When headlines, social media, and everyday stress collide, anxiety can easily take over. In this episode, Jennifer Slattery and Carol McCracken explore why our minds and bodies respond so strongly to cultural chaos—and how God gently leads us back to peace.

Download the free companion guide for this episode here: Finding Peace in a Chaotic World: A Faith-Based Guide to Quieting Anxiety and Re-centering Your Heart

You’ll hear:

• how stress and overstimulation affect the brain

• why anxious thoughts spiral so quickly

• practical grounding tools rooted in faith

• how Jesus modeled withdrawal and reconnection with the Father

• why joy, Scripture, and community strengthen emotional resilience

If you’ve felt overwhelmed lately, this conversation will remind you: you’re not broken—and you’re not alone. God meets us right where we are and leads us toward calm, clarity, and renewed trust.

Scripture referenced in this episode:

Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Isaiah 26:3–4
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You… The Lord Himself is the Rock eternal.”

Psalm 46:1–2
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”

Psalm 91:1–4
God as refuge, shelter, and covering.

Isaiah 41:10
“Do not fear, for I am with you… I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Colossians 3:15
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

Gospel accounts of Jesus withdrawing to pray
(Mark 1:35-39; Luke 5:15-16; Luke 6:12)

Reflective Questions:

Use these for journaling, small groups, or personal reflection.

1. When I feel overwhelmed, what tends to trigger my anxiety most—noise, conflict, social media, uncertainty, or something else?

2. What physical signs tell me I’m becoming dysregulated or stressed (sleep disruption, tension, racing thoughts, irritability)?

3. Which grounding practice helps me reconnect with God most easily—breathing, Scripture, silence, journaling, nature, prayer, or community?

4. Where might God be inviting me to “withdraw” from input right now so I can hear His voice more clearly?

5. What truth from Scripture do I need to return to when my thoughts begin to spiral?

6. What is one small step I can take this week to pursue peace intentionally instead of waiting for my circumstances to change?

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend who may be feeling overwhelmed. And don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others find hope and practical help when they need it most.

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

On Instagram

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you lie awake at night worried about money?
If financial stress has left you feeling anxious, ashamed, or trapped, this episode will encourage you and help alleviate some of your fear.

In today’s Faith Over Fear conversation, host Jennifer Slattery sits down with Todd Moore, Director of Education at Trinity Debt Management, to talk honestly about financial fear, scarcity mindsets, and the emotional weight money struggles carry—especially in today’s economy.

Todd shares his powerful story of growing up with scarcity, accumulating debt as a first-generation college student, and eventually discovering that financial hardship doesn’t define your future. Together, Jennifer and Todd explore why money anxiety impacts our sense of safety, how past trauma can intensify present fear, and why struggling financially is far more common—and far less shameful—than many realize.

You’ll also hear practical, grace-filled encouragement for anyone who feels overwhelmed or stuck, including:

• Why financial hardship doesn’t mean you’ve failed

• How fear affects the brain—and why support matters

• Small, doable steps you can take right now to regain clarity

• How God’s compassion meets us in seasons of financial uncertainty

• Why asking for help can be the turning point toward freedom

If you’re facing job loss, debt, rising expenses, or lingering fear rooted in past instability, this episode offers both biblical reassurance and practical hope.

Resources Mentioned:

• Trinity Debt Management: https://www.trinitycredit.org

• Free companion resource

You are not alone. You are not stuck. And God is still leading you toward freedom.

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548. https://trinitycredit.org/

Reflective Questions (For Show Notes, Companion Guide, or Journaling)

1. What emotions surface when you think about your finances right now—fear, shame, exhaustion, or uncertainty?
   How might God be inviting you to bring those emotions honestly to Him?

2. Can you identify any past experiences (childhood scarcity, instability, job loss, homelessness, or debt) that may be fueling your current financial anxiety?
   How does recognizing this change the way you view yourself?

3. Where have you been tempted to believe that your financial situation defines your worth, faith, or future?
   What truth from Scripture counters that belief?

