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“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Our culture wears exhaustion like a badge of honor. But what if our constant striving, stress, scrolling, and overwork are actually disconnecting us from the way God designed us to live?

In this thoughtful and deeply practical episode of the Live Faith First Podcast, Elliot Sands sits down with author, speaker, and justice advocate Ken Wytsma to discuss his book, The Sleep You’re Longing For.

This isn’t just a conversation about getting better rest. It’s a conversation about being human.

Ken explores the “elemental” nature of sleep — why it’s as fundamental as air, water, and food — and how our modern culture has drifted far from healthy rhythms of work, rest, peace, and trust in God.

Together they discuss:

• Why sleep is essential for emotional and spiritual health

• The hidden effects of stress and overstimulation

• Anxiety, social media, and the “Anxious Generation”

• Trauma, nervous systems, and what happens while we sleep

• Why “trying harder” often makes sleep worse

• Practical ways to improve sleep with grace instead of pressure

If you’ve struggled with insomnia, stress, burnout, or simply feeling emotionally exhausted, this conversation offers both wisdom and hope.

Ken Wytsma is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and justice advocate passionate about helping people live integrated, thoughtful, and spiritually grounded lives. Born in Maine to a Dutch immigrant father who grew up in Nazi-occupied Holland, Ken spent portions of his childhood in both the United States and the Netherlands, developing a lifelong love of history, culture, and theology.

Ken is the author of several books including:

• The Sleep You're Longing For

• Pursuing Justice

• The Myth of Equality

• Create vs. Copy

He is the founder of the justice conference movement and has spent years working at the intersection of faith, culture, leadership, and human flourishing. Ken lives in Oregon with his wife and family.

Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Executive Director of Faith First, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.

Connect with Ken Wytsma

Website: ⁠Ken Wystma⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/kjwytsma/⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/kenwytsma/⁠

Connect with Live Faith First

Website: LiveFaithFirst.com

Instagram: @LiveFaithFirst

TikTok: @livefaithfirst

Facebook: facebook.com/LiveFaithFirst

YouTube: youtube.com/@livefaithfirst

Stay Connected-signup for our newsletter-https://www.livefaithfirst.org/contact

Have you ever wondered what God actually wants you to do with your life?

Many of us wish we could see the full roadmap ahead—career, relationships, calling, and purpose all clearly mapped out. But life rarely works that way. Instead, we move forward step-by-step, learning to trust God in the uncertainty.

In this episode of the Live Faith First Podcast, Elliot Sands sits down with Eric Bryant, pastor, leader, and author of Fruitful: Becoming Who God Created You to Be. Eric shares insights from his own journey of discerning God’s direction through unexpected twists—including a season where pursuing a doctoral degree ended with back surgery and a life-altering shift in perspective.

Together they explore how we discover our calling, how God develops us through adversity, and what it means to live a truly fruitful life. Eric introduces a practical framework for discerning how God has uniquely wired each of us—so we can align our passions, gifts, and opportunities with His purposes.

If you’ve ever asked the question “What does God want me to do with my life?”, this conversation offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical steps for moving forward in faith.

In This Episode

• Why God rarely gives us the full blueprint for our lives

• Eric’s surprising story of a doctoral program that ended in surgery

• The difference between success and spiritual fruitfulness

• How to discern God’s direction in uncertain seasons

• Discovering the intersection of your gifts, passions, and opportunities

• Why adversity often clarifies our calling

• The practical pathway toward becoming who God created you to be

Eric Bryant is a pastor, author, and leadership coach passionate about helping people discover and live out their God-given purpose. He currently serves at Gateway Church in Austin, Texas, and previously helped lead ministries at Mosaic in Los Angeles, one of the most influential missional churches in the U.S.

Eric is the author of several books including Fruitful: Becoming Who God Created You to Be, where he explores how people can discover their unique calling by aligning their spiritual gifts, passions, and life experiences with God’s purposes. Through his teaching, writing, and leadership coaching, Eric equips individuals and churches to pursue lives marked not just by activity or achievement—but by genuine spiritual fruitfulness.

Eric and his family live in Austin, Texas.

Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Executive Director of Faith First, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.

Connect with Eric Bryant

Website: Eric Bryant

Gateway Church Austin: Gateway Church

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbryant

Twitter/X: ericbryant (@ericbryant) / Posts / X

Connect with Live Faith First

Website: ⁠LiveFaithFirst.com

⁠Instagram:⁠ @LiveFaithFirst⁠

TikTok:⁠ @livefaithfirst⁠

Facebook:⁠ facebook.com/LiveFaithFirst

YouTube: youtube.com/@livefaithfirst