Hello and welcome to restoring the soul, a podcast dedicated to helping you close the gap between what you believe and what you actually experience. I'm your producer Brian Beatty in Cincinnati. And joining me in Denver is your host, Michael JOHN CUSICK, Michael, Merry Christmas. And happy new year. It's great to be with you again.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Brian. And indeed, Colorado feels like Colorado because we had one foot of fresh snow dumped on us last night. And it is definitely a white end of year here.
Brian Beatty:You know, Michael, I lived in Colorado Springs for 12 years. And I miss the climate, not just winter, where where the powder would just, you know, blown off with a car, you didn't necessarily have to worry about breaking your back shoveling. But I'm jealous. I'm jealous of the foot of snow that you have right now, the Colorado powder, there's nothing like
MICHAEL CUSICK:it. Oh, there's nothing like living here in Colorado. I'm a semi native now. Which means that I've lived here longer than I lived in Ohio, where I grew up where you are now.
Brian Beatty:Well, and there's nothing like Cincinnati chili is there.
MICHAEL CUSICK:We have we have our trade offs.
Brian Beatty:So today, for the podcasts, you know, we're wrapping up 2022. And it's been a fantastic year. For the podcast, we are approaching 1.8 million downloads since we launched in 2016. We've been heard in over 80 countries consistently and around 300,000 downloads for the year. So we're glad for the opportunity to join folks each week. And we wanted to just try to take this time today to look back at a couple of episodes that were important to us. And that we wanted to kind of revisit hopefully, if you guys haven't had a chance to listen to these programs, you'll take a look at our archives, download them, listen to them, and then hopefully share them with a friend or two. Michael, as you look back on 2022, in particular with the podcast or maybe even your life, what are some things that just kind of quickly come to mind for you highlights that you'd like to share?
MICHAEL CUSICK:Well, first of all, Brian, it's just really an honor to do the podcast and I'm gonna share the your personal news. And that is you are about seven weeks, if not more recovering from your quadruple bypass. So at the end of the year, I'm just thankful that you're alive, that your heart issues were caught in time and that they were able to do that surgery. And I know it's been a good but slow and hard recovery along the way. So I'm very, very thankful for that.
Brian Beatty:Well, Michael, I wasn't sure if you're going to bring it up or if I was going to bring it up. I mean, for me, it was you know, not only the highlight of this year, but but probably one that I will count on my hand and highlights of my life. And you and the entire team of restoring the soul was so incredibly gracious and supportive to me and and how you guys prayed for me and, and even helped me with my family with our meals. Yeah.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Did you receive the grilled cheese that I sent?
Brian Beatty:I all three of them. Yeah.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Thank you for saying that. But it was just the least that we could do. When I when I heard the news and I talked to you, the day before your surgery. I wanted to get on a plane and come and give you a hug and our team heard that doesn't have as much interaction with you. Yeah, we prayed for you. And it's been a remarkable recovery.
Brian Beatty:Yeah, it's been incredible to experience the love of my community. At my church, vineyard, Cincinnati church, my family, people who I haven't had a chance to connect with for years. Were very supportive. And honestly, Michael, I felt the fruit of their prayers and my recovery. You know, I certainly don't want to go through this again. I don't wish it on anybody. But my recovery has been strong. It's been positive. It's been every day has been better than than the last and I'm ready to get back to my full time job. I'm anxious. I've been able to get out of the house, I'm driving, I'm on my feet. And I'm close to the Lord and the Lord is close to me. And so Scripture has come alive that I've had never experienced before. And, and the Lord has been close, it's been incredible.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Well, let me ask you this, we didn't plan on me interviewing you. But just for a second here, what have been some of the things that you've reflected on as you had this unplanned, unexpected quadruple bypass, which of course, that's a common procedure nowadays, but there's still great risk when they crack open your ribs? And when, you know, you hope to wake up, but not always. And it's a big, big deal. What has it made? Has it given you pause?
