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...
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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14:43
‘The Office’ Transforms Anxiety Patterns into Comedy
When the American version of The Office premiered on NBC in 2005, its all-star cast charged right through the fourth wall and looked the audience in the eye. The show’s unique style and cringeworthy stories didn’t just put a new kind of television on display—they explored anxiety in the workplace and relationships in a fresh, often embarrassment-fraught way.
As Steve Cuss and his son Andrew talk about the episode “Dinner Party”—arguably one of the most “I can’t keep watching this but I also can’t look away” moments of the show—they explore how the episode reveals anxieties and idiosyncrasies in the characters. They talk about enmeshment, detachment, and differentiation. Listen and consider how art often reflects our anxieties back to us and can help us better understand them.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
The Office
“Dinner Party”
Friedman’s Fables by Ed Friedman
“Anxiety Is on the Runway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’”
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37:39
Anxiety Walks the Runway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
What do a high schooler’s senior year and the offices of a high-fashion magazine have in common? Stress.
During a discussion of The Devil Wears Prada, Steve Cuss and his college-bound daughter, Kaylee Cuss, talk about the anxiety on display in the iconic Meryl Streep film. The two talk about how Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, may be the one in charge, but she’s arguably also the most anxious. They talk about trying to fit into existing systems, high emotions in the workplace, and relational enmeshment. Tune in for a heartfelt, insightful discussion of failure, success, and taking care of the relationships that matter most.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
The Devil Wears Prada
“Ep148: Gilmore Girls and Systems Theory”
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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