Redeemed Through His Blood

Scott and Deb are joined by Nick and Crystal for a powerful conversation on Step Two of recovery: “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”Together, they explore why healing doesn’t come from trying harder, but from learning to trust God differently—not as a taskmaster to fear, but as a loving Father who finishes what we cannot. Through scripture, recovery experience, and clinical insight, this episode reframes recovery, faith, and repentance as relational, not transactional.Whether you’re navigating addiction, fear, uncertainty, or the weight of life, this episode invites you to consider a deeper question: Can God be trusted with what’s broken in me?

You’ve confessed it. You’ve prayed. You’ve tried to move forward…So why does the weight still linger?In this episode, Scott and Deb take on one of the most personal questions we ask: How do I actually feel forgiven?They explore the difference between being forgiven and feeling forgiven, and what might be getting in the way. This is an honest conversation about shame, grace, and what it really means to receive what Christ has already offered.If you’re still carrying something you thought you let go of, this episode matters.

You don’t need to feel more to be faithful. You don’t need constant confirmation to be close to Christ. And silence does not mean distance.This week, instead of measuring your discipleship by emotion or progress, notice where your attention is going—and gently bring it back to Jesus Christ. Because what we look at grows. And when we look to Him, even quietly, grace begins to reframe how we experience the weight of mortality.You’re not failing. You’re not behind. And you’re not alone.00:00 — Deb opens: Attention, weariness, and inward driftDeb introduces the idea that when life feels heavy or quiet, our attention naturally turns inward—not because we’re failing, but because we’re human.02:45 — The Fall and spiritual self-monitoringScott introduces the idea that one of the quieter effects of the Fall is constant self-evaluation rather than rebellion.05:30 — “Why don’t I feel the Spirit?”Examples of how self-monitoring shows up in prayer, sacrament meeting, scripture study, and comparison.09:40 — Weariness is not abandonmentA clear return to last week’s message: silence and heaviness are not signs of distance from Christ.12:20 — Symptoms vs relationshipScott contrasts symptom-focused spirituality with relationship-centered discipleship.15:10 — Gethsemane: strength instead of reliefA reframing of Gethsemane—Jesus’ burden was not removed, but strength was added.18:45 — “Am I willing to stay?”Deb speaks to quiet faith, showing up without emotional confirmation, and the courage of staying.22:10 — Gratitude: what it is notScott clearly defines what gratitude is not: forced optimism, minimizing pain, or spiritual cheerleading.25:00 — Gratitude as alignmentGratitude reframed as noticing presence rather than pretending relief.27:30 — Practical reframing in real lifeExamples of gratitude that sound like: “It didn’t spiral today.” “I made it through.” “I felt held, even quietly.”30:30 — What we look at growsThe core thesis repeated and grounded: attention shapes experience.33:00 — Closing invitationA gentle invitation to stop measuring discipleship by emotion and to notice where Christ already is.

As Christmas fades and a new year approaches, many of us instinctively turn inward—evaluating, resolving, and quietly pressuring ourselves to do better next time. In this episode, Scott and Deb offer a different invitation. Instead of carrying the weight of change alone, they explore what it means to begin again through Jesus Christ. Drawing on Elder Patrick Kearon’s powerful reminder that the Savior offers real new beginnings—“even you”—they contrast self-improvement with redemption, willpower with grace, and resolutions with relationship. This conversation is for everyone who feels tired, discouraged, or afraid of repeating the past, and for anyone who needs the reminder that new beginnings are not symbolic ideas—they are doctrinal realities, available now, because Jesus Christ lives.

What if the most life-changing gift you’ll ever receive isn’t something wrapped—but Someone given? In this Christmas episode of Redeemed Through His Blood, Deb opens our season with a tender reflection sparked while listening to a simple Christmas song—an impression that redirected her heart toward the very first gift God ever offered His children: His Son.Together, we explore why the Father’s gift wasn’t merely an event in Bethlehem, but a relationship offered to each of us right now. We talk about what it means to receive Him—not as an abstract belief, but as the living, present Redeemer who still enters real lives, real wounds, and real stories today.If your December feels busy, heavy, or hollow… this conversation will help you come back to the Gift Himself.

ometimes the noise of life makes it hard to notice anything good… until we pause long enough to see it. This week, Deb and I sat still for a moment — and in that pause, we found gratitude we didn’t expect.Gratitude for healing in our family. Gratitude for a calmer heart. Gratitude for the Savior who walks with us through every effect of the Fall.And if your pause feels heavy this year — if you feel lonely, overwhelmed, or unsure where you fit — hear this:You are not forgotten. You are not failing. You are not alone.Start with one blessing. Just one. That’s where gratitude begins.

In this episode of Redeemed Through His Blood, Scott and Deb sit down with Nick and Crystal to share a story that honestly should not have worked out—at least not on paper. Nick grew up in “Happy Valley, UT” served in the Church, and still spiraled into years of addiction and alcoholism that tore his family apart and ended in divorce. Crystal was left to pick up the pieces: raising kids, going back to school, working any job she could find, and learning how to breathe again while feeling like she was drowning. Nick, meanwhile, sank so deep into addiction that he fully expected to die or end up in prison. Then God stepped into both of their stories—through detox, The Other Side Academy, AA, the big book, the Divine Gift of Forgiveness, and a new, personal relationship with Jesus Christ that had nothing to do with box-checking and everything to do with grace.Seven years after their divorce, against every earthly odd, Nick and Crystal are remarried—and they are painfully honest about what it took to get there: surrender, gut-level honesty, daily reliance on Jesus Christ, and a long, messy process of forgiveness that even included welcoming another child from Nick’s “wreckage” into Crystal’s circle of love. They talk about what it feels like to be the addicted spouse and what it feels like to be the betrayed one trying to survive, pay the bills, and not poison the kids against their dad. Crystal shares how God taught her to “quit swimming” and trust Him in the dark, and Nick testifies that the best place to start is when “the fight has been beat out of you.” If you’ve ever felt like it’s too late, too broken, or too far gone—whether you’re the one in addiction or the one trying to hold everything together—this conversation will whisper to your soul: you are not alone, and Jesus is willing to get His hands dirty in your story too.