Grace in the Middle: Teri Houghton on Divorce, Motherhood, and Building a Life of Resilient Faith

One Decision Away: Christian Struthers on Addiction, Survival, and a Life Redeemed for Purpose

In this episode of Healed. Whole. Called., Wendy Melrose sits down with Christian Struthers for a steady and hope-filled conversation about addiction, identity, survival, and the mercy of God that meets us even at our lowest point. Christian’s story begins long before the accident that changed everything. A gifted athlete, he played baseball throughout high school and into college, with a promising future ahead of him. But what began as social partying gradually became addiction. The discipline required to sustain his dream gave way to impulsive choices, and slowly, he watched the life he once envisioned unravel. The very confidence and charisma that energized crowds during his work as a hype man at large events became difficult to turn off, spilling into destructive patterns off the field. On August 3, 2016, at age 25, everything shifted. After a night of drinking, Christian was the passenger in a car traveling at high speed when it crashed. He does not remember the impact. He woke up a week later from a coma with 17 major injuries, including a broken neck, internal bleeding, a collapsed lung, multiple fractures, and two strokes. He was told he might never walk again. He lost vision in his right eye. His body had to relearn how to sit, how to stand, how to function. And yet, woven throughout the trauma were moments Christian cannot explain apart from God’s intervention. A stranger cut his seatbelt after the crash and disappeared into the crowd. His bleeding stopped on the final available bag of his blood type. Churches and individuals across communities began praying. Cards arrived from missionaries and strangers alike. While Christian did not experience dramatic visions in his coma, he experienced something equally powerful—evidence of prayer and the steady faithfulness of God through unexplainable provision and protection. Recovery was long and humbling. He had to relearn basic movements. He wrestled with the loss of his former life. But into that fragile season came an unexpected gift: a German Shepherd named Millie. Promised to him while he was still unconscious, Millie became a daily companion in his healing. She motivated him to stand, to move, to try again. Through caring for her, he found purpose in the middle of physical and emotional rehabilitation. What began as gratitude for one dog eventually grew into something larger. Christian created Dog Dash, an event celebrating dogs and raising funds for animal shelters, donating 100% of profits to support adoption and connection. Through these events—and through speaking at schools and communities—he shares the message that has become central to his life: you are one decision away from a completely different future. Christian speaks candidly about the importance of discipline, pausing before choices, and listening to that inner prompting he now recognizes as God’s voice. He reflects on the night of the crash, remembering a quiet unease he ignored. Today, he teaches young people to stop and think, to weigh risk and reward, and to anchor their decisions to the life they truly desire. The story does not end in tragedy. It ends in calling. Christian now lives with clarity that his survival was not accidental. What once felt like the end became the doorway to purpose. He describes his former lifestyle as empty compared to the fulfillment he now experiences in giving back, sharing hope, and reminding others that prayer changes things. For the listener who feels stuck in addiction, regret, or shame, this episode offers a grounded truth: your story is not over. One prayer. One pause. One decision can redirect the course of your life. God is not absent in your darkness, and redemption is never out of reach.  How to Connect With the Guest Website: https://christianstruthers.com [https://christianstruthers.com/] Dog Dash Website: https://dog-3k.com [https://dog-3k.com/] Social Media: Christian Struthers is active on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: realliferamble   If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that. The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly. You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info. [www.storycalling.info] Your story is not an accident. You are healed. You are whole. You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.

Start Here: The Mission Hasn't Changed — Only the Method

After producing many episodes of Healed. Whole. Called., Wendy realized something important — the greatest impact wasn’t coming from perfect production, but from real conversations happening in real time. In this short update, Wendy shares why the podcast is evolving from traditional recorded episodes into live conversations with resilience leaders, overcomers, and faith-driven storytellers. While the format is changing, the mission remains the same: Helping people steward their story, walk in healing, and step into their calling. You can now join these conversations live on: Facebook: Wendy C. Melrose LinkedIn: Wendy Melrose [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymelrose/] YouTube: Healed. Whole. Called. [https://www.youtube.com/@healed.whole.called] The mission hasn't changed. Only the method. Stay healed. Stay whole. Stay called. If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that. The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly. You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info. [www.storycalling.info] Your story is not an accident. You are healed. You are whole. You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.

