Next Friday (December 15) is... *drumroll*... Alex's birthday!! 🎉

We did a fun and juicy Q&A for Grace's birthday that many of you enjoyed, so today we're doing Birthday Q&A (Alex's Version)... Grab some tissues 🥹

We dive into what makes Alex tick, light up, and tear up 🥲

We hope that this reflective conversation is both entertaining and inspiring for you in your own life!

Steve Kang was a fervent Buddhist trying to reach Nirvana... But at the age of 19, after overdosing and believing he had no choice but to end his own life, he vividly experienced heaven and hell - and heard God's audible voice - which changed everything.

Join us as we unpack his story, which was featured in the recent film After Death (whose director we interviewed last week):

• What led up to his near-death experience (and second NDE later)

• What exactly hell and heaven looked, felt, even smelled like

• The invaluable insights and lessons that have completely changed not only his whole life - but also his family and countless others in his life.

We are thrilled today to have a very special guest with us to unpack one of life's biggest questions (yet one that is far too often ignored): What happens when we die?

From investigating thousands of near-death experiences, After Death is a film from Angel Studios that explores the spiritual and scientific dimensions of mortality with the guidance of New York Times bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists, & survivors & sheds light on what awaits us after death.

Today we sit down with the director, Stephen Gray, to talk about key insights from 4,000 recorded NDEs (near-death experiences), his approach to understanding & portraying descriptions of heaven and hell on screen, as well as how to interpret near-death experiences in light of the Bible and life's mysteries.

We hope this conversation encourages you and leaves you with a fresh perspective not only on the implications of death... but also the implications of how we're meant to live.

Today, we're diving into Part 2 of a topic that's been close to our hearts and highly requested by our listeners: the intersection of faith and depression.

Depression can often be an overwhelming, paralyzing, and isolating experience.

It's easy to feel so stuck in the darkness, tempted to believe that there is "no way out," and that we're powerless to our thoughts and emotions.

Our goal with this episode is not to add more weight to your burden - but simply to be your friends from afar, to come alongside you and encourage you with truth.

The truth that you aren't alone. The truth that there IS hope and light ahead of you. That there is absolutely nothing - not even the depths of depression and despair - that can separate you from God's presence, power, and unimaginable love for you.

Ultimately, we hope these 5 tangible tips equip and EMPOWER you to take a small, courageous, intentional step towards powerfully pursuing the freedom and healing AVAILABLE for you - even in the midst of your struggles.

Because your feelings are valid, but they are not the truth.

We pray that this conversation lovingly reminds you of what's true for you today.

Is it normal to have depression as a Christian? Did people in the Bible ever experience depression? And what do we do when we find ourselves in a dark and hopeless place, DESPITE knowing all the "Christian truths"?

Today we're sharing part 1 of 2 on the topic of faith and depression. We talk about our own personal experiences - from years ago, but also even more recently leading up to this episode release. We dive into the unspoken challenges so many of us (including biblical heroes and giants of faith) face, 3 common myths about depression that many people (including Christians) have, and what we've personally found to be helpful in how to view and think about depression - either for ourselves or for those around us suffering through it.

If you or someone you love struggle with depression: you are not alone.

You are valuable, worthy, and loved no matter what you're experiencing right now.

We pray that God uses this conversation to speak hope into your heart, and strength to keep on going.

How do we grieve healthily AND find real hope?

We often associate grief with the loss of a loved one, or perhaps a serious tragedy. But grief is much more common (and normal) than we think. It’s a natural part of life’s transitions, unexpected hurts, and a wide variety of challenges.

And yet, most of us were never taught how to grieve well. Instead, we default to pushing our hard emotions to the side and fight to stay “positive” and “have more faith.”

Because deep down, we’re afraid of being so overwhelmed by our losses - that we lose ourselves in the process.

Today, we sit down with Natasha Smith, author of Can You Just Sit with Me?: Healthy Grieving for the Losses of Life. Through her personal journey of navigating 30+ years of painful losses, she shares insights on why healthy grieving matters, as well as how to allow grief to draw us closer to God rather than pull us away.

We also dive into the unspoken aspects of grief and uncomfortable emotions, from "invisible grief" that usually gets overlooked, to managing the tension of grieving honestly WHILE putting our faith in God at the same time.

As Natasha writes, it’s not a matter of getting OVER grief - but of allowing God to help you THROUGH it.

Let’s dive into what that looks like - and step into practical ways of finding hope and healing, even in the midst of real pain and disappointment.

Ever wonder if it's okay for Christians to celebrate Halloween?

It's a question that sometimes comes up in the back of our minds, but one that most of us usually just ignore.

For some, Halloween is just harmless fun with candy and costumes. For others, Halloween is associated with spiritual darkness and should be avoided at all costs.

We believe God invites us to engage with him and do things out of conviction and intention (rather than passivity and ignorance), so it’s worth the thought and conversation to understand WHY we as believers choose to participate (or NOT participate) in any activity–including Halloween.

We invite you to join us with an open mind and heart as we dive into the nuances of Halloween (and other popular celebrations / activities) and faith – and hope you'll find clarity and ideas for how to honor and glorify God in ALL that you do.

What do you do when you aren’t sure if you even believe in God anymore?

“Is Jesus truly worth following? Is God even real? What if this Christianity stuff is all made up?”

We often think of doubt as a bad thing—a hindrance to faith. But what if doubt is actually a vital element of what real faith is?

In this episode, we share our personal journeys and testimonies of walking through doubt, despair, and seeming hopelessness—3 powerful takeaways we still carry with us today.

If you’re questioning your faith, or know someone who is, this episode is for you.

We pray that it gives you comfort knowing you’re not alone, along with strength and hope to keep going.