Death to Life podcast
A podcast that tells the stories of people that used to be one way, and now are completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Jesus.
Episodes
265 episodes
#267 Josh Rittenbach: A North Dakota Farmer Finds Real Righteousness In Christ
We talk with Josh Rittenbach about growing up with a transactional view of God and how shame fed addiction, anger, and collapse in his marriage. We also share the moment the gospel finally felt real and how forgiveness, identity in Christ, and ...
#266 Aaron Dickerson: When Success Turns Into Stress And God Meets You There
We talk with Aaron Dickerson about growing up with a fear-based view of God, building his identity on performance, and how stress eventually broke through in severe health crises. We share how forgiveness and hearing “You are loved” reshaped Aa...
#1: Bonus: Things You Might Like, Free From Porn Podcast, This One Lie Kept Me Addicted To Porn For 20 Years
We challenge the idea that calling ourselves a porn addict is harmless, and we explain how that label can reinforce the very behavior we want to quit. We connect brain science, shame cycles, and Scripture to show how renewing our minds can turn...
#265 Throwback Episode: Jonathan Leonardo
We trace Jonathan Leonardo’s journey from Adventist upbringing and party-driven identity to a sudden, undeniable encounter with the gospel that makes “God loves me” real. Along the way, we name how theology can mask bondage, how fear of being h...
#264 Brenda Klein: Identity In Christ, Not In Approval
We sit down with Brenda Klein as she traces how a life shaped by perfectionism, approval seeking, and quiet shame starts to change when she learns to anchor her identity in Christ. Along the way, she shares answered prayers, hard lessons in mar...
#263: Ron Weller: God Saves A Marriage Through Grace
We sit down with Ron Weller for a brutally honest story of growing up with heavy shame, chasing a performance-based faith, and nearly losing his marriage through repeated unfaithfulness. We talk about what finally changed when he saw God’s love...
#262 Nana: A Ghanaian Med Student Finds Peace In Christ
We sit down with Nana and trace her path from Ghana to Michigan State to Loma Linda, where disappointment, burnout, and hidden shame collide with a gospel that finally feels personal. Her story centers on learning to trust God as Father and tak...
#261 Hannah Jade: A Nurse From Australia Finds Freedom In God’s Love
Hannah shares how a lifetime of performance-based faith, fear, and shame slowly unravels as God teaches her what grace actually means. We talk through trauma, health, grief, motherhood, and the mind-body connection until the real miracle lands:...
#260 Manalo pt 2: How A New Marriage Healed Through Surrender
Two old insecurities collide and turn a new marriage into a “thunderstorm,” until surrender and daily time with God start rewiring how love and safety work. We talk through the shift from fixing symptoms to naming core lies, practicing forgiven...
#259 Manalo: From Manila To Michigan And Back To Jesus
We hear Manalo trace a winding path from Catholic superstition and street survival to new age spirituality, Scripture, and a real encounter with Jesus. His story lands on repentance, fatherhood, and the kind of forgiveness that feels impossible...
#258 Huy pt 2: The Real Suffering
We sit down with Huy to name the difference between fake suffering that spirals inward and real suffering that comes with living on mission after Jesus sets us free. We talk peace, the true diagnosis of sin, and the practices that keep us from ...
#257 Tina Chan: From Refugee Roads To A Calmer Mind
Tina Chan connects a refugee childhood, a high-pressure home, and traumatic births to the anxiety that later exploded into panic attacks. We talk through how therapy, practical tools, and a deeper view of God’s love shift fear into a steadier k...
#256 Samuel Depaula: A Sincere Kid, A Heavy Burden, And The Gospel That Breaks Chains
We trace Samuel’s journey from legalistic zeal and secret shame to a settled identity in Christ that produces real freedom and lasting change. A candid friend, a simple rule—believe God’s word over your life—and honest confession turn burden in...
#255 Ivonne Weller: From Wreckage To Redemption
We trace a life marked by grief, shame, and spiritual oppression to a restored marriage, steady identity in Jesus, and a practical way to stop being ruled by intrusive thoughts. We speak plainly about betrayal, depression, and the gospel that h...
#254 Camille Leach: Free From Mom Rage
We trace Camille’s journey from childhood fear and college doubt to a practical, grace-filled approach to parenting. Identity in Christ, renewing the mind with Scripture, and simple practices transform shame, mom rage, and marriage strain into ...
#253 Jon: Goodbye Shiny Jon, Hello Real Grace
We trace Jon’s journey from image management to resting in God’s love, and how that shift reshapes marriage, ministry, and daily life. Shame loses power, identity settles, and love starts doing the work fear never could.• why behavior c...
#252 Kevin: How The Gospel Shifts A Life From Surviving To Living
We trace Kevin’s path from a chaotic childhood and a volatile father to marriage struggles, porn as a coping mechanism, special-needs parenting, and a surprising breakthrough when the gospel finally lands. The story turns toward freedom, confes...
#251 Izzy: A Testimony Of Identity, Forgiveness, And Joy
We trace Izzy’s journey from anxious validation-seeking to a settled identity in Christ, moving from an “okay gospel” to real freedom where feelings serve rather than rule. Practical shifts around forgiveness, thought life, relationships, and p...
#250 Verna: How Letting Go Of Perfection Unlocked A Joyful Faith
We share how a lifelong scorekeeping faith broke under the weight of grace and how salvation as a gift, not a contract, reshaped Verna’s story from control to freedom. The gospel shifts behavior from obligation to fruit, turning church culture ...
#249 Ariana: Feelings Aren’t Lord, But They Sure Tried To Be
We trace Ariana’s path from a small-town church and a turbulent home to anxiety, addiction, striving, and finally a clear identity in Christ. A Friday night with Scripture and a single line—“feelings aren’t Lord”—becomes the hinge that shifts h...
#248 Jonathan and Torie, Breaking Legalism: Love, Mission, And The Gospel That Actually Changes Lives
We share how a rule-shaped faith gave way to a Spirit-led life. Torie’s steady devotion and mission work collide with Jonathan’s raw honesty about addiction, and together we discover that grace, not effort, breaks chains and heals shame.
#247 Rest Starts Here
We gather with a live room to explore why the gospel begins with rest, not effort, and hear how that truth lands in real lives. Testimonies trace freedom from control, loneliness, anxiety, people pleasing, and the fear of getting theology perfe...
#246 Tracey: From Broken Rules To Beloved Son
A raw journey from fear-based religion and authority wounds to healing, recovery, and identity as a beloved son. Tracy shares hard stories—addiction, grief, and legalism—and how Jesus redefined his name, his marriage, and his mission.• ...
#245 Mathew Chan: When Your House Burns Down And Grace Shows Up
We trace Matthew’s journey through a house fire, church leadership conflict, and a deeper surrender to sonship, contentment, and the “unattached life.” Loss becomes seed as he releases bitterness, receives love, and watches new freedom take roo...
#244 James Newberry How The Gospel Rewrote A Life Marked By Loss, Bullying, And Secret Struggle
We trace James’s journey from premature birth and the loss of his twin to years of school struggles, bullying, hidden shame, and a relentless search for identity that finally lands in secure sonship and freedom in Christ. The story holds nothin...