Episodes

  • Trauma, Tenacity, and Trusting God with Beth Moore

    Trauma, Tenacity, and Trusting God with Beth Moore
    Oct 14 2024
    Beth Moore is sure of one thing: In God, nothing is wasted. On this episode, Cuss and Moore talk about the trauma and trials she has faced, including her experience of being abused as a child, leaving the Southern Baptist Convention after devoting much of her life to it, and walking alongside her husband, Keith, as he navigates bipolar disorder. They discuss how Moore decided to share more of their story in her memoir and the ways God has ministered to people through that vulnerability. Tune in for an episode that speaks to God’s faithfulness in trauma, how Moore remains playful in the face of hardship, and what her recent back surgery taught her about how deeply God loves his children. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore Living Proof Ministries Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss

    The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss
    Oct 7 2024
    Have you ever walked into a room and immediately sensed anxiety between two people? Or maybe you’ve entered into a challenging conversation and have barely been able to hear it over the thunder of your heartbeat. Perhaps you’ve received a “we need to talk” text and felt your stomach drop with dread. These types of experiences—and reactions to them—are common, yet we often lack the tools to name or address them. On this episode of Being Human, Steve and Lisa Cuss introduce a tool called the Four Spaces that is designed to help us do just that. They explain the four spaces where anxiety shows up and offer wisdom and insight for engaging with each of them. Their conversation covers taking responsibility for our emotions, releasing our desire to control others, and relaxing in God’s presence. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: The Four Spaces 24-7 Prayer Tools Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • A Merciful Response to Doubt with Lisa Fields

    A Merciful Response to Doubt with Lisa Fields
    Sep 30 2024
    Why would a loving God send people to hell? When you hear the word apologetics, that’s likely the type of question that comes to mind. But Lisa Fields, one of the world’s most sought-after Christian apologists and the author of When Faith Disappoints, says there are often much more personal inquiries beneath those intellectual inquiries. In this episode, Fields and Cuss talk about pastors’ kids, pain points, and perfect love. They discuss the importance of listening when it comes to challenging faith conversations and consider the ways that the church can become a place of refuge. Fields shares how the Jude 3 Project, which she founded, is helping the Black Christian community know what they believe and why. This episode covers trauma, chronic anxiety, and the healing that is only found in Jesus. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: When Faith Disappoints: The Gap Between What We Believe and What We Experience by Lisa Fields Jude 3 Project Unspoken Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom Why I Don’t Go Leo Percer Tertullian Athanasius Click here to help new listeners find Being Human by leaving a review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • The Power of Pilgrimage with Brian and Peri Zahnd

    The Power of Pilgrimage with Brian and Peri Zahnd
    Sep 23 2024
    Around 250,000 people walk some portion of the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile network of ancient pilgrim routes in Spain, each year. In 2016, Brian and Peri Zahnd became two of those people, and it’s marked their lives ever since. On this episode, host Steve Cuss talks with the Zahnds about the ways that the pilgrimage shaped their perspectives on life and faith. The three discuss pastoring, political participation, and peace in Jesus. Their conversation also covers the Zahnds’ books, ministry, and marriage. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guests include: Brian Zahnd Every Scene By Heart: A Camino de Santiago Memoir by Peri Zahnd Word of Life Church Camino de Santiago Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave and Seán O’Hagan The Way Scot McKnight Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time by Sarah Ruden Albergues on the Camino The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross by Brian Zahnd Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • The Search for Belonging When You're One of A Kind

    The Search for Belonging When You're One of A Kind
    Sep 16 2024
    Humility isn’t just deferring to the desires of others. It’s also standing up for the weak. So says Dennis Edwards, vice president for church relations and dean of the seminary at North Park University, on this episode of Being Human. Cuss and Edwards talk about how Edwards’s many experiences of being the only Black man in the room have shaped him and his perspective. They talk about thoughtful and biblical approaches to theological education, the modern political landscape, and social media. And Cuss and Edwards consider how, for all of its flaws and challenges, the local church can offer unity in a way entirely its own. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: RevDrDre.com Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character by Dennis R. Edwards 1 Peter (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) by John H. Elliott The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today’s Urban World by Ray Bakke Bowen family systems theory Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • ‘The Bear’ Is a Master Class in Contagious Anxiety

    ‘The Bear’ Is a Master Class in Contagious Anxiety
    Sep 12 2024
    The Bear is a show about cooking, kitchens, and Chicago. But for anyone who has watched more than an episode or two, it’s clear there’s more to the story. On this special episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss looks at seven core themes in the hit FX show The Bear. Through the lens of systems theory and anxiety theory, Cuss considers the false needs and beliefs revealed in the show’s characters. He examines their contagious anxiety, sheds light on their conflict patterns, and considers what the show has to say about relationships. Diving into everything from untamed ambition to unprocessed trauma, Cuss ponders the deeply human moments that keep viewers returning to The Bear. Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • What It Means to Be Well

    What It Means to Be Well
    Sep 9 2024
    On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Alan Briggs, the founder of Stay Forth, a coaching organization that focuses on leader health and sustainable impact. Briggs’s latest book, AntiBurnout, empowers readers to avoid the perils of burnout and offers practical ways to measure one’s own health and well-being. Cuss and Briggs discuss the back-to-school anxiety that so many families face, how our individual wiring contributes to our unique anxiety triggers, and how to navigate modern political life. Their discussion includes tips and tools for identifying the skills, gifts, and abilities that can lead us away from resentment and toward rest. Resources mentioned during this episode include: The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss God, Christ and Us by Herbert McCabe AntiBurnout: A Lighter Way to Live and Lead in a Heavy World by Alan Briggs Stay Forth Dr. Wes Beavis The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni The Enneagram Capable Life Click here for a trial subscription at Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Art, Anxiety and America with Mandy Smith

    Art, Anxiety and America with Mandy Smith
    Sep 2 2024
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    43 mins