Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick

Latest Episodes:

Episode 181 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 9: The Invisible Battle" Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

"The story of your life is the story of a long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it." - John Eldredge
Evil is real, and it has a name: Satan - the adversary, deceiver, father of lies. After being thrown out of heaven for cosmic treason, Satan and his legion of fallen angels have had one goal: to defame God(Gen. 3:1-4). The Enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to devour you and all God intended you to be and to accomplish (I Peter 5:8). He exists to block you, in whatever way possible, from becoming the man or woman God created you to be. He hates your soul, hates God in you, and hates how your life can make God known. If he can’t kill your body, he’ll try to kill your soul. And if he can’t kill your soul, he’ll try to convince you to cover it with shame and get you to hide (Gen. 3:1-10). Or, more subtly, he will try to convince you that you’ll never change: “For the struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael continues the journey through Surfing for God with a look at Chapter 9: The Invisible Battle. We’ll take a look at 3 ways to combat Satan and his attempts to deceive you and rob you of your freedom found only in Christ.

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Episode 180 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 8: Exposing the Counterfeits" May 28, 2021

Show notes

“...Jesus only comes to us in our realities, not our illusions.” - Dr. Ekie Kikule
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael continues the journey through Surfing for God with a deep dive into Chapter 5: Exposing the Counterfeits. We’ll take a look at 3 primary areas where Satan attempts to lure us away from the fulfilled life in Christ; Counterfeit Good, Counterfeit Truth, and Counterfeit Worship.
No matter how much you have already lost, there’s still time to surrender the counterfeits in your life for the real things. Tim Keller has explained, “Idols cannot simply be removed. They must be replaced. If you only try to uproot them, they grow back; but they can be supplanted. By what? By God Himself, of course. But by God, we do not mean a general belief in His existence. Most people have that, yet their souls are riddled with idols. What we need is a living encounter with God.”

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Episode 179 - Eli & Kelly Pyke, "Far Green Country" May 21, 2021

Show notes

“...it was a desperate move to save our marriage.” - Kelly Pyke
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes Eli and Kelly Pyke to discuss their emotional journey from counseling intensive to the purchase of an RV and ultimately a cross-country adventure in hopes to save their marriage. They documented their journey in the film “Far Green Country” which showed the lengths Eli and Kelly would go to in order to fight for each other’s hearts - and win. We’ll also get the back story of Eli’s emotional connection with his terminally ill father and what resulted from their time together during his last days on earth.

Watch The Far Green Countryon Amazon (free with Prime)
Watch Far Green Country 2: At Road's End on Amazon
Check out their site, thefargreencountry.com to get merch, get updates, and/or get the low-down
Follow them on Instagram @thefargreencountry

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Episode 178 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 7: Your Good Heart" May 14, 2021

Show notes

"What do you want?" - Jesus of Nazareth
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael and Brian discuss Chapter 8 of Surfing for God titled, "Your Good Heart".
If you belong to God, you have a good heart. In the deepest part of who you are, you have a passion to love God and walk in His ways. This statement isn't based on mere emotion. It is a present reality. At this very moment, God says this about you:

You are pure and clean (I John 1:5-9)
You are without stain or blemish (Eph. 5:27)
You are the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21)
Christ lives in you. (Gal. 2:20)
Your heart is alive to God. (Rom. 6:11)
You have a good and noble heart. (Luke 8:15)

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Episode 177 - Dr. Alison Cook, "Boundaries for Your Soul" May 07, 2021

Show notes

“Internal conflict is growth trying to happen.” - Dr. Alison Cook
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes Dr. Alison Cook, co-author of the best-selling, “Boundaries for Your Soul” which asks the question, “What if your overwhelming emotions hold the keys to your success?” In today’s conversation, Michael and Alison conclude that it is critically important to develop a “relationship”, or an understanding, of your emotions in order to discover the peace you've always wanted to have.
Alison Cook, is a counselor, speaker, and co-author of Boundaries for Your Soul. For over 15 years, Alison has helped women, ministry leaders, and couples forge healthy relationships and say "Yes" to the life God has for them. Each week, she provides expert advice to over 30,000 people who subscribe to her email newsletter and blog posts. You can find out even more about Alison here.

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Episode 176 - Winn Collier, “A Burning in My Bones” Apr 30, 2021

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 author of 5 books, including Eugene’s biography. You can discover even more about Winn on his website.

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Episode 175 - Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, "Like a Little Child" Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

“There’s a revolution that could happen if we could understand that humility is one of the practical outworkings of love.” - Dennis Edwards
On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes back our good friend, Reverend Doctor Dennis Edwards. If you’d like to listen to previous conversations with Dennis, look up episodes number 132 and 150. Podcast Number 132 is titled, “Turning the Tables on Injustice” and number 150 is about his book, “Might from the Margins.”
Biblical humility is the main topic of this particular podcast and the need for more of it in our world, especially from the church. We hope you enjoy today’s conversation.
A quick fun fact about Dennis, he once appeared on the TV game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. To discover even more about him, visit his website.

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Episode 174 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 6: Soul Snare to Soul Care" Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

“The question for our lives is not whether we will surrender, but to whom or what we will surrender.” - Gordon Dalbey
In this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael and Brian discuss the move from the Soul Snare pattern to the path of Soul Care. As we consider our brokenness, when negative feelings arise, our reflex is to avoid or control them. Carl Jung was referring to this idea when he wrote that all neurosis is caused by the avoidance of necessary pain. By avoiding or controlling our brokenness, the whisper of porn (or any other addiction, for that matter) can become a shout, and the lying promises of our addiction begin to sound like a sensible solution. Then we profoundly mishandle the ache of living in a fallen world.
It is our hope that by listening to this important discussion, your heart will be free from the fixation on your addiction to be captivated by God’s love, all so that your heart can be given more fully to God and others.

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Episode 173 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 5: Shame and Core Beliefs" Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

“Shame is like a raincoat over the soul that repels the living water of Jesus that would establish us as His beloved.” - Andy Kamiski
All of us have hiding places where we stow away our shame. Where do you hide yours? What memories or triggers send you scurrying for cover? If the voice of shame could be silenced, what do you think the voice of Love might say to you? What do you long to hear?
Understanding shame is crucial in our journey from lust and addiction to freedom. Discover the path to freedom on this episode of Restoring the Soul as Michael unpacks the chapter on shame and core beliefs from his book, Surfing for God.

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Episode 172 - Michael John Cusick, "Surfing for God, Part 4: Gathering the Broken Places" Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

“It’s important to understand our brokenness because it’s what drives our sinful patterns, our addictions, and our compulsions.” - Michael John Cusick
The following is an excerpt from Michael John Cusick’s book, “Surfing for God”.
“King David was a man intimately acquainted with his brokenness. Aware of his divided heart, he wrote in the Psalms, “Train me, God, to walk straight; then I’ll follow your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.” (Ps. 86:11 MSG)
As a man heals from his bondage to porn, he must understand his brokenness and allow it to compel him toward Jesus. Our brokenness is our only requirement for receiving God’s grace.”
On this episode of Restoring the Soul, you will discover the 5 Ws of Brokenness:
Wickedness - sin that has gone really far. We turn away from God.
Weakness - a limitation or vulnerability that we carry.
Woundedness - wounds of presence/wounds of absence.
Warfare - we are in a battle. We have an enemy.
Wiring - we are physiological beings.
If you have missed any of the previous conversations about Surfing for God, click on the corresponding link:
Surfing for God, Part 1
Surfing for God, Part 2
Surfing for God, Part 3

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