{"id":302971,"date":"2014-03-13T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-13T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/trouble-on-the-horizon\/"},"modified":"2014-03-13T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-13T15:00:00","slug":"trouble-on-the-horizon","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trouble-on-the-horizon\/","title":{"rendered":"Trouble on the Horizon"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brad tells how his self-obsession led to his failed marriage, but it wasn&#8217;t until a major infection landed him in the hospital that his heart began to turn and he experienced God in a powerful way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-03-13.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"26M","filesize_raw":"27259233","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[4299],"podcast_series":[8000],"cwp_profile":[9331],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302971","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-faith","podcast_series-road-trip-to-redemption","cwp_profile-brad-mathias","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302971\/trouble-on-the-horizon","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302971\/trouble-on-the-horizon","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8i8QBuFFyH\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trouble-on-the-horizon\/\">Trouble on the Horizon<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/trouble-on-the-horizon\/embed\/#?secret=8i8QBuFFyH\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Trouble on the Horizon&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"8i8QBuFFyH\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Brad tells how his self-obsession led to his failed marriage, but it wasn't until a major infection landed him in the hospital that his heart began to turn and he experienced God in a powerful way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-03-13.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Brad Matthias can look back now on the time when he chose to separate from his wife and his kids. He cared about his family, but he left in pursuit of other things.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I think when you\u2019re apart from Christ and you don\u2019t have the Holy Spirit within you, life is really about you. Your focus and intensity is about your own pleasure \/ your own satisfaction. I had concern for my children, but they were secondary to concern for myself. I was the poster child for narcissism.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, March 13<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. What Brad Matthias didn\u2019t know was that he was about to get a spiritual wake-up call. We\u2019ll hear his story today. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. What was the longest road trip you ever took the kids on? Would you know where you went or how long you were in the car together?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Probably Yellowstone.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>From Little Rock to Yellowstone?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So\u2014a week?\u2014a little longer than a week?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, it was longer than a week. You don\u2019t drive that far to stay there for\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014a day, or two\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014for three days because it takes two days to get there\u2014unless you\u2019re\u2014you know, some folks have daddies in their families who are these men on a mission. It\u2019s no\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cOkay, we saw the geyser. Let\u2019s go!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cGet back in the car. We\u2019re going home.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That\u2019s right. There are no stops for food, or potty, or anything along the way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We took a trip to Yellowstone when I was a pre-teen, I think\u2014my sister and me and my mom and my dad. It is part of our family lore that\u2014at a restaurant in Kansas, coming back home, my mom made my sister and me leave the table and wait outside. She would come tell us when the food was there\u2014she had just had enough of our foolishness.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I can\u2019t imagine that, Bob. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>After a <em>long<\/em> period in the car together,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>How old were you, again?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I was probably 11 at the time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, that\u2019s kind of pre-wiring of the teenage years. You were probably pretty mild compared to what you really became at adolescence.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I still had some ornery in me, at that point. I still did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, we have a guest with us who took a road trip. He\u2019s written a book about it. Brad Matthias joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. He\u2019s written a book called <em>Road Trip to Redemption<\/em>. Brad, welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>It\u2019s my pleasure. Thanks for having me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Brad is the husband of Paige since 1991. He\u2019s the daddy to three teens. He is a pastor and also the president of Bema Media, which is the parent company of the world\u2019s largest pre-teen Christian media group. It has produced iShine. Explain to our listeners what iShine is all about.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>iShine is the faith-and-family friendly version of Disney. It\u2019s a platform of media. We have a television series called iShine KNECT\u2014it\u2019s award-winning. We\u2019re in our fifth season. We have a live tour that we do in the fall and the spring. Then, we have a record label and a series of websites at iShineLive.com. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It\u2019s not to be confused with Disneyland or Disneyworld\u2014it\u2019s the media side of Disney.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Correct.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And most of it is viewed online today, I would imagine, because I haven\u2019t seen iShine in between the cartoons on Saturday morning on my local TV station; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Correct. iShine is on Christian televisions\u2014so NRB, TBN, Smile Child\u2014it\u2019s also on Amazon. You can get any episode of any of the five seasons on Amazon.