Episode 408: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Brad Jersak, "The God Who Never Looks Away"

Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick

Restoring the Soul with Michael John Cusick
Episode 408: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Brad Jersak, "The God Who Never Looks Away"
Jul 20, 2026 Season 17 Episode 408
Michael John Cusick

As part of our Soul Care Summer, we're revisiting a conversation that's stayed with many listeners. Somewhere along the way, many of us picked up the idea that God can only look at us through gritted teeth, or worse, has to look away. Brad Jersak joins Michael to gently dismantle that picture, showing that the ache of feeling far from God was never God's doing.

The conversation moves through a recovering addict's encounter with pure light, Cornelius in the book of Acts, and a fresh reading of Psalm 22, all pointing toward the same conviction, that the cross reveals a Father who stays present even in humanity's deepest cry of abandonment. Brad's higher Christology, it turns out, only widens the reach of Abba's love.

Brad Jersak is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. He previously joined Restoring the Soul in 2017 to discuss A More Christlike God, and returned to discuss In: Incarnation and Inclusion, Abba and Lamb.

Support the show


ENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:
- Follow us on YouTube
- Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter
- Follow Michael on Twitter
- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com 

Thanks for listening!

Episode Artwork Episode 408: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Brad Jersak, "The God Who Never Looks Away" 43:22 Episode Artwork Episode 407: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Curt Thompson, "The Look That Sees You" 30:47 Episode Artwork Episode 406: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Curt Thompson, "You are Dirt and Breath" 39:19 Episode Artwork Episode 405: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Chuck DeGroat, "The Nine Faces of Narcissism" 47:45 Episode Artwork Episode 404: Brian Zahnd, "Why Heaven Has Gone Missing from the Church" 42:39 Episode Artwork Episode 403: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Sheila Wray Gregoire, "The Great Sex Rescue" 45:21 Episode Artwork Episode 402: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Aundi Kolber, "Try Softer, Part 2" 32:20 Episode Artwork Episode 401: SOUL CARE SUMMER - Aundi Kolber, "Try Softer, Part 1" 33:05 Episode Artwork Episode 400 - Dr. Gary Chapman, "The Love Language That Matters Most" 26:09 Episode Artwork Episode 399 - Ken Shigematsu, "How To Become Yourself" 52:25 Episode Artwork Episode 398 - Michael John Cusick, "The Temptation of Jesus and Your Attachment" 34:23 Episode Artwork Episode 397 - Geoff Holsclaw, "Your Attachment Style Shapes How You See God" 1:03:45 Episode Artwork Episode 396 - Liz Hall, "Find Meaning In Suffering" 1:01:13 Episode Artwork Episode 395 - Jay Stringer, "How Our Deepest Longings Shape Love, Healing, and Transformation" 1:08:06 Episode Artwork Episode 394 - Brian Lee, "From Broken to Beloved: A Journey through Spiritual Healing" 52:09 Episode Artwork Episode 393 - Safe and Secure: Attachment Styles, Boundaries, and Spiritual Healing 39:16 Episode Artwork Episode 392 - Michael John Cusick, "Understand Safety and Boundaries in Attachment Relationships" 31:22 Episode Artwork Episode 391 - Ericka Anderson, "Freely Sober: Exploring Christian Perspectives on Alcohol" 30:29 Episode Artwork Episode 390 - Mark Batterson, "Gradually Then Suddenly" 36:09 Episode Artwork Episode 389 - Jay Stringer, "The Civil War of Desire: Exploring Longings, Growth, and Healing" 44:39 Episode Artwork Episode 388 - Michael John Cusick, "Exploring Sacred Attachment: Parenting, Healing, and Connection" 34:46 Episode Artwork Episode 387 - Michael John Cusick, "Exploring Sacred Attachment: Seen, Soothed, Safe, and Secure" 34:30 Episode Artwork Episode 386 - Michael John Cusick, "Exploring Sacred Attachment: The Trinity, Neuroscience, and Experiencing Divine Love" 30:51 Episode Artwork Episode 385 - Julianne & Michael John Cusick, "Navigating Trauma and Healing in Neurodiverse Relationships" 30:20 Episode Artwork Episode 384 - Julianne & Michael John Cusick, "A Deeper Look Into Neurodiverse Marriages" 33:36