episode, you’re going to hear me ask questions that I wanted to ask Steve. I’m glad you get to listen in, but really this interview was to help me. I want to know his perspective as a black man on all that’s been happening and how it differs from mine as a white man. I want to know what he wishes white people knew about the experience of black people. I want to know how it is that I can be a better listener and friend. How it is that I can be a better advocate for my friends of color in this time and all the time? I want to know what it is that I can do, because so often I feel paralyzed by fear or inexperience in the issue. I want to ask him questions that people have asked me as I’ve begun to speak up in my own church and community. Some have pushed back against it - that we’re making race a bigger issue than it should be, that we shouldn’t discuss the color of people’s skin, that it’s not a gospel issue. I wanted to ask these questions to Steve to listen and learn. I also want to hear what he hopes for and pleads for on his knees in prayer, and also in conversations with others. Where should the church should be on this conversation on race at this time? I also wanted to be very personal to understand how he talks to his kids about this... and how I can talk to mine.

This is a very personal conversation and I am
so grateful to Steve for his trust in me to allow me the opportunity to ask about some of these very personal issues that have brought great pain into his life in the past and even at this present moment. Today in this podcast, you are going to be listening to someone in the middle of processing their own grief and emotion, but doing it in a way that they are going to God and filtering it through the gospel. I believe you’re going to be greatly helped.

This interview is going to come to you in two parts and episodes. We did that to help give you space to process, repent, and pray. Be on the lookout for Part Two of my conversation with Steve Johnson. Make sure to subscribe and rate us in the iTunes Store.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like INSIDE a COVID-19 unit? What exactly is going on inside these special hospital centers on the frontlines of the healthcare battle against the Coronavirus? What is it like to have the disease? What is it like to be a healthcare worker treating and serving someone who has the disease? Many of us have heard some statistics or seen stories about the Coronavirus, but few of us have talked to someone who has been up close and personal its presence and impact. Through this interview, you will have this opportunity.

On this episode, you will have opportunity to hear from Curryann Potter, a Registered Nurse in Memphis, Tennessee who regularly works in a COVID-19 unit serving patients who have contracted the disease and are fighting for their life. She shares about the day-to-day experience and operations in these very serious and sensitive healthcare facilities, helping us know in more real ways how this virus is impacting people's lives and the lives of those who care for them. From her perspective as a nurse and a Christian, she shares things she wishes others knew about life inside their unit, misconceptions people have, and why this all is really so important.

Curryann shares many heart-gripping stories in this interview that will help form a more human perspective of this virus. She helps us know the experience and hardships of patients with the virus, even couples that are battling the virus in the hospital at the same time. She tells stories about what life is like for nurses and health care workers in the COVID unit, including the unique needs and opportunities they experience during time. She celebrates efforts to care for health care workers and explains what has helped encourage them the most. She also describes areas in which health care workers need continued support and prayer.

Curryann also opens up very personally in ways that will help you understand and appreciate the hope and practical implications of the Gospel even more. What are the personal effects of this virus on our frontline healthcare workers, especially those serving in these COVID-19 units? How do they cope with the fear and anxiety? Curryann describes how this season of working in a place of high-risk of exposure to COVID-19 has pushed her to turn to God in even greater ways for comfort, rest, and release of control. While there is a lot of opportunity to learn about COVID-19 units on this episode, there is an incredible opportunity to learn more about Jesus and living by faith in Him. Enjoy this episode with Curryann Potter!

Have you ever wondered: "Where is God in the middle of my circumstances and suffering?" Our guest in this episode will remind you that you are not alone in asking that question. Neither does it make you an inauthentic Christian. In fact, you are in good company among many people of God - both the Bible and around the world today. During this global pandemic, many are experiencing and questioning the presence of God in suffering more than ever before.

Our guest in this podcast episode is Rachel Welter, a gospel-centered, biblical counselor in Memphis, Tennessee who is in our church family. She opens up about her own struggles with depression, the tendencies of the human heart toward isolation, and the opportunity to know God more through suffering. Rachel is so skilled at articulating the deeper working of God’s grace in the midst of personal crisis and how to choose victory in truth and intimacy with God over the lies of anxiety and self-defeat. Don’t miss her incredible illustration around the 20 minute mark on the gracious gift of “surgery” that suffering can often be in our heart and life.

You will be helped through Rachel’s honest testimony and wise counsel in this episode. Thanks for listening and remember to rate, review, and share today’s podcast with others!

In the midst of the unprecedented stress of the Coronavirus pandemic, we turn to another trusted, skilled Christian mental health professional to provide help and hope.

In this episode, we interview Steve Roark, a licensed clinical social worker and Christian counselor of 42 years. Steve shares out of his lifetime of experience and wealth of wisdom in Christian counseling to help you know how to seek greater personal, relational, and family health.

During this dynamic conversational interview, Steve shares how crises can bring tough challenges that impact us personally and also relationally- especially with those closest to us and within our own household. Through many relatable personal examples and stories, Steve shares how you can find in these challenges unique opportunities for renewed perspective, investments, habits, and growth in relationship with God and others.

How can you handle stress, uncertainty, and frustration in a healthy, God-honoring way? What are some practical things you can do to improve your home life and invest in your marriage? What are the 10 habits of highly successful marriages? What personal ownership is needed to make adjustments for greater health? Steve will give wise, godly advice to help you pursue personal emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational health in moments of crisis and also in normal everyday life.

Steve Roark is the former Executive Director of Warren-Yazoo Mental Health Services and now serves as the CEO of Behavioral Health Foundation of Central Mississippi, which he founded. Steve also serves two churches as a staff counselor, First Baptist Yazoo City, Mississippi and First Baptist Oxford, Mississippi. In 2019, he was named one of the 10 most influential Christians in the state by “Mississippi Christian Living” magazine.

You will find great encouragement and practical tools to help your personal and relational challenges in this interview. Enjoy the episode and then consider sharing it with someone else!