Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick

Latest Episodes:

Episode 224 - Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, "Turning the Tables on Injustice" Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

“I think it is naive to ignore the journey of people who have been on the margins in our society.” - Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards
On this edition of Restoring the Soul and in honor of Sunday’s Juneteeth holiday, we would like to present one of Michael’s most compelling conversations with Rev Dr. Dennis Edwards where they discuss race and Christianity in modern America as it relates to current events. Michael was deeply impacted by Dr. Edwards's article in Christianity Today from May 2020 titled, "The Revolution Will Not Be Videoed.”
Dr. Edwards is currently an Associate Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago and the author of Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice. In addition to his academic work in biblical studies, Dennis has served as a pastor in Brooklyn; Washington, DC; and Minneapolis.

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Episode 223 - Brian Boecker, "False Self vs. True Self" Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

“The call of spirituality is to be fully human and fully alive.” - Brian Boecker
Ruth Haley Barton once said, “...there is a truer self waiting to be recognized and breathed into life by the Spirit of God.” The war between the false self and the true self is real and for some of us, is fought throughout our lives. Franciscan priest Richard Rohr feels that there is no more challenging spiritual issue than the "problem of the self."
On today’s podcast, Michael welcomes back Restoring the Soul colleague Brian Boecker to discuss the false self versus the true self and consider questions like, ”What are the repetitive patterns that keep me deadened to my own desire and how do I awaken those things?” We also hope you come to realize that the call of spirituality is to be fully human and fully alive.
Brian Boecker is an Intensive Clinical Soul Care Specialist at Restoring the Soul. With over ten years of working with individuals and couples, he specializes in counseling pastors, missionaries, and other Christian leaders. For 27 years he served with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) in a variety of leadership capacities primarily throughout Southeast Asia. He has served with multiple ministries and currently trains graduate students at Denver Seminary. He has a deep love of entering the stories of people in ways that move them toward restoration, healing, and wholeness.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Episode 215 - Brian Boecker, "The Awakening: A Move Toward Wholeness"

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Episode 222 - Michael John Cusick, "Ceaseless Striving, Part 2" Jun 04, 2022

Show notes

“Relationship in community at its best is always bearing fruit.” - Michael John Cusick
Today on the podcast, we conclude Michael’s conversation with Mark Vesper and Steve Sargent of Foxhole Symphony, which is a podcast about the transformational value of men in authentic Christian community. Mark and Steve spoke with Michael a few weeks ago and were kind enough to lend us the recording to feature on this week’s and last week’s episodes. Visit our archives page for a link to hear the first half of their conversation. We’ve included a link in the show notes if you would like to discover more about Foxhole Symphony.
Today, Michael unpacks the 5 Ws of human brokenness as well as the role authentic, transformational community plays in the Christian life.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Foxhole Symphony
Foxhole Symphony: Episode 9, John Mazuera
"Surfing for God" by Michael John Cusick
"Unwanted" by Jay Stringer

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Episode 221 - Michael John Cusick, "Ceaseless Striving, Part 1" May 27, 2022

Show notes

“Our weakness and our brokenness is our power.” - Michael John Cusick
For the next two episodes of the podcast, we’re excited to partner with the fine men of Foxhole Symphony. Mark Vesper and Steve Sargent have served arm in arm for over a decade seeking authentic Christian community by helping other men fight against isolation and living in the dark.
Together, they host an amazing podcast called Foxhole Symphony. We highly encourage you to subscribe. It’s a podcast about the transformational value of men who are on a journey from broken to whole.
A few weeks ago, they interviewed Michael and featured their conversation on the Foxhole Symphony podcast. We’re thrilled to be able to share their discussion with you and trust you will also be impacted enough to share with someone who could use the encouragement.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Foxhole Symphony
Episode 6 - Dallas Willard Part I, "What We Are to Do"
Episode 7 - Dallas Willard Part II, “The Transformed Life”

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Episode 220 - Michael John Cusick, "Dysbelief, Part 2: Moralism" May 20, 2022

Show notes

“Most Christians are stuck between ceaseless striving and brokenness.” - Dallas Willard
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael continues a series about Dysbelief. He will look at the “gap between what you believe what and you actually experience.” Dysbelief, in this instance, is not a lack of belief, but the existence of a dysfunctional belief system. Today, he will look at moralism and the motivation that drives it to help us answer the question, “Are you trusting God or pleasing God?”
The various topics Michael will explore in this series are:

