John Cooper: HURT BY THE CHURCH, HELD BY CHRIST - Deep Suffering, Deconstruction, & Discovering the Sweetness of Christ After the Storm, Ep. 322

What if meekness isn’t weakness, but strength fully surrendered to God? In this powerful conversation, Drs. Zach and Tim Clinton, sit down with Christian influencer, filmmaker, evangelist, and author, Ryan Miller, to unpack the message behind his new book, Meek as a Mustang: Finding the Strength to Surrender Your Wild Heart to Jesus. Ryan shares why following Jesus calls us out of comfortable Christianity and into a costly faith: one marked by surrender, courage, intimacy, and radical obedience. From stories of the persecuted church to his own journey through failure, influence, and the wilderness, Ryan reminds us that the true measure of success in the Christian life isn’t followers, platforms, or recognition…it’s obedience. Ultimately, it all begins with receiving the love of the Father, because your life will change when you fully believe how much Jesus loves you.

What happens when the person leading others in worship is quietly fighting to stay alive? In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Drs. Zach and Tim Clinton sit down with singer, songwriter, worship leader, and producer Baily Hager as she shares her journey through family brokenness, loss, suicidal thoughts, mental health treatment, and ultimately, healing. Baily opens up about the shame that once kept her suffering in silence, the courage it took to ask for help, and how God used faith, therapy, medication, community, and worship throughout her recovery. Her story is a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t always happen in a moment and Jesus isn’t simply waiting for us on the other side of our pain; He meets us in the middle of it and walks with us one day at a time.

In a world increasingly marked by division, distraction, and loneliness, what if one of the most powerful ways to reclaim meaningful connection is something as simple as pulling up a chair? In this episode, Drs. Zach & Tim Clinton sit down with pastor and author Ian Simkins to unpack the heart behind his new book, Every Table an Altar, and rediscover the sacred power of presence, hospitality, and embodied friendship. Ian shares why being recognized is not the same as being truly known, how our constant distractions may be stealing the relationships right in front of us, and what the life of Jesus teaches us about making room for people who may not look, think, or believe exactly like we do. If God has graciously invited us to His table, perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask is: Who needs to be invited to ours?

What if failure isn’t something to fear, but one of the greatest gifts you’ve ever been given? In this episode, Dr. Zach and Joshua Broome sit down with renowned quarterback coach and cohost of the Built 4 More Podcast, Denny Thompson, to unpack the privilege of failure, the danger of playing it safe, and why the biggest risk in life may be never taking one at all. Denny shares powerful lessons from coaching elite athletes, navigating unexpected adversity, walking alongside his wife through cancer, and learning to surrender the outcomes he simply couldn’t control. Together, they explore how failure can redirect us, discomfort can develop us, and faith gives us the courage to keep moving when life doesn’t go according to plan. Because if you’re lucky, life won’t work out exactly the way you thought it would—and that may be where God does some of His greatest work.

In this powerful conversation, bestselling author and beloved speaker Sheila Walsh opens up about the hidden cost of pretending you’re okay. Sheila shares her deeply personal journey from appearing on The 700 Club to checking herself into a psychiatric hospital, revealing what happened when years of buried emotions, pain, and depression finally became impossible to ignore. She and Zach explore why what we refuse to feel can eventually overwhelm us, why vulnerability is not weakness, and how healing often begins when we finally tell the truth about what’s happening inside. Sheila also shares how faith, counseling, community, and learning to face rather than bury her emotions helped transform her darkest season. If you’ve ever felt pressure to hold it all together while quietly falling apart, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t have to pretend, and you don’t have to heal alone.