With You in the Weeds: Where Faith Meets Mental Health

What happens after you die?

Where will heaven be?

What will you do in heaven?

Whether you know it or not, your beliefs about heaven impact your current perspective. And without a biblically informed understanding of heaven, you may be prone to adopting a narrative about what happens after death that is inaccurate.

What Shay & Austin explain in this episode is that ultimately, heaven is relational. Meaning, heaven is where you will be fully known and fully loved, enjoying perfect community with Jesus and those you have loved and known here on earth.

Once you come to understand the significance of how Jesus will make all things new, and wipe away every tear from your eyes, your present sufferings and hardships will not feel so hopeless.

Listen as Shay and Austin give a vision for heaven that will tap into your deepest longing for all things lost to be restored. 

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

If this title hits a nerve, you’re in good company because everyone has some sort of internal emotional response when they think of their father, good or bad. But we’re talking about it because we’re all children with a built-in longing to connect with our father.

And given that no one has had a perfect human father, it's hard for us to imagine God as our Heavenly Father being as good as the Bible tells us he is.

In this episode Lynn, John, and Austin discuss what spiritual adoption is and the implications it has in our lives when we relate to God as our Father:

Spiritual adoption means our debts are canceled.

Spiritual adoption means God feels compassion and tenderness towards us. 

Spiritual adoption means it’s possible to reshape our father filter.

Being Grounded in Grace includes embracing your identity as a child of God, so you don't want to miss this compelling conversation.

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

Does it ever feel like you’re calling God and he’s just not picking up? Have you ever believed God loves you in your head, but not in your heart? 

Has this head/heart gap lasted a long time, felt hopeless, or caused feelings of guilt and despair? If so, you might actually be right where God wants you.

In this episode John, Shay, and Austin discuss the specifics of what the “silence of God” is, relate stories and scriptures about when God feels distant and describe experiences of dark nights of the soul.

This stage of your spiritual growth may feel like a desert, the wilderness or a valley and you may wonder how you will survive this painful season.

But we want to encourage you that there may be more happening behind the scenes even when God seems unresponsive to your pain. 

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

As counselors, we are often asked by clients these perplexing questions: "Why do I do what I don't want to do? Why am I not further along in my spiritual growth? Will I ever be free from this besetting sin?" 

These questions immediately get to the heart of the internal battle we all face when it comes to the topic of indwelling sin and what growth looks like in the life of a Christian.

John, Lynn, and Austin discuss the parasitic nature of sin and how it imbeds and expresses itself in our hearts and infects our relationships, often leading to various forms of destruction. 

But Jesus has overcome the power of sin and is committed to beginning and empowering your growth (a process called sanctification) which can be characterized by staying, growing, and responding.

When you’re done with this episode you’ll get clarity on why the struggle is so hard and renewed hope the next time you find yourself doing what you don’t want to do.

Are you enjoying the WYITW podcast? We'd love it if you would leave us a rating and review on your podcast app. And tell your friends about us!

You can also follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

Have you noticed that we live in a world where you are judged by your performance? 

Your sense of purpose, identity and value seems to hang on the balance of how well you perform in school, at work, as a parent and even as a Christian. But what happens when you realize you can’t measure up, no matter how hard you try? 

Pastor Erwin Lutzer joins Lynn Roush & Shay Roush on this second episode in our Grounded in Grace series, where they discuss the self-doubt, fear of failure and insecurities that exhaust and paralyze you when trying to perform your way into love and acceptance. 

What if you could depend on someone else’s perfect performance and rest in the fact that someone else has done everything necessary for you to be safe, secure and accepted? This powerful teaching of justification might be the most unbelieveable part of the gospel message.

Listen in so that you can be anchored and rooted in God’s grace and not feel like a spiritual imposter!

Are you enjoying the WYITW podcast? We'd love it if you would leave us a rating and review on your podcast app. And tell your friends about us!

You can also follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

This episode kicks off a new series called Grounded in Grace where we will explore several key theological truths that we need to understand and cling to in the weeds of life.

We kick things off with the most foundational truth of all - The Gospel. But what does that even mean? And what implications will it have in your life? 

John, Shay and Austin discuss the heart of the gospel message: that God sent Jesus to be in the weeds with you. This profound truth changes everything and impacts every area of your life:

The gospel changes your identity

The gospel changes your purpose

The gospel provides divine power for change and internal transformation

The gospel of grace is at the heart of Soul Care, so we are excited about this new series!

Are you enjoying the WYITW podcast? We'd love it if you would leave us a rating and review on your podcast app. And tell your friends about us!

You can also follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

This is our second installment of answering YOUR questions!

The WYITW team tackles 2 listener questions in this episode:

1. What therapeutic concept has been most eye-opening and helpful to you as a counselor?

2. As a single person in the church, I struggle to figure out where I fit in. How do I deal with being single when I feel overlooked?

John, Shay, Lynn & Austin have a spirited round table discussion on these excellent questions as they share what they have learned from their experiences in ministry and counseling.

We invite you to send us YOUR questions via email at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or Facebook @withyouintheweeds, and message your question to our team.

Perhaps you know this in your mind, but actually believing it in your heart is a different story. John, Shay, and Austin set out to help close this gap between your head and your heart.

They discuss the following 3 important biblical truths that you need to remember:

1. God's heart is for the sexually broken.

2. The gospel says that you are simultaneously far more broken than you know, and yet far more loved than you can imagine. This powerful truth redeems, restores, and reminds us of our God-given dignity and value.

3. The promise of Romans 8:38-39 - Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

They also discuss 3 practical ways to “clear the runway” of your life in order for those biblical truths to land:

First, learn the relational equation: honesty + vulnerability = connection.

Second, prepare for a marathon, not a 100 yard dash.

Third, your actions may have painful consequences but God's enduring love for you remains unchanged.

Our hope is that after listening you will be able to believe, even just a little bit more, that sexual brokenness does NOT disqualify you from God’s love.

If you want to read more on this topic, check out the following books: 

"Surfing for God" by Michael John Cusick

"Unwanted" by Jay Stringer 

"On The Threshold of Hope" by Diane Langberg

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

Have you ever believed this about yourself? We know that this bad, false belief is pervasive and often reinforced by feelings of self-loathing and self-condemnation. That's why the With You in the Weeds team decided to tackle it head on.

Lynn, John, and Austin address what might be one of the most heavy, messy, and complex FALSE beliefs in the entire series "Beliefs That Keep You Stuck". They define “sexual brokenness” and unpack the progression of intimate bonding and the powerful impact it has on your body and soul.

This episode highlights 3 crucial principles you need to be aware of when it comes to the process of sexual bonding and relational attachment that may shed light on why this struggle feels so hard.

Our hope is that as we tackle this false belief, the burdens you may carry related to this topic would be a bit lighter and that you have a better understanding of how this false belief is impacting you. 

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.

We know it’s counterintuitive, but it’s true. "Shoulding" yourself into being a better person neglects the most important ingredient we need to grow: grace.

John, Shay, and Lynn share why it’s hard to believe this is true and discuss the proper place “shoulds” have in the Christian life.

When you’re done with the episode you’ll know how important it is to:

-Focus on trusting God instead of pleasing God

-Use discernment when you see “shoulds” controlling your life

-Begin saying “I wish” instead of “I should”

If you find the WYITW podcast helpful, tell your friends, leave the team a podcast review, follow us on Instagram @withyouintheweeds or email us at [email protected] with any topics you’d like discussed on future episodes.