Brian Beatty:Yeah, certainly. I think what is the word cathartic, has has come to mind, and I'm not one to really get deep and philosophical and, and yet, I would find myself at the dinner table, I would pause. And I would look at my family. And take a moment to just share my gratitude for each of their little idiosyncrasies, right, I'd say to my daughter, I just love how you just roll with the punches. And my son, Webb, his love for theater, in the creative. And my wife, who was, you know, by my side this entire time, I just found myself in postures and attitude of gratitude, or gratefulness. I hope I never. And not that I would note that I did it before, but I just don't want to take life and breath for granted. The other thing that I reflected on was really, when I was in the hospital for for nearly two weeks, the level of dedication and professionalism and care that from the top, my cardiac surgeon all the way to the daily nurse that would come in and draw blood they loved on me, they cared for me. And it's a real unique calling to be dedicated to work in in a hospital environment. It's not pretty. But the miracles that were performed each day by these professionals really gave me pause to appreciate people who are responding to their calling, and going and doing it. And I'll tell you, it is thankless work. For those that are in the medical profession. I really, I really believe that. So I guess I just to you know, it's a long answer to a short question. I'm seeing probably a little bit more three dimensionally, about people, and understanding, you know, what's going on in lives, and not just what we do. But the stories that have formed people and who they are now is a result of so many things. And now this is one of the things that's one part of my story, my heart attack, I had a heart attack at 53 years old. And I feel like I'm just a kid in the cardiac when I looked around them like, Man, I feel like a teenager here. So yeah, very lucky, very fortunate that they caught it. When they did. It was a fluke, that brought me into the hospital. I didn't even have chest pains. But when I came in, and they checked me out, they actually said I was going to have a triple bypass. And then three or four days later, after my surgery, my doctor said, Oh, no, I went ahead and did four. So that was a surprise. And yeah, I definitely have have felt the weight. And even as I do my daily walks, my I can feel the weight and the pressure in my sternum as it's still healing, to recognize that I'm still human. And I gotta take it easy. I got to listen to my body, and I gotta listen to what doctors tell me. So
MICHAEL CUSICK:what kind of changes have your doctors asked you to make or told you that you need to make I've noticed that you have been reading some books about slowing down and about life being a little simpler.
Brian Beatty:Yeah, actually, a few weeks ago, Alan sandlings interview was pretty impactful for Me and and I have been reading the unhurried unhurried life and the daily devotional, it's been wonderful for me to pause, you know, I'm getting back up at at five, six in the morning and getting started on my day. And I'm starting in the word which I've done as much as I can. But the rhythm of that has been a lot more intentional now. And the other thing too, and I'll highlight this in just a little bit, but Chris Bruno's book sage in that interview, that that that you did earlier this year, was also very impactful. So yeah, I guess I'm taking stock and listening, probably more in tune with what people are putting out. And my discernment. antenna has been, has been up as well, to really see what is good. I've been praying for my ears to be open, and my eyes to be open as well. That my mouth to be shut. Isn't that they say that that's why the Lord gives gave us two ears and one mouth, right?
MICHAEL CUSICK:There you go. Well, Larry crab used to say years ago that the conversations that really matter in the questions that really matter are the ones that are around either a person's life being threatened, or a funeral. And you were certainly in danger with with the heart attack and the surgery. And I'm just so so thankful that that you're well, and that you're on a healing path.
Brian Beatty:Thank you. I appreciate that. I mean,
MICHAEL CUSICK:and in light of what you have said, and I've got multiple family members, that are nurses or doctors and work in a lot of different positions in hospitals, and I worked for years in Respiratory Therapy, during college, a shout out to all of the medical professionals, ones who go completely unseen, working in the ICUs, and the cardiac units and the post surgery step down units, and then other environments where there's not a lot of thanks. And not a lot of people being patting them on the back. And also to people that work in more public ways, like paramedics and first responders, we just want to pause in light of your care that you received and say thank you truly thank you to everyone who in some medical capacity, serves and cares as we wrap up the year. I am personally grateful for you, as is Brian.