Grace in the Middle: Teri Houghton on Divorce, Motherhood, and Building a Life of Resilient Faith

Teri Houghton’s story is one of quiet strength and steady faithfulness. An accountant by training, ballet teacher by passion, and mother of five—two biological and three adopted—Teri once envisioned a life that would follow a predictable arc. After a 20-year marriage, that vision shifted dramatically when her husband chose a different path, and she found herself navigating divorce as a single mother with children ranging from teens to elementary school. Divorce brought grief that felt like death—the loss of shared dreams, memories, and a future once assumed. Teri describes the early days not as a collapse of faith, but as a clinging to Jesus for survival. The trust she had known became a daily dependence. Who was she now? How would she support her family? What parts of herself had been buried beneath years of motherhood, medical appointments, activities, and responsibility? Instead of shrinking back, Teri leaned in. She returned to accounting work, said yes to opportunities she didn’t fully understand, and trusted her ability to learn. Slowly, a new chapter unfolded—one built on operations, systems, and helping female entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses with intention rather than overwhelm. What began as necessity became calling. At home, healing required equal courage. Teri openly shares how divorce is a grief the world often underestimates. It is not only the death of a marriage but the reshaping of identity and family structure. There were seasons of unhealthy coping, particularly in leaning too heavily on her oldest child during the transition. But as she grew healthier, so did her children. One of her highest values became peaceful co-parenting. Not because it was easy—but because it mattered. Choosing kindness, even when pain lingered, became a spiritual discipline. She reframed her vision of what life “should” have looked like and embraced what God was shaping instead. The relationship with her ex-husband evolved into something different: not a marriage, but a shared commitment to raising children in stability and love. Teri speaks candidly about adoption adding another layer of complexity. For adopted children, divorce can feel like a second loss layered over an earlier one. Yet even in that complexity, she sees resilience forming in her children—and in herself. Professionally, Teri now works primarily with female entrepreneurs, particularly coaches and creatives. While her work centers on systems and operations, she recognizes that ministry often unfolds in those spaces. Conversations about business frequently open doors for deeper conversations about identity, transition, divorce, and faith. God, she reflects, rarely separates vocation from calling. The ministry is often right in front of us. As her children grow and begin leaving home, Teri is also navigating another transition: rediscovering herself outside of constant caregiving. She speaks to the importance of carving out ten intentional minutes a day—not for trendy self-care, but for honest reflection. Who are you, beyond what everyone needs from you? Because eventually, she says, you will return to yourself. Her encouragement to women walking through divorce or transition is simple but profound: resilience is built by leaning into God daily. You already carry what you need because He placed it inside you. The story is not over, even when the chapter closes differently than you expected. Teri’s life is a reminder that structure and soul can coexist. That grief can birth clarity. And that love—quiet, steady, faithful love—is still the strongest legacy we leave our children. How to Connect With the Guest Connection details were not mentioned in this episode. Please check the show notes or Wendy Melrose’s social platforms for updates. If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that. The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly. You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info. [www.storycalling.info] Your story is not an accident. You are healed. You are whole. You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.

From Deliverance to Sonship: Mason Ledbetter on Leaving Performance-Based Christianity and Embracing the Finished Work of Christ

