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Explore every episode of the podcast The GoodHard Story Podcast

Dive into the complete episode list for The GoodHard Story Podcast. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Episode 67: Getting Honest About Our Doubts with Andy Squyres05 Sep 202400:53:11

“Our theories about God and the way he works get confronted with the reality of our lives.”


This is the most refreshing conversation I’ve had in a long time, friends, because I got to talk about some kind of taboo topics without an ounce of the baggage. Joining me this week is Andy Squyres, a brilliantly one-of-a-kind songwriter who never, ever shies away from graciously grappling with the tough stuff. I’ve received so much from his songs and essays, and I received even more from speaking with him about all my favorite things—you know, like suffering, sorrow, and doubt. Normal!


If you join me on this episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast, here’s what you’ll take away:

  • Comfort for the days that God feels absent
  • Hope for a new kind of faith after deconstructing
  • Where to fit doubt into your friendship with Jesus
  • What to do when God doesn’t come through for you
  • An alternative response to political anxiety


Looking for a safe place to work through some doubts about who God is and whether he’s good? Then this episode is for you. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at hopeheals.com/podcast.


Show Notes

Andy Squyres on Instagram: @andysquyres

“Casimir Pulaski Day” by Sufjan Stevens

The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch

“Backwards Kingdom” by Sam McCabe ft. Andy Squyres

“Why It Matters” by Sara Groves

The Cellist of Sarajevo


***

There's so much more to the story: ⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠ for more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me!

Follow me in Instagram: ⁠⁠@hopeheals⁠⁠


Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

⁠Apple Podcasts⁠

⁠Spotify⁠


Want a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, my monthly digest of only the good stuff, like short reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content. Subscribe here.

Episode 66: Katherine’s Top Takeaways: One Year of Wisdom in 20 Minutes (Solo Episode)23 May 202400:20:26

Before the GoodHard Story Podcast takes a short summer break, Katherine is recapping her favorite moments from Season 3. She’s distilling over 30 hours of conversations and reflections into a potent 20-minute dose of hope!

What you’ll take away from this conversation…

  • Start a community from scratch

  • Reframing our emotions as a strength instead of a weakness

  • Becoming better—instead of bitter—because of our losses

As we prepare for the next season of the podcast, we need to hear what YOU want to hear! Let us know what hurt you’re holding today so that we can start some helpful, healing conversations between Katherine and her most trusted teachers.

If you want to help us create future episodes, email us at resources@hopeheals.com or DM us on Instagram (@hopeheals) with questions you’d like answered or topics you want covered.


Show Notes:

Donate to Hope Heals: hopeheals.com/give

Favorite Season 3 Moments:

Episode 37: Ask Amy Julia

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-37-ask-amy-julia

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ueGdkR3BPASl10PY319Gx?si=e1356478bdc240f7

“Experiencing disability or being in proximity to disability is a way to embrace our own humanity. It can also call us into love, care, and mutual receiving.”

———

Episode 39: Putting It Into Practice with Caroline Young

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-39-putting-it-into-practice-with-caroline-young

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/39AXj8Bk71LjcUbHAHQpnH?si=0625bc43b2a74d63

“Find the people without the people and make them your people.”

———

Episode 46: “Strong Like Water”: Designed for Emotional Agility with Aundi Kolber

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-46-strong-like-water-designed-for-emotional

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EN8lXrxbRjGXNY7WyFWqg?si=d3474bb03cf94a3c

“When Jesus promised to give us ‘life to the full,’ he was giving us permission to embrace the full spectrum of human emotion. We are being invited into experiencing deep feeling and emotional flexibility as a strength, not a liability.”

———

Episode 55: Hard-Fought Contentment: Integrating Our Losses into Wholeness with Jerry Sittser

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/epiode-55-hard-fought-contentment-integrating-our-losses

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fzhl7BoYlQ0S2K4IKvEEe?si=1bcf5b1d507c4a12

“Grief does not have to diminish us. Grief can become integrated into healthier, more whole versions of ourselves.”

“Our responses to loss can define us, rather than the loss itself defining us.”

“God, spare me from a perfect life.”

———

Episode 60: My Prayer for YOU: Borrow This Benediction for the Good/Hard Life

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-60-my-prayer-for-you-borrow-this-benediction

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4vJvuFKDPa2a765SojnlQS?si=77c38e6cd34c4320

“I’m not responsible for what has happened to me, but I am responsible for what I do with it.”

———

Episode 63: Wonderful/Terrible: Cultivating a Gritty Faith Instead of a Pretty Faith with Kay Warren

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-63-wonderful-terrible-cultivating-a-gritty

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Iq8Y3prH2QQMfIoezsRIX?si=62242adb5e3b4a0d

“We are never more like Christ than when we are sitting with people in their suffering.”

Scriptures referenced in this episode:

Romans 8:32

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Romans 15:13

***

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Episode 57: Being Failed by a “Checklist Life” with Russell Moore21 Mar 202400:37:58

Today Katherine is trying her best to keep her cool as she interviews her longtime hero Dr. Russell Moore, the editor in chief of Christianity Today. You don’t want to miss Dr. Moore’s fresh insights on some of our favorite themes, like dealing with unmet expectations and anticipating God’s future presence and provision in our stories.

If you’re looking for nuanced approaches to some weighty issues in Christian culture and in your personal relationship with God, this episode is for you.

What We’ll Cover:

  • Why being failed by our idols can actually be a grace

  • The virtues we can cultivate when we find ourselves in “the wilderness” of life

  •  How to maintain relationships with when your ideologies and opinions don’t align

  • Finding security within mystery

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at hopeheals.com/podcast.

