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Susan and Alex are joined by co-host Josh Burris and special guest Nicole Zasowski for a heartfelt conversation around the question: "How does God call us to talk with others about pain?" Together, they explore what it looks like to hold space for one another, speak truth with compassion, and reflect God's love in our hardest conversations.

NICOLE ZASOWSKI is a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of What If It's Wonderful, From Lost to Found and her new Bible Study Daring Joy. She is also the coauthor of Advances and Techniques in Restoration Therapy and Families and Forgiveness. As a writer who wears her heart proudly on her sleeve, Nicole’s work is a weave of biblical wisdom, psychological expertise, and vulnerable storytelling. Often praised for her wisdom and approachable style, Nicole is a sough-after speaker, frequently teaching at conferences, retreats, and women’s events around the country on topics that integrate faith and psychology.

In addition to her private practice, Nicole’s therapeutic work has included teaching as an adjunct professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York and leading marriage intensives at the Hideaway Experience.

Nicole and her husband, Jimmy, are the grateful parents of three young children. Her favorite place to be is looking for sea glass on the Connecticut shoreline, exploring a New England town or New York City neighborhood, or sitting in her front yard around a fire with her family, friends, and neighbors.

Nicole would love to connect with you on Instagram @nicolezasowski. You can also subscribe to Nicole’s newsletter to have wisdom and encouragement sent straight to your inbox!

In Nicole’s newest Bible study, Daring Joy, you will learn to release fear, comparison, and control so you can embrace the joy God designed you for. You can find all her books and resources here: https://www.nicolezasowski.com/

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Erin Peterson, founder of Cinderella's Closet, joins Susan and Lindsey to talk about her calling to help young women know their worth. From giving dresses for prom, providing scholarships for college, to hosting body positivity seminars, God is using Erin and the ministry of Cinderella's closet to help turn dresses into dreams.

Find out more, learn how to donate or get involved at the Cinderella's Closet website.

Cinderella’s Closet NKY began n 2006 as a ministry of a local church and in 2024 became an individual non-profit organization. It’s an effort inspired by a teenager, our founder, Erin Peterson met while shopping at a consignment store. Erin overheard the teenager ask a clerk if the beautiful, gently-used gown on display could be put on hold while she figured out how to pay for it.

She asked her foster mother for the money, but a prom dress is an extra in life, and its price was out of their reach. Seeing her disappointment, Erin bought the dress for her. As tears flooded her eyes, said she would look “just like Cinderella.” For one day, a little girl was transformed into a princess.

Erin was transformed as well. Shortly thereafter, Cinderella’s Closet NKY began. Each year we are able to help nearly 450 girls in Northern Kentucky find the dress of their dreams and renewed confidence in themselves.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Are you a people pleaser? Do you confuse being a peacemaker with being a peacekeeper? Susan and Alex talk about the struggles of people pleasing with Dr. Beverly Smallwood. Even if you don't struggle with this, there is so much amazing content in this episode that is sure to benefit you. Thanks for listening!

ABOUT DR. SMALLWOOD: Dr. Bev Smallwood is a licensed psychologist who, for the past 40 plus years, has been spreading her message of hope to individuals, families, and organizations across the U.S. and around the world. She’s the Founder and CEO of The Hope Center, a psychological clinic she established in 1984. Since the early 80’s, Bev’s high-content, high-fun, live, in-person programs have enabled organizations to accomplish successful transitions, develop more skillful leaders, intensify employee engagement, reduce turnover, and create fiercely loyal customers. Dr.Bev also creates high engagement learning in her virtual programs and courses.

Bev received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1981. Since that time, she has regularly received advanced professional training in such areas as stress and anger management, trauma treatment, forensic psychology, organizational assessment and intervention, and leadership development.

Dr. Bev is well-known as a resource to the national media. She’s been interviewed and quoted in such media outlets as MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, Maury Povich, New York Times, USA Today Weekend, Focus on the Family, Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer, Self Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Entrepreneur, and numerous major radio stations and networks.

Bev’s the author of This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen to Me: 10 Make-or-Break Choices When Life Steals Your Dreams and Rocks Your World, (Thomas Nelson, Publishers). She also co-authored KidSpiration: Out of the Mouths of Babes. Currently, she is working on a new book on anger called All The Rage.

