The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

Episode 233 - Getting Unstuck in Grief with September Vaudrey

Have you ever felt like you've gotten stuck in the grief? Instead of allowing the pain to bring something new and beautiful forth in your life, do you find yourself struggling to move forward?

Any loss can leave us feeling stuck, but for a parent, losing a child can make it feel like there will never be life past the devastation. For September Vaudrey, losing her beautiful, 19 year old daughter in a car accident in 2008 made her wonder if life would ever look different than it did in the aftermath of that tragedy. And yet, step by step, she began to see God's goodness as He took her pain and created beauty from ashes. It was not an easy journey by any means, but a rich one.

In this episode, September sits down with Aubrey to talk about what it looks like to get unstuck in our grief, why facing our pain head on matters so much, and how to give permission to others around us as they grieve in their own unique way.

Full of practical wisdom, this conversation is for anyone who has ever felt like moving through the pain in their story is an impossible feat but wants to try and experience the good God has on the other side of it.

 

Website: http://septembervaudrey.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/septembervaudrey/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeptemberVaudrey.Author/
Book: Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of Holding On, Letting Go, and Reclaiming Joy in the Wake of Loss https://www.amazon.com/Colors-Goodbye-Holding-Letting-Reclaiming/dp/1496408179/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458922175&sr=8-1&keywords=colors+of+goodbye

Episode 232 - Learning to Connect with God in the Unexplainable with Emmanuel and Adrienne Threatt

What do you do when you feel disconnected from God in the middle of a hard season? How do you learn to trust Him when circumstances make you angry and confused?

For Emmanuel and Adrienne Threatt, this was the wrestling they navigated after experiencing multiple miscarriages over a period of time in which other losses seemed to come at them unrelentingly.

Trust can come easy when things are going our way and when our prayers are being answered the way we want, but learning to put your hope and faith in God after disappointment after disappointment can feel daunting. For the Threatt's, this process of learning was arduous. It came through vulnerability and transparency with themselves, God and others. Sharing their journey through the valleys of miscarriage helped them to find purpose in the seemingly never-ending pain and helped them to be honest with the Lord as to what they were feeling in the midst of it. Even after receiving the news that they were finally pregnant with triplets, there was still so much to work through with the Lord.

In this episode, Davey talks with the Threatt's about what to do with the feelings that God is far away from you in your pain, how to process anger towards the Lord and using worship as an act of faith in hard times.

The vulnerability and transparency the Threatt's share will encourage anyone walking through a painful season to continue to trust God, even when the path seems dark.

 

Website: www.HopeUnleashed.Me

Socials: @OhBoyPhresh @YoAdrienneCLT for IG, FB, TW, TIK

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC28DPAwoFPnpLoVEMn8ZJDw

Book: How to Fly to the Moon in a Cardboard Box https://www.amazon.com/How-Moon-Cardboard-Kardboard-Kids/dp/1733635602/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8TMWBODVR1OH&keywords=how+to+fly+to+the+moon+in+a+cardboard+box&qid=1655907323&sprefix=how+to+fly+to+the+moon+in+a+cardboard+box%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1
——-
Hope Vibes (ministry)
Www.hopevibes.org
@HopeVibesCLT for IG, FB, TW, TIK, LI

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQwUP_tsO7KirMz0cSMh-Dw

Episode 231 - Finding Perspective in the Unexpected with Kelley Scites

What do you do when life takes a turn you never saw coming? How can you step into a story you didn't plan for yourself? For Kelley Scites, the wrestling with those questions began after an unexpected surgery. What had promised relief from pain and a new lease on life ended with having to be put on full time oxygen. The life she had imagined as an active mom came to a screeching halt as she had to adapt to this new pace of living. But it was through this shift in her story that Kelley began to see the importance of perspective. Living focused on Heaven rather than her current circumstances began to give her hope in what at times felt hopeless.

In this honest conversation, Davey sits down with Kelley to talk about why perspective is so important in circumstances that won't change, learning to trust God with the outcome of our story and choosing growth over bitterness.

The details of Kelley's story may be different than yours, but they offer a rich insight into how our perspective can make or break us in the middle of hard things.

