Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

Episode Summary:
Photographs tell the story of time passed. People move in and out of the frame. Babies grow from child to adult. Moms and dad gain wrinkles and gray hair. Just as our physical selves change over time, so do relationships, including friendships.
Friendships are one of God’s sweetest gifts, but they can be one of life’s most painful areas of change. Some friendships deepen over time. Some drift and some end unexpectedly. Yet God, our forever friend, remains faithful through every changing season.
Quotables from the episode:
Friendships rarely end all at once. Most often, they change quietly, little by little, until one day we realize something is different. We may be closer or we may have drifted apart. Our lives may be richer because of the deepening friendship, or we may feel the pain of a lost companion. In honor of National Friendship Day, today we’re going talking about when friendships change and how to trust God through seasons of relational transition.
The memories between two friends become a sacred space. Within that space we found safety and belonging.
Losing closeness can feel like grief. We grieve a version of life we once enjoyed and found the comfort our hearts needed. We often expect friendships to remain unchanged forever, forgetting that life isn’t static. It’s dynamic. We mature, heal, and find hope. Friendships also change. Sometimes for the better, like gold refined in fire. Other times, they go through the fire and don’t make it out.
But not every drifting relationship is evidence of rejection. Sometimes friendships were meant for a particular season, assignment, or stage of growth.
What feels like abandonment may actually be God lovingly reshaping your circle, pruning unhealthy dependence, or making room for new connections that better align with where he is taking you.
Not all friendships are meant to look the same forever—and that doesn’t always mean something went wrong.
Not every friend can meet our every need for the rest of our lives. That’s Jesus’ job and he does it better than any expectation we might place on a friend.
Some people are meant to walk beside you forever. Others were meant to help carry you through a portion of the journey. Both are gifts and because of God’s constant faithfulness we can thank him for both.
Scripture References:
Proverbs 27:9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
Recommended Resources:
Reframing Rejection: How Looking Through a Different Lens Changes Everything By Jessica Van Roekel
Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win
Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue

Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Rev. Jessica Van Roekel:
Website / Instagram / Facebook
Connect with Dr. Bengtson:
Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple
Co-Host:
Jessica Van Roekel is a worship leader, speaker, and writer who believes that through Jesus, personal histories don’t need to define the present or determine the future. She inspires, encourages, and equips others to look at life through the lenses of hope, trust, and God’s transforming grace. Jessica lives in rural Iowa surrounded by wide open spaces which remind her of God’s expansive love. She loves fun earrings, good coffee, and connecting with others.
Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Episode Summary:
Summer is supposed to be the season of sunshine, vacations, and smiling social media photos—but for many people, it’s when depression quietly deepens. If you’ve ever felt more anxious, lonely, or emotionally exhausted during the summer months, you are not imagining it—and you are not alone.
In this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective, we’re talking about summertime sadness, why depression and mental health struggles can actually spike during summer, and what brain science, psychology, and Scripture reveal about this misunderstood phenomenon.
Whether you’re battling low mood, disrupted sleep, increased comparison, or the pressure to “feel happy,” this conversation will help you understand what’s happening in your mind and body—and how God meets you with hope even in the brightest seasons.
Today, we’re going to talk about Summertime Sadness: Why Depression Can Spike in Summer and How to Find Hope.
Quotables from the episode:
Summer often comes with an unspoken expectation: you should be happy right now. Longer days, family gatherings, beach trips, and backyard barbecues can amplify joy—or they can magnify grief, loneliness, exhaustion, and depression. If summer feels heavier instead of lighter, this episode is for you.
I want to say this clearly from the start: Struggling in summer does not mean you are broken. It does not mean your faith is weak. And it does not mean you’re failing at gratitude.
And when we don’t talk about it, shame fills the silence.
And when sleep suffers, mood regulation suffers.
That is not a moral failure. That is your nervous system responding to environmental changes.
God addresses emotional suffering with compassion, not condemnation.
Biblical faith does not deny pain—it brings pain into the presence of God.
Now let’s talk about hope—not as a feeling, but as a practice.
First, restore rhythm before chasing relief.

Recommended Resources:
Free Stress-Response Personality Assessment
Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories
YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms
Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals
YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1
YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2
Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference
Revive & Thrive Summit 2
Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1
Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.)
YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win
Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award
Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award
Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue

Social Media Links for Host:
For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at:
Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple

Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Episode Summary: Have you ever sat down to pray and felt like your words were hitting the ceiling? Opened your Bible and felt nothing stir in your heart? Or gone through your day knowing all the “right” spiritual things to do, yet feeling strangely distant from God? If so, let me say this clearly right from the start: you are not alone, and you are not failing God.
Spiritual dryness is far more common than we talk about, especially among believers who genuinely love the Lord and want to walk closely with Him. And yet, when it happens, many of us quietly wonder, What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so disconnected?
On this episode of Your Hope Filled Perspective, Rev. Jessica Van Roekel and I are having an honest, hope-filled conversation about what to do when you feel spiritually dry or distant from God, and how to walk through those seasons without shame, panic, or self-condemnation.

