Who wants to hear their stories? We do!

Who is Steve? 

Who is Laurie? 

Who is Matt?

Today, we are going to get to know the people behind the microphones.

Steve shares his story of depression, feeling inauthentic, and finding hope in Jesus in the midst of addiction.

Matt offers his journey of depression and subsequent porn addiction in marriage.

Laurie shares how she learned to trust Matt again after his deception and addiction, as well as shares her own story of wrestling with attractions to the same sex throughout her entire life.

As always, the team shows the gritty reality and beautiful glory of following Jesus in real life.

**Content/Trigger Warning: 

Laurie shares a brief and not graphic reference to her sexual molestation when she was 11.

QOTW This week: 

How would you finish the following… “Nothing gets geriatric [insert your generation] going like… [insert something your generation loves like Coldplay, Polly Pockets, hair bands, or something else that your generation loves!]”

Highlights:

“God did answer the prayer, but … I was like, ‘It needs to look like this. It needs to happen like this… where I don’t get in trouble. Where I don’t get exposed—and I can maintain my image.’” —Steve O’Dell

“Because of what we have been going through with Laurie’s health stuff, I am completely powerless. That is is hard for me. I want to escape… [but] God is helping me not to disconnect. “ —Matt Krieg

“Steve, I so relate (and to Matt, you too!) to that double life. We so want our churches to be these authentic places, but we are not great at knowing how to work with mess.”—Laurie Krieg

Do the Next Thing:

Watch a video version of the episode here

We reference the Broken/Beloved Pastors series, and you can find the first episode in that series of three here