Jen Ripley, Ph.D.: Supporting Mental Health Without Sacrificing Your Well Being
How can we walk with people through a crisis without burning out?
Psychologist and professor Dr. Jen Ripley joins Steve to offer a practical guide for churches supporting people facing grief, trauma, and emotional distress. From setting boundaries to building strong community networks, Jen extends clear, compassionate wisdom for both pastors and lay leaders. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to care well—without losing themselves in the process.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Charis Institute
Regent University School of Psychology and Counseling
The Church Cares
Ministering to Families in Crisis
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Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at one of his upcoming intensives:
Capable Life Intensives
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37:09
Finding Freedom in Temporary Spaces
What do a layover in London and a territorial swan have to do with your spiritual growth? Host Steve Cuss unpacks how life’s in-between spaces—layovers, limbo seasons, and even awkward encounters—can become sacred ground that helps us destroy false needs. Drawing from biblical stories and personal insights, Steve challenges the false needs of control and perfection that block peace and presence. If you’ve ever felt stuck or spiritually adrift, this episode offers surprising insight, humor, and hope from the unlikeliest of places, even if you are only staying for a short time.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Learn more about Camp Elim
Learn more about Dan Faulkner
Being Human: Pilot Episode
Being Human: Notice and Diffuse Reactivity
Being Human: Precious vs. Core Beliefs
Being Human: The Nature of Every Belief
Learn more about the Freedom Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:
Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at one of his upcoming intensives:
Capable Life Intensives
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15:31
Inviting Doubt to Deepen Your Faith Experience
What if doubt isn’t the enemy of faith but the beginning of deeper belief? On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss explores spiritual deconstruction and the way writers like Frederick Buechner and Madeleine L’Engle paved the way for honest, Christ-centered wrestling with belief. Sharing personal stories and biblical insight, Steve unpacks how anxiety, reactivity, and certainty can block spiritual growth—and how curiosity and vulnerability open the door to true connection with Jesus and others. If your faith is shifting, this episode offers clarity, hope, and a path toward deeper belief and renewal.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
A conversation with Philip Yancey on faith and doubt
Excerpts from the works of Frederick Buechner on faith despite doubt
Madeleine L’Engle on those without doubt (video clip)
Madeleine L’Engle on faith (video clip)
The meaning of the disciples’ doubt in Matthew 28:17
Jude 1:22 and what it means to have mercy on those who doubt
John 8 and lessons of the woman caught in adultery
“Have Mercy on Those Who Doubt” by Jon Bloom
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26:07
Finding Home, People Pleasing, True Healing, and Revelation
Cohosts Steve and Lisa Cuss revisit powerful conversations with guests like Jinger Duggar, Strahan Coleman, Ian Cron, and Greg Robbins, diving deeper into themes of spiritual growth, emotional resilience, and inner healing. Exploring the intersections of faith, mental health, and discipleship, Steve and Lisa reflect on how practices like gratitude, vulnerability, and relational awareness help us experience God’s presence more fully. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, triggers, chronic illness, or something else this episode offers rich insights for anyone seeking wholeness and a deeper sense of home.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
“You’re the Dawn” from the album Posters
Beholding: Deepening Our Experience in God by Strahan Coleman
Thirsting: Quenching Our Soul’s Deepest Desire by Strahan Coleman
Strahan’s music on Spotify
Revelation Simplified: A Commonsense Approach to the Bible’s Most Mysterious Book by Greg Robbins
Learn more about Greg’s work at gregrobbinsrevelationsimplified.com.
Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear by Jinger Duggar Vuolo
People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations by Jinger Duggar Vuolo
Learn more about Ian’s work at ianmorgancron.com.
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron
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37:17
Hope, Not Hysteria: A Disciple’s Guide to Revelation with Dr. Greg Robbins
Host Steve Cuss and theologian Greg Robbins unpack the often-misunderstood Book of Revelation. Far from being a roadmap to doom, Revelation offers a powerful message of hope, calling Christians to live with courage, sacrifice, and trust in God’s ultimate victory. They tackle Armageddon, explore the nature of true power, and reframe Revelation as a deeply pastoral text for discipleship. If you've ever wrestled with end-times anxiety, this conversation will refresh your view with biblical clarity and encouragement.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Revelation Simplified: A Commonsense Approach To The Bible's Most Mysterious Book
Revelation Simplified
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From Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and leadership coach, guides listeners with a gospel-informed journey of discovery into the world of emotional health: everything from anxiety and reactivity, to triangulation, overfunctioning, and the Enneagram.
New Zealand