4. What would it look like to stop facing financial stress alone?
   Who might God be inviting you to reach out to for support, guidance, or education?

5. What is one small, manageable step you could take this week to move toward clarity rather than avoidance?
   (Tracking expenses, making a call, praying honestly, or asking for help.)

6. How does this conversation reshape your understanding of God’s compassion and provision—not just for today, but for the future He sees and prepares you for?

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“When You’re Not Out of Control—Just Tired of Surviving”

In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Carol sits down with Christy Osborne, author of Love Life Sober, for an honest, compassionate conversation about exhaustion, emotional numbness, and the quiet ways many women cope just to get through the day.

This isn’t a conversation about hitting rock bottom or losing control. It’s about the woman who looks “fine” on the outside—but feels tired, flat, and disconnected from joy on the inside.

Christy shares her personal journey through an alcohol fast—not as a self-improvement project, but as a brave act of curiosity and care. (Download the free companion guide for this episode here.)

Together, Carol and Christy explore:

• Why alcohol (or other numbing habits) often function as a solution, not the real problem
• What surfaces emotionally and spiritually when numbing is removed
• How grief, fatigue, and long-buried feelings often point to unmet needs—not personal failure
• The lies that grow louder in silence—and how awareness and Scripture can interrupt them with grace
• Where Jesus meets us most clearly when we feel exposed, weary, and emotionally honest
• How joy can return—not as escape, but as presence, embodiment, and safety

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not out of control—I’m just so tired,” this episode is for you.

Resource referenced: Love Life Sober: A 40-Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind

Listener Reflective Questions

1. Where in my life have I been using something—even something socially acceptable—to soften, numb, or survive instead of truly rest?
2. If I’m honest, what emotions do I work hardest to avoid feeling—and why might those emotions feel unsafe to me?
3. Have I been interpreting my exhaustion as failure, when it may actually be information about my soul’s needs?
4. What lies get loud for me when life slows down or distractions are removed—and how do those lies shape my sense of identity?
5. How has my definition of joy been shaped by escape rather than presence—and what quieter forms of joy might God be inviting me to notice?
6. What would it look like to believe I can feel deeply and be safe with God—right here, not after I “fix” myself?

Connect with Christy Osborne:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find her work on Amazon

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

On Instagram

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many people know God is loving and kind—but struggle to feel or trust that love in their most wounded places. For those impacted by trauma, religious abuse, legalism, or deep loss, God can feel distant, harsh, or unsafe.

In this moving conversation, host Jennifer Slattery sits down with author Sherri Hughes Gregg to explore how Jesus consistently reveals Himself as tender, compassionate, and near to the brokenhearted. Drawing from Sherri’s book The Compassionate Christ, her personal journey through divorce and cancer, and powerful Gospel narratives—including the leper, the grieving widow, and the Samaritan woman—this episode gently challenges fear-based views of God and invites listeners into healing truth.

Together, Jennifer and Sherri model how we can wrestle respectfully with Scripture, release shame-laden interpretations, and encounter Christ as He truly is: the One who comforts, restores dignity, and brings beauty from ashes.

Download this episode's free companion guide with Scripture and journal prompts here.

Resource referenced: The Compassionate Christ: Draw Near to the Risen Savior (A 31-Day Devotional Retelling of Stories from the Life of Jesus)

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. When you think about God’s posture toward you, what emotions surface most easily—fear, comfort, suspicion, hope? Why do you think that is?

2. How have past experiences (family, church culture, trauma, or suffering) shaped the way you interpret Jesus’ actions and words in Scripture?

3. Which Gospel story mentioned in this episode—the leper, the widow, or the Samaritan woman—do you most relate to right now? What about it resonates with your current season?

4. Are there moments when suffering or disappointment has caused old fears or shame-based beliefs about God to resurface? How have you responded to those thoughts?

5. What would it look like to intentionally observe how Jesus interacts with wounded people in the Gospels, without filtering His actions through fear or self-condemnation?

6. Where might God be inviting you to receive comfort before resolution—to trust His nearness even while you wait for healing or answers?

