When should we speak up, vs. just "let it go"? How do we love and honor both others AND ourselves well, even in the midst of conflict? How can we equip ourselves to navigate difficult conversations during the holidays?

Today, we sit down for a thought-provoking conversation with Kathy Khang, co-author of Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit with Matt Mikalatos (recently named Book of the Year 2023 by The Englewood Review of Books).

Join Grace & Kathy as they dive into cultural & generational nuances that affect how we approach conflicts and resolution, specifically with their own personal experiences as Asian American Christian women (and why that matters).

We also explore how to live out the fruits of the Spirit amidst conflict, practical wisdom and tips on how to love and honor others amidst disagreement (for those who need a survival guide for challenging family dynamics - especially during the holidays!), and learning to embrace the messy journey along the way.

This week, on top of Alex's birthday, we're also celebrating our wedding anniversary!

Marriage has been one of the BEST gifts ever—but it's also not all sunshine and rainbows. In honor of this milestone, we thought we'd share 3 key lessons that have been HUGE for our relationship (but aren't often talked about) that we've learned so far in the past 3 years.

We are FAR from perfect, but we hope these personal examples of real-life challenges and what God's been teaching us through them can speak to you and help you wherever you're at—whether you're married, engaged, dating, or single and wanting to learn more about and prepare for marriage (HIGHLY recommend!).

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.

Do you ever feel bad "wanting" something, when the Bible tells us "I shall not want"?

Join us as we unravel common misconceptions about desire that many Christians hold, share 4 practical tips to help you discern whether your desires align with God's plan, and 3 MORE tips (based on what we've learned ourselves) to help you "hold the tension" of reflecting on your honest desires AND trusting God's goodness and faithfulness.

How do we stand strong in faith, while honestly grappling with unanswered prayers - and all the complex emotions, doubts, and internal tensions that come with them?

Tune in as we share our personal experiences, including Grace journeying through this in singleness and Alex's struggles in less-than-ideal job situations.

Then we unpack five hidden blessings we’ve personally gleaned in these seasons that can be easily overlooked… but once we pay attention to them, we realize are key to our own transformation.

We also share practical tips for how to “wait well” and take care of your heart, mind, and soul when you’re still in the season of “not yet.”

If you're feeling discouraged or find yourself in waves of doubt because of the dreams or desires that haven’t come to fruition yet… you are NOT alone.

We pray this conversation encourages you and equips you with perspectives and tools for greater hope, strength, and endurance to keep going.

What if you were made to be EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit to excel in your work AND boldly share Jesus through it?

Join us as Christy Childers shares powerful real-life testimonies of God moving in and through corporate workplaces, as well as practical tools and tips for deepening your intimacy with the Holy Spirit amidst busy work schedules, supernaturally multiplying your effectiveness and results, and boldly reflecting and sharing Jesus - wherever you are.

How should Christians approach, develop, and leverage technology and AI through God's lens?

Today, we sit down with Ryan Collins, CEO of Bethel School of Technology and author of The God of Tech, and Briana Collins for an in-depth, thought-provoking conversation on the intersection of faith, technology, and innovation.

We guarantee that this fascinating conversation, which is PACKED full of gems and helpful tools, will inspire and empower you - as we explore how to tap into "spiritual intelligence," discern God's voice and ideas over our own, be conduits of heaven in our workplaces, stay connected with God amidst busyness, use divine strategies for developing and leveraging technology... and so much more.

This is probably one of the MOST IMPORTANT episodes we've recorded to date.

Ever wonder: What is it exactly that's keeping you STUCK?

Whether it's overcoming comparison, fear of people's opinions, imposter syndrome, financial anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, confusion and purposelessness, insert-your-own-struggle-here... today, we're unpacking (like, really unpacking) 3 common barriers to experiencing lasting transformation.

We talk about everything from the impact of our childhood experiences, to how to get out of toxic self-talk cycles, to our heart-mind connection and how to get authentically - and powerfully - connected with God and ourselves.

Join us as we dissect the invisible culprits that could very well be holding you back from seeing the changes you deeply desire, as well as give you practical examples of how to take steps forward.

How can we navigate tragedy with both grief and hope?

In this special episode, we sit down with our friends and house church pastors (and first-ever couple on the podcast) Jared and Candace Madamba, as they share their personal experiences of the Maui fires and how they've been processing everything going on - but also the opportunities and signs of hope they see, even amidst the heaviness of tragedy.

Whether you're looking for ways to help those affected by the Maui fires, or simply want to be inspired by real-life examples of how to find hope and redemption in the midst of darkness, we invite you to join us for this candid conversation as we explore the unshakable power of faith and the Ohana spirit that we're called to embody anywhere we are in the world.

If being generous scares you… that’s okay.

Because that tension really is an invitation into a deeper revelation of God’s truth, his Kingdom principles, and so much more.

Most of us know that it's "good" to be generous (financially AND otherwise)... and yet, it can also be challenging to know how (and how MUCH) God actually wants us to live that out in our everyday lives.

Today, we're sitting down with our friend Emily Reed and talking about all things generosity: working through our own fears and the barriers, discovering the powerful ripple effect of generosity, the practical examples and mindset shifts that have helped us most, as well as amazing personal testimonies of how exercising generosity doesn't just change us—but others through us, too.

What does it mean (and look like) to build and manage wealth God's way?

Today, we're sitting down with James Pelton – entrepreneur, investor, YouTuber with 52,000+ subscribers, passive income expert, husband, dad, and follower of Jesus.

James has been on a mission to really live according to God's Word with radical faith - including around his finances.

In a world where we often have complicated and conflicting relationships with money, James walks us through his own journey of untangling those threads - with powerful testimonies that will encourage and inspire you.

Join us for an eye-opening conversation on how to view finances through the lens of faith, as James shares how he integrates his faith with finances, entrepreneurship, business, and more.

Get ready to glean from the invaluable lessons James has learned (and continues to learn) on how to cultivate a healthy, God-centered approach to work, money, wealth-building in ways that bring TRUE peace, joy, and freedom regardless of our circumstances.

We're doing something special in celebration of Grace's birthday!

I (Alex) asked Grace to answer a mix of YOUR questions submitted through our Instagram story, as well as some other juicy ones I've thrown in myself.

Get ready for some laughs, confessions, and embarrassing stories (and perhaps some singing) in this special Q&A episode! 🥳

Just because it's a good thing... doesn't mean you should do it.

Through the crossroads in our own journeys, we've learned some super valuable lessons and tips that we want to share to help you discern God's will - and how he is leading you.

In this episode, we dive into some factors that make decision-making so hard... and walk you through 4 categories of important questions that have helped us a lot in discerning between what's a "good" vs. a "should."

We hope this conversation and framework helps you break free from analysis paralysis... and instead, find God's divine wisdom and guidance from amidst all the noise, in order to step forward with clarity, purpose, and confident faith!