In The Midst
A podcast where we get real, raw, and redemptive, all while keeping Jesus at the center. I’m your host, Heather, a Jesus-loving, grace-walking, sports-toting, dance-momming mama of four. My life is full of loud car rides, fast food wrappers, missing socks, and wild schedules but more than anything, it's full of the presence of God.
Anchor Scripture for This Season:
Psalm 46:5 (NIV)
“God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.”
This verse is a promise for every episode, every listener, and every storm. You can’t fall when God is in the middle of it. He is your strength, your steady place, and your saving grace.
Let’s laugh, cry, heal, and grow, together.
Let’s get real. Let’s get free. Let’s find Jesus In the midst.
In The Midst
From Broken to Blessed: My Story of Redemption
Raw vulnerability meets divine grace in this deeply personal season premiere. My journey from a solid church foundation to a devastating unequally yoked marriage reveals how easily we can stray from our spiritual moorings when seeking love and purpose in all the wrong places.
The pain of betrayal, divorce, and watching my ex-husband's life seemingly fall into perfect place while mine lay in shambles nearly broke me. Yet it was precisely in this darkness that God's light shone brightest. Through tearful surrender at the altar with my childhood pastor, I heard the words that would begin my transformation: "You may have chosen this road, but you didn't choose this battlefield. God will equip you, lay it down and leave it."
My path wasn't immediately straight—I stumbled through attempts to numb my pain with distractions and shallow relationships. But a second surrender, more complete than the first, cleared space for God's redemptive work. Just five days after laying everything down, a simple text message started a new chapter that would lead to restoration beyond what I could imagine. The same altar where I had twice surrendered my brokenness became the place where I entered a God-centered marriage that transformed my mess into ministry.
This story isn't about my mistakes or even my recovery—it's about a faithful God who never left, who specializes in beauty from ashes, and who redeems what seems irredeemable. If you're feeling lost in your own storm or wondering if you've strayed too far, this episode offers the hope that God is already in your midst, waiting to transform your story. The miracles happen not despite our brokenness, but often right in the middle of it. All He needs is your willingness.
We are a free Christian/Family podcast. However, with your support, we can further the kingdom and provide access to this podcast around the world. We appreciate you giving as it will be used for the kingdom. If you can't support monetarily, we ask you to pray that God continue to be the center of this mission and stories heard through this podcast are a reflection of his goodness. We are thankful for you tuning in and hope you find blessing, In the Midst. -Love HC
In the midst and I welcome you today as your host, heather Cox. This podcast is about to be real and raw and today's episode is pretty emotional. But let me tell you something being obedient to Christ and allowing His power and His love to move through my story, it's worth telling. It took me a long time to recognize that and to believe that my story was worthy. But here's the key it's not about my story, it's about what God did through my story. And as I have looked back over the course of my entire life, I can confidently say he has been in the midst. Grab a tissue, you're probably going to need it Because through my story of redemption and restoration, god proves time and time again that his grace is sufficient. Well, I appreciate you riding on this journey with me. His grace is sufficient. Well, I appreciate you riding on this journey with me. And for the next 12 episodes in this season, I hope you find Christ in your storm. I hope you find the love and the desires that he has for your heart, because I'm telling you, we may be in a waiting season, but he's been waiting on us to answer. I love you. And here we go the first episode of In the Midst, a podcast where we bring Jesus into every messy, beautiful, heartbreaking and grace-filled moment of real life. You will not ever understand how grateful I am that you're here, your support, your attention, but, most of all, your heart. This podcast was born out of storms and healing and something I had to be obedient to, out of a hard-won truth and out of the presence of a faithful God who never left my side. I don't know if you know me personally, but sometimes, thinking back through the course of my life, I asked myself the question why, god? Why did you stay?
Heather C:I was raised in church Literally every time the doors were open, every time there was an event, a baby shower, a wedding. My parents were one of the first to volunteer To serve the community in a capacity that I can't even explain A servant's heart, something that I'm so grateful that my mom and dad blessed me with. I'm the granddaughter of Reverend Audie Grady and I'm going to be emotional, and that's where I want you to feel the realness. She was faithful, she didn't want to answer her call, but she did Of a little country church, peat Ridge Assembly. For over 25 years she served the congregation, the community and even my family, and that's where it all began. My parents were the song leaders. I can still hear the tambourine shaking and the voices lifting. It's just something about those little country churches. I gave my heart to Jesus at six in that tiny little sanctuary. At six, in that tiny little sanctuary.