Dr. Bev Smallwood lives in Hattiesburg, MS. She’s the Mom of Greg and Amy, and the grandmother of Joseph, Ethan, Scarlett, and Eli.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Why is my loved one not healed? Should I pray for healing? How do I pray for healing? If you've ever asked these questions or similar ones, this episode is for you. Dr. Stephen Seamands wisely helps us understand the nature of healing and how we can broaden our understanding of Christ's healing work in our lives.

Access Dr. Seamands latest book, Follow the Healer, and the study HERE.

ABOUT: Dr. Stephen Seamands currently serves as Professor Emeritus at Asbury Theological Seminary, having retired in May 2018 from
his position as Professor of Christian Doctrine, in which he had served for thirty-five years. Prior to assuming a teaching position at the seminary in 1983, he pastored United Methodist churches in southern New Jersey for eleven years.
Steve has continued to teach courses for the seminary as an affiliate professor. He is known for gracefully merging the classical and the practical. His courses on doctrine and practical theology are taught with a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart.

He is the author of eight books including Holiness of Heart and Life (Abingdon Press, 1990), Wounds that Heal: Bringing Our Hurts to the Cross (InterVarsity Press, 2003), which is available in six languages and Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service (InterVarsity Press, 2005), which received the 2006 Christianity Today “Award of Merit” for books in the area of Church and pastoral leadership; The Unseen Real: Living in the Light of the Ascension of Jesus (Seedbed, 2016). His most recent book is Follow the Healer: Biblical and Theological Foundations for Healing Ministry (Zondervan Reflective/Seedbed, 2023). He has also written articles for various journals and magazines

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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We're back with another great question! Rev. Andy Stoddard joins Susan and Alex to explore, "Did God really create the world in seven days?"

ABOUT ANDY: Andy Stoddard is the Lead Pastor at St. Matthew's UMC in Madison, MS. He has served churches across Mississippi. Andy is a 1998 graduate of Mississippi College and a 2003 graduate of Memphis Theological Seminary. He is married to Holly and together they have two children, Sarah (a junior at Southern Miss) and Thomas (a senior at Germantown High School in Madison). Andy enjoys watching his kids perform, rooting for the San Francisco Giants, and reading —especially C.S. Lewis, Tim Keller, and (of course) John Wesley. If you are on social media, you can become his friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rev.andys or read his blog at www.revandy.org.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Rev. Dr. Raigan Miskelly, senior pastor at Galloway UMC in Jackson, MS, joins Alex and Susan to answer the questions, "How did God never have a beginning? Was God made?"

ABOUT RAIGAN: Rev. Dr. Raigan Miskelly is an Ordained United Methodist Elder in the Mississippi Conference. Dr. Miskelly holds a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion and a Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on Nonprofit Management. She is a certified coach, teacher, and speaker with the John Maxwell Leadership Team. She's also a certified spin instructor. Raigan is married to Rocky and is the mother of two college-age children. She is also the stepmother of two adult sons.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Will Rambo, senior pastor at the Orchard in Tupelo, MS, joins Susan and Alex to explore this thought-provoking question from one of the children of Parkway Heights UMC: What happens when judgment day comes?

About Will: Will Rambo is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Tupelo where he has been on staff for 21 years. His passions include: the local church, teaching, training, equipping, and spiritual formation. For recreation, Will enjoys reading, disc golf, Mississippi State athletics, all things food (particularly key lime pie), and, most importantly, his family. Will and his wife, Merissa, have three children: Lilla, Kinley, and Isaac. For questions or inquiries, email him at will@theorchard.net.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.

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Welcome back to Season 6 of the Embodied Holiness Podcast! Susan and Alex welcome their good friend, Rev. Cliff Burris, for a thoughtful exploration sparked by a question from one of the children at Parkway Heights UMC: "Did God die when Jesus died on the cross?" Listen in as they delve deep into understanding the nature of God, explore the significance of the cross, and discuss why being brave enough to ask big questions can transform how we understand faith.

ABOUT CLIFF: Rev. Cliff Burris attended Asbury Theological seminary and has served as Methodist pastor for twenty-eight years. Cliff lives in Biloxi, MS where he is the pastor of Heritage UMC. He and his wife Leanne (who is also a Methodist pastor) have four children. Cliff enjoys playing his Taylor guitar, leading worship, running, playing golf and tennis, and reading theology.

Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast. We invite you to join the community on Facebook and Instagram @embodiedholiness. You can find all our episodes and more at www.embodiedholiness.com.

Embodied Holiness is a ministry of Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. If you're in the Hattiesburg area and are looking for a church home, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to the family. You can find out more about Parkway Heights at our website.