From Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and lead...
Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world?
Steve Cuss and Eugene Cho, president of Bread for the World, offer wisdom for Christians who want to pursue justice without burning out. Eugene and Steve discuss moving from a savior complex to faithful discipleship, engaging politics with compassion, and using our gifts to fight hunger and inequality. Tune in for a powerful conversation on justice, mercy, and making a lasting impact.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Eugene Cho
Bread for the World
One Day’s Wages
International Justice Mission
A21
Compassion International
World Vision
“Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year”
“HIRR Releases New Report on Increasing Clergy Discontentment”
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48:43
How to Be ‘True to You’ with Kathleen Smith
Where does your energy go?
That’s the question therapist and author Kathleen Smith ponders with Steve Cuss as they discuss anxiety, people-pleasing, and playfulness. Their conversation covers the way people turn to relationships for comfort and the importance of recognizing our finite nature as humans. They talk about systems theory and how it shapes Smith’s therapy practice.
Smith and Cuss discuss the ups and downs of gossip, the power of intergenerational connections, and the intention it takes to shift from overfunctioning to resting in God.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Kathleen Smith
True to You: A Therapist’s Guide to Stop Pleasing Others and Start Being Yourself by Kathleen Smith
Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down by Kathleen Smith
The Anxious Overachiever
Bowen Family Systems Theory
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32:05
Authentic Love and The Asbury Outpouring with Zach Meerkreebs
When Zach Meerkreebs finished preaching at a university chapel service February 8, 2023, he texted his wife to say he felt like his sermon hadn’t gone well at all. Four hours later, he wept into a voice memo, asking her to load up their kids and head his way as soon as possible. What we now know as The Asbury Outpouring was beginning.
Meerkreebs, a pastor and author, describes what it’s like to be part of a supernatural movement that takes on a life of its own. He and Steve talk about the shame many preachers feel after giving sermons they feel went poorly and how Meerkreebs has learned to steward his emotions in those moments. They talk about the vulnerability of grief, how God has met Meerkreebs at various moments throughout his life, and their hopes for the discipleship of Generation Z.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility by Zach Meerkreebs
The Asbury Outpouring
Adrenaline and Stress: The Exciting New Breakthrough That Helps You Overcome Stress Damage by Archibald Hart
The Toronto Blessing
Awakenings
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41:14
Four Dynamics, Three Relationships, Two Cohosts, and One New Year
Every human has three core relationships: to themselves, to others, and to God. Within those relationships, there are four dynamics that can infect them: assumptions, reactivity, predictable recurring patterns, and attempted solutions.
Listen in as Steve and Lisa Cuss start a conversation that explores these relationships and dynamics throughout 2025. The couple provides a high-level overview of each relationship and dynamic, setting the stage for upcoming episodes that will take deeper dives. They consider what the Lord’s Prayer and the Book of Job have to say about who we understand God and ourselves to be. Steve also gives a preview of guests soon to appear on Being Human, including Zach Meerkreebs, Kathleen Smith, and Ian Morgan Cron.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Epiphany
“It’s Friday But Sunday’s Comin! - Tony Campolo”
Zach Meerkreebs
Ian Morgan Cron
Kathleen Smith
Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss
The Expectation Gap:, The Tiny Vast Space between Our Beliefs & Our Experience of God by Steve Cuss
Capable Life
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34:02
Hosted by God at Christmastime
Whether our holidays are snowy or sunny—as they are for Steve Cuss as he records from Perth, Australia—the same thing is true: Christmas is a time to remember God’s nearness to us. Steve looks to the text of Luke 2, exploring Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their quest for a place to stay. He describes the meaning behind the Greek word philoxenia (“love of the stranger”) and the Hebrew word Immanuel (“God with us”) and considers what those terms may mean for Christians today.
Ultimately, Steve encourages listeners to recognize that God is the ultimate host—welcoming us with love into a forever family.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Peculiar Treasures by Frederick Buechner
“Six White Boomers”
Philoxenia
Immanuel
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From Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and leadership coach, guides listeners with a gospel-informed journey of discovery into the world of emotional health: everything from anxiety and reactivity, to triangulation, overfunctioning, and the Enneagram.
Australia