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Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America by Russell Moore: https://a.co/d/htjNDnm


“A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can't prove a thing, but there's something about his eyes and his voice. There's something about the way he carries his head, his hands, the way he carries his cross—the way he carries me.’” - Frederick Buechner

The Russell Moore Podcast: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/russell-moore-show/

Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com

Scriptures referenced in this episode:

Hebrews 6:19

Romans 5:3-5

***

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote




Episode 56: How to Stop Waiting for Your Happy Ending: Celebration 101 with Katherine Wolf14 Mar 202400:30:37

Be honest. Deep down, are you waiting for a happy ending before you feel permission to celebrate your life? In this solo episode, Katherine is sharing how she stopped waiting for closure and began practicing the spiritual discipline of “joyful rebellion” against fear and despair.

We want to share something that could change everything for you: It’s possible to celebrate the lives we *actually* have, rather than the lives we wish we had.

Because when we celebrate our here-and-now lives, we are taking radical ownership of the stories we’ve been given. We’re thanking God for another day in the land of the living. We’re acknowledging that He is with us in the messy middle.

Today on the podcast we’re talking…

  • What it looks like to celebrate and mourn at the same time

  • Katherine’s personal and practical recommendations for hosting your own “brokenness brunch” (which includes a very enthusiastic sidebar on frittatas!)

  • The life-changing magic of surrounding ourselves with a diversity of hard stories

  • Why we should NEVER “save the good stuff” for special occasions

  • How to take radical ownership of the story you’ve been given

If the hope of a happy ending is getting in the way of your healing, this episode is for YOU!

--

Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures

Adam Young’s research on the healing power of telling your story: https://adamyoungcounseling.com/2019/12/10/why-engaging-your-story-heals-your-brain/

***

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/




Epiode 55: Hard-Fought Contentment: Integrating Our Losses into Wholeness with Jerry Sittser07 Mar 202400:37:38

After Katherine’s stroke nearly 16 years ago, she was desperate for a “survival guide”—some voice to offer real hope in the aftermath of such disorienting loss.

Jerry Sittser, the author of A Grace Disguised, was one of the few trustworthy resources she found after searching far and wide. Dr. Sittser became a bona fide member of the young suffering club when he lost his wife, mother, and young daughter in a catastrophic car accident. The lowest point in his life has developed an astoundingly robust faith and authentic joy. 

Sounds like someone we could all learn from, doesn’t he?

What we’ll cover…

  • The possibility that grief could become integrated into healthier, more whole versions of ourselves

  • Allowing our responses to loss to become what defines us, rather than the loss itself defining us

  • Discovering new capacities to develop hard-fought contentment after losing the good things in our lives

  • Practical ways to offer comfort to the people in our lives who are suffering

If your loss is swallowing you whole today and you’re in desperate need of a survival guide, this episode is for you.

---

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/




Episode 54: Normalizing Low-Grade Sorrow: How to Deal with Pain that Lingers29 Feb 202400:30:53

Let’s acknowledge an uncomfortable reality: No matter how much healing we receive, a low-grade sadness will remain.

In this vulnerable episode, Kathering shares how surprised she was to realize that having a second baby after her stroke couldn’t replace the months and years of motherhood she  lost with her first baby. A low-grade sorrow hummed deep in her heart, and she didn’t know what to do with it.

This side of heaven, all the redemption and restoration in the world might not erase our pain completely. A dull ache will always remain. Instead of trying to shake the low-grade sorrow, we can choose to learn from it instead. Today, Kathrine’s sharing what lessons she took away.

What we’ll cover:

  • Examining the true source of our sorrows

  • Seeing our pain as proof that we’re made for wholeness

  • Developing the habit of calibrating the core of our hope daily

If you’re looking for language to wrap around that lingering ache in your heart today, this episode is for you.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at hopeheals.com/podcast.


Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/hopenote⁠⁠⁠

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠⁠

Instagram⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Episode 53: Redeeming Anxiety: How the Fear of Loss Can Be An Opportunity for Gain with Curtis Chang22 Feb 202400:37:20

What if some of our problems were never meant to be solved or eliminated? What if we began reframing some problems as opportunities for knowing Jesus more?

In this episode, author and former pastor Curtis Chang joins Katherine to share how his lifelong experience of anxiety has led him to an entirely new understanding of loss, prayer, surrender, and even parenting.

If anxiety has felt like a barrier to spiritual growth rather than an invitation into deeper relationship with God, then this episode is for you.

What We’ll Cover: -How we know that Jesus experienced anxiety, and why that’s good news for those of us dealing with anxiety today -Biblically supported and science-backed ways to cope with our fear of loss -How to thoughtfully parent the most anxious generation in history - 3 practices that can increase our capacity to hold loss Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/hopenote⁠⁠ Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠ Instagram⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠


Episode 52: Befriending My Mortality: 3 Things Death Taught Me (Solo Episode)15 Feb 202400:20:00

Few topics today are more taboo than death. We’re told that nothing matters more than hanging on to our youth and health and beauty. So how could the END of life be relevant to this moment in our lives?

In this solo episode, Katherine lays out three surprising lessons she learned after nearly dying and how they’ve changed the way she’s living here and now.

If you’re hungry for fresh perspectives on your problems in the present moment, this episode is for you!


What We’ll Cover:

  • The benefits of surrendering the illusion of control

  • Gaining clarity on what matters by meditating on our mortality

  • How confronting death can train us to cope with other losses



Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/


Episode 51: “Not the Mom with the Chickens”: Stewarding the Story You Have with Laura Wifler08 Feb 202400:35:39

How would the narrative of your life, your pain, and your identity change if you started telling your story as if God intended it specifically for YOU? (Spoiler: he did!) Laura Wifler, who is raising a daughter with disabilities, shares how a conscious shift to gospel-thinking is transforming her experience of suffering.

