Episodi

  • Steve Cuss Shares an Exciting Update about His Future at Christianity Today
    Nov 2 2026
    After eight years, Steve Cuss is putting Being Human temporarily on pause— to launch a new Christianity Today podcast examining healthy and unhealthy cultures in churches and Christian nonprofits. In this brief update, he shares what listeners can expect. He also teases his upcoming book with his wife, Lisa. And, fear not! Being Human will return in 2027! Episode Resources: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs Scripture Referenced: John 1:5 (ESV) Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    17 min
  • Steve & Lisa Cuss: How Stories of the Global Church Challenge Our Expectations of God
    Oct 28 2026
    Steve and Lisa Cuss explore miraculous healing, refugee ministry, and faith amid uncertainty in this Being Human showcase of God’s expansive kingdom. Jackie Aviles prepared her family for her death before experiencing healing. Ryan Keating’s ministry in Turkey grew from five registrants to feeding 5,000 refugee families. And author Ellen Vaughn braved a battered Russian helicopter to visit a Cambodian church orphanage. What do their stories reveal about trusting God when hope feels out of reach? Discover how God’s expansive kingdom takes shape through churches around the world—and people who carry one another’s hope. More from Jackie Aviles: Jackie Aviles’ website Learn about Embassy Church More from Ellen Vaughn: Ellen Vaughn’s What Jesus Started: The World-Changing Power of the Local Church Charles Colson with Ellen Santilli Vaughn’s The Body Check out Ellen Vaughn’s website More from Ryan Keating: More about Ryan Keating Scripture Referenced: 2 Corinthians 4 ESV Psalm 118:24 (ESV) Philippians 1:21 (ESV) John 16:33 (ESV) Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 min
  • Ellen Vaughn Asks “Do You Trust God or Not?” Faith in the Middle of Suffering
    Oct 19 2026
    Join Steve Cuss and author Ellen Vaughn, who once rode a rusty, cracked-fuselage Russian helicopter across Cambodia—and arrived to hear children from a local church orphanage singing “This Is the Day” in English, as they unpack stories from God’s Expansive Kingdom. Ellen’s chat with Steve captures the stories behind her book What Jesus Started: churches thriving in places marked by poverty, persecution, and violence. Vaughn reflects on what she learned from believers who don’t expect life to be easy, including the astonishing freedom of a Rwandan pastor who forgave the neighbor who killed members of his family. She also talks candidly about her husband Lee’s decade-long battle with brain cancer, Chuck Colson’s publishing integrity, and why the church must remain independent of political power.More from Ellen Vaughn: Ellen Vaughn’s What Jesus Started: The World-Changing Power of the Local Church More about C.S. Lewis Institute More about The Killing Fields Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship Charles Colson with Ellen Santilli Vaughn’s The Body Episode Resources: More about Ellen Vaughn Ellen Vaughn’s Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years Ellen Vaughn’s Becoming Elisabeth Elliot Scripture Referenced: Genesis 28:16 (ESV) John 1:5 (ESV) Psalm 118:24 (ESV) Philippians 1:21 (ESV) 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV) John 16:33 (ESV) 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) Isaiah 45:7 (ESV) Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 min
  • When “You’ll Be Healed” Is the Wrong Thing to Say with Jackie Aviles
    Oct 12 2026
    In 2016, doctors gave young mother Jackie Aviles six months to live. As cancer spread through her bones and lymph nodes, she prepared her children for her death and even chose a casket. Now, ten years cancer-free, Jackie tells Steve how faith, medicine, grief, and what she describes as God’s supernatural healing shaped her family’s journey. Jackie and her husband, pastor Emilio, also faced the pain of leading a church while grieving—and learned that listening can matter more than offering easy reassurance. Their conversation explores hope when healing doesn’t come, the difference between caring and carrying, and why peace may matter more than clarity. More from Jackie Aviles: Jackie Aviles’ website Learn about Embassy Church Episode Resources: More about Matt Chandler Learn about the Bright City Church team Scripture Referenced: 2 Corinthians 4 ESV 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV Romans 5:3–5 ESV Philippians 4:7 ESV Romans 8:28 ESV Philippians 1:21 ESV Philippians 1:6 ESV Isaiah 40:31 ESV Isaiah 53:5 ESV Mark 4:35–41 ESV John 15:5 ESV Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 min