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelleyscites/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelley.scites

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Heaven by Randy Alcorn https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Randy-Alcorn/dp/0842379428/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=heaven+by+randy+alcorn&qid=1658268326&sprefix=heaven+by+%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

Episode 230 - God’s Sovereignty in Our Darkest Moments with Greg and Cathy Buffkin

It can be so hard to see, let alone accept the hand of God in the middle of our deepest pain. How can you learn to trust God's sovereignty in your darkest moments?

For Greg and Cathy Buffkin, that was no small feat. After losing their adult son Ryan to suicide, it was difficult to accept their loss and find the strength to move forward after so much pain. Living every parent's greatest fear, the Buffkins found themselves wrestling with difficult emotions and yet, managed to find the Lord in the most heart wrenching loss they had ever endured. From their pain, they have a new found purpose as they've sought to equip others as they navigate walking alongside someone who has lost a child.

In this episode, Davey sits down with Greg and Cathy to talk about what it looks like to experience God's sovereignty in grief, the best ways to support someone who has lost a child, and the difference between healthy and unhealthy ways of healing after loss.

Grief is an inevitable part of our lives this side of heaven, which is why this conversation is so important for all of us as we come face to face with pains we never imagined. Whether or not you've endured the loss of a child, this episode will give you important insight into what it means to choose healing when grief threatens to overwhelm.

 

Website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmptyChairEndeavor/

Episode 229 - Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity with Dr. Danisha Keating

How do you persevere in the face of unending challenges and difficult circumstances? Where can you find the strength to keep going when life tries to knock you down over and over again?

For Dr. Danisha Keating, building resilience seemed impossible after a traumatic childhood filled with abuse and moving in and out of the foster care system. Her journey in life was hard, at one point leading her to be a caretaker for her younger siblings while in college and yet she persevered to graduate and go on to earn her PhD. Now, she spends her life reaching back into the fire, encouraging kids walking a similar journey in the foster care system, to know that their lives have promise and hope beyond their current circumstances. In all the trials she has endured, Dr. Keating has anchored her hope in the Lord and her identity in Him.

In this episode, Davey sits down with Dr. Keating to discuss what it looks like to build resilience in a life that is full of difficulty, the power of community in encouraging those low on hope, and how healing can lead us into a life of purpose in helping those who are walking the road we once did.

This conversation will leave you inspired as you hear how even the most dire of circumstances can forge a deep-seated resilience in our hearts as we move forward into a future filled with possibility.

 

Website: https://www.dkeducationconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DKEducationConsulting
Book: From Foster to PhD: Letters from a Suitcase: https://www.amazon.com/Foster-PhD-Letters-Suitcase-ebook/dp/B09MGC57RM

Episode 228 - Choosing Joy in Chronic Pain and Painful Circumstances with Lindsey Wheeler

How do you choose joy when it feels impossible? What can you do when a chronic diagnosis leaves you debilitated? For Lindsey Wheeler, the answer did not come easily. After a Lyme disease diagnosis left her struggling to get out of bed everyday, Lindsey knew she had to make a choice: to see the good in life in spite of her circumstances or to dwell in self-pity. It wasn't easy, but Lindsey chose to change her perspective on her life in the middle of so many challenges that included her health and raising a child with special needs. It was that perspective shift that has given her the strength to bring hope to others in their pain. She started a company called Bottle of Tears that provides curated gifts of comfort to those who are hurting. In this episode, Davey talks with Lindsey about what it looks like to choose joy when life feels hard, the power in reminding people that they are seen in their pain and why community matters so much in our suffering.

This conversation is an encouragement for anyone who has ever felt like some parts of life cannot be "fixed" this side of heaven and offers an invitation to hope and joy in the midst of it.

 

Website: https://www.bottleoftears.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottle_of_tears/
https://www.instagram.com/lindseyewheeler/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottleoftears
Book: Sacred Tears: Simple Reminders That God Sees You and Loves You: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Tears-Simple-Reminders-Loves/dp/073698173X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2QD78389NPU7&keywords=sacred+tears&qid=1645388803&sprefix=sacred+tears%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-2

Episode 227 - The Antidote to Fear with Katie Piazza

What do you do when fear wants to rule your life after loss? How do you find freedom when anxiety threatens to steal your peace?

For Katie Piazza, it was the truth from God and His Word that set her free from what could have been a life full of unending anxiety. After losing her young daughter Colette to cancer, Katie faced a decision that would be difficult for any mother to make: would she allow fear and despair to rule over her life and home or would she choose the antidote to fear, Jesus? Though a long and difficult journey, Katie choose to place her hope in Christ even after such a devastating loss. From that, she has experienced freedom like never before.