What We’ll Cover

  • Choosing stewardship instead of balance when schedules feel too full

  • Cultivating “compassion paired with dignity” for hurting people

  • Living out the motto “my life is yours”

If you need renewed energy to join God in co-authoring the story of your life with trust, gratitude, and curiosity, this episode is for you.


Laura Wifler is a writer, podcaster, and co-founder of Risen Motherhood and is based in central Iowa. She has authored multiple bestselling, award-winning books for children, including, "Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer," and "Like Me," and is the co-author of the Risen Motherhood book. You can find her on Instagram, @laurawifler.

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/



Episode 50: 5 Tips for Accepting Your Story with Katherine Wolf 01 Feb 202400:21:39

Most of us are living stories we never would have chosen. Even so, friend, it’s possible for you to live these un-hoped-for realities well. 

If you’ve found yourself in a place of suffering, this chapter of your life must start with total shock, sadness, and disbelief. But it doesn’t have to stay in that place. Let’s talk about how.

Today Katherine is sharing a few tips she’s picked up while learning to love—yes, really, LOVE—the life she has. 

What We’ll Cover…

  • Taking intentional time to grieve your losses.

  • Telling your story to empathetic listeners.

  • Celebrating the process, not the outcome. 

  • Recognizing your assignment in this life.

  • Cultivating habitual gratitude for what remains. 

  • Deciding to love your life.

Today, if you only have capacity for the quickest and most practical tips for owning your story, this episode is for you.


Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/



Episode 49: Rethinking Everything We Know About Goodness with Lisa Whittle25 Jan 202400:47:07
In the dictionary of your life, what would be written beside the word “good?” Maybe health, fulfillment, beauty, wealth, comfort, or control? If God promises to withhold no good thing from those who walk faithfully with him, why doesn’t life feel all that great for those of us who are doing it “right?” Everything we’ve been taught about goodness could use an update from the kingdom of God. Bold, hilarious Bible teacher Lisa Whittle joins Katherine to imagine how redefining what is good could revolutionize the way we engage our lives, our dreams, and our pain. If your old definitions of goodness aren’t serving you too well anymore, this episode is for you. What We’ll Cover: How popular definitions of goodness  lead us to unrealistic expectations that warp our understanding of God's goodness. Setting healthy boundaries that preserve, rather than prevent, relationships Maintaining compassion in the midst of empathy overload The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down by Lisa Whittle - https://www.lisawhittle.com/good Scriptures referenced in this episode: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 (ESV) “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) -- Lisa is the best selling author of 9 books and several Bible studies, including Jesus Over Everything and The Hard Good. She is a sought-out Bible teacher for her wit and bold, bottom line approach. She is the founder of online communities: Ministry Strong for ministry leaders and Called Creatives for writers and speakers, and host of the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast. She’s a wife, mom, lover of laughter, good food, and The Bible, and a self-professed feisty work in progress. -- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
Episode 48: Made to Do Hard Things: Being Forces for Life in a Culture of Death with Matthew Sleeth18 Jan 202400:48:55

Matthew Sleeth, MD, a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to teach, preach, and write about faith.  Dr. Sleeth has spoken at more than one thousand churches, campuses, and events, including serving as a monthly guest preacher at the Washington National Cathedral.

Recognized by Newsweek as one of the nation's most influential Christian leaders, Dr. Sleeth is the executive director of Blessed Earth and author of numerous articles and books.

He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with Nancy, his wife of more than four decades. Their grown children serve with their families in full-time parish ministry and as medical missionaries in Africa.


We’re talking to one of the more interesting people on the planet today, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, who is going all in on becoming a “force for life in a culture of death” in realms as varied as creation care to suicide prevention to the practice of Sabbath.

Katherine and Matthew exchange vulnerable stories of their rock-bottom moments and the ways God has miraculously transformed their relationship to suffering. Matthew dispels the taboo around suicide by offering biblical honesty, comfort, and hope for the massive number of us grappling with absolute despair in our stories.

If you need real hope in the hard stuff today, this episode is for you.

What We’ll Cover:

  • Forming a prayer life that looks more like wrestling and less like a wishlist

  • How to stop waiting for miracles and start recognizing the miracles we’re experiencing here and now

  • Realistic practices to help us do the things we don’t want to do by putting them into perspective and recognizing where God is at work

  • What the story of God’s word has to say about suicide


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Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Episode 65: Re-ordering Our Ambitions: Uncovering God-Designed Humility with Joel Muddammalle16 May 202400:44:02

Have you ever spent a thousand hours studying something? Other than the back of your own eyelids, that is.

Today, Katherine is joined by her friend Dr. Joel Muddamalle, who recently spent one thousand hours studying everything the Bible has to say about humility. He’s sharing everything he learned with us! What he has to say might surprise you, and it’s certain to convict you.

If you sense you might be harboring hidden pride and finally feel ready to recover your God-designed humility, this episode is for you.

What you’ll take away from this conversation…

Why humility is the key to developing resilience against humiliation

How to invite God to re-order your ambitions

Making the switch from resenting your limitations to resting in them instead


All things Joel Muddamalle: https://linktr.ee/muddamalle

The Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility by Joel Muddamalle: https://a.co/d/bYj1ypQ

Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp

Proverbs 31 Ministries: https://proverbs31.org/

“These Are The Days” by Cory Asbury: https://g.co/kgs/fRaQBGz

Scriptures referenced in this episode:

Genesis 1, 2, and 3

Matthew 11:28-29

Philippians 2:8-9

***

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox?

⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

Get to know us:

⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/





Episode 47: Radical Joy and Electrifying Camaraderie: A (Virtual) Visit to Hope Heals Camp with Katherine Wolf11 Jan 202400:35:02

What happens when you invite thousands of people with medical complexities to middle-of-nowhere Alabama in the heat of summer? Radical joy and electrifying camaraderie, that’s what.

