Should I Say Something? Discerning When to Speak Hard Truth
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever sat in a room where something needed to be said, but no one said it? In this episode, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson explore the challenge of naming hard truths with both courage and care. From “pointing to elephants” in the room to learning how to avoid dropping “verbal bombs,” they reflect on the practices that help us discern when to speak, how to prepare our hearts, and how to stay connected even in difficult conversations. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why naming hard truths requires both courage and emotional maturity How to discern your...
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Why We Delay Hard Decisions (and How to Move Forward)
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever had a decision that just… lingers? A conversation you know you need to have. A leadership call that keeps getting pushed to the next meeting. You tell yourself you’re “still discerning” — but you’re not actually moving forward. In this episode, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson explore the tension between faithful discernment and avoidance — why decisions get stuck, how fear and uncertainty keep us spinning, and what it looks like to grow into leaders who can listen deeply and act when it’s time. Drawing on stories from church leadership,...
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How to Follow Through on a Hard Decision Without Shrinking Yourself or Burning Bridges
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever made a hard decision — only to realize the real challenge comes after? Maybe you’re in a church, workplace, or community where there’s real disagreement. You’ve wrestled with whether to stay or leave, and you’ve made your decision. But now a new set of questions begins: How do you stay without losing yourself? How do you leave without damaging relationships? And how do you move forward with honesty and care when there’s no clean resolution? In this episode, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson explore what it looks like to live your decision with...
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Why Certainty Feels Good (And Might Be Shutting Down the Conversation)
Practicing Hope Podcast
When tension rises, certainty can feel like safety. We’ve all been in a room where strong conviction takes over and starts to sound like control, self-protection, and avoidance. In leadership, certainty is often rewarded. It feels decisive and strong. But what if discernment asks us to listen instead? In this episode, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson explore what to do with your own certainty (and someone else’s), how to respond when someone says, “God told me…,” and how to stay grounded without closing the process. Drawing on Scripture and stories...
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What to Do When Your Community Makes a Decision You Disagree With
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever wished there were a simple formula for knowing when it’s time to move on, especially after your community makes a decision you wouldn’t have chosen? Sometimes the hardest decisions aren’t about starting something new — they’re about what to do after a decision has already been made. Maybe your church changed direction. Maybe your organization chose a path you wouldn’t have chosen. Now you’re left holding the question: Do I stay, or is it time to go? In this episode, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson explore what faithful discernment looks...
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Don't Let Fear Drive Your Decisions
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever carried a decision that felt heavy? Leadership often puts us in moments where there’s no obvious right answer — just responsibility, consequence, and the hope that we don’t cause harm. What if discernment isn’t about finding certainty, but about becoming the kind of person who can choose love when the stakes are high? In this episode, Tanner Smith is joined by Chase Stancle and Sarah Johnson to explore what it means to discern well under pressure. They talk about fear, fatigue, and responsibility, and the practices that form leaders who can listen deeply, act with...
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You Don't Have to Fix It: Loving People in Pain
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever had someone trust you with something heavy, and suddenly you’re not sure what to say? A friend tells you their marriage is falling apart. A volunteer quietly admits they’re exhausted and thinking about stepping away. You want to respond well, but your mind races. What if trust isn’t about having the perfect words, but about showing up with steadiness, humility, and care? In this episode, hosts Tanner Smith and Sarah Johnson are joined by Holly Wilson from Safe Haven Ministries to talk about what trustworthiness looks like in real relationships, especially when someone...
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The Cost of Doing Everything Yourself
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever gone days without needing to ask anyone for help? Groceries arrive at your door. Coffee is ordered ahead. Work, worship, and errands can all happen without a single face-to-face conversation. Life runs efficiently, but often at the cost of shared life. What if a fuller life comes not from convenience, but from shared life with others? Tanner Smith and Chase Rashad Stancle examine the value of self-sufficiency and how it shapes our neighborhoods, churches, and relationships. They talk about proximity, hospitality, and why growth often comes through inconvenience, disagreement, and...
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How to Stay Human (And Hopeful) When Scrolling
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever opened your phone “just for a minute” and ended up angry at strangers on the internet? So many of us pick up our phones to relax, but instead feel restless, stressed, and less present to the people right in front of us. What if your online life could actually become a place to practice hope and love? In this episode of our Beholding series, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson talk about how phones and social media shape our brains, our bodies, and our relationships — and how small, practical practices can help us stay human, grounded, and open to God, even...
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How Small Acts of Curiosity Can Save the Friendship
Practicing Hope Podcast
Have you ever felt a friendship grow tense or distant and weren’t sure why? In a world marked by polarization and quick assumptions, even strong friendships can feel fragile. A single comment, a post, or a difference in perspective can suddenly amplify the distance between us. But what if the gap you feel isn’t the end of the relationship — just an invitation to truly see each other again? In this episode, Tanner, Chase, and Sarah explore why division makes friendships harder to navigate, why we sometimes turn friends into “categories,” and how small acts of curiosity can soften what...
info_outlineWhat do you do when the people you lead hold competing values? Whether it’s politics, sexuality, or the color of the sanctuary carpet, leaders are often stuck in the middle. They find themselves caught between people who love Jesus but can’t see eye to eye.
In this episode, Jess and Jeff draw from real-life examples and Scripture to unpack how non-anxious leadership can change the tone of an entire community. You’ll hear stories of the power of curiosity, and how laughter, shared meals, and guiding values can help us reconnect when division threatens to pull us apart.
With wisdom, humor, and even an illustration from a Ted Lasso scene, they offer hopeful next steps for leaders facing division.
You’ll hear:
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Why surface issues are rarely the real issues.
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How systems thinking can help leaders stay grounded when anxiety spikes.
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Why curiosity (not judgment) is the key to building connection in divided communities.
If you liked this episode, check out these resources:
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The Darts Scene in Ted Lasso
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“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom” (Viktor Frankl).
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“Telling Stories in the Dark” by Jeffrey Munroe
If you're interested in learning more about The Colossian Forum, visit our website colossianforum.org, and follow us on social media @colossianforum.