The Redeemed Backslider
“Welcome to The Redeemed Backslider—with your host, Kathy Chastain, Christian-based psychotherapist and a redeemed backslider. This podcast dedicated to those who have wandered but are ready to return to the life-changing power of grace and the freedom found in Jesus. In Luke 4:18, Jesus proclaimed: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.’ This is the heart of our message. Whether you’re wrestling with regret, despair, seeking freedom from spiritual chains, or longing to see the light of God’s love again, you’re not alone. Here, we share testimonies, biblical truths, and encouragement to remind you that no one is too far gone for God’s redemption. This is your invitation to find healing, hope, and restoration in Jesus. Welcome to The Redeemed Backslider—where grace is greater than your past and your future is abundant when God redeems your story.” https://www.buzzsprout.com/2446178/subscribe
Episodes
Stories of return have a way of finding the person who needs them most. We close the year by opening our inbox and our hearts—sharing letters from listeners who pulled over in tears, confessed hidden battles with pornography, and asked for prayer in moments of deep despair. We also celebrate quiet miracles: three people who went back to church, two brand-new believers who found a home, and a former running partner who...
What if the prayers you’ve been whispering for years are beginning to be answered—and the church needs to be ready for the homecoming? We sit down with Sis. Billie Jean Bishop, co-founder of Partners in Prayer, to trace a path from personal tragedy to a nationwide movement of intercession for prodigals. Her story carries a fierce tenderness: a miracle-filled conversion, a mother’s grief after losing her son Christophe...
The word holiness can feel like a verdict, especially if you’ve been burned by “standards” that sounded more like a measuring stick than good news. Kathy sits down with her pastor to untangle the knot: holiness as a life turned toward God, standards as practices that may flow from that love, and the harm that happens when we reverse the order. The conversation is tender, candid, and practical—rooted in real stories of...
A teenage romance. A gang neighborhood. A near-fatal drive-by and an overdose scare on the job. Then a quiet, stubborn decision by a young mom to move across town, climb on a church van with two babies, and keep walking to the altar for more than a decade. That’s the spine of this episode: the slow, steady courage that makes room for miracles.
We sit with Luis and Eileen Pena as they unpack the real story beh...
A mother’s psychosis, a father’s kindness, and a daughter learning to trust God more than outcomes—this conversation traces how early wounds shape our faith and why secure love can tether a drifting heart. I sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist and educator Danielle Cisneros to unpack trauma in a Pentecostal home, the silence that followed crises, and the loneliness that teaches kids to read rooms inst...
A five-year-old meets God in a prayer meeting. A teenager discovers he doesn’t fit. A young preacher catches fire, then loses his footing in a storm of loneliness, loss, and regret. Years later, a desperate father bargains for his unborn child’s life on a Yosemite worksite—and God answers. This conversation with Michael Torres is the unvarnished arc of calling tested by catastrophe: from pulpit to prison to purpose.
Some stories grip you because they name the ache you’ve been carrying. Luis grew up in church, but grief took him someplace colder—anger he couldn’t shake, music that deepened the mood, and pornography he couldn’t confess. He didn’t storm out on God; hope just thinned until silence felt easier. When conviction finally met courage, he chose the terrifying route: tell the truth, trust a pastor, and let his wife see the ...
Some stories arrive like a storm and leave the air clearer than before. Kathy sits down with April Martinez, who grew up loving church, survived years of hidden abuse, and then endured the whiplash of public blame and church hurt that pushed her out at sixteen. What follows is a fiercely honest journey through survival mode—protecting younger siblings, running from violence, two suicide attempts, foster care, and the ...
A label can feel like a sentence—until it becomes a testimony. Kathy sits down with Kayleen Mendez for a candid, unflinching conversation about growing up tender-hearted in church, slipping into control and secrecy, and the abusive marriage that shattered safety and trust. When drinking in her thirties opened the door to meth and homelessness, life narrowed to survival—hotel lobbies, gang threats, a brutal assault, an...
What if the people meant to protect you became the source of your deepest wounds—and yet grace still found a way to bring you home? Alicia’s testimony is a gripping, compassionate look at church hurt, childhood abuse, and the long road back from the occult, fear, and despair to a sound mind and real freedom. We walk through the moments that shaped her story: early prayer as a little girl, predatory adults hiding in pl...
What happens when the daughter of respected Pentecostal leaders finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage and eventually walks away from church altogether? Stephanie Haney Montez shares her raw, unfiltered story of growing up in a "glass house" as the daughter of Joy and Kenneth Haney, and how that experience shaped her expectations, struggles, and eventual journey away from and back to faith.
Th...
When spiritual leaders become sources of harm rather than healing, the damage can reach to the very core of a person's identity and faith. Dr. Peridot Gilbert-Reed joins host Kathy Chastain to unpack the complex reality of spiritual abuse—a topic both personal and professional for this psychologist specializing in religious trauma.
Dr. Gilbert-Reed offers a powerful framework for understanding this often...
What makes a child who loves church, Bible quizzing, and picking out ties for Sunday service turn to witchcraft, drugs, and crime? Terry Boucher's testimony is a harrowing journey through the darkest valleys of human experience and a powerful reminder that no one is beyond redemption.
Terry's descent began with seemingly innocent choices at age 12—smoking cigarettes with a neighborhood friend and li...
September 1st was National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. As such, we dedicate the episode to the thousands of children around the world who have suffered and died of childhood cancer.
Grief has a way of reshaping our lives in ways we never imagined. For Keri Rodriguez, the unthinkable happened when her granddaughter Everly was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer at just 16 months old. What followed was a harrowing jo...
Have you ever been told to "just pray more" when facing depression? Or heard "God has a plan" when grieving, leaving you feeling worse instead of comforted? You're not alone, and there's a name for this phenomenon: spiritual bypass.
In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Peridot Gilbert-Reed shares her groundbreaking research on how Christians use scripture and religious language ...
Pornography addiction among Christian women remains one of the most hidden yet prevalent struggles in our churches today. In this vulnerable conversation, Brianna Arango breaks the silence by sharing her journey from secret addiction to complete freedom.
Brianna's story begins with accidental exposure to pornography at just seven years old, creating neural pathways she would return to as a teenager durin...
Tom Lyman's testimony isn't just another recovery story—it's a raw journey through the paradox of growing up in church while harboring secret addictions that nearly destroyed everything he loved.
From his sheltered beginnings in a tiny church school with just one classmate to the depths of cocaine addiction and infidelity while still attending services every Sunday, Tom's story strips away...
What happens when a man raised around Louisiana voodoo and family "witches" goes searching for spiritual enlightenment? Michael Arango takes us through his extraordinary journey from occult practices to authentic faith, revealing the subtle deceptions that nearly destroyed him.
Beginning with childhood exposure to supernatural phenomena and his mother's claims of being a witch, Michael shares h...
After his body went over an overpass, Reid Mendez couldn't be found for 48 hours. When someone finally found him, they were shocked he survived his mysterious accident. With a broken femur, crushed face, fractured neck, and brain bleeding, his survival defied medical explanation. But for Reid, it was the latest chapter in a lifelong story of God's relentless pursuit—a journey he shares with raw honesty in th...
Trauma doesn't just wound our hearts—it fundamentally alters how we see ourselves, others, and most profoundly, how we view God. In this powerful conclusion to our three-part series, psychotherapists Kathy Chastain and Kelly Ventura explore the spiritual battlefield of childhood trauma and the enemy's strategic use of our wounds to distort our perception of God's character and intentions.
The c...
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