Katherine sits down with just a few of the people who make Hope Heals Camp happen. For nearly eight years, Katherine and the team have hosted this subversive gathering of people who have suffered greatly but are determined to heal together. What could sound like “the ultimate true bummer of all time” (to quote Katherine) is actually one of the most hopeful places that exists.

Part classic summer camp, part church experience, and part group therapy, Hope Heals Camp is offering resources, respite, and relationships to entire families experiencing disabilities. No matter the diagnosis, age, or location.

And the best part? It’s free of cost to every camper.

If you’re interested in learning more about being a camper or volunteer—or you just need a big dose of optimism about the deeply good things happening in the world—don’t miss this behind-the-scenes conversation about one of the most unique offerings on earth.

Volunteer and camper applications open January 18, 2024 at hopeheals.com/camp.

What We’ll Cover:

  • How Katherine went from resisting her place in the disability community to founding a camp for families affected by disability
  • What exactly makes Hope Heals Camp unique among any other family retreat in the world
  • Our culture of mutual ministry that invites every participant the dignity of serving and the comfort of being served

--

Hope Heals Camp video: https://youtu.be/ZHlsGl_L3pI

Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp

The 5 Stages of Changing Attitudes from the Wheaton College Center for Faith & Disability: https://www.wheaton.edu/wheaton-center-for-faith-and-disability/disability-foundations/the-5-stages/

  • Want a little hope in your inbox?

    ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote

    Get to know us:

    ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

    ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

    ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

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  • Episode 46: Strong Like Water: Designed for Emotional Agility with Aundi Kolber04 Jan 202400:40:49
    Ever feel like you need a label across your forehead that reads FRAGILE: HANDLE WITH CARE! In big read letters? It’s hard to imagine that we can be strong enough to handle all the suffering around us. In this heartening and thought-provoking conversation, Katherine sits down with therapist and author Aundi Kolber to reimagine what it means to be strong and understand how God made our bodies to adapt to heartbreak, hardship, and hurt. What We’ll Cover: - What the incarnation of Christ in a human body tells us about God’s design for our own bodies - Just how far we can expand our definitions of “strength” - Healthy ways to process our own trauma responses without being defined by them Show Notes: Aundi Kolber: https://aundikolber.com/ Strong Like Water: https://aundikolber.com/strong-like-water/ Try Softer: https://aundikolber.com/trysofter/ Suffer Strong by Katherine & Jay Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/books The Window of Tolerance from Dr. Dan Siegel, MD: https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/window-of-tolerance/ Gabor Maté on trading belonging for authenticity: https://youtu.be/l3bynimi8HQ?feature=shared Heather Avis: https://www.heatheravis.com/ *** Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
    Episode 45: Hope in the Holidays21 Dec 202300:37:54

    You’re invited to ramble with Katherine and Leah as they reflect on when “the most wonderful time of the year” doesn’t feel all that wonderful. Our hurt, especially during the holidays, could drive us into isolation, shame, or guilt. But it could also invite us into a unique camaraderie if we’re willing to share our pain with other people. Join the conversation, covering everything from the holy burden of becoming a survival guide to releasing yourself of some holiday to-dos to a much-anticipated Hope Heals Camp announcement!

    --

    “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.” 1 Peter 5:10 ESV

    Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp

    Make a tax-deductible donation: https://hopeheals.com/give

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV

    “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold  from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11 ESV

    “The good things of God are chiefly peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in this life; fruition of God’s presence, and vision of his blessed face, in the next.” - Sir Richard Baker

    Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in Our Hurting:

    --

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    Episode 44: Raising Boys & Girls with David Thomas and Sissy Goff14 Dec 202300:49:24

    Join Katherine & Jay as they welcome beloved friends of the Hope Heals community, David Thomas and Sissy Goff in for a candid conversation on parenting. The best stuff comes from the hard stuff, but none of us want our kids to go through the hard stuff. What decisions are we making to stand in the way of our kids experiencing opportunities for resilience and growth in safe ways? This is a great conversation that you do not want to miss!

    David is the Director of Family Counseling and has been a part of the Daystar staff for the last 25 years. He guides Daystar as co-executive director, meets with clients for parent consults, provides assessments with new families and supervises the guys’ staff. He is the author of ten books including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son can Build on for Life. He co-hosts the “Raising Boys & Girls” podcast and has become a sought-after speaker across the country.


    Sissy is the Executive Director of Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, where she works alongside her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Since 1993, she has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be. Sissy is a sought-after speaker for parenting events across the country and is a frequent guest on media outlets including CNN, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, NBC Nightly News, and Christianity Today. She is the bestselling author of 13 books including her latest, The Worry-Free Parent: Finding the Confidence You Need So Your Kids Can, Too.

    --

    “If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” - Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality

    ““Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.” - Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC's of Faith

    “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,the more joy you can contain.” - Khalil Gibran, “Oh Joy and Sorrow”

    ----

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    Episode 43: The Lost Art of Dying with Dr. Lydia Dugdale07 Dec 202300:46:27

    Suffering and death are guaranteed for all of us, so why are we so poorly prepared to engage with them? Dr. Lydia Dugdale, an expert on medical ethics and author of The Lost Art of Dying, gives us heartbreaking and thought-provoking insights on the widening access to physician assisted death and the “glorification of choice.” Katherine and Dr. Dugdale discuss how we can think differently about what it means to live, suffer, and die with dignity and purpose—especially those of us living with disabilities. So what does Dr. Dugdale prescribe to us to be able to die well? Acknowledging our mortality and living (and dying) within a community of people.