Brian Beatty:And you know, as I'm sitting here now and thinking about about that my journey over the last two months, some of the most honest conversations that I've had in my life took place, with the doctors, with the nurses, with the guys in the back of the ambulance that I transported from Westchester, Ohio, down to Cincinnati, there's something that happens to you when, like you said, when your life is threatened, there is just this wave of honesty and humility and transparency that just overtakes you, because you don't have to have a posture, you know, your pride or your you know, is is really out the window. Oh man, I don't I there was, you know, I didn't take a shower for I think almost a week and a half. And I didn't smell very good. My my beard, thank God, they didn't shave it off. My beard was intact, but it was a mess. But really, you just kind of get down to what's most important in life. And those are the discussions that end up coming to the top. And you know, Michael, that's where I want to live. I want to live on the front of my heart. I don't have time for proving myself or thinking that I'm better than somebody else. You know, what has what the Lord has done? His has been an evening of the playing field. And it's been it's been it's been healing. It's been good.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Well, what's really cool is that this conversation that we're having is about physical health in a heart attack. But what I'm hearing is that the heart attack just got your attention on many levels from being forced to receive and to be loved and to be cared for, which is kind of hard for you because you're a guy that gets things done in a really good fashion to the intentionality of at 53 which is young for a heart attack asking the question, how do I want to live my life discerning what is best The fact that especially as we get older, all of the possibilities of things that we wanted to do and achieve and accomplish, that window becomes narrower, because we're simply not going to have time to do it versus when we're 2535. We're looking forward. And yeah, of course, we'll get that done. But then I hear just this kind of two sides of a coin of wanting to live life to the full. But doing that by being more focused and kind of slowing down and not as striving, maybe is what I'm hearing.
Brian Beatty:There's an intentionality to it now. You know, we have we have limited time in the day. The Lord gives us 2024 hours, it's not like we can one day 27 and 28. And how many of those hours are we up and conscious and engaged with people? I'm scrolling less, I think on my, my phone. I'm trying to be just very present in my relationships with people. And I don't wish what I experienced physically to anybody. However, I wish the fruit of what I been experiencing for everyone,
MICHAEL CUSICK:if that makes sense, beautiful. Yeah. Well, and so here we are having a conversation about restoring the soul. That you know, and soul and heart are often interchangeable. At least Ruth Haley Barton once said that, when she hears the distinction between heart and soul, she's not going to try to parse that word very much, but the inner part of a person that as your physical heart was restored, that there's something happening in your spiritual emotional heart that is brand new, that probably couldn't happen without the physical, pause and and threat to your physical being.
Brian Beatty:That's true. In fact, my wife asks me how I'm feeling. And it's an interesting question, because I had to dig a little deeper. Well, like, What do you mean, she's like, well, you know, what is what is your heart feel like now, because there were warning signs leading up to my episode, that I didn't piece together to say that, okay, this is this is connected to my clogged arteries, whether it be my arm, just all of a sudden hurting. And then it stopped two minutes later, so I couldn't cause it. And I couldn't fix it. It just happened. I would fall asleep at my desk at work. And it wasn't because I carb loaded at lunch. It just because my circulation just wasn't up to par. And so I said to her, I was like, now I understand what your question is, I feel cleaner. It's almost like I've, I've had an oil change. The circulation is allowing me to sleep so much better. When I hit the pillow, I'm out. And then I get up seven hours later, with no break in the night, and I feel refreshed. There's something even through the day, I'm not tired, like I used to be, and to, you know, play off of the spiritual and the physical. I feel like the Lord has given me a new heart. You know, my, my heart of flesh that I have now that's moldable and shapeable. And that miracle that took place in the physical is also the same miracle that took place in my heart and in my soul that I experienced now, it is just a beautiful revelation. It's as if I've been born again.
