Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of the Vibrant Life Podcast!

A couple of months ago I was given a book by a church member called We Laughed Till We Cried.

It was a book that her lifelong friend Lynda Wren had written about how her family navigated the tragic diagnosis of ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

As I began to read it I found myself glued to the story. Not simply because of the emotion it draws out to hear a story like this, but because Lynda and her husband Don were so passionate about their faith and maintained such a positive outlook on life even when things were going in the wrong direction.

So after I finished it, I knew I needed to have her on the podcast - because I wanted to see how she was so positive when others would have been so downcast. And what came from it was one of the more enjoyable conversations I’ve been able to have.

In this episode we talk about the challenges of walking with someone through a difficult diagnosis, how our faith can sustain us when tragedy strikes, how community was everything in those dark days and how building a strong foundation today will pay off later in life when we inevitably find ourself in a difficult situation.

The story is one that pulls at your emotions, but also helps you see just how important our faith is.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Lynda Wren.

One of my big takeaways from starting this podcast is hearing how trauma is a part of so many people’s stories. 

Because of this I wanted to look around and see if I could connect with a Counselor that helps people who are struggling from past trauma and does it from a Christian Perspective. 

Well, Facebook reminded me that I have a friend from High School that I hadn’t talked to in 20 years who not only does that exact thing, but oversees an entire organization geared toward helping those struggling with PTSD, Depression, and much more. 

Aaron Ashworth is a Chaplain in the Army National Guard and the Founder and Director of Patriot Family Counseling Services- which specializes in helping Veterans, Government officials, and First responders process and navigate the unique traumas that they experience. 

In our conversation we talk about what exactly Trauma is , and how our faith can help us navigate the difficulties of our situations. 

We talk about what works in trauma therapy and maybe just as important we talk about what doesn’t work in trauma therapy. 

For some this conversation will speak right to the situation you find yourself in right now. You have experienced a trauma and and seeing it’s impact on your life.

For others it may help you better understand what other people are going through and how we might point them in the right direction.

And for all of us - it will help us better navigate any future traumas that might occur.

Aaron ends with some practical advice for those that are struggling that you don’t want to miss - so make sure you don’t miss that. 

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Aaron Ashworth.

Have you ever thought about the legacy you come from and the legacy you will leave? 

Now, I’m not talking about the financial legacy you come from or the generational impacts of your hard work. I’m talking about your spiritual legacy.  

How did your relatives shape and mold your faith? And even more importantly - how will your faith shape the generations that come behind you?

Today on the podcast we are talking to my good friend Robert West.

Robert is a father of 6 who has a different story than most.  After having 2 biological children, he and his wife have taken in 4 teenagers over the past 7 years. Opening up their home to kids who needed a loving family. 

Not only that - he is a thriving youth leader who is growing in leadership at his church and making a tangible difference in the lives of all the teenagers he is around.

But when asked why he took on this way of life - his first thought was to look back.

To look back to the parents, and grandparents that came before him. To be reminded that there is a legacy being lived out by his family who were followers of Jesus. 

And I found that his story allows each of us to reflect on the legacy we are a part of. 

Some of us come from a line of Jesus followers - others don’t.

But no matter who came before us, we each get a chance to continue or start a legacy of people who love Jesus and turn their lives upside down to bring him honor. 

So through this conversation, my hope is that you consider where you come from. For some, it’s praising God for the Christian heritage that was passed on to you. For others, it will be praising God, for bringing you out of a godless family dynamic. 

In either case - my hope is that it spurs us to consider what legacy we are leaving others behind us.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Robert West

It’s a new year and a new day to begin to point your life towards a vibrant relationship with Jesus and my hope is that today’s episode gets us started in the right direction.

For everyone that is running around like crazy, exhausted from the daily grind of running errands, chauffeuring kids, and meeting deadlines this episode is for you!

Today on the podcast we have author and ministry leader Meredith Shafer. Meredith has just released a new daily devotional called Redeeming Time: Holy over Hustle - and I wanted to have her on the podcast to see if it is really possible to redeem our time. 

We are often hard wired by society to hustle. To go a thousand miles an hour and never slow down - but eventually, if all we ever do is hustle- it starts to catch up with you. There is always a cost to refusing to rest.

In our conversation we talked about some intentional things we can do to find rest in the business of life, the dangers of packing our schedules and how we might pursue a life of holiness.

