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After years of faithfully showing up Sunday after Sunday, many of us grow disenchanted with church: the success formulas, the machinery, the constant push to grow the congregation so it can scale up and stay sustainable. Some of us carry church hurt that was never acknowledged or made right.

On this episode of GraceWorks, Huntley Cuthrell shares his journey, including the day a pastor shut down the redemptive outreach Huntley had poured his heart and soul into building, and did it with a cold, impersonal email. You’ll also hear from a man who knows who he is, where he is, and who can see the good God is doing in his life.

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What would you do if members of your own church helped your wife and kids move out of your home without telling you?

Your first instinct might be, "A church wouldn't do that without good reason." That's what Terrick Moyer thought too.

On this episode of GraceWorks, Christian and Shawn sit down with Terrick to hear his faith journey: the devastating betrayal he experienced from his spouse and his local church, how he chose to respond, and the difference he continues to make for God's Kingdom.

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Why do we have such a hard time spending time with those whose liabilities outweigh their assets? Shouldn't we worship with those who are as well heeled and educated as we are? What about boundaries? I've got to take care of myself don't I? Consider if Jesus were alive today? Would he be clothed in majestical garments, reading a well constructed communiqué? Would He even be allowed to lead in silent prayer? Tune into GraceWorks and hear Christian and Shawn deal with a major problem that we all know exists but few are willing to address.

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When was the last time you felt safe being honest with other believers? Is your church a hospital for sinners or a showcase for saints?

When it comes to relationships and reconciling differences, too many Christians default to a "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" Cobra Kai mentality — where those with the most spiritual standing win out over the weaker believers who are struggling. It's Competitive Christianity, and it's hurting far too many people.

Tune into GraceWorks as Christian and Shawn unpack what Competitive Christianity looks like, why it happens even in healthy churches, and how grace — not rank — should govern how we treat each other.

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Has a religious leader or spiritual authority figure ever threatened your welfare, wellbeing, or eternal security? Did they predict God would punish you for not listening to them? Maybe they enacted what they believed was God's justice—shaming you, urging your spouse to leave, even inserting themselves into your children's lives. Did they tie your salvation to staying in their good graces?

If you've experienced religious abuse or spiritual manipulation—or know someone who has—this episode is for you. Hosts Shawn Saunders and Christian Meachem know firsthand the fear, guilt, and shame so many Christians carry from those they called pastor or elder. Tune in to this episode of GraceWorks to learn how to stop the hurt and begin healing.

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What's your true north? Christless Christianity is the ultimate, unfortunate paradox.

Are local churches called to attract the "higher societal masses" to a lavish or trendy campus — or are we called to go into our communities and reach our neighbors one life, one family at a time? What about the broken and the poor? The widows and orphans? Unwed, expectant teenage mothers? Those in prison, or those trapped in the prison of addiction? When you're hospitalized, sick, hurting, or at your most vulnerable, are your pastors physically showing up to sit with you and love you?

What once seemed avant-garde as a growth strategy may be turning out to be specious. In this episode of GraceWorks, Christian Meachem and Shawn Saunders graciously and truthfully speak into this paradox — sharing what Christianity looks like when Christ is the center, and our true north.

Season 1, Episode 8 of 11

Recorded April, 2025

Produced August, 2026

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Does God's grace make us more courageous or more cautious? Should we help the hurting and vulnerable (those that some of us may consider, "the weak of society") or allow them to suffer the consequences of responding poorly to their trauma and upbringing? Wouldn't it be better to remain calculative and clean versus reckless and dirty? If God's children are co-heirs with Christ, and priests and kings, shouldn't we take the field with confidence versus trepidation? Tune into GraceWorks.....Christian and Shawn dive into deep places that many dare not tread.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Are you living from a place of fullness or of emptiness and deficit? If you are gospel rich then your life will be grace rich and works rich. But if you only apply the truth of the gospel to your life for salvation, your sanctification journey will be needlessly unbearable because you're living gospel poor and grace deplete. Christian and Shawn have good news: you don't have to run this race called life with an empty grace tank! Look under your hood and see the engine God gave to you and the endless supply of 'high grace gas' that's at your disposable.