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I was really interested in\u2014your story in your book, <em>Road Trip to Redemption<\/em>, is a story about a trip your family went on with a distinct purpose; but you start the book long before the road trip ever comes into view. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTell our listeners where you chose to start the book and a little bit about why you chose to start it there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I started the book at a moment of conversion for me, as a dad, from the old man\u2014the man that I used to be before Christ\u2014and how that process occurred and the depth of that decision that I made to follow Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI felt like the book needed context because parents today, I think, are not only struggling with changes that are happening culturally\u2014with digital \/ social media\u2014but also just the fact that we don\u2019t feel like we\u2019re good parents. We have this heavy baggage of \u201call the mistakes I\u2019ve made,\u201d and, \u201c<em>Now<\/em> that I\u2019m raising teenagers, they must be having these problems because of things I did.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You didn\u2019t grow up in the church?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I did grow up in the church. I just didn\u2019t grow up with a relationship with Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, when did you realize you weren\u2019t a Christian? Just walk us through how that all developed for you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Without trying to minimize the impact\u2014I mean, there was this culture in the \u201880s\u2014that I grew up in\u2014where, you know, we were frightened into following Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>We all ran to the altar call. We all prayed the prayer, but there was really no depth to that decision. As you grow up in church camp or in church culture, there\u2019s certainly a familiarity with Scripture and an understanding of the normal behavior of church; but there\u2019s also this adapting that occurs\u2014where, as a teenager, I quickly learned what I wanted to do versus what my parents wanted me to do. To keep the peace\u2014being a non-confrontational kind of guy\u2014I chose to fake it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When did you quit faking it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, I think I quit faking it when I got to college. I realized that there were other people like me, who had deep skepticism of Scripture and the Bible. Actually, deeper than the skepticism about the faith is just the Christians, in general, that we were surrounded by\u2014were really not necessarily inspiring.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You weren\u2019t a hypocrite, at that point. You just kind of ousted yourself and said, \u201cI\u2019m just going to be who I am; which is, I don\u2019t believe.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, actually, it was more subtle than that because I had a girlfriend that I fell in love with, who was a Christian. I had to be honest with myself\u2014which I was for the first time\u2014but I certainly was less than forthcoming in answering the questions, if you will, of life. Pretty vague\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>She asked you whether you were a follower of Christ, and you answered\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I said, \u201cI\u2019m a Christian.\u201d In my world, that meant that I believed more in Christianity than anything else.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>But not the person of Jesus Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And that woman ultimately became\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Your wife.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>She did. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Fast forward to the year 2001, when you\u2019re in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It\u2019s a summer night. You get a phone call in the middle of the night. What happened?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>The context is that I\u2019m two months into separation from my wife and children after a very difficult season in our marriage\u2014where we\u2019d been married approximately eight years. That\u2019s when I\u2019m called. I received a call that my wife had discovered that I\u2019d been having an affair. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI remember, in the book, <em>Road Trip to Redemption<\/em>, I really painfully described the emotions that came across there because I think there are so many couples \/ so many marriages that have experienced infidelity. I think it\u2019s important that there\u2019s an honest and transparent discussion of it within the church. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor me, as a man, to describe what the man feels when he\u2019s discovered, was important for the story to be authentic\u2014but also because I wanted to be authentic deep-down in my own heart. For the first time, I quit faking. That call became a pivot-point for me\u2014of living authentically. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEven if I was dishonest, I had become authentic because I had been discovered.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, who called you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>My wife.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>What did she say to you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, I don\u2019t want to repeat most of it on the air. It was pretty hard-core. I mean, this was a woman who just found out that her marriage had been a sham\u2014that a husband had been faking it and had been deceiving her with another woman. So, there is clich\u00e9 in \u201cHell hath no fury like a woman spurned.\u201d That\u2019s definitely the truth for me\u2014to hear someone who\u2019s been hurt that deeply, in real time, responding to you with such frustration, and anger, and shame.