Heather C:I was a lucky one, a blessed one, provided a solid foundation, but, like many, I lost sight Of Jesus In my teen years, my college years. I went searching for a love, identity and purpose in all the wrong places and because of a lot of those decisions, a lot of those bad choices, not only did I lead others around me into the same pits, it led me to a very unequally yoked marriage, something that I will continue to face daily. Yes, I have two beautiful daughters. I am forever thankful because, just as it says, there's beauty in the ashes, and they both are the beauty of the ashes.
Heather C:I never understood what unequally yoked meant until I was in it. My first marriage was emotional, it was mental, it was physical. We played church. We checked all the boxes. Our lives physical. We played church. We checked all the boxes. Our lives weren't built on Christ and they certainly weren't centered on him.
Heather C:I was desperate for peace. I knew what foundation looked like, but I had no idea what it really meant to walk with Jesus in the day-to-day anymore. There were multiple affairs, deep betrayal and a kind of pain I wouldn't wish on anyone. Did I deserve it? Did I throw gas on the fire? Sometimes, yeah, but eventually that unequally yoked marriage, despite the two beautiful human beings that it gave, came divorce, something that I never wanted to face. It wasn't in the plan, but neither was the marriage. I was broken, humiliated. I failed, exhausted. How much more could I put a smile on my face? How can I hide the bruises and the pain? I couldn't save it, I couldn't fix it. But, guys, there's. Sometimes we have to realize we're not the fixer, we're not the savior, and sometimes it's in the dead mist of a storm and a battle that we didn't necessarily choose. Choose, but because of our choices. That's where it led us to.
Heather C:At that point I ran to someone I knew had always represented Jesus to me. He wasn't perfect. I couldn't face my parents, I couldn't be truthful on all the things that had taken place, not just because the relationship, but because of the relationships I had created, the character that I had laid to the side, my heart, you know as a kid we hear just hide His Word in your heart, hide His Word in your heart. And, guys, let me tell you something. It is so true I can remember being on my knees begging God, please change my story, change this, god. I love you. I don't understand. I do love my friends. I haven't spoken to them in a while. I do love my family, but I can't go see them.
Heather C:But it was in the moment of pain and exhaustion and hurt and betrayal that I realized I couldn't even put my own pieces back together. I walked into the office of my childhood pastor, uncle Spence Guys. I didn't even know he wasn't my real uncle until I was eight. You know those family members that are friends, but they're family and you, just you embrace it. I was a mess, barely able to speak.
Heather C:He was the one that knelt by me when I was six in that tiny sanctuary and led me to Jesus. But the moment I sat down and he looked at me and said let's take this one to the altar, sis, that simple sentence shifted everything. I feel it now just as it was then. We knelt at that altar and he prayed, but for me he prayed over an hour as I cried and repented and couldn't find the words as I surrendered and let go of years, years of brokenness that I had carried. And then he looked at me and said something that changed my life Heather Marie, you may have chosen this road, but you didn't choose this battlefield. God will equip you, lay it down and leave it.
Heather C:That one phrase didn't just bring me back to my foundation. It reminded me that I was never alone. All those nights I cried, all those times I questioned God where are you? He never left me. I walked away lighter, not because the battle was over, but because I no longer was fighting it in my own strength. That moment at the altar with Pastor Spence was life-changing. It brought me back to my foundation. It reminded me I wasn't alone. But listen, I didn't walk away and get it all right At all. I wish I could say I left that church office and everything was perfect. Everything was beautiful, but it wasn't. I would go home to two little girls and face the reality of brokenness, not only for myself but for them. I didn't choose the battlefield, but they certainly didn't choose it field, but they certainly didn't choose it.
Heather C:Even after that powerful, powerful altar moment, I found myself burying the pain in all the wrong places again. How crazy to have such an altering life moment with God at an altar in a church, with your childhood pastor, and you still choose wrong. How does that even happen? Why I found myself burying in the pain in all the wrong places. I went back to what felt easy, what numbed me. I turned to alcohol to quiet the ache. I filled my weekends with concerts and softball games and shallow relationships. I did anything I could to distract myself from the truth that I was hurting Again. I'm not my own savior. Not that all of those things I was doing were necessarily bad, but they weren't my answer.
