What do you do if much of your pain is caused by your own choices? How do you begin to break free from shame and find God's grace in your past?

For author, pastor and Bible teacher, Ines Franklin the journey towards healing has taken some time, but God has been with her every step of the way. Having grown up without a father, Ines found the wounds of her past and her own decisions led her to living with immense shame. She divorced twice, had two abortions, and had been engaged in an affair. When she came to know Jesus, she still carried around the scars that her pain and shame had left on her.

As she began to more fully embrace the gift of God's grace in her life and as she told her story more openly, she started to see the shame lift and God used her brokenness to help others. In her latest book, Uncharted: Navigating Your Unique Journey of Faith, Ines looks at how each of us have our own road to walk when it comes to our faith and how even our greatest struggles can be used as a part of God's greater plan for our lives.

In this episode, guest host Vaneetha Risner sits down with Ines to discuss how to disentangle shame from our stories, learning to understand God's grace in our lives and the importance of absorbing the pain we've caused others.

If part of your pain is because of your own decisions, this conversation will encourage you that God can use even your worst choices to bring about healing and hope for yourself and others.

What do you do when you were living the life you always dreamed of and find it taken away in a matter of moments? How do you learn to trust God after a tragic loss? How can you forgive when a grave injustice is done against you and your family?

Laura Hao had to answer these questions and so many more when she lost her husband in a senseless murder in 2018. Laura had always dreamed of becoming a missionary since she was a little girl. She realized that dream and moved to Asia as a young woman. There, she met her husband, had her four children and began working as missionaries in the place the Holy Spirit had planted a seed of a dream in her heart so many years ago. Together, they experienced blessing and favor as they served the Lord and sought to build the Church in a closed part of the world.

But that all changed just two days after returning to the United States for a time of refreshment and visiting loved ones. While packing her daughter's bag for camp the next day, gun shots echoed just outside the door. She opened it to find a traumatic scene, her husband was lying lifeless on the ground after being shot in a random act of violence.

Laura experienced the depths of the darkness that grief can bring. Feeling buried like a seed, she felt as though she was frantically grappling her way out of the dark. But through it, she also experienced the illuminating light of truths that can only be found in the recesses of pain. In this raw conversation, Davey and Laura talk through a shared experience of learning to live in the darkness of a painful loss, how to trust the Lord in the seasons fo grief, and how justice, mercy and forgiveness all coexist.

The truths Laura and Davey share are ones that will help you as you navigate the most difficult parts of your story with honesty and hope, whatever it may be.

Claire Culwell’s story in one that has to be heard to be believed. As the adopted daughter of two loving parents, Claire eventually found herself wanting to meet her birth mother. When she was finally able to, she could never have foreseen how that first conversation would go.

What Claire’s birth mother revealed to her on that day would shock Claire to her very core, and her life would never be the same.

Claire sits down with Davey to share her unbelievable story and how she’s learned more about God, forgiveness, and the value of life through this incredible journey.

For most of us, forgiveness is a tricky subject. We know in our minds that it’s the right thing to do, and we probably try to forgive minor offenses as best we can. But when we are wronged in a much larger sense, forgiveness feels like the last thing we want to do. Lysa Terkeurst is all too familiar with that feeling. Not only is she a hugely successful ministry leader and bestselling author, but Lysa has walked through incredible amounts of hurt in her own life. Through this journey, Lysa has learned what forgiveness really is and how it unlocks the door for us to heal from our own wounds regardless of whether or not we are reconciled with those that wounded us. Lysa sits down with Davey to share some of what she’s learned about forgiveness and reconciliation, and the ways they factor into bringing healing in each of our stories.

Three years ago Todd walked into his house to find his worst nightmare and had his entire life turned upside down in a moment. 

Kathy had her life turned upside down almost eight years ago when she lost her husband in an instant.

Both Todd & Kathy have walked through  devastating loss and grief - hear how their stories collide and how they are seeking to find purpose and follow Jesus in the midst of the unexpected and unimaginable.

Three years ago Todd walked into his house to find his worst nightmare and had his entire life turned upside down in a moment. 

Kathy had her life turned upside down almost eight years ago when she lost her husband in an instant.

Both Todd & Kathy have walked through  devastating loss and grief - hear how their stories collide and how they are seeking to find purpose and follow Jesus in the midst of the unexpected and unimaginable.

Andrew & Jameel's story of brokenness and bitterness turned to forgiveness and friendship will shift your perspective on what reconciliation really means. In part one,  Andrew & Jameel talk through the story of how they met and the road that started with pain, hurt, lies and ends with restoration and healing.

Andrew & Jameel's story of brokenness and bitterness turned to forgiveness and friendship will shift your perspective on what reconciliation really means. In part one,  Andrew & Jameel talk through the story of how they met and the road that started with pain, hurt, lies and ends with restoration and healing.