7. What is one lie about God’s character you feel prompted to gently release—and one truth about His compassion you want to sit with this week?

Connect with Sherri Hughes Gregg:

On Instagram

On Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you struggle with prayer—what to say, how to say it, and whether God will respond? Does God ever feel distant or silent when you cry out to Him? In this episode, guest Rachel Britton shares why prayer often feels difficult, especially when we feel fearful, disappointed, or anxious, and she explains how simple, guided prayers can help us open our hearts wider to the Lord.

(Download this episodes free companion guide here.)

Together, Carol and Rachel explore what we can learn from biblical women who prayed through some of Scripture’s most painful and complicated moments:

• Rachel, a person of deep sorrow
• Leah, a person overlooked
• Jochebed, a person in the background
• Sarah, a person who doubted

Their lives reveal that God hears those of us who feel unseen, afraid, or unsure. Through their stories, Rachel invites us to grow in confidence—not by having perfect words, but by remembering we are perfectly loved.

Resource referenced: Pray Naturally: Finding Your Spiritual Confidence as a Woman Loved by God by Rachel Britton

Reflective/Discussion Questions

1. Which part of prayer feels hardest for you right now—finding the words, believing God hears you, or trusting Him with the outcome? Why?
2. When you think of praying bold prayers, what emotion rises first—fear, excitement, skepticism, or hope? What might God be inviting you to explore in that?
3. Is there a biblical woman’s story (Rachel, Leah, Jochebed) that mirrors a season you’re in? What does her journey teach you about God’s character?
4. In what ways have fear, disappointment, or past pain shaped the way you pray—or the way you avoid praying?
5. Rachel talks about being honest in prayer, even messy or raw. What would it look like to tell God the truth about something you’ve been holding back?
6. Where do you sense God inviting you to trust Him more deeply—not someday, but today—as you learn to pray more naturally?

Find Rachel Britton:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

On Instagram

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When anxiety tightens your chest and fear whispers that you’re alone, knowing who God is can steady your heart. In this deeply comforting conversation, Jennifer Slattery sits down with author and ministry leader Grace Fox to explore how the names of God reveal His nearness, power, and peace—especially in seasons of uncertainty, trauma, and unanswered prayer.

Grace shares how understanding God as Yahweh Shalom, Abba Father, Yahweh Roi (the Lord my Shepherd), and the God who is Light can reshape how we walk through hardship. From cultivating daily time with God in busy seasons to experiencing supernatural peace in the middle of a medical crisis, this episode gently reminds listeners that fear is not a sign of failed faith—but often a signal that we were never meant to carry our burdens alone.

In this episode, guest Grace Fox shares practical tools to quiet anxious thoughts, anchor themselves in truth, and learn how God often reveals His heart most clearly in life’s darkest caves. (Scroll down to download a free companion guide designed to help you process this episodes content more deeply and for more information on today's guest, Grace Fox.)

Key Topics Covered in today's episode:

• Why fear doesn’t mean you’ve disappointed God

• How the names of God reveal His character and care

• Finding peace while still “in process”

• God as Father for those wounded by earthly relationships

• How God brings light and beauty even in dark seasons

• Practical steps to experience peace amid chaos

Resource Referenced: Names of God: Knowing Peace: Devotional Study with Video Access (Names of God Devotional Studies Book 2) by Grace Fox

Download this episodes free companion guide HERE.

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. When anxiety rises, what does your first response tend to be—problem-solving, worrying, withdrawing, or turning toward God?
2. Which name of God discussed in this episode resonates most deeply with your current season, and why?
3. How might viewing God as a perfect Father challenge or heal wounds shaped by imperfect human relationships?
4. Where do you feel like you’re “in process” right now, tempted to believe you should be further along?
5. What would it look like to ask, “God, what do You want to teach me here?” instead of “Why is this happening?”
6. Are there areas of chaos in your life where you need to invite God’s light to bring clarity or order?
7. How might intentionally renewing your mind change the way you experience fear or uncertainty this week?

Connect with Grace Fox:

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.