    -----

    The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom by Dr. L.S. Dugdale

    “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 (NIV)

    Ars moriendi (The Art of Dying)

    Canada’s assisted death statistics since 2016 (Reuters)

    “Canada Euthanized 10,000 People in 2021. Has Death Lost Its Sting?” by Ewan Goligher for Christianity Today

    Not Dead Yet

    Me Before You (2016 film)

    “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” Ephesians 4:1 (ESV)

    Dying in the Twenty-First Century edited by Dr. L.S. Dugdale


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    Episode 42: Emotional Agility30 Nov 202300:21:28

    Join Katherine as she continues her "Finding Treasure" series!

    Do you want to know the secret to  being able to truly love the story you’ve been given? It’s called emotional agility, and it’s a choice available to all of us at this very minute. Katherine shares a story from her teen years that had the potential to be a viral-video-worthy embarrassing moment, but instead became a formative testament to the magic of emotional flexibility. Let’s find out what it looks like to trade in toxic positivity or total dejection for the super powers of well-developed creativity, curiosity, and responsiveness within the lives God has assigned to us. The surprising first step to emotional agility? Letting your story break your own heart.


    Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting will be  available April 9, 2024. Pre-order today.

    Want some hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note⁠⁠ for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way.

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    Episode 41: Hope Heals Holiday Gift Guide21 Nov 202300:41:36

    Did you know Hope Heals has run an online shop for almost as long as the organization has existed? In this episode, we’re giving you a rare peek behind the scenes of the Hope Heals Shop and recommending our favorite gift-worthy items for the holiday season.

    Jay and Katherine catch up with our Shop Manager Tutta about our current lineup of mission-driven keepsakes that serve as a tangible reminder of hope. The foundational feature of our business is a commitment to partnering with ethically minded makers from around the world. Because if our whole deal is about connecting people with true hope, we want that to include the people making our shop items! And you know who else receives hope from your order? Our Hope Heals Campers! Every purchase from the Hope Heals Shop directly benefits Hope Heals Camp so our campers can continue attending free of cost.



    Prodigal Pottery

    HOPE Sweatshirts

    Holding Cross

    Kintsugi Frame

    Kintsugi Ornament

    Kintsugi Ring Dish

    Black Anchor Hat

    Camp Anchor Hat

    Keychain

    T-Shirts

    Tumblers

    Candles

    -------

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    Episode 40: God Never Gives Up on You with Max Lucado16 Nov 202300:33:56

    Join Katherine as she chats with the legendary Max Lucado on this Episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast. Max shares about his new book - God Never Gives Up On You - which is the story of Jacob. Hear them dig into how dealing with our past is essential for being able to move forward into the future, and how God does great things through the greatly broken. We don’t have to pretend that we’re not broken. When we’re candid about our brokenness, God gets the credit.













    Episode 39: Putting it Into Practice with Caroline Young09 Nov 202300:38:56

    Katherine and Caroline cover the practicalities of what it looks like to enter into the suffering of the people in our lives. They also discuss practicing gratitude as the antidote to comparison, which allows us to believe that the boundary lines around our lives are good and purposeful. Katherine reflects on how we can protect the narratives that are spoken over us to avoid becoming victims of our own stories. She also shares how she and her husband Jay continue to show up to a marriage full of complicated dynamics they never could have anticipated. Finally, Katherine relates some rhythms that have been enriching her life lately, like a New Testament reading plan and her family’s quick and simple gratitude practice.


    Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

    Anatomy of the Soul by Dr. Curt Thompson, MD

    Brené Brown on Empathy

    Psalms 16:6 - “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (NIV)

    Philippians 4:19 - “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (NIV)


    ----

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    Episode 38: Expecting More02 Nov 202300:21:06

    Katherine reflects on a recent reunion with childhood friends that brought into striking relief the gap between the expectations they had for their lives, and the reality of the lives they are actually living. She walked away from the experience convinced we must expect more of God and less of the world. But how exactly can we do that? Katherine tells us how she’s doing it.

    -----

    Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting will be  available April 9, 2024. Pre-order today.

    Camp Desoto for Girls

    Hope Heals Camp

    -------

    Scriptures Referenced:

    John 16:33 - “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (ESV)

    Isaiah 43:2 - “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (NIV)

    Isaiah 45:3 - “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” (NIV)


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    Episode 64: AUDIOBOOK SNEAK PEEK: What the Locusts Ate09 May 202400:10:29

    Katherine spent her first Mother’s Day unconscious in an intensive care unit, a fact that has brought a flavor of bittersweetness to every Mother’s Day since. Today she’s reflecting on the experiences of parenthood that were eventually restored to her, as well as the ones she will simply never get back. 

    If your life is feeling more like a famine than a feast and you’re hungry to hear from someone who has found her way back to a full life, this episode is for you.

    Today’s episode is an excerpt from the Treasures in the Dark audiobook! If you’re listening on Spotify Premium, you can stream Treasures in the Dark for free as a part of your subscription.

    Grab your own copy of the book today in print, ebook, or audiobook formats at treasuresinthedark.com or wherever books are sold.


    Show Notes:

    Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures


    Scriptures referenced in this episode:

    Joel 1:16

    Joel 2:25-27


    ***

    Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479

    Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

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    Get to know us:

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    Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/



    Episode 37: Ask Amy Julia26 Oct 202300:38:30

    Join Katherine for a new segment she is calling “Ask Amy Julia” with one of her dear friends and Hope Heals Camp alum, Amy Julia Becker! Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on faith, disability, and family. She is the author of four books, including To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope, a guest opinion writer for national publications, and the host of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast. Becker is a graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv). She lives with her husband and their three children in western Connecticut.