MICHAEL CUSICK:It's so incredible. And I probably don't go an episode on this podcast without talking about how the soul is this not a tripartite reality, but a four part reality. And it's the body, the mind, the emotions, the will. That's the Hebrew idea of soul. And so it's no surprise then that there's so much interconnection between what's happening in you spiritually and emotionally. Brian, we had planned on doing another episode, but I'm gonna I'm gonna call it a day. I think this is just a conversation that somebody needs to hear. Not in terms of, you know, wake up or you two might have a heart attack. It strikes me more about how God uses the suffering of life that is part of a fallen world and the suffering of life that inevitably happens and How if we're attentive. If our eyes are open to see what God is doing, we pay attention to what's happening, that God rings, fruit, he brings goodness out of the suffering in life. And that's what so much of the scriptures talk about in James one. Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete. And I've often thought about that. And I thought, well, great God, so I'm suffering so that you can build character in me. But that's not understanding the whole context of that that verse and the Bible's teaching on suffering. It's so that God can create wholeness in us. Character is actually a result of wholeness. But that word mature and complete is that all of the disparate parts of us, and in the situation with your heart attack, that there's parts of you emotionally, and spiritually that the Lord has wanted to integrate, just like he wants to do that in me today. And in this moment, God wants to integrate, and bring more of me together into wholeness. And he will even use our physical vulnerability or physical limitations and our physical suffering. And so I just want to thank you for having this unplanned, this spontaneous conversation. I'm thankful to God for sparing your life, but also for opening up these new vistas. And my prayer for you and your family is that there will just be fruit that's born out of this, and that you can truly look back to the season of your life and say, this was a turning point.
Brian Beatty:Yeah, thank you. To everyone who has been so faithful to be intentionally reaching out to me, my and Michael, you have been closer, you know, than a brother through this this whole time, you may not feel like it, you know, 1000 2000 miles away, however far we are, but but I have felt a nearness to you through this time. And, and I thank you for that. And the scripture to has has come alive for me in this time. And the one scripture that I wanted to share with folks today is from the Psalms 3418. The psalmist says, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. And in a way, I felt like that was kind of trite. But Scripture is never trite. God's word is always intentional. And so, you know, I was experiencing a broken heart. It was collapsing. In fact, what was happening was, there was one side that was not working at all, my right side, and the left side was compensating for the failure of the right side. In fact, what was happening was the left side was increasing in strength and size, competence. And so I didn't have a balance between my right and left side of my heart. So my broken heart needed to be fixed. So I'm going to carry that particular verse with me for the rest of my life and the truth that the Lord is indeed, close. He is has not left. I think it is responsibility for us to acknowledge that His Holy Spirit is in us. And working and praying for us even you know, as scripture says, praying for us in groans that we can't even utter. And so there were prayers. I know that the Lord was praying on my behalf. for times when I just didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do. I just said I want to live.
MICHAEL CUSICK:Well, thank you, again, for sharing and being willing to share, I want to wrap up the program this way. We're 48 hours away from New Year's Eve 2022. And rather than look back on 2022, which people can do apart from listening to this podcast, I want to look ahead to 2023. And rather than cast some great vision for this podcast, or trying to inspire people to do something great, I want to I want to invite people to do something simple. And before I do that, I just want to say it is such a privilege for us to do this podcast and to come into your life onto your your phone, your device. Whatever it might be, I hear stories regularly. And I heard one today where my wife, Julianne was talking to a person in a business in another state. And that had nothing to do with ministry or Christianity. And this person commented at the end, we didn't even Julian didn't even know this person was a believer in this person said, I listened to your podcast, and it helped me through this time. So it is truly a privilege to be able to offer whatever we offer from our hearts. So here is my, my invitation to you a listener, and this is something everybody can do in 2023, let's take the time to look into our loved ones eyes just a little bit longer. For some of us, that might mean to be intentional about looking into their eyes at all. Let's be intentional about hugging our loved ones just a little bit longer, holding them just a little bit longer. And let's be intentional about telling the ones that we love that we love them. Those three things may sound small, they may sound trivial, but we really don't know at any given moment, what life holds. And at the end of it all, relationships are all that matters. And so thank you to you have a very, very blessed 2022 It has been to us on the podcast and that restoring the soul. And here is a blessing over each and every one of you listeners for 2023 made the shalom, the well being the wholeness, the completeness of Jesus be upon you today, and each day forward as you live and move and have your being in Him. Amen. Happy New Year.
Brian Beatty:So we've wrapped up another episode of restoring the soul. We want you to know that restoring the soul is so much more than a podcast. In fact, the heart of what we have done for nearly 20 years is intensive counseling. When you can't wait months or years to get out of the rut you're in but you're in to have counseling programs in Colorado allow you to experience deep change and change in box box. To learn more visit restoring the soul.com That's restoring the soul.com