Unashamed Unafraid

In this episode, Steve, James, and guest Kurt Francom explore the role of a higher power in addiction recovery. Recognizing the diversity of perspectives surrounding this topic, the trio transcends conventional definitions, offering insights grounded in their collective experience. The conversation touches on crucial themes, including wounds, surrender, identity, healing, and happiness. If you've ever pondered the complexities of this subject, you'll enjoy this thought-provoking and spirited discussion.Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

Chris discusses his 15 years of sobriety and how it is defined with the group. Rather than a focus on abstinence from lust and acting out, recovery is a new way of life we walk with Christ. They also discuss the analogy of a marathon runner who trips up on mile 24 and how he doesn’t have to restart the race, he gets up and keeps on running. What is your story in recovery? How have you defined reality and, more importantly, how do you define living a life with Christ in true hope and recovery? Share with Chris@unashamedunafraid.com, James@unashamedunafraid.com, and Steven@unashamedunafraid.com.Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

“When you are at rock bottom, you are super hard on yourself and you are just going to keep going further down - but when you finally have hope - you see the light and desire to keep going.”Brian and Alicia met in middle school, served missions for their church and got married. On returning home from South Africa, Brian got a smartphone and quickly found out how slippery a slope pornography is. He used it to medicate the negative emotions in life and got to the point where he couldn’t ground out as “normal” during the day without pornography. Upon disclosure, Alicia began a journey of getting to know who God is. Together they began attending a couples recovery meeting and repairing their relationship. As they reached out to each other and to others, they saw there is hope in recovery and that recovery is possible. Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

Recognizing that we have behaviors that are detrimental to both ourselves and others brings up some important questions. We wonder whether these actions classify as addictions, transient behaviors, or merely bad habits. More questions come up when we find that we can't easily stop the behavior.In this episode, we explore the reasons we even ask the questions. We contemplate the significance of the societal labels associated with such behaviors, the underlying factors contributing to our actions, and whether seeking help is necessary.Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

Today, Bryce is known among his friends as genuinely happy, and capable of putting an entire room at ease upon entering it. But it was only a few years ago that he reached out for help from the edge of despair. He had hit rock bottom in a lifestyle of porn and sex that was wreaking havoc in his life. Breaking free from shame and his destructive habits proved to be a challenging journey, but supportive individuals entered his life and guided him into therapy and helped him develop a community of friends with whom he could share his challenges. In this episode, find out how Bryce's mother came to his rescue, the role God played in his recovery and how his newfound support network helped him navigate difficult changes, including the termination of a tumultuous romantic relationship. The episode ends with a compelling segment titled 'Advice from Bryce' and a surprise phone call.Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

“Music can give me empathy like nobody around me can.” Join us in a shorter 20-minute episode as Steven, James, and Chris share how music has helped them see God differently. Not just Christian music, but anything that uplifts, inspires, takes you to a sad place, or otherwise moves you into a place of reflection and learning. Music is an amplifier of emotion which provides clarity and the opportunity to evaluate where we are in a moment of time - or to take us back to a moment of time. Often music can also be a way to numb out, get angry, and act out. Join us in the journey of exploring how music plays a part (or maybe doesn’t play a part) in your life. Steven ends with an invitation - pick music that makes you really uncomfortable because it pricks a particular emotion and read the lyrics, sing it out loud, and see what happens. Leave a comment below with your experience or email Steven, James, or Chris directly. Follow us on social media! instagram.com/unashamedunafraid facebook.com/unashamedunafraid  Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@UnashamedUnafraidPod Check out our recommended resources: unashamedunafraid.com/resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  unashamedunafraid.com/storeFor more inspiration, https://unashamedunafraid.com/unashamed-unafraid-blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director, Jeremy, at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com 

At the age of 9, Kaylawnni began a challenging journey with sexual compulsion. Her struggle is marked by confusion and damaged self-confidence. A lyric from her favorite song boldly highlights the cause, "The devil lies, and twists the truth." She always assumed she'd take her secrets to the grave, but then, a close friend bravely disclosed his own battles, inspiring her to start her path to recovery. In this bold and unashamed episode, Kaylawnni shares her insights and advice, highlighting the availability of help. Today, with God playing a significant role in her life, Kaylawnni reflects on her past with kindness and offers encouragement to those facing similar struggles.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @UnashamedUnafraid and subscribe to our Youtube channel @UnashamedUnafraidPod

