Living the Grace Life

Christmas isn’t all romance movies or bright paper packages tied up with string. For many, December ushers in the reality of a baby in the NICU, a dying loved one, an empty chair at the table, or a pending divorce—leaving people crushed and brokenhearted. Grief has a way of rising to the surface during the holidays, even when we don’t invite it.

What if, instead of trying to push past these deep pools of pain, we learned to make sa...

What if pausing in the Spirit became part of your preparation this Christmas? What might shift in your heart if you slowed your pace, lingered a little longer, and allowed the Holy Spirit to meet you in the quiet? Advent invites us not just to keep moving toward Christmas, but to make space—to breathe, to notice, to reflect on what God is doing right here.

In week two of our Advent series, Cynthia Ruchti guides us into a deeper und...

Living with a "Yes Heart” doesn’t mean having all the answers—it means being willing to trust the Holy Spirit when the path isn’t clear.

In week one of our Advent series, Cynthia Ruchti shares how choosing yes in the uncertain places opens us to God’s presence in profound and personal ways.

In our brief conversation, we discuss:

• Identifying the voice we can trust
• Tools for living with a yes heart

If you’re longing to liv...

Who’s your favorite character in the Christmas story? Mary or Joseph? The shepherds? The wise men? Maybe even Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas?

This Advent, discover a character you may have missed—the gentle, steady movement of the Holy Spirit, woven through every scene of Jesus’ birth.

In this episode, I’m joined by Cynthia Ruchti, author of the Advent devotional The Spirit of Christmas. Cynthia set out on a Scripture-wide ad...

The statistics on pornography are staggering—some report that one in five people view it weekly—leaving behind a hidden heartache that few are willing to talk about. For Jody Allen, author of Hidden Heartache: Finding Courage When Your Husband Struggles with Pornography, that heartache became a deeply personal reality.

In this conversation, Jody shares how she walked through shock, anger, and grief when her husband’s secret came to...

Why is it often harder to show grace to those closest to us than to strangers in the grocery store? Why can it feel easier to welcome other people’s kids than our own? And what does it look like to give grace when you don’t feel like giving it?

Walking in grace can feel slow—as my guest said, "like downloading software years ago"—but it’s worth every step. Grace deepens when we take the time to walk in other people’s shoes.

In toda...

What is the worst thing you don't think you could survive? In this deeply tender and vulnerable conversation, licensed therapist, speaker, and author Kimberly Haar shares her story of grace, forgiveness, and healing after surviving violence and a life-altering tragedy, drawing from her book Healing from Life’s Deepest Hurts.

After enduring unimaginable loss, Kim learned to dance again with the Creator of the Universe as God’s grace...

Have you ever been chased by grace or marked by love? In this powerful episode, Chased by Grace, Marked by Love, Crystal Mayo shares how a burn while pulling a pizza from the oven left her with a heart-shaped scar—one that became a tangible reminder of God’s relentless love. From that moment on, she began noticing hearts everywhere—on leaves, in strawberries, even in the clouds—as if grace itself was chasing her down.

Years earlier...

Parenting a child with special needs can feel like a never-ending balancing act—one that often leads to exhaustion, comparison, and guilt. But what if grace met you right in the middle of it all? Author and speaker Becky Beresford joins Living the Grace Life to talk about finding God’s presence in the chaos and surrendering the pressure to be everything for everyone.

In this honest and hope-filled conversation, Becky shares how she...

Why, God? Why didn’t You answer our prayers? How could You let this happen after everything we’ve been through? Do You know how much this hurts?

Ashley Opliger has wrestled with these same questions in the depths of miscarriage, loss, and grief. Yet through it all, she found the steady presence of God’s grace and hope.

Ashley is the author of the USA Today bestselling book Cradled in Hope and the founder and CEO of Bridget’s Cradle...

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. What is dyslexia, really? Far beyond “seeing letters backwards,” dyslexia is a lifelong learning difference as a result of how the brain processes language, making reading, spelling, and decoding more challenging. Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 people and is often misunderstood, yet with the right tools, strategies, and grace, students can thrive.

In this episode, I sit down with my son, Ethan Sakata, ...

Are you in the sandwich season--raising kids while also caring for aging parents? The pressure, confusion, guilt, and overwhelm can feel crushing when family and business collide with life-altering health needs. Where does grace fit in when you’re being pulled in every direction?

That’s the journey of my guest, Ruthie Gray--wife, GenX mom, 15-year caregiver, and author of Empty Nest Awakening: Weaving the Threads of Your Passion in...

Where do you need grace most in your day? Maybe it’s in the checkout line behind a slow customer, on the road with drivers who forget the rules, or more deeply, as you wrestle with identity shaped by your past choices—or the choices of others. The good news of the Gospel is this: God’s grace cleans the messy past and frees you to reflect God's love today.

In this week’s Living the Grace Life episode, James Early—host of The Bible S...

Grief can feel like clothes that don’t fit—awkward, heavy, and uncomfortable. But over time, the garment of grief can become a surprising companion, leading to deeper intimacy with God and showing us where grief and grace meet in the persevering years.

In this episode of Living the Grace Life, I’m joined by Peg Arnold, lovingly known as the “Drama Queen for Jesus.” Peg shares her personal journey of perseverance through grief and g...

Have you ever tucked something precious away for safekeeping—a piece of jewelry, a meaningful letter, or a memory too fragile to touch? In a world that feels like it’s spinning out of control, it’s tempting to do the same with our hearts. But what if grace isn’t meant to be stored away? What if chasing grace is your invitation to live wide open—to risk joy, to embrace today, and to let go of fear?

In this powerful season two opener...

It’s hard to believe, but Living the Grace Life is officially one year old! To celebrate, I invited my podcasting mentor, Eric Nevins—host of Halfway There and CEO of the Christian Podcasters Association—back to the mic. Eric was instrumental in helping me launch this show, and in this conversation, we look back on the journey, laugh at a few behind-the-scenes moments, and reflect on what uniquely shapes this podcast—the grace thre...

What if the lessons of grace weren’t just meant for Sunday mornings, but for every single messy, ordinary day? In this special Season One reflection of Living the Grace Life, Jennifer Sakata shares 5 grace takeaways that still stick—truths that have carried us through grief, prayer, perfectionism, and healing.

You’ll hear how: ✨ Grace honors the try—it’s not about perfection, but about showing up. ✨ Your wounds aren’t too big for G...

What has grace taught us this season? 💙 Season One of Living the Grace Life has been a journey of healing, hope, and real faith. In this Season One recap, Jennifer Sakata reflects on the heartbeat of the podcast so far using the G.R.A.C.E. framework—a simple way to remember the core themes that shaped these first 48 episodes:

🔹 G — Grief and Healing | How grace meets us in pain, trauma, and loss 🔹 R — Real Prayer, Real Life | Ho...

It's the final week of our summer series, Embracing Grace: A Summer in the Psalms. I'll be reading Psalm 16, first from the New Living Translation, then from The Message Paraphrase, and lastly, from the English Standard Version.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe and follow so you don’t miss a single episode in the series—and grab your FREE Living the Grace Life: One Prayer at a Time to reflect deeper all summer long!