How often have you found yourself ready to give up? What do we do when it feels too hard to keep going?

Pastor and author Nick Connolly knows what it is like to be ready to quit. As a pastor, he has faced challenges that have made him second guess his calling. Even in the midst of writing and launching his book, Don't Give Up Just Yet: Choosing Persistence in a World of Overwhelming Resistance, he found himself experiencing panic attacks and unrelenting anxiety for the first time in his life. It was through his own personal struggles that he began to consider the importance of persistence when faced with resistance to what God has asked of us.

In this conversation, Davey and Nick talk about what it looks like to not give up, the way spiritual attacks can impact us, and how to be authentic with all while choosing wisely with whom we are most vulnerable.

If you've ever been ready to throw in the towel on the path God has put you on, this episode will help you find the strength to keep going in the face of whatever challenges may come your way.

How do you know when your way isn't working? What are the signs that tell you that perhaps you aren't abiding in God and instead relying on your own efforts to get through life?

For pastor and author Kyle Idleman, it took a friend suggesting he see an executive coach before he realized that the indicator light of his life was on and that he needed to make some adjustments. There were so many signs that were suggesting that he was trying to force his way in life and leadership instead of living out of a deep abidance in Christ. It was through his own personal struggle that he wrote, When Your Way Isn’t Working: Finding Purpose and Contentment through Deep Connection with Jesus. In it, he helps others recognize when their way isn't working and how remaining connected to Jesus is the key to a fruitful life.

In this insightful conversation, Davey talks with Kyle about how to follow Jesus' example in beginning our days, what some of the indicators may be that our way isn't working, and how to course correct before reaching a breaking point.

If you find yourself trying to force your way through life and feel anxious, exhausted and disconnected, this episode will help you reconnect with Jesus so that you can live from a place of abiding instead of striving.

How do you live life with the end in mind, especially when you are told your days are numbered? We all know that Scripture calls us to live life through the lens of heaven, but how do we really do that?

For Colleen Chao, finding out she had Stage 4 Cancer forced her to think about living the way God called her to in spite of the fact or perhaps because of the fact, that she is dying. Having expected life to go in a much different direction, Colleen has been learning to see the beauty in the most unexpected places like suffering and pain.

In this episode, Davey has a raw conversation with Colleen on seeing God's beauty in the darkness of suffering, the transformative power of gratitude, and how the blood of Jesus can keep us from dwelling in our regrets.

You don't have to have a life-altering diagnosis to be encouraged by Colleen's story of living life fully when heaven is closer than you anticipated.

When it comes to our struggles with our emotions, pain and story, one of the most difficult by-products to navigate is the loneliness that we can experience as a result of our journey.

A pervasive sense of being unseen and unknown can lead to a deep feeling of hopelessness. With raw honesty, Dr. Mark Mayfield shares his own personal journey in learning how his unhealed emotions led to a feeling of being alone and how finding language to identify what he was experiencing brought him to a place of healing.

In this conversation, Davey and Mark sit down to talk about what loneliness is, what it can to do us and how we can find the path out of loneliness.

Whether you've felt bouts of loneliness because of the recent pandemic, have felt isolated as a pastor or church leader or if depression and anxiety have made you feel alone, this conversation is for you.

Pain has a way of keeping us in the dark, of making sure that we don’t know how to cope and heal properly. When it feels like there’s nowhere else to turn, it’s all too easy to fall into harmful coping mechanisms and patterns that may deal with our pain in the moment, but only make things worse in the long run.

When Brittany Tinsley went through a painful season at a young age, this is exactly what happened to her. Unable to find anything else to make her feel better, Brittany discovered that, at least for a few moments, she could replace her greater emotional suffering with pain of a different kind.

Years of dealing with self harm left Brittany scarred both emotionally and physically, but thankfully that’s not the end of her story.

Brittany sits down with Davey to share some of her journey of healing and the wisdom she’s gained along the way.

As a prolific pastor, speaker, and author, Scott Sauls has helped countless people in their own journeys in life. His wisdom didn’t come easy, though.

Having walked through childhood trauma, anxiety, depression, and so much more, Scott is well acquainted with pain and suffering.

But in the middle of these trials, Scott has found a deeper, richer knowledge of God, and a calling to share that knowledge with as many people as possible.

Scott sits down with Davey to share a bit of his story and some of the wisdom he’s learned along the way.

The last year and half or so has had long-lasting effects on all of us. Studies have shown that reports of mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression have skyrocketed between 2019 and today. But for some, these issues are not brought on by one particular season, but rather they are something that we face our entire lives. Paul Asay is one such person. While he didn’t have the words for it at the time, Paul began facing anxiety as a child, and by the time he was in college that had morphed into severe depression. This depression has followed him his entire adult life, and he has had to struggle with what it means to be a follower of Jesus and also be chronically depressed. After all, shouldn’t the hope of Christ be enough to beat back depression for good? But through this season, Paul has learned what it means to follow God in the midst of darkness and to see Him on a deeper level because of it. Paul sits down with Davey to share some of his story and the wisdom he’s learned about going through depression, whether it be seasonal or a lifelong battle.

When Ericka Andersen met her husband Rick, she wasn't stepping into the average American relationship. Most people can't even imagine growing up like he did. Rick was raised in an environment rife with substance abuse, severe mental health problems, attempted suicides, and more. Ericka shares Rick's story with Davey and talks about the healing that God can bring to the darkest of places.

Buy Ericka's book: Leaving Cloud 9

You may not know Elliott Park's name, but you've probably heard his work. Elliott's songs have been sung on the hallowed stage of the Ryman Opry Theater, as well as on major network programs like “Late Night With David Letterman”, and “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson. In 2006, his song “I Loved Her First” hit #1 on Billboard and R&R Magazines.

On this episode, Davey and Elliott talk about the heights and depths of success and following Jesus from the highs of a billboard number one hit, into the depths of depression, and back out again. 

Carlos Whittaker joins Davey on the podcast this month to share ... in the most authentic and vulnerable way you've ever heard ... his story.  They talk about following Jesus in the ups and downs of life and ministry, Carlos shares some of his lowest moments and how he's learned to find and kill the spiders in his life. 

Carlos Whittaker joins Davey on the podcast this month to share ... in the most authentic and vulnerable way you've ever heard ... his story.  They talk about following Jesus in the ups and downs of life and ministry, Carlos shares some of his lowest moments and how he's learned to find and kill the spiders in his life.