    Notes: 

    5 Things I Wish I Had Known When Our Daughter Was Diagnosed with Down Syndrome - Free Download from Amy Julia 

    Doctor’s Still Don’t Know How to Talk About Down Syndrome 


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    Episode 36: Better than Okay with Brandi Wilson19 Oct 202300:28:33

    Join Katherine as she chats with Brandi Wilson on her unexpected journey into life as a single mom, and what that journey has looked like as she stepped into this new season.


    Brandi Wilson is an author, coach, and speaker who has

    been in leadership for more than a decade at Leading and

    Loving It, a non-profit created to empower women to

    love life and ministry. Brandi has helped plant two

    churches and is passionate about walking alongside

    single moms and divorced women as they navigate

    parenting and life. Her latest book is Better Than Okay:

    Finding Hope and Healing After Your Marriage Ends.

    Brandi lives with her three sons in Nashville, TN. More

    at lovebrandiwilson.com.


    -----------------

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    Episode 35: How Far to the Promised Land with Esau McCaulley12 Oct 202300:42:51

    Rev. Esau McCaulley, PhD is an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of many works including Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance and his book  Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope won numerous awards, including Christianity Today’s book of the year. His latest project is a memoir entitled: How far to the Promised Land: One Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. His writings have also appeared in places such as The Atlantic, Washington Post, and Christianity Today. He is married to Mandy, a pediatrician and navy reservist. Together, they have four wonderful children.


    Keep up with Esau:

    On Instagram

    His website

    His books


    -----------------

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    Episode 34: The Habit of Hope05 Oct 202300:31:04

    Join Katherine as she shares her thoughts on what it means to make hope a habit.

     


    ALSO! Katherine is THRILLED to be part of the IF Gathering this year and she would LOVE for you to join her! This February 23rd and 24th, they are hosting the 10-year celebration at Dickies Arena in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas. If you've never been, this is an incredible two days (a Friday night and Saturday) for you to worship and hear from teachers and pastors who will remind you what our time here on earth is really for: telling people about Jesus. Tickets are $175, and secure your ticket now, and let's make IF:2024 an unforgettable journey together. Be sure to get your tickets here before they are sold out!

    Hope Heals Book

    Pre-order Treasures in the Dark 

    Scriptures Referenced: 

    -----------------

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    Episode 33: The Lucky Few with Heather + Josh Avis28 Sep 202300:48:47

    Join Jay + Katherine on the back porch of Hope Heals Camp for a conversation with their dear friends, Heather + Josh Avis. 

    Heather and Josh Avis are the founders of The Lucky Few, they are the proud parents to three amazing kids: Macyn, Truly and August. Together, they are a multi-able, multiracial family grown together by adoption. Heather is a New York Times best-selling author, podcaster and a Down syndrome advocate. Together Josh and Heather are working to create a more inclusive world where everyone belongs. For more than a decade, they have led this effort by shouting worth, shifting narratives and reimagining what it looks like when we embrace our differences.

    The Lucky Few is an invitation to build a kinder, more inclusive world. We accomplish this through a combination of advocacy and activism, narrative-shifting and storytelling. The Lucky Few believes in inspiring and challenging our audiences, calling them to listen, read, share, contribute and support as we work to create a world where differences are embraced and everyone belongs.   ---- Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way. 
    Learn more about us here:
    Hope Heals
    Hope Heals Camp 
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    Episode 32: Hope for Humanity with Nigel Darius21 Sep 202300:28:20

    Join Jay + Katherine on the back porch of Hope Heals Camp for a conversation with their dear friend, and Pastor to Teens at camp, Nigel Darius, for a conversation of community, belonging, and belovedness.

    Nigel is a purveyor of all that is true, noble, good, and lovely. His formats and interfaces take just about every form—live lectures, poetry, illustration, podcasts, community organizing, and social justice work. No matter the medium, Nigel consistently communicates one resounding message: there is hope for the healing of humanity.

    You can find out more about Nigel on his website, check out his book, Fragments & Finality, and be sure to follow him on Instagram. 

    ----------------

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    Episode 31: Face to Face with Jarrett and Jeanne Stevens14 Sep 202300:48:23

    Join Jay and Katherine Wolf as they sit down with their friends, Jarrett and Jeanne Stevens on the back porch of our favorite place in the world: Hope Heals Camp. They discuss the complexities and joys of doing both life and ministry together, and the unimaginable grief their family has walked through these last few years. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

    Jarrett and Jeanne Stevens are the lead pastors of Soul City Church in Chicago, IL. They are both prolific authors, speakers, and pastors, and parents to the lovely Elijah and GiGi. 

    Jeanne is a sought-after speaker, leader, and writer. Her passion to develop people to live boldly & fully gives her a unique voice of hope and challenge. Be sure to check out her most recent book:  What’s Here Now - How to Stop Rehashing the Past, And Rehearsing the Future - and Start Receiving the Present.  

    Jarrett is the author of several books including Four Small Words, The Deity Formerly Known As God and Creative Matters, and his newest book: Praying Through. 

    Want some hope in your inbox? Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way. 

    Learn more about us here:

    Hope Heals

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    Mend Coffee

    Find us on Instagram

     

    Episode 30: The Deepest Place with Dr. Curt Thompson07 Sep 202300:51:59

    Jay & Katherine Wolf are joined by their dear friend, Curt Thompson, MD on this very special episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast recorded at our beloved Hope Heals Camp.

    In this episode, Curt shares about his newest book, The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope, and how suffering is a defining reality of life. Yet so many of us are so focused on avoiding discomfort that we've never learned how to actually suffer. But what if we could move from anxiety to durable hope? Katherine and Jay take a dive in with Curt on what hope in suffering looks like, and how to find hope amongst the heartache.

