When Trauma Begins

How to Hold On to Faith When You are Grieving

You are allowed to grieve and believe at the same time. This episode talks about how — and why the separation grief creates is a window into something far bigger than any of us expected. Raymond shares the hardest realization of his grief: that the daily absence of Wendy — the conversations, the hand-holding, the four or five kisses a day — gave him a picture of what permanent separation from God actually feels like. And why that changes everything. In this episode: * Why faith and grief are not enemies * What 1 Thessalonians 4 says about grieving with hope * The separation grief creates — and the permanent separation it points toward * Why Raymond's separation from Wendy is hard and temporary * How to hold your faith when everything in you is grieving Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT) DISCIPLE BLUEPRINT MEMBERSHIP — 51 prayer guides including Praying Through Difficult Times. Founding pricing through June. https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership [https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership] FREE DOWNLOAD — Grief to Grace: A 5-Day Devotional https://discipleblueprint.com/grief [https://discipleblueprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Grief-Free-Grief-to-Grace.pdf] GET THE BOOK — The Greater the Love, the Deeper the Grief https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com [https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com]

Can God Use Your Grief?

Three months after Wendy died, Raymond walked into a bank to open a business account. On the credenza behind the desk was a sign that said three words: In The Midst. What happened next changed everything he thought he knew about Romans 8:28. This episode is about whether God is actually doing something in your grief — not as a concept, but as something you can see. Raymond shares the bank story, Wendy's retreat, and the woman whose life was changed by a message Wendy delivered with chains around her neck. In this episode: * Why Romans 8:28 is not a platitude * What “called according to his purpose” means for the person you lost * The difference between a life cut short and a life completed * Why God may not show you the purpose yet — but that does not mean it is not there Scripture: Romans 8:28 (NLT) FREE DOWNLOAD — Grief to Grace: A 5-Day Devotional https://discipleblueprint.com/grief [https://discipleblueprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Grief-Free-Grief-to-Grace.pdf] GET THE BOOK — The Greater the Love, the Deeper the Grief https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com [https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com] DISCIPLE BLUEPRINT MEMBERSHIP — Founding pricing through June https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership [https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership]

Why Grief Feels Like it is Breaking You

Grief doesn't just break your heart. It disrupts your mind, drains your body, and forces you to rebuild a daily life you never asked to change. This episode talks honestly about what that looks like — and why it is not a spiritual problem. Raymond shares the story of camp, Lily, and selling the RV — the routines grief destroys and the new ones it forces on you. Then he walks through what the Psalms say about the physical and mental weight of loss. In this episode: * What Psalm 6 and Psalm 31 say about the body under grief * Why fog, fatigue, and forgetfulness are normal — not failure * The difference between a broken person and a grieving one * Psalm 121 — the God who does not sleep is awake with you at 3am Scripture: Psalm 6:6-7, Psalm 31:9-10, Psalm 121:3-4 (NLT) GET THE BOOK — The Greater the Love, the Deeper the Grief https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com [https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com] FREE DOWNLOAD — Grief to Grace: A 5-Day Devotional https://discipleblueprint.com/grief [https://discipleblueprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Grief-Free-Grief-to-Grace.pdf] DISCIPLE BLUEPRINT MEMBERSHIP — Founding pricing through June https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership [https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership]

Is Grief the Sign of Weak Faith?

Is grief a sign of weak faith? If you have ever felt guilty for how hard you are crying, or wondered why a stronger faith does not seem to be making this easier — this episode is for you. Raymond opens the Grief Series with the story of his daily routine with Wendy — the lunch check-ins, the three porches, the two white rocking chairs, the brothers who showed up every evening. And what happened to all of it when she died. In this episode: * Why Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus — even knowing the resurrection was minutes away * What John 11:35 tells us about grief and faith * Why tears are not a sign of weak faith — they are the cost of loving deeply * Psalm 34:18 and the promise that God is close to the brokenhearted Scripture: John 11:35, Psalm 34:18 (NLT) FREE DOWNLOAD — Grief to Grace: A 5-Day Devotional https://discipleblueprint.com/grief [https://discipleblueprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Grief-Free-Grief-to-Grace.pdf] GET THE BOOK — The Greater the Love, the Deeper the Grief https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com [https://www.discipleblueprintpress.com] DISCIPLE BLUEPRINT MEMBERSHIP — Founding pricing through June https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership [https://www.discipleblueprint.com/explore-membership]

Living From a Christ-Centered Identity — What It Actually Looks Like

Understanding who God says you are is one thing. Living from it on a Monday morning when the voices are loud, the circumstances are hard, and the old story feels more reasonable than the truth — that is something else entirely. This episode is about closing the gap between what you know and how you actually live. In this final episode of the Identity and Shame series, Raymond Smith brings everything together with the most practical question of the week: what does it look like to stop performing for approval you already have and start living from the identity God declared over you before the world existed? He shares the specific practice — name the lie, replace it with Scripture, say the declaration out loud — and explains from Romans 12:2 why this is not positive thinking. It is the renewal of the mind God promised would produce transformation. And he closes with the only finish line worth running toward. Not a revenue number. Not a follower count. Five words from the only voice that carries eternal weight. Also — next week we are moving into grief. If you have lost someone, or you love someone who has, be here Monday. Key Scriptures:Romans 12:2 — Transformed by the renewing of your mindColossians 3:3 — Your real life is hidden with Christ in GodMatthew 25:21 — Well done, good and faithful servant Free Resource:Download Trading the Lie for the Truth — a free Scripture declaration guide that walks you through six of the most common lies shame tells, the Scripture that answers each one, and a declaration to say out loud when the voice gets loud.👉 Get it here: https://discipleblueprint.com/?ff_landing=20 [https://discipleblueprint.com/?ff_landing=20] This Week's Series:Monday — Who God Says You AreTuesday — When the People Who Should Build You Up, Tear You DownWednesday — Why Shame Runs DeepThursday — How Christ Heals What Shame WoundedFriday — Living From a Christ-Centered Identity Coming Next Week: Grief #ChristCenteredIdentity #LivingFromIdentity #RenewingYourMind #ChristianIdentity #IdentityInChrist #ShameHealing #OvercomingShame #ChristianPodcast #BibleTeaching #Discipleship #DiscipleBlueprint #ChristianMentalHealth #BiblicalIdentity #FaithPodcast #ChristianGrief