  • Small Acts and World-Changing Faith with Ryan Keating & Tommy Lee
    Oct 5 2026
    Bad news isn’t the main story of the church. On Being Human, Steve Cuss talks with pastor Ryan Keating and Resource Global founder Tommy Lee about faith in action—from feeding thousands of refugees in Turkey to equipping Christian leaders and expanding access to education in Indonesia. As part of the “God’s Expansive Kingdom” series, these conversations explore global ministry, faith and work, and the lasting impact of small, faithful investments in people. Discover how noticing God at work can interrupt anxiety, renew hope, and help you see fresh possibilities in your own community. Episode Resources: Learn about & support Resource Global Learn about Fellowship Church in Connecticut Learn about Doctor Share Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavor More from Alexandra Thompson: More about Tommy Lee More from Douglas McKelvey: More about Ryan Keating Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 min
  • Steve & Lisa Cuss: Liturgy, Life-Giving Habits, and Mental Health with Douglas McKelvey & Alexandra Thompson
    Sep 28 2026
    In this recap episode of Being Human, hosts Steve and Lisa Cuss explore how God's kingdom expands through mental health ministry and spiritual formation. They highlight innovative church-based counseling models, including a "clinic in a box" concept, and community mental health collectives. The episode features interviews with clinical counselor Alex Thompson and Doug McKelvie, writer of the Every Moment Holy liturgy series. They discuss how ancient prayers provide grounding for modern struggles. Steve and Lisa also share personal stories of global ministry encounters, life-giving habits, and the power of liturgical prayer to connect believers across generations and cultures. Episode Resources: Learn about: Women Leaders Alliance Build your Life Giving List Partner with Cumberland Counseling Centers Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage Book of Common Prayer (online version) Thomas Keating’s contemplative prayer Explore the Hope Collective More from Alexandra Thompson: More about Alexandra Thompson, LCSW More from Douglas McKelvey: Every Moment Holy Website Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads Every Moment Holy Live Experience Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 min
  • Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy
    Sep 21 2026
    In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss speaks with Douglas McKelvey, author of the Every Moment Holy series—books offering liturgical prayers for everyday and significant life moments. Both share personal journeys from skepticism toward formal liturgy to discovering its deep spiritual value. Douglas recounts how the Book of Common Prayer transformed his faith during a period of theological uncertainty, while Steve reflects on his experience as a hospital chaplain. They explore the power of communal liturgy, the specificity of prayers for modern moments, and how Douglas's latest volume, Rites of Passage, helps young adults connect with God throughout life's transitions. Episode Resources: Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage Book of Common Prayer (online version) More about Andrew Peterson Scripture Referenced: Psalm 131 ESV More from Douglas McKelvey: Every Moment Holy Website Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads Every Moment Holy Live Experience Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 min
  • Is This the Church’s Bold Return to Mental Health Care? with Alexandra Thompson
    Sep 14 2026
    In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss chats with Alexandra Thompson, founder of Cumberland Counseling Centers, a Georgia-based nonprofit embedding state-licensed counseling clinics inside local churches. Alex introduces her "clinic in a box" model, which allows churches to launch professional mental health services within weeks. The conversation covers trauma healing, EMDR therapy, faith integration, and the church's historical role as a community healing center. Episode Resources: More about Alexandra Thompson, LCSW Partner with Cumberland Counseling Centers Overview of EMDR What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? Scripture Referenced: Mark 12:30-31 ESV Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 min