While addiction is a tragic cycle for the individual who suffers from the disease as well as for their loved ones, these seemingly hopeless cycles can be broken and replaced with hope and healing.

For today’s episode, I’m joined by Lori Patrick, executive director of Adeara Recovery Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. She counts it a privilege to make a way for women who are often dismissed or forgotten. Lori is joined by Natasha Varma, clinical lead at Adeara. Please note that due to the subject matter of this interview, listener discretion is advised.

Episode notes:

Healing the Scars of Addiction by Gregory L. Jantz Ph.D.

Understanding and Navigating Addiction PDF booklet

Celebrate Recovery

Adeara Recovery Centre

Freedom Session

Free, one-time consultation with a registered counsellor at Focus on the Family Canada over the phone. Give our head office a call at 1-800-661-9800 to request a consult.

Support the podcast: https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/podcastgiving

© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

God’s heart is with the brokenhearted, and that includes those who are struggling with the pain of divorce.

Today’s episode explores the topic of divorce, hard hearts, and being made in the image of God. If you or someone you know is struggling in this area, this episode explores only the scriptural understanding of divorce. For practical support on this topic, we have other resources available or you can contact our in-house counselling team to book a free one-time phone consultation. Please note that due to the content of this episode, listener discretion is advised.

Episode Notes:

One More Try by Gary Chapman

Hope Restored

Journey to Us

Understanding Abuse in Marriage video series

Unpacking Biblical Separation and Divorce video series

Focus on the Family Canada’s position on marriage and divorce

Free, one-time consultation with a registered counsellor at Focus on the Family Canada over the phone. Give our head office a call at 1-800-661-9800 to request a consult.

Support the podcast: https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/podcastgiving

Sources and further reading

C. John Collins, “Malachi 2:16 again,” Covenant Theological Seminary, accessed February 26, 2024.

Justin S. Holcomb and Lindsey A. Holcomb, “Does the Bible say women should suffer abuse and violence?” author’s blog, September 4, 2014.

David Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context, Eerdmans, 2002.

Douglas Jacoby, “Instone-Brewer on divorce and remarriage,” author’s blog, accessed February 26, 2024.

Sharon James, “Divorce and remarriage in the Bible: The social and literary context (book review),” Themelios, Volume 29 Issue 1, September 2003.

Russell Moore, “Divorcing an abusive spouse is not a sin: Not only is it morally justified, it also aligns with Christ’s heart for the vulnerable,” Christianity Today, March 24, 2022.

Kyle Pope, “‘He hates’ or God hates (Malachi 2:16),” Focus Online, February 4, 2020.

Daniel R. Watson, “Who hates . . . divorce? A text-critical examination of Malachi 2:16,” Midwestern Journal of Theology, Volume 10 Issue 1, Spring 2011.

© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

Welcome to The Thriving Family: a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. I’m your host, Jean-Paul Beran. This is the space where family, faith, and culture intersect.

Whether you’re new to the show or have followed since the beginning, I’m so glad you’re here.

As a follower of Christ, I’m thankful for the hope we have that one day our heavenly father will wipe away every tear and restore everything that has been broken. At the same time, this side of heaven can be incredibly difficult, and God created us with a wide range of emotions to be able to process our very human experiences.

For this new set of episodes, we are having tough talks. To help us tackle these topics, we brought in guests who can speak into the realities of ministry challenges, life-altering diagnoses, addiction recovery, pregnancy loss, single parenthood, the unexpected death of a child, divorce, sexuality, familial estrangement, and more.

These talks are indeed tough, but each episode will leave you with hope for a brighter future.

Episode notes:

Free, one-time consultation with a registered counsellor at Focus on the Family Canada over the phone. Give our head office a call at 1-800-661-9800 to request a consult.

Support the podcast: https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/podcastgiving

© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.