On this week's episode of The Bright Side Roundup, Cy takes us on a field trip to her backyard to discuss some of the current stories on the website.This week's theme: Small random acts of kindness. Starting the episode, Cy talks about a personal experience she had in the parking lot of her local Kroger. We then learn about a little girl with a big heart for kids in need in her Dubson, N.C. community.What are some small random acts of kindness that you've experienced or witnessed in the past week? Tell us all about it in the comments, and send us a note at livethebrightside.com.

Content Note: This episode contains candid discussion of suicide, the death of a child, grief, depression, and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or is in crisis, in the United States call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Join us at The Bright Side for your daily dose of positive news and inspiration: https://livethebrightside.com/

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline. It doesn’t look the same for everyone. And it isn’t something we simply “get over.”

In this deeply personal conversation, Elliot sits down with author Laura Busse to talk about the unimaginable loss of her 23-year-old son, Evan, who died by suicide in 2021. Laura shares who Evan was—a brilliant young man with a huge heart for people on the margins—and what happened when her family suddenly found themselves navigating grief, trauma, guilt, and questions they never expected to face.

Laura describes herself as once being “grief illiterate.” After Evan’s death, she discovered that grief reaches far beyond sadness, affecting our bodies, identities, relationships, families, and even our relationship with God. She also talks candidly about her anger with God—and why wrestling with Him ultimately drew her closer rather than driving her away.

Elliot and Laura also explore how differently members of the same family can grieve, the guilt that often follows suicide loss, and why people who are hurting need our presence more than our explanations. Laura offers practical guidance for walking alongside someone in grief: keep showing up, remember the difficult dates, resist the urge to fix their pain, and give them permission to grieve in their own way.

And perhaps most importantly, Laura reminds us that healing doesn't require leaving the person we love behind. As she puts it, “There’s no finish line to grief. I am healing.”

Laura Busse is an author, speaker, certified grief coach, and founder of Grief and Hope, a ministry devoted to helping people navigate profound loss and rediscover hope and healing. After her 23-year-old son, Evan, died by suicide in 2021, Laura began combining her lived experience of traumatic loss with grief education and more than 20 years of experience as a Bible study author and teacher. Laura is the author of The Unimaginable: God, Grief, and the Questions That Won’t Go Away.

Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Operations Director of Churches Addressing Poverty-Silicon Valley, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.

Connect with Laura Busse

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Connect with Live Faith First

Website: livethebrightside.com

Instagram: @LiveFaithFirst

TikTok: @livefaithfirst

Facebook: facebook.com/LiveFaithFirst

YouTube: youtube.com/@livefaithfirst

Join us at The Bright Side for your daily dose of positive news and inspiration: https://livethebrightside.com/

Change is inevitable. Sometimes we choose it. Sometimes it chooses us. And even the changes we celebrate—a wedding, graduation, a new baby, a new season of life—can bring unexpected loss and grief.

In this episode of the Live Faith First Podcast, Elliot sits down with pastor, author, and birder Courtney Ellis to talk about her book, Weathering Change: Seeking Peace Amid Life’s Tough Transitions.

Courtney explains why change is so difficult, how we can prepare spiritually for transitions before they arrive, and why curiosity and self-kindness can help us navigate the uncertain spaces between what was and what comes next. Drawing lessons from Scripture and the natural world, Courtney explores “ecotones,” aging, adaptability, resilience, and what water can teach us about finding a new path when life puts a boulder in our way.

Elliot and Courtney also discuss what it means to encounter God in seasons of disorder, why we shouldn't pressure ourselves to immediately discover the “lesson” in our suffering, and how remembering God's past faithfulness can anchor us when the future feels uncertain.

Whether you're facing a career transition, an empty nest, aging, a changing relationship, loss, or simply a season that doesn't look the way you expected, this conversation offers a reminder: change is hard, but we don't face it alone.

Courtney’s newest book, Weathering Change, combines Scripture, pastoral wisdom, personal stories, and lessons from creation to explore how we can approach life's transitions with preparation, curiosity, adaptability, and resilience.

Courtney Ellis is an author, speaker, pastor, podcaster, and avid birder based in Orange County, California. She serves alongside her husband, Daryl, at Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, where they have pastored together for more than twelve years.

Courtney holds an M.A. in English Literature from Loyola University and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the author of seven books published by InterVarsity Press, Tyndale, and Broadleaf, including Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope Through Grief and her newest book, Weathering Change: Seeking Peace Amid Life's Tough Transitions. She also hosts The Thing With Feathers, a podcast exploring birds and hope through conversations with ornithologists, naturalists, pastors, artists, poets, and others.

Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Executive Director of Faith First, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.

Connect with Courtney Ellis

Website

Instagram

Substack

Facebook

Connect with Live Faith First

Website: livethebrightside.com

Instagram: @LiveFaithFirst

TikTok: @livefaithfirst

Facebook: facebook.com/LiveFaithFirst

YouTube: youtube.com/@livefaithfirst