Heather C:The pain of sharing my kids with my ex and his new girlfriend, who was living in the house that we had somewhat made a home, was almost unbearable. Watching his life seemingly fall perfectly back into place, with no financial stress, no custody juggling, no late night meal scrambling, it broke me. My life was in shambles and his looked picture perfect. I knew deep down I messed up. I was making choices that didn't reflect the woman I knew God created me to be. Thankfully, it only went on for a few months. A new surrender, another altar call and I tell you. I go back to grace. God is grace.
Heather C:One Sunday morning I walked into church feeling so empty. There is no telling where I had been on Saturday night. I was so broken at this point due to my children being gone. Living in a new house that wasn't half as big as the old one, I was still going, I was still trying, but if I thought I was exhausted before, this was a new level. And that morning there was an altar call and I knew. I knew the Holy Spirit was coming for me. I didn't even wait for Him to finish, asking those that needed prayer to come down. I went and the moment my knees hit the floor, the Holy Spirit hit it with me and God gently reminded me. Because our God, let's remember, he's gracious and he's loving and he's gentle In our brokenness, when we really need to just be slapped on the hand. He doesn't do it like that. He does it in a way that we respond to him and his response to us is of love. His reminder was that I had laid it all down before, but I didn't lay it all and he wasn't done yet and right there in tears and surrender.
Heather C:I knew this time had to be different. I couldn't keep dancing with destruction and asking God to bless it. I dropped everything Conversations I had. People didn't understand how I could go in 24 hours from wanting to talk to someone to never speak again. If it wasn't of Him, it had to go. I broke off every relationship. I stopped drinking, stopped chasing comfort, stopped running from the pain and instead I chose to run to Jesus. I told God whatever you have for me, I want it, not my version, not my version of healing Yours. I can't make up what I'm about to tell you, but five days later, five days later, I get a message nonchalantly hey, you still there. And I laugh because if you know Tyler, his text messages are simple but it's meaningful and if he takes the time to speak to you, and if he takes the time to speak to you, he means it. And it was him. We hadn't spoken in three months. He actually had left me on read, as the kids nowadays say. But something about that message hit differently. It was gentle, it was of the same spirit I had just felt at the altar, it was timely and it was right was right because this time I was different. God had cleared the clutter, shut the doors that I kept reopening and prepared me for his timing, not mine. That simple message was the beginning of a redemption story I didn't even know was waiting for me. I didn't even know it was possible.
Heather C:Tyler and I reconnected slowly, intentionally and prayerfully. We made some mistakes, but this time it wasn't about filling a void, it was about building something holy. It was about building something holy, something God-centered, something real. On that same altar where I not once but twice surrendered it all, where I laid down years of pain and regret and strife, that same Uncle Spence married us. God is so faithful, I'm telling you, if he can take my mess and he can turn it into ministry. He took what the enemy meant for evil and he flipped it on its head. He gave me beauty for ashes, joy for the morning and I'm so thankful for a family marked by grace.
Heather C:In Joel 2.25, the Lord says I will give you back what you lost. The Lord says I will give you back what you lost. And, guys, I'm here to tell you today that's exactly what he did. That's what God did, not all at once, not in the way I imagined, but in his timing, in his power and with more love and redemption than I ever thought possible. So if you're in the middle of a mess today, if you feel like you blew it too badly, if you've run too far, I'm here to tell you God is not done with you.
Heather C:He does his best work in the middle of the storm. He's in the midst of your rock bottom, your detour, your waiting season and, most of all, your comeback. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to be willing and he will do the rest. So stick around. They're not all going to be this emotional, but I wanted you to get a glimpse of just truly the road I've walked, so that you know you're not alone. Sometimes picture perfect and social media creates a glimmer of what life looks to be. But, guys, we're just getting started, because God has given me vision and he's going to allow me to share that with you, because in the midst miracles are born and your story is just now begun. Remember, we can close a chapter and we can start another, but in the end, if our story isn't of him, is it a story really worth writing?