"That was a moment for me that changed the trajectory of my life, my recovery; changed the connection with my wife, changed how I saw my kids; changed so much of me and who I was…" -ChrisIn this short ‘Live Unashamed’ episode, Steve, James and Chris discuss resources that make a difference and how to find them. Good resources can initiate breakthroughs and sustain recovery, but they must have qualities that work for you like giving hope, helping with emotions and encouraging accountability and connection with others and with God. Steve encourages us to apply the “Fail Cheap and Fail Fast” principle to our search for resources and ends with an invitation to leave a comment about resources that have worked for you.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Kurt Francom, the Executive Director and Host of 'Leading Saints', returns to discuss the concepts behind his recently released book, "Is God Disappointed in me? Removing Shame from the Gospel of Grace." This episode explores the inspiration behind the book, drawing on Francom's experiences within the Unashamed Unafraid and Warrior Heart Boot Camp communities.The book's title resonates with those of us navigating journeys marked by brokenness. Satan whispers that God is ashamed and that He surely can't love us. These lies are exposed through reflection on the nature of God and His commandments.  We ask whether God's love and patience flow through adjustable faucets contingent on our performance, or as constant, raging waterfalls. In tackling these and other questions, this episode contributes valuable insights to the process of recovery. Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @UnashamedUnafraid and subscribe to our Youtube channel @UnashamedUnafraidPod.

“I know where shame lives - and that’s in isolation.”Breaking anonymity shares how God has changed us and the desire to help one person to change their life is real when we come alive in Christ’s healing. It is reaching out with the most important messages in a shame-filled world - “you are not alone, and you are worth everything.” It is easy for us to compare our suffering against others. To think our story is too small compared to others. Regardless of “little t traumas'' or “BIG T TRAUMAS” - we all have our pain. Our ways of dealing with that pain, and the shame and loneliness of trying to do it alone and getting those stories out in the open is how we share the message that “God loves you no matter what, because He loved me no matter what, and there is Hope and Healing through Christ.” “It isn’t just my story changing people’s lives - it is the story of God changing people’s lives.”Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Caitlyn's life could have been shattered when she learned that her father, brother, and then the man she was thinking of marrying all struggled with addictions to pornography. However, steadfast in her faith in God and supported by therapy, she chose to view her loved ones independently of their addictions and to love them unconditionally. She dove into a life seasoned by recovery and hasn't looked back. Doing hard things is a defining aspect of Corbin's life. Summoning immense courage, he chose to disclose his addiction to Caitlyn while they were dating and then bravely faced her family. His unwavering commitment to recovery, marked by the promise to "never give up," stands as a testament to this defining trait.Their relationship faced its toughest test in the initial six months of marriage, marked by slip-ups, avoidance, and feelings of abandonment. Together, they share how God has seen them and their 'secret sauce' for fighting for each other's hearts. Their favorite song reflects their story: "I come just as I am to you, and I know when I need grace, you give it wholehearted."Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Join us as we dive into stereotypes about addiction that are regularly aired in the shame game of trying to run and hide and act out in secret.A few mentioned early in this episode: Everybody who is an addict is non-functional - cannot hold down a job or a family.Don’t let ANYBODY know because it is the worst thing you can be doing - my kids can’t play with other people’s kids anymore.Once an addict, always an addict … The husband is a villain, the wife is a victim. Listen to this episode and leave us comments on what kept (or currently keeps) you in isolation and the cycle of confession and compulsion. When Christ healed the leper, he was no longer a leper. When he healed the blind, the blind could see. What’s keeping you from putting down the shackles of addiction and stepping into a new life of recovery? Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

My name is Hunter and this is my story. From the outside, my life seemed to be on a perfect track for success and happiness. I grew up with two parents in a loving and loyal family. I was a talented young man who especially did well in school. All of the adults around me felt that I had a bright future ahead of me in basically any career that I could want. My peers all saw me as simply another kid who was goofy and got good grades. But on the inside, I had a pain that I couldn't even fully admit to myself.Eventually I could no longer avoid the pain, and I found myself in the world of addiction recovery. After years of brutal self-honesty and therapy, I discovered that my relationship with my father largely shaped my view of myself. I had learned to push myself to become better using shame and unreasonable expectations: the way that my father had done with me. This shame-rooted relationship with my father then formed a lens that caused me to see God as a God of expectation. A God I couldn’t approach without feeling shame. Listen to my story to hear how I began to shed this lens and also see myself in a light of grace and self-worth.If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