In this episode, Davey sits down with Katie to talk about how to reconcile God's goodness in the midst of terrible circumstances, where to place our hope when life is hard, and how to live unafraid of the future in spite of all the pain and grief we face.

You don't have to know the deep ache of losing a child to encounter the incredible encouragement Katie's story and faith offers to anyone who wrestles with fear, despair or regret in a broken world.

 

Book- Victorious: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow https://www.amazon.com/Victorious-Mother-Daughters-Journey-Through-ebook/dp/B08LMCL22R

http://thispresenthope.org

https://www.facebook.com/Colette-the-Victorious-103414871575330/photos

Episode 226 - Grieving What Never Was with Megan Smalley

How do you grieve what never was? What does it look like when your grief is over a dream rather than a reality?

For Megan Smalley, learning to navigate the unseen grief and pain of infertility was difficult and at times, lonely. Megan experienced the whole range of emotions that came through her initial diagnosis of infertility to the arduous, sometimes discouraging path through IVF to the wrestlings that came after three miracle babies. At no point was her journey easy, but within it, God had important lessons and unending comfort to guide her through. And from that, she was able to in turn help others walking a similar path through an online community called The Infertility Sisterhood.

In this episode, Megan joins Davey to talk about learning to take difficult seasons step by step, why knowing the truth of God's Word matters in the midst of it and how community can help us along the way in our pain.

Whether infertility is part of your story or not, this conversation will teach you how to walk in your own hurt over the loss of a dream as well as how to help others through theirs.

 

Website: https://www.megansmalley.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MEGANSMALLEY/
Book: Give Grace: How to Embrace the Beauty of Life’s Brokenness https://www.amazon.com/dp/140021758X?psc=1&smid=A2JP70VDYUHTKB&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp
The Infertility Sisterhood: https://www.theinfertilitysisterhood.com

Episode 225 - Wrestling with God in Grief with John Onwuchekwa

How do you find your way back to faith when grief seems to tear it apart? For Pastor John Onwuchekwa, losing his brother Sam sent him down a path that he never expected. Having spent his whole life teaching others about the goodness and power of God, John found himself questioning the very foundational truths he so often preached. Grief made him feel like a liar. But he slowly began to see that it was in the wrestling that these truths and others he hadn't learned, could be found. Through community, honesty with God and persistence, John traveled the road back from what seemed like a lost belief into a deeper faith than he ever could have imagined. In this episode, join Davey as he and John talk about the importance of others walking with us in grief, the wrestlings that can come out of loss and why hindsight is better than insight. If you are finding yourself drifting off the path of faith in your pain, this conversation will encourage you to find your way back.

Website: https://www.johno.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jawn_o/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnosr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MrJawnO
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jawno
Book: We Go On: Finding Purpose in All of Life’s Sorrows https://www.amazon.com/We-Go-Finding-Purpose-Sorrows/dp/0310460115/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1PTJ7BY9UXHD2&keywords=we+go+on&qid=1651257118&sprefix=we+go+on%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-2

Episode 224 - Redemption Out of the Dust with Chris and Steph Teague

What happens when the life you've built turns to dust? For Steph Teague, it began with just a few short sentences: "I don't think I believe in God anymore and I want a divorce". Hearing those words from her high school sweetheart, Chris, was devastating and yet, she slowly began to rebuild her life after such a deep hurt. Chris was on a seemingly separate journey through addiction, doubts, and deconstruction. In time, the Lord got a hold of Chris' heart and he experienced true life transformation, only to realize the mistake he had made in leaving his wife. Through God's kindness, the two would later reconcile, remarry and go on to start a band called Out of the Dust, where they would write songs of the loss and redemption in their story. Join Davey, Chris, and Steph as they talk about how to trust God when those we love wrestle with doubts and deconstruction, healing a marriage after brokenness, and the importance of community in whatever pain we face. This episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels like life's circumstances are beyond repair and who longs for redemption out of the dust.

 

Website: https://outofthedustmusic.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedustmusic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outofthedustmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Yp0ywd05n7U64KpZ8JSbu?si=bJa7JY6_TJmwhAsyqiLpdg&nd=1