Send me a text and let me know your thoughts!

Tiffany Brearton was the bright light in every room until childhood sexual abuse began rewriting her story.

By eighteen she was walking into a strip club, believing her body was her worth. Years of broken relationships, divorce, and the death of her second husband followed, and then Jesus met her in the middle of it all.

In this honest conversation, Tiffany shares the healing steps that helped her (a church trauma group, therapy, EMDR, and prayer),

why testimony breaks shame,

how to choose a safe person to tell,

and why the church should be a safe place for the sick. Her message: no one is too far gone for God to redeem.

Content note: this episode discusses sexual abuse and trafficking and may not be suitable for young listeners. Support: RAINN 1-800-656-4673 | National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Content Note and Welcome

01:20 The Mission: Helping the Church See Beyond the Mess

02:53 Churches Should Be Hospitals for the Sick

05:40 Tiffany's Story: A Bright Light Begins to Dim

06:47 Eighteen, Money, and the Lie That My Body Was My Worth

08:16 Looking for Safety in the Wrong Place

09:47 Pregnant at 19, Divorced by 20

11:38 Cycles, Protection Orders, and Choosing to Stop

12:09 Meeting Jesus, Losing My Husband, and Leaning on the Lord

14:47 A Second Marriage, Three More Babies, and Trauma Resurfacing

16:28 Family Reactions and Seeing What Comes Before the Addiction

18:26 Never Telling: Shame, Silence, and Talking With Our Kids

19:28 Jan's Story and the Vision That Healed Shame

20:50 Revelation 12:11: Testimony and the Holy Moment of "Me Too"

22:34 Choosing a Safe Person to Tell

25:01 The Healing Steps: Church Group, Talk Therapy, and EMDR

27:07 Rebuilding Trust With People and With God

29:55 How Trauma Changed My Parenting

31:42 Resources: Finding a Christian Counselor Who Specializes in Trauma

33:45 Tiffany's Books: From Stilettos to Grace and From a Mess to His Message

35:00 No One Is Too Far Gone: One Step at a Time

36:19 Closing Thoughts and How to Connect

Tiffany's website

Music from #Uppbeat

Music: 'Essence Of Light' by Aaron Paul Low on

#Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/aaron-paul-low

License code: ZML1ML0ELF5JH4VJ

Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus.

I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus.

Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace.

Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now.

Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus!

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

https://jan-johnson.com/

https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/

https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

Thanks for listening!

If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com.

I'd love to connect with you!

No, really.... hit me up!

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts!

Wendy Terry grew up knowing Jesus loved her, yet spent decades hiding her real feelings and building an identity of always having it all together.

In her forties, a miscarriage, four growing children, and a major depressive episode brought it all crashing down.

Wendy shares how God met her through safe community, a prayer room, and a simple instruction to "just show up," and how she learned to ask her Creator what He says about her.

She also opens up about parenting adult children who have declared themselves nonbinary and how she holds grace, truth, and trust together.

Wendy serves with Outpost Ministries and the Twin Cities Justice House of Prayer.

Chapter markers

00:00 – Welcome and Introductions

00:49 – "I Don't Remember a Time I Didn't Know Jesus Loved Me"

02:05 – The Fraud Within: Hiding Feelings Behind a Perfect Identity

03:17 – Until It Didn't: When Everything Fell Apart

04:06 – Miscarriage, Shame, and Finding the Words to Tell

05:58 – The Core Belief That Adults Don't Have Negative Emotions

07:00 – Spring 2013: The Kitchen Window and the Major Depressive Episode

07:44 – Safe Community and the Breaking of the False Identity

08:49 – "All You Need to Do Is Show Up"

10:03 – The House of Prayer: God Reveals the Core Falsehoods

11:19 – Head Knowledge vs. Heart Belief

12:19 – Matthew 11 and the Yoke We Were Never Meant to Carry

13:02 – The Freedom of Knowing What God Says About You

14:05 – The Question We All Face: Who Gets to Say Who I Am?

16:06 – Parenting Adult Children Who Aren't Walking With Jesus

19:09 – Identity Struggles in Our Family: Loving Without Losing Truth

22:07 – Seeing Past the Struggle to the Heart of a Child

23:12 – Grace and Truth: Light and Love Without Giving Offense

25:27 – "Keep My Eyes on My Own Paper"

26:54 – Outpost Ministries and the Twin Cities Justice House of Prayer

29:41 – Progressive Sanctification and Walking With Others

29:57 – Closing Thoughts: Vulnerability and Going Out to Do as Jesus Did

Bensound- November (music)

Music from #Uppbeat

Music: 'Essence Of Light' by Aaron Paul Low on

#Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/aaron-paul-low

License code: ZML1ML0ELF5JH4VJ

Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus.

I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus.

Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace.

Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now.

Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus!

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

https://jan-johnson.com/

https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/

https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

Thanks for listening!

If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com.

I'd love to connect with you!

No, really.... hit me up!

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts!

Engineer, painter, entrepreneur, and author Ian Reilly joins Jan to talk about growing up on a sheep farm, building a tech startup at 52, and the two cyclones that shaped his years teaching in Samoa.

Along the way, Ian shares what he learned about cultural Christianity, connecting across language barriers, and the quiet influence of a life lived faithfully. His memoir Encounter recently won the New York City Big Book Award.

https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/hope-and-wonder

License code: XXAPHVLRL1JYTHLD

00:00 Welcome and sheep farming in common

00:49 Why every pastor should visit a sheep farm

01:07 Creativity: flute, fiber arts, watercolor, and pastel

01:53 The pastel portrait of Ian’s father

02:44 Engineering as art in a different medium

03:09 Building a livestock virtual fence startup at 52

05:12 Melbourne and the pull of the farm

06:37 The smell of lanolin and home

06:53 Volunteering in Samoa

07:57 Lost passports and a sweltering arrival

09:02 The first cyclone

10:16 Crisis as normal life

11:13 Farm skills and engineering in Samoa

13:17 Heather’s gifts as a teacher

15:01 Language barriers

17:01 Samoan food: sea cucumbers, umu, and mutton flaps

19:22 Faith in Samoa and cultural Christianity

21:52 Bible studies and being an example

22:57 Connecting without a shared language

23:57 The second cyclone and leaving Samoa

25:04 What lasted: students and relationships

26:29 Mentoring and the weight of influence

27:21 Where to find Encounter

28:10 Visiting Oregon and wrap-up

Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus.

I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus.

Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace.

Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now.

Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus!

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

https://jan-johnson.com/

https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/

https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus

Thanks for listening!

If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com.

I'd love to connect with you!

No, really.... hit me up!