Moralism
Emotionalism
Rationalism
Beliefism
Activism

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Episode 219 - Michael John Cusick, "Dysbelief, Part 1" May 13, 2022

Show notes

“Belief is actually about trusting that God is good.” - Michael John Cusick
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael debuts a series about Dysbelief. He will look at the “gap between what you believe what and you actually experience.” Dysbelief, in this instance, is not a lack of belief, but the existence of a dysfunctional belief system.
The various topics Michael will explore are:

Moralism
Emotionalism
Rationalism
Beliefism
Activism

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Episode 218 - Julianne Cusick, "A Holy & Horrible Journey" Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

“Despite the grim circumstances, we could see God’s hand in it all.” - Julianne Cusick
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael spends one of the most important hours of his life in conversation with his bride of over 30 years, Julianne Cusick, who put off the dream of grad school for nearly 25 years because of the discovery of Michael’s betrayal and infidelity.

So how do you recover from your husband’s sexual brokenness, addiction, and infidelity? That’s the degree nobody signs up for.

Not only is Julianne Cusick an ordained minister, but she is also a registered psychotherapist with a Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy. Her passion is to fight for the hearts of women who have experienced sexual betrayal as well as the trauma and the wounding of betrayal. She thrives on personal & professional growth. She’s a dynamic speaker and is a 1 on the Enneagram

If you would like to listen to previous episodes that feature a more in-depth look at Julianne’s journey, click here to listen to, “Devastated But Not Destroyed” or her conversation with Ian Cron on Typology.

You can also learn more about Julianne Cusick here.

In this podcast, we hope you will discover:

The importance of following your God-given dreams
How to recover from your husband’s sexual brokenness, addiction, and infidelity.
Why you need to untangle the past from the present.

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Episode 217 - Winn Collier, "A Burning in My Bones" Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

“It was such a joy to discover in his deep heart, behind the scenes, Eugene was the man we thought he was.” - Winn Collier
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes back Winn Collier. If you admire the life and writings of Eugene Peterson, you’re in for a real treat. As you will soon hear, Eugene Peterson was not only Winn’s pastor, he was his friend. So it made complete sense for Winn to take on the humbling task of writing the Authorized Biography of Eugene Peterson titled, “A Burning in My Bones”, which was released this past January.
Winn is also the Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He is the Director of the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination and the author of 5 books, including Eugene’s biography. You can discover even more about Winn on his website.

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Episode 216 - Dr. Rodney Reeves, "Spirituality of John" Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

“I think what we all need is a redemption story. That's basically what the human heart longs for.” - Dr. Rodney Reeves
On this episode, Michael welcomes Dr. Rodney Reeves, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Rodney is also the author of 6 books, including what he & Michael are going to be discussing today, “Spirituality According to John.”
Through all of the Apostle John's works, a consistent message is woven: being a Christian is about abiding in Christ and in his words. The Gospel of John, the epistle of 1 John, and the book of Revelation all begin in the same way: by pointing to the importance of knowing the Word, both written and incarnate. Rodney combines exegesis with spiritual reflection to explore how the only biblical writer to employ three different genres presents a consistent vision of Christian spirituality.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Spirituality According to John

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Episode 215 - Brian Boecker, "The Awakening: A Move Toward Wholeness" Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

“Sometimes God cruelly puts me in places of exposure because He wants to bring healing to things that I have covered over.” - Brian Boecker
On this episode, Michael welcomes another member of the Restoring the Soul team for an opportunity for you to get to know them better. Today, we welcome Brian Boecker.
With over ten years of working with individuals and couples, Brian specializes in counseling pastors, missionaries, and other Christian leaders. For 27 years he served with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) in a variety of leadership capacities primarily throughout Southeast Asia. He has also served with multiple ministries and currently trains graduate students at Denver Seminary.
In today’s conversation, Brian recounts the pivotal story in which a counselor exposed him to the reality of what was taking place in his marriage. As you will hear, this “awakening” reset the trajectory of his relationship with his wife and changed their lives forever. Consequently, learning and understanding his own story has served as the foundation of how he approaches his vocation as an Intensive Clinical Soul Care Specialist.
Brian has a deep love of entering the stories of people in ways that move them toward restoration, healing, and wholeness.

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