Quotables from the episode:
Let’s begin by naming something that often goes unspoken: spiritual dryness does not mean spiritual failure.
Here’s something critical to understand: feelings are not the same as faith. God’s presence does not fluctuate based on our emotional experience.
And that fear doesn’t come from theology. It comes from wiring. The human brain is designed to associate meaning with emotional feedback. When something once produced warmth, peace, or reassurance and suddenly doesn’t, the brain interprets that as loss, even if nothing has actually been taken away. This is why spiritual dryness doesn’t just feel neutral — it feels alarming. But here’s an important distinction: absence of emotional response is not absence of relationship.
So, what you’re saying is that the dryness isn’t necessarily a spiritual message — it’s a nervous system signal.
Often, yes. And when we misinterpret that signal spiritually, we add shame to exhaustion. This is where people start striving — more prayer, more discipline, more intensity — which ironically deepens the sense of distance. Because forced intimacy rarely restores connection.
Sometimes God feels silent not because He’s absent, but because He’s inviting us into a deeper, quieter trust.
There comes a point when faith matures beyond sensation. This doesn’t mean feelings are bad. It means feelings are no longer the foundation.
Some of the deepest spiritual maturity is formed in seasons where God feels quiet. I challenge you instead of wishing away this dry season, to look at it as a gift.
There comes a point when faith matures beyond sensation. This doesn’t mean feelings are bad. It means feelings are no longer the foundation.
If God feels distant right now, resist the urge to diagnose yourself. Instead, consider this: What if this season isn’t about fixing your faith, but strengthening its foundation? Faith that endures silence is not weaker faith. It’s anchored faith!
Scripture References:
Psalm 42 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God.”
Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
Recommended Resources:
Reframing Rejection: How Looking Through a Different Lens Changes Everything By Jessica Van Roekel
Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win
Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue

Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Rev. Jessica Van Roekel:
Website / Instagram / Facebook
Connect with Dr. Bengtson:
Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple
Co-Host:
Jessica Van Roekel is a worship leader, speaker, and writer who believes that through Jesus, personal histories don’t need to define the present or determine the future. She inspires, encourages, and equips others to look at life through the lenses of hope, trust, and God’s transforming grace. Jessica lives in rural Iowa surrounded by wide open spaces which remind her of God’s expansive love. She loves fun earrings, good coffee, and connecting with others.
Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Episode Summary:
Welcome to Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson for Part 2 of my conversation with Jonathan M. Seidl, author of Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic. If you missed Part 1, I encourage you to listen to that episode first, where Jon vulnerably shared how, as a Christian leader, he found himself entangled in the grip of alcoholism.
In today's episode, we pick up where we left off, diving deeper into Jon's road to recovery, what breaking free actually looked like, and how others can find lasting hope from their own battles with addiction, shame, and secrecy. Jon doesn't just tell a story of struggle. He gives us a roadmap for surrender, accountability, and freedom through Christ. Whether you're facing your own entanglement or walking alongside someone who is, this episode is packed with truth, grace, and the kind of hope that transforms lives.
If you or someone you love has ever struggled with hidden pain, addiction, or the pressure to keep up appearances, this conversation is for you. Jon's story is a testimony to the power of grace, truth, and the freedom found in Christ.
Quotables from the episode:
I’m the Christian that became an alcoholic, not the other way around.
The church is usually okay with and knows how to handle the other way around. The alcoholics who become Christians. But what do you do with the Christians who become alcoholics or the Christians who become adulterers, or the Christians who become addicts, the Christians who become bulimics… what do you do with those people?
Salvation is a lifeline, but sanctification is a lifetime process.
Healing is like an onion. God helps heal the outside layer and lets us live in that healing for a little bit. And then at a later time, it's time to peel back the next layer. And then it's time to peel back the next layer. God is gentle and gracious that way. Healing is for a lifetime.
I don't want you to just be sober. I want you to be here, especially if your drinking is so destructive, it's killing you. I want you to be here. So please get sober. But don't stop there. Because there's something better for you. There's something better waiting for you than just sobriety.
Healing starts with abiding in Christ. I think for a lot of my life having grown up in the church, it's like, you know, you get these kind of trite phrases and whatnot. And what I can tell you is that when I get to the end of my rope, you realize how precious Jesus is when he's all you have to cling on to. This is the only step that must be done first. But it has to start with step one: you have to spend time with Jesus.
The third step is radical vulnerability. That adjective there is really important. We're okay with talking about the vulnerability. I think it's become kind of in vogue lately. I'm talking about being radically vulnerable—a whole new level of vulnerability.
The four steps of healing include abiding with Christ, finding your true identity, practicing radical vulnerability, and being obedient to God.
I can tell you by following those four steps, I kicked alcohol, I found sobriety, but most importantly, I found more of Jesus, and I can't overstate what that has done in my life.
Recommended Resources:
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: A Candid Conversation on Drinking, Addiction, and How to Break Free by Jonathon M. Seidl