    Be sure to check out Curt's other books as well: The Anatomy of the Soul, The Soul of Desire and The Soul of Shame

    --------


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    Episode 29: Putting It Into Practice29 Jun 202300:45:12

    This week, Hope Heals team member, Caroline Young, joins Katherine to ask her what it has looked like over the last 15 years to put all of the lessons she has learned and shares about into practice. 

    We are so thankful you all joined us for this season on the podcast. We are headed to Hope Heals Camp for the summer, so we will be on a short break, but be sure to subscribe to see when our first episode of our next season airs in the fall! 

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:
    www.hopeheals.com
    www.mendcoffee.org
    www.hopehealscamp.com
    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 28: You're Going to Make It with Lysa TerKeurst22 Jun 202300:45:40

    Join Katherine and her dear friend, Lysa TerKeurst, as she shares how, while the last several years of her life have been some of the hardest - filled with pain and heartbreak, she has seen God move in astounding ways. 

    Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 books with more than
    6 million books in print. Her most recent books include Good Boundaries and Goodbyes,
    Forgiving What You Can't Forget, and It's Not Supposed to Be This Way. She is president and
    chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries and has a social media reach of more than 8
    million followers. Lysa writes from her family’s farm table in North Carolina. Connect with Lysa at:

    Lysa's Website
    Proverbs 31 Ministries
    Therapy and Theology

    Check out Lysa's newest devotional, You're Going to Make It

    Other resources: 

    Therapy & Theology Episode on Divorce: Moving on When Your Marriage Doesn't

     

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 63: Wonderful/Terrible: Cultivating a Gritty Faith Instead of a Pretty Faith with Kay Warren02 May 202400:49:27

    In this episode of the GoodHard Story Podcast, Katherine discovers a kindred spirit in Kay Warren, who founded the beloved Saddleback Church with her husband Rick. Kay and Rick have endured the earth-shattering loss of one of their sons, who died by suicide in 2013. Both Katherine and Kay were in tears by the end of the conversation, which spans from the complexities of mental illness to the life-saving power of respite to the privilege of sitting with suffering people. Kay could not have been more generous in sharing her hard-won insights into the most terrible kind of grief. What you’ll take away from this conversation…

    • What to do when God stops making sense
    • The single experience that can make us more Christlike
    • The one question you should never ask someone who is suffering
    • How a marriage can withstand unimaginable loss

    If you need to hear a story of deep hurt and even deeper hope, this episode is for you. Show Notes

    Hope for Mental Health: https://hope4mentalhealth.com/ Breathe: https://saddleback.com/connect/ministry/outreach-retreats The Wounder Healer by Henri Nouwen - https://henrinouwen.org/read/the-wounded-healer/ Lews Smedes - https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/smedes_recordings/ Walter Brueggemann - https://www.walterbrueggemann.com/resources/ “Pay mind to your own life, your own health, and wholeness. A bleeding heart is of no help to anyone if it bleeds to death.” - Frederick Buechner Scriptures referenced in this episode: 1 Corinthians 15:43-45 *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

    Episode 27: Creating Sacred Spaces of Community with Amy Julia Becker15 Jun 202300:49:16

    On today's episode, author and disability advocate, Amy Julia Becker, join Katherine and Leah to discuss the complexities, importance and beauty of created sacred spaces of community for all people. To learn more about Amy Julia Becker, visit her website and find her on Instagram. Check out her most recent book, To Be Made Well along with discussion guides and other amazing resources.

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

     

    Episode 26: The Joyful Rebellion with Kate Bowler08 Jun 202300:46:05

    Join Katherine and her dear friend, Kate Bowler, as they discuss living in the Joyful Rebellion if this GoodHard Story. Kate Bowler, PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. At age 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think in different terms about the research and beliefs she had been studying. She penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), which tells the story of her struggle to understand the personal and intellectual dimensions of the American belief that all tragedies are tests of character. To learn more about Kate and her books, including her newest release "The Lives We Actually Have" check out her website.

     

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 25: Redefining Good01 Jun 202300:34:12

    On this episode Katherine shares her heart on what Redefining Good looks like as we live out this GoodHard Story in our lives. 

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 24: Things Grow Here with Jess Connolly25 May 202300:37:07

    On today's episode, Jess and Katherine talk about the good and hard stories of having a kingdom perspective on our bodies all abilites, security, and living free. They talk about Jess' latest book, Breaking Free from Body Shame and how this topic far exceeds aesthetics but encompasses seeing practicing acceptance and seeing the goodness in our bodies. You can learn more about the wonderful work Jess Connolly is doing at her website  and find her on Instagram, Twitter , and Facebook.

     

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at: 

    www.hopeheals.com

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

    www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 23: You Belong Here with Disability Advocate and Author Amy Julia Becker18 May 202300:39:06

    On today's episode, Jay Wolf and disability advocate and author, Amy Julia Becker join Katherine for a chat! 

    Amy Julia Becker is an author, speaker, wife, and mother to three children and resides in Connecticut. As her work reflects, she is a brilliant academic and is a graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary. Amy Julia’s writings on disability, privilege, culture, family, and faith have appeared in multiple national publications including Christianity TodayThe Washington Post, and online for The New York Times. Amy Julia hosts the podcast, Love is Stronger Than FearShe has written multiple books, with her most recent To Be Made Well. 

    Learn more about Amy Julia Becker here or find her on Instagram, and check out her books White Picket Fences, To Be Made Well and many others here. 

     

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:
    www.hopeheals.com 
    www.mendcoffee.org
    www.hopehealscamp.com
    Find us on Instagram

    Episode 22: Ask Me Anything11 May 202300:43:13

    On today's episode, Hope Heals team member, Leah Case, reads questions to Katherine that we received on Instagram. On this unique and special Ask Me Anything, we are excited to share things from Katherine's coffee order, to the hardest part of her stroke recovery. Join us for a peek inside of Katherine's life!