For years, Mason Ledbetter was immersed in deliverance ministry. After a radical personal encounter with God in 2020, he dove headfirst into inner healing and spiritual warfare, eventually stepping into full-time ministry and conducting more than 500 sessions with people seeking freedom. He read everything he could find, wrote four books on deliverance, and watched powerful testimonies unfold before his eyes. And yet, beneath the surface, questions began to rise. Why did freedom seem to come in layers? Why did people return needing more sessions after experiencing breakthrough? Why did deliverance often require hours of navigating legal rights, spiritual hierarchies, and complex frameworks—when in the Gospels, Jesus simply said, “Go,” and demons left? Mason’s heart was not cynical. It was hungry for truth. He continually asked the Father, “If the Son sets us free, and we are free indeed, why does this feel so hard?” The turning point came through a simple but profound question impressed upon his spirit: What did Jesus mean when He said, “It is finished”? If the work was truly finished, and if the enemy was stripped of power and authority, then why were believers living as though darkness still held rights over them? That question unraveled everything. Mason began to see that much of what he—and many sincere believers—had embraced was rooted in performance-based Christianity. Even in striving to obey, die daily, and “stay in the will of God,” there remained a subtle scale of performance: good days meant closeness to God; bad days meant distance. Fear of slipping. Fear of disappointing Him. Fear of falling out of favor. What appeared spiritual was often law mixed with grace. Through deeper revelation, Mason discovered that true freedom flows not from striving, but from receiving. The journey is not about attaining more deliverance; it is about awakening to what Christ has already accomplished. The finished work of Jesus means the believer is not fighting for freedom but living from it. The enemy has no authority over a believer resting in grace. The battle many are fighting is not against demons, but against distorted lenses through which they have learned to see God. Now, Mason teaches what he calls restored vision—a return to seeing the Father rightly. He helps believers recognize how fear, shame, legalism, and inherited church culture shape the lens through which Scripture is read and faith is practiced. Freedom, he explains, is not found in managing darkness but in trusting the heart of the Father. This episode is not a dismissal of people’s real experiences of healing and deliverance. Rather, it is an invitation into deeper rest. It is a call to step out of performance and into sonship. It is a reminder that the Christian life is not a tightrope but a relationship. The journey, Mason says, is ultimately about learning to trust the Father more deeply. And that trust changes everything. How to Connect With the Guest Website: HolyFireDisciples.com Books available on Amazon Free 8-week course: Restored Vision (available through his website) If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that. The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly. You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info. [www.storycalling.info] Your story is not an accident. You are healed. You are whole. You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.

Breast Cancer, Faith, and Preventative Healing: Barbara Walsh’s Journey to Wholeness Through Good Nature Wellness

When Barbara Walsh received her breast cancer diagnosis, she entered a season she never anticipated—one marked by uncertainty, fear, and difficult decisions. Yet even in that valley, God was not absent. What began as a medical crisis became a sacred invitation to slow down, examine her lifestyle, and ask deeper questions about stewardship, faith, and the body’s remarkable design. Barbara shares how her healing journey was not only about treatment, but about transformation. She began to recognize that the body is not the enemy—it is designed by God to protect, respond, and heal. Rather than living in fear, she felt called to partner with her body in practical, daily choices that support long-term health. This shift—from reaction to intentional prevention—became one of the most significant turning points in her story. Throughout the conversation, Wendy Melrose reinforces the biblical truth that our bodies were created with purpose. The enemy does not get to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10), and we are not powerless in the face of diagnosis. Barbara’s testimony reflects that while we do not control the number of our days, we can honor Christ in how we steward them. Small, consistent decisions—nutrition, reducing toxins, managing stress, cultivating peace—can profoundly impact not only physical health but spiritual clarity and emotional resilience. Barbara now leads Good Nature Wellness with a heart to educate and equip others, especially women, with practical tools she wishes she had known earlier. She offers five key insights that reshaped her perspective before and after diagnosis—wisdom designed not to alarm, but to empower. Her message is not rooted in fear of illness, but in reverence for life and the belief that healing often begins long before crisis arrives. This episode reminds us that healing is layered. It involves body, mind, and spirit. It invites courage, faith, and daily obedience. And it affirms the foundational truth of this podcast: your story is not over. In Christ, you are healed, whole, and called. How to Connect With the Guest Website: www.goodnaturewellness.com [http://www.goodnaturewellness.com] Free Resource: www.goodnaturewellness.com/5thingsfreebie Instagram: @good_nature_wellness Facebook: Good Nature Wellness If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that. The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly. You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info. [www.storycalling.info] Your story is not an accident. You are healed. You are whole. You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.