“When I watched porn again or relapsed, I felt God was done with me now … but Jesus fully sees me and fully knows my whole story, and still loves me. That is so powerful.” Amanda stumbled on pornography at an early age. Thinking she was alone in her addiction she finally decided to share it with a friend - willing to accept rejection - only to discover that her friend Katie struggles too. Along their journey they found other women similarly struggling and so they decided to start an Instagram ministry. They were surprised how viral their posts went and now have a sisterhood of survivors fighting to overcome the addictive behaviors needed to be heard and accepted, letting go of shame. Amanda can be contacted through Instagram @the_victory_collective and www.TheVictoryCollective.net/contact. If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Matthew and Brooklyn brought both honesty and baggage into their relationship. Brooklyn’s achievement-based upbringing coupled with past mistakes left her wrestling with her sense of self-worth. Matthew's addiction to pornography led to a struggle with comparisons that cast a shadow of pain and darkness over the early years of their marriage.Despite it all, their story is a heartwarming journey from light to darkness and on to redemption and deepening love. It’s full of God, good advice and good news.If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

The UU crew get together to wrap up the year and answer the following questions:What has been your favorite episode this past year and why?What has been an area of growth for you this past year ?If people can pray for you what do you need most?What has been a meaningful worship song for you this past year?As our gift to you, here is the song list from the UU team of their top 2023 “go to” tune:Hurt People Hurt People – Tim McGrawHoly Spirit, Come – Patrick MayburyRattle – Elevation Worship He Is With You – Adam AgeeHold Me Together – Jervis CampbellYour Way – KBYet – Ashley Hess & Maverick City MusicRemind Me Who I Am – Jason GreySpecific – Krista WellsI Am They – ScarsHope – NFEagle – Elevation WorshipPacific – Christa Wells Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

“A relationship with a healer cannot exist without a wound to heal. Telling Jesus to go and heal another because ‘I’m good’ doesn’t allow Christ room to heal your heart and deepen a relationship with Him.”Kurt shares his story of struggling in constantly seeking validation. He got an early massive dose of feeling good enough when he was called to be a bishop/pastor in church in his twenties and then continued to ascend up in leadership responsibilities. For him, his “lightbulb moment came with the realization that while he did not struggle with an addiction to drugs or lust, he was high on validation and used it as a numbing agent that separated him from Christ and other men.Uniquely, this episode ends with a Bootcamp style prayer asking God or heal our need for validation. To fill the hole in our hearts we’ve tried to fill with things that are not God. You can contact Kurt through his Leading Saints podcast and website. If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Physically, emotionally, and sexually abused as a child, Pete tried to navigate through shame, anger, and confusion alone while self-medicating with many things, but especially with an addiction to lust. Constant cycles of confession and relapse didn’t help, but getting a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and multiple bands of brothers have helped him find the path to hope and healing. Through reaching up and reaching out, Pete’s story magnifies God’s glory. Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.

AnitaAnita used to avoid looking at herself in the mirror to hide from deep feelings of shame and brokenness. Life started out rough for her and led to years of drug and sex addiction, abortion and an affair. Today though, she looks in the mirror and feels joy and is cherished by God. In this episode, she shares the story of her transformation: a journey from being broken, to being healed through Jesus and into a life of joyful service to other broken women. Steve sums up the episode with the word “Holy”. Cassy says it’s perspective-changing.You can contact Anita via email at anita@jasminegrace.org or on the website www.jasminegrace.org.If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share? Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

“We are only standing where we are because of Jesus.” - Kylie Wife of a pastor and worship leader, Kylie felt alone in her sex addiction which began in her late teens around the same time of her parent’s divorce. Her husband Chris had his own struggles with substance abuse and other addictions. Together they struggled to juggle an exterior life of ministering while internally battling their secret lives. Now unashamed and unafraid they are working on their recovery and sharing their story to help others identify with Jesus to find hope and healing.You can contact Kylie (and Chris) by googling @kyliechrismond for her Instagram and Facebook pages. If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God’s open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com.