We've all experienced pain, and most if not all of us want it to end as quickly as possible. But what do we do when our pain lasts for an extended period of time? What happens when healing doesn't come, or doesn't come according to our time table? What might God be doing in those difficult seasons? Join host Carol McCracken as she talks with author and neuropsychologist Dr. Michelle Bengtson on finding God in our pain. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Resources mentioned: Hem of His Garment, Sacred Scars: Resting in God's Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted

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Discussion/reflective questions:

1. What most resonated with you in this episode?
2. Think of a time when it felt as if your pain would never end. What made that season most difficult?
3. What did God show you during that time?
4. What might God be saying to you in your current season?
5. Which of God's character traits do you most find comforting when you're in pain?
6. What is your experience with lamenting?
7. In what ways has God healed you, or how might He currently be healing you?
8. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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When our world feels out of control and uncertain, we need to know there is One who remains unchanging, faithful, and always in control. When we recognize who God is and what that means for our lives, we recognize that we're never alone, never abandoned, and never over-powered, no matter how frightening our circumstances. Join host Jennifer Slattery as she talks with author and speaker Grace Fox on Living Unafraid. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Reference mentioned: Names of God: Living Unafraid: Devotional Study with Video Access (Names of God Devotional Studies Book 1)

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1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. Which of God's character traits do you find most comforting when you feel anxious or afraid?
3. What comes to mind when you consider God as Yahweh, the relational, self-sufficient, present Lord?
4. What comes to mind when you think of God as your shepherd?
5. What feels like a giant in your life currently?
6. When might you most need to remember that God is the God of heaven's armies?
7. Compare God's power and strength to that of the giant you currently feel. How does doing so help dial down the intensity of your fears?
8. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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We've probably all watched a movie or read a novel that had a profound impact on us and helped us see ourselves, our circumstances, and our struggles in a fresh way. God uses numerous ways to speak to our souls, and stories can reach places within us we might otherwise keep walled off. In this episode, host Jennifer Slattery talks with novelist Felicia Ferguson on some of the themes presented in her latest release When Secrets Come Calling, the various losses her characters grieve, how God meets them in their pain, and how He longs to heal us as well. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Books mentioned: When Secrets Come Calling, The Paths We Walk: Trails, The Paths We Walk: Bridges.

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Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. What movies or novels have impacted you most and why?
3. What is it about stories that they have such a capacity to so deeply touch us?
4. Why is it important to allow ourselves to grieve our losses?
5. What are some things that might cause "ongoing" grief, and how can we grieve those well?
6. How might remembering God's steadfast love help us in our grief?
7. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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Life's struggles can leave us feeling exhausted and discouraged, drawing our focus to all our doubts and anxieties. We might try harder or do our best to run faster, thinking we can somehow keep everything from crashing down around us. But as Carol McCracken discusses with guest Julie Sunne, we aren't meant to carry the full weight of our lives. That's God's job. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Resource mentioned: Sometimes I Forget: 60 Reminders of Hope for Your Hard Days

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1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. What attribute of God do you find most encouraging in your present season and why?
3. When do you most tend to become self-reliant?
4. How does it feel to know that God doesn't need but rather invites you to partner with Him?
5. When you find yourself feeling impatient, what anxieties and fears most fuel that impatience?
6. How can focusing on what God wants to do in us help us endure uncomfortable seasons well?
7. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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Numerous times in Scripture, God tells us not to be afraid. But He does more than that. He's also provided powerful truths and stories that reveal His faithfulness to bolster our souls to experience increased peace and decreased fear. In this second part of our two-part series on Scriptural Truths to Quiet Fear, guest Kelly Hall and host Jennifer Slattery discuss Deuteronomy 31 and Matthew 14:22-33 and the God who remains present in life's most intense storms. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Resource mentioned: Courageous Faith: Discover the 7 Keys to Living Courageously in Life's Adventures
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Unshakable Hope Podcast

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Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. How do you feel when you hear Scripture promising God will never leave or forsake you?
3. What are some ways you remind yourself of God's presence?
4. How can cultivating anticipation for the good God will do in our lives increase our resiliency to endure hard and frightening seasons?
5. When have you wrestled with God, and what were the results?
6. In what ways has God used a frightening time to increase your faith and deepen your understanding of Him?
7. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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The words recorded in Scripture are much more than wise principles upon which to build one's life. And while, reflecting deeply upon them helps to transform our thinking and rewire our brains toward increased peace, these timeless truths do more than that. They contain supernatural power to fight back darkness and fortify our souls. In this episode, Bible teacher and host of the Unshakable Hope podcast Kelly Hall and Jennifer Slattery talk about Scripture they turn to when they feel afraid. (Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

Biblical passages discussed: Deuteronomy 31; Exodus 33-34; Joshua 2

Resource mentioned: Courageous Faith: Discover the 7 Keys to Living Courageously in Life's Adventures

Find Kelly Hall:

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Unshakable Hope Podcast

Find Jennifer Slattery:

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Discussion/Reflective questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. How might you have felt, had you been among the Israelites when Moses explained that he would not longer be leading them?
3. What does it mean to recognize God as our true leader?
4. What do you find most comforting when you consider God's promise to always go with you?
5. Why is it important to prioritize God's presence over His blessings, and how might doing so actually help to decrease our anxiety and fear?
6. How can knowing God's tender heart as our Father help increase our confidence to follow Him wholeheartedly?
7. What struck you most when Jennifer and Kelly discussed Rahab's response to evidence of God's power compared to how her countrymen responded?
8. What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

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Jesus promised that His followers would recognize His voice. While this is true, there are ways we can dull our spiritual ears and ways in which we can heighten our sensitivity to His still soft voice.

Passages discussed: 1 John 2:11-17; I John 5:13-15

(Scroll down for discussion/reflective questions.)

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Discussion/reflective Questions

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. When do you tend to hear God most clearly?
3. When do you find it most challenging to discern God's voice?
4. How or why might hatred toward others dull our spiritual hearing?
5. How or why might selfishness and the sins that stem from this hinder our spiritual hearing?
6. According to Jesus, who would hear His voice, and what does it mean to be among those people?
7. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

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Many of us might know, intellectually, that God loves our children more than we do, and holds incomprehensible power to care, provide for, and guide them. But our anxious hearts can find it challenging to actually release them into His care, and our minds might find it confusing to know what this looks like in our, and their, day-to-day lives. (Scroll down for discussion/reflection questions.)

Bible passage discussed: 1 Samuel 1

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Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. When have you sensed God asking you to, in essence, release a loved one into His care? What did this look like?
3. Why is it important to recognize God's heart for our loved ones and His power to care for them?
4. When have you seen someone's refusal to entrust a loved one to Christ (also known as trying to fix things themselves) led to increased dysfunction or harm?
5. What would you have found most challenging, had you been Samuel's mom?
6. Consider your typical actions with, and in regard to, your loved ones. How consistently are you modeling clinging to God above all?
7. What is one action step God might be asking you to take having listened to this episode?

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.