Finding Rest: A Survivor’s Guide to Navigating the Valleys of Anxiety, Faith, and Life by Jonathon Seidl and Kirk Cameron

Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win
Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue

Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Jon Seidl:
Website / Instagram / Facebook / X
Connect with Dr. Bengtson:
Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple
Guest:
Jonathon M. Seidl has been telling stories his whole life. In fact, he’s written over 10,000 of them, first after helping start a successful news website and then as the editor in chief of the popular nonprofit I Am Second. He’s the author of the new book Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic, a radically vulnerable story of being the Christian who became an alcoholic and his climb out of addiction and how others can break free from life’s entanglements. He currently runs the popular daily devotional website The Veritas Daily (theveritasdaily.com), where he writes on faith, culture, and addiction while also completing his master’s in theological studies from Southwestern Seminary. Originally from Wisconsin, he lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife, Brett, and their children, Annie and Jack.

Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Episode Summary:
Today’s episode is a powerful one. We’re joined by Jonathan M. Seidl—author, speaker, and previous Editor-in-Chief of the widely followed nonprofit I Am Second—as he courageously shares his personal journey detailed in his latest book, Confessions of a Christian. Alcoholic. It’s a raw, honest, and redemptive conversation about how a man of faith found himself battling addiction, the shame that came with it, and what it took to break free.
If you—or someone you love—have ever struggled with hidden pain, addiction, or the pressure to keep up appearances, this conversation is for you. Jon’s story is a testimony to the power of grace, truth, and the freedom found in Christ.
The Christian community loves stories of salvation but often struggles with stories of sanctification—especially messy sanctification. Today’s guest, Jonathon Seidl, is breaking the stigma with a radically vulnerable work that’s not only for those struggling with secret sins, but also for every person on a journey to overcome nagging issues (which is really everyone). In this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective, we’re going to delve into one man’s story about the raw and messy details of his secret battle with addiction, and how to break free from hidden addictions.
Quotables from the episode:
Alcohol was the solution to my problems, a bad solution, but an easy one, a quick one so now you took away my solution, and now I had to deal with everything that I was using alcohol to numb or escape from.
Anything that is mis-ordered is disordered.
I did have a rock-bottom moment and there's a lot of people that do-and I know in your work I'm sure you've heard a lot of those stories-I've had my own, but what I want to encourage people that you don't have to have a rock bottom moment in order to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol or food or gambling or work or exercise.
The drinking was a symptom of something else going on. You must get to the root.
When you know that something is bad for you, and you know that what you're doing is unhealthy right and you still do it anyways there's something deeper, there's always something deeper.
But what happens as a child, is when those things happen, your brain literally cannot make sense of them. So, you look to escape and at six that's tonka trucks. At 36 that's tequila.
What I'd come to find is, I was never able to completely give up drinking because I was always trying to give up drinking. And so, I wrote this article, "How were you able to stop drinking?" I said, “ I stopped trying to stop drinking."
If you are someone who has gone through addiction, there is a difference between worldly shame and godly grief. Yes. Worldly shame beats yourself up, and I beat myself up for years. And you know what I did with that worldly shame? I drank it away. Like I just kept going back to the bottle, right? But when I finally got to the point of godly grief, that very quickly led me to repentance.
I think an overarching message is don't fall under the lie that you have to do this recovery journey alone because Satan thrives in isolating us, but that could be AA, it could be celebrate recovery, it could be a therapist, it could be a church mentor, but please share it with a trusted individual.
Millions of people have gotten sober without Jesus, but you're not going to live the most flourishing and fulfilled life without Jesus and that's what I want for you, and I'm telling you that's available on the other side.

Recommended Resources:
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: A Candid Conversation on Drinking, Addiction, and How to Break Free by Jonathon M. Seidl

Finding Rest: A Survivor’s Guide to Navigating the Valleys of Anxiety, Faith, and Life by Jonathon Seidl and Kirk Cameron

Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide
Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win
Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue

Social Media Links for Host and Guest:
Connect with Jon Seidl:
Website / Instagram / Facebook / X
Connect with Dr. Bengtson:
Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple
Guest:
Jonathon M. Seidl has been telling stories his whole life. In fact, he’s written over 10,000 of them, first after helping start a successful news website and then as the editor in chief of the popular nonprofit I Am Second. He’s the author of the new book Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic, a radically vulnerable story of being the Christian who became an alcoholic and his climb out of addiction and how others can break free from life’s entanglements. He currently runs the popular daily devotional website The Veritas Daily (theveritasdaily.com), where he writes on faith, culture, and addiction while also completing his master’s in theological studies from Southwestern Seminary. Originally from Wisconsin, he lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife, Brett, and their children, Annie and Jack.

Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.