At the end we also talked a bit about her writing and how building that discipline in your life might be a great way to start 2024.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with author, Meredith Shafer

Meredith's Book: Redeeming Time: Holy over Hustle

Meredith's You Version Plan: Holy Over Hustle

Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Vibrant Life Podcast. Today on the Podcast I have my dear friends Robert and Ann Horton.  Robert and Ann are absolutely incredible people that turned their life upside down 20 years ago by beginning a ministry in El Salvador of all places.  Today this Ministry SHIP international has impacted countless lives. They have a thriving Christian School in a gang filled area, provide low cost housing to women in need, and meet the physical needs of the mountain side like you wouldn’t believe.

They provide fresh water to those in the neighborhood, rebuild houses for those in need, and provide a source of income to numerous impoverished families. 

But more than any of that - they boldly proclaim the name of Jesus.  Their ministry is one of meeting physical needs to opening the doors to spiritual needs and my goodness have they been able to meet spiritual needs. 

They have on-sight marriage groups, Bible Studies, Discipleship efforts and community outreaches. They have seen entire families come to Jesus and seen missionaries launch from their ministry to share the gospel with others.

But this ministry didn’t start as a thriving organization with huge facilities and overwhelming influence in a difficult area to minister. 

Instead it started on a visit to El Salvador that was supposed to be a one time thing. It continued through small acts of faithfulness from God and a willingness to step through the doors that he opened.

In this episode we will hear the beauty in slow faithfulness in the same direction, how we don’t age out of sharing the gospel, and how God is longing to do a work in the lives of his people. 

Any time I get a chance to talk with Robert and Ann, I’m always encouraged to live boldly for Jesus and this time was no exception. 

I know you will be blessed with this conversation with my friends Robert and Ann Horton

SHIP International Links:
Facebook
Website 

Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Vibrant Life Podcast. Today on the podcast we have Pastor and Community Leader Casey Cariker.  Casey is the Pastor of Rejoice Church in Owasso, Oklahoma - but his influence and impact goes well beyond that.  

Casey is an encourager - through and through. You can’t sit with him for 3 minutes and not feel encouraged. In fact, I promise you that you will feel encouraged just by listening to this episode.

Casey has a heart for pastors, missionaries, church planters and leaders of all types and today I get to pick his brain about how to form our leadership around Christ. 

In our conversion we are going to talk about the importance of a humble posture in leadership, how our leadership changes as we get older, how everyone needs to be encouraged and much much more.

With over 25 years of ministry experience - Casey will challenge us to mirror our leadership more and more around Jesus. 

If you are in leadership in any capacity- this episode is for you. 

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Pastor Casey Cariker.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Vibrant Life podcast. I'm your host Matt Wheeler and today on the Podcast I get to catch up with a friend from my childhood and teen years, April Thomas. April and I grew up together, but haven’t been in each other’s lives in quite some time, so today we get to catch up. And what more appropriate way is there to catch up than to talk about the release of her new book “Overcoming Childhood Cancer.” In the decade plus since we have talked, April’s life took a drastic turn when her 4 year old son Hudson was diagnosed with Leukemia.

In our conversation today we are going to talk about the impact of hearing the doctor say the word Leukemia and the pain of seeing her son go through something no one should have to go through.

But we will also see some key lessons that helped April and her family thrive through this difficult time and this is where her story intersects with our story.  The reality is that you may not ever be in the situation she was in of having a child with Cancer, but you will have significant challenges that come your way. And the principles she shares in her book will point you toward thriving in any season of trauma, grief, pain and overwhelm.

April’s story is one of the Goodness of God, The beauty of the Church, And how God has spurred us to certain disciplines that will help us thrive no matter the context.

We have a little bit of delay in our audio, but even with that I know you will enjoy my conversation with my Friend - April Thomas

April's Book - "Overcoming Childhood Cancer"

Today we are broadcasting a bonus episode of the Vibrant Life Podcast!!

In today's episode, I am going to address 3 specific reasons why you struggle to have peace in your life.

It's easy to think that the reason we struggle to find peace is the busy schedule, the difficult situation, and the crazy world we live in - but the truth looks a little different than that.  

From Scripture we see that there are three specific things that are stealing every glimpse of peace we may have. 

That means if we can defend ourselves against these three things - we will see peace begin to sweep over our life!!