     

    Links that Katherine references:

    Mend Coffee: opening this fall in Atlanta, GA

    Learn more about Joni Eareckson Tada and her amazing ministry

    Katherine's Wheelchair 

    Kristian Stanfill

     

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com 

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

     www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 21: From Arenas to Campfires with Bob Goff04 May 202300:42:03

    On today's episode, Bob Goff joins Katherine is sharing how he has used the good and the hard parts of his story to bring joy to the people around him. Bob is the author of the newly released New York Times best-seller, Undistracted as well as the NYT bestselling books Love Does, Everybody Always, and Dream Big. He is the Honorary Consul to the Republic of Uganda, an attorney, and the founder of Love Does—a nonprofit human rights organization operating in India, Uganda, Nepal, Somalia, Afghanistan, USA, Congo and Dominican Republic. He's a lover of balloons, cake pops, and helping people pursue their big dreams. You can learn more about Bob on his website, and find him on Instagram.

    To learn more about Hope Heals, you can find us at:

    www.hopeheals.com 

    www.mendcoffee.org

    www.hopehealscamp.com

     www.instagram.com/hopeheals

    Episode 20: The GoodHard Story Podcast27 Apr 202300:30:11

    On The GoodHard Story Podcast, we believe the good story and the hard story can be the same story. Host Katherine Wolf—stroke survivor, speaker, author, and disability advocate—is inviting you to join her in discovering the treasures hidden in our hurting. Sit in on candid conversations with Katherine, the Hope Heals team, and some beloved guests as they work out what it means to wholeheartedly live a good/hard life. Katherine is a defining voice of our time, so you don’t want to miss her hard-won insights on the places where pain and joy can co-exist. We are so excited to welcome you to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

     In this first episode you will hear from the Hope Heals co-founders, Jay & Katherine Wolf as they reflect on the last 15 years of their journey since Katherine's stroke, and the last 10 years of Hope Heals as an organization, and reflections of the past while looking forward to the future. 

    To learn more about Hope Heals you can find us at: www.hopeheals.com
    instagram.com/hopeheals
    Episode 19: Hope & the Past with Levi and Jennie Lusko08 Apr 202100:49:06

    Levi and Jennie Lusko are pastors, authors, and parents who are embracing the gifts of suffering. We consider them kindred spirits and have learned tremendous lessons about the fierce power of hope through their teaching and their friendship. The Luskos are no strangers to struggle, especially since the sudden death of their five-year old daughter Lenya in 2012. Few people are better equipped to explore the hope to be mined from the darkness of the past.

    Episode 18: Calling & Limitation with Joni Eareckson Tada01 Apr 202100:47:57

    Joni Earekcson Tada is in our hall of fame of heroes. She is overflowing with grit and grace and has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, all while living with quadriplegia. Joni never fails to show up to the good/hard work before her, and she challenges us to do the same each and every day. Join us as we hear Joni's powerful perspective on finding our callings within our unique limitations.

    Episode 62: AUDIOBOOK SNEAK PEEK: The Day that Changed Everything25 Apr 202400:07:33

    As Katherine observes the sixteenth anniversary of her stroke this week, she’s reflecting on one of the most transformative treasures she’s discovered in the darkness of her pain: If the worst day of Jesus’ life was eventually called good, then maybe one day my worst day could be called good too.

    But this is no ordinary podcast episode! We are so excited to be sharing a clip straight from the Treasures in the Dark AUDIOBOOK!

    If you enjoy this little preview book, we sure hope you’ll pick up a copy of your own. And if you’re listening on Spotify Premium, you can stream Treasures in the Dark for free as a part of your subscription!

    Grab your copy of the book today in print, ebook, or audiobook formats at treasuresinthedark.com or wherever books are sold.

    Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures


    ***


    Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479

    Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb


    Want a little hope in your inbox?

    ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote


    Get to know us:

    ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/

    ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp

    ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/

    Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

    Episode 17: Community & Commitment with Sazan and Stevie Hendrix25 Mar 202100:46:28

    Sazan and Stevie Hendrix join us to reflect on the refining tensions of partnering in marriage and business. The Hendrixes, who have created an online community of over a million people, inspire us to seek out life-giving connections in the digital space so we can share our hard-won lessons with people we never would have met otherwise. They share practical insights about how setting healthy boundaries can ultimately lead to the flourishing of your network of relationships.

    Episode 16: Beauty & Trauma with Dr. Curt Thompson18 Mar 202100:53:18

    We're sitting down with Dr. Curt Thompson for a conversation on the unexpected places where trauma and beauty meet. Curt is a psychiatrist and author whose work inspired significant portions of Suffer Strong. His transformative teachings on paying attention to what we remember in order to  anticipate the future with hope have been a guiding principle for our second-chance lives, and have prepared us to recognize the beauty in every broken thing.

    Episode 15: Healing & Failure with Scott Erickson11 Mar 202100:52:48

    Scott Erickson joins us for a conversation about re-narrating our stories of failure and healing. Scott is an artist and theologian who is creating a visual library of prayer through his visio lectios, simple illustrations that somehow sum up our most sweeping thoughts about God and ourselves. Come along as we find the place where failure and healing meet, particularly in this season where the death of expectations have left space for healing and, ultimately, new life.

    Episode 14. Celebration & Loss with Priscilla Shirer04 Mar 202100:38:44

    Join us for a conversation with Priscilla Shirer, who fully embodies the place where celebration and loss meet. Priscilla candidly reflects on her current season of life, in which she’s lost loved ones, as well as the certainty of her own health. She taught us how to hold grief and gratitude together in this good/hard life. You don’t want to miss this transformative conversation on the unexpected gifts of loss and the surprising places we can find the best celebrations.

    © My Podcast Data