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You were separated at the time. Your marriage was headed toward its end. So, it\u2019s kind of like, \u201cWell, now she\u2019s found out\u2014doesn\u2019t matter\u2014we\u2019re not going to be a married couple any longer anyway,\u201d right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You had already taken the exit ramp; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>For sure. I had tried to take the graceful exit\u2014which was, in my mind, to not hurt her any more by disclosing what had happened\u2014but that\u2019s not how it worked out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You had three children by that point; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Tell me about how that impacted you emotionally\u2014to think you were leaving them and their mother. How\u2019d you handle that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, I think when you\u2019re apart from Christ and you don\u2019t have the Holy Spirit within you, life is really about you. Your focus and your intensity is about your own pleasure \/ your own satisfaction. I had concern for my children, but they were secondary to concern for myself. I was the poster child for narcissism. I think sin does that to us. It creates in us\u2014sort of\u2014justification for incredibly selfish and destructive behaviors. I was in the middle of a very selfish and destructive behavior pattern at that time of my life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, you finished taking the exit ramp\u2014all the way out of your marriage and family. Where did that road take you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, it took me to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I was an intern CEO of a Small.com there, and I was having a blast. I was living a very fun, thrilling, external life. I was making a lot of money, and I was enjoying myself in ways I\u2019d never been able to before. I was seeing the kids every other weekend. I was taking care of what I thought were my fatherly duties, at that point. I was pursuing a career. I was on the fast track with some investment banks in Chicago to really make a go with this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did your kids know all the details of the fact that you\u2019d been unfaithful to their mom?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>They really didn\u2019t. My children were pretty young, at that time. They just knew that Mommy and Daddy were having a fight. They\u2019d seen a lot of fights by that time. So, that wasn\u2019t necessarily anything new. During that process of separation\u2014when I lived in Lake Geneva and Paige and the kids lived in Davenport, Iowa\u2014they were unaware of what was really happening.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And when you would spend a weekend with them\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\twas it tearful? Did they have questions? What\u2014did you just have a party for the weekend and then send them home?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Single fathers have this ability to sort of shuffle by the real issues. So, when you\u2019re dealing with kids that small\u2014for me, it was just the zoo, it was theater, it was Chuck E. Cheese<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, it was ice-skating, it was bowling. I mean, there was just an endless variety of activities that I kept us going through so that time with Dad would always be fun. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut again, the emphasis I would make is that when you\u2019re in<em> sin<\/em>\u2014when your life is completely wrapped up in what you want and what you desire\u2014the needs of others drop rapidly. You hear what you want to hear, and you see what you want to see. I was definitely caught in that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, Brad\u2014just listening to your story\u2014I think, sometimes, those of us peer into divorces and to the break-up of a family, and we go: \u201cHow could that happen? How could that family split? Where\u2019s the conscience? Where\u2019s the sense of responsibility?\u201d What you\u2019ve just explained is how it happens. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe get deceived. We turn inward to ourselves. Frankly, all of us are just a step away from doing the same thing. What you\u2019re describing is really\u2014all too often, what happens, even among professing followers of Christ\u2014where they get deceived. They don\u2019t realize it can happen to them, and it can split their marriage and their family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s why we really need to take heed to stories like yours, and just take a time-out and go, \u201cHow are we really doing here in our marriage?\u201d Bob, we have a lot of couples coming to the <em>Weekend to Remember <\/em><sup>\u00ae <\/sup>marriage getaway, who are coming\u2014not on the last-ditch effort of their marriage\u2014but they\u2019re just in need of taking that time-out and investing in their marriage so they don\u2019t end up going down the same road and taking the same exit that Brad did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes, if folks would like to find out more about the <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em>, they can go to our website\u2014which is FamilyLifeToday.com. There\u2019s a link there that they can get you more information about how you can attend a <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em> marriage getaway. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBrad, I\u2019m just curious: \u201cHow long had you been separated when you found yourself in the hospital?\u201d\u2014because that\u2019s really where the wake-up call came for you; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>It was approximately a year\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>\u2014between the phone call in the middle of the night\u2014where the fireworks started, emotionally. Those calmed down when I was served divorce papers. We went through the process of a formal divorce. The quiet comes, at that point, because you\u2019re talking to lawyers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDuring that period of approximately 10-12 months, I began reading everything I could about world religions \/ about different ideas behind faith. I began to really explore for myself. For me, it began a process of really searching: \u201cIf I don\u2019t believe in the church\u2014and I don\u2019t believe in Christ\u2014what do I believe?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, it\u2019s a year later. How did you wind up in the hospital?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I made the mistake of flying too many times. I developed a middle ear condition. That middle ear condition proceeded to the point of becoming a pretty significant chronic infection. The specialist told me not to fly for a period of time to let it heal. I ignored him and went ahead and flew again. My ear drum ruptured in mid-flight.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So you\u2019re in the hospital. How does\u2014just tell us what happened because you said it was kind of a supernatural thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I hesitate to go into much detail because I know how much sensationalism occurs with stories of divine encounter. I can tell you this\u2014I was in the hospital. I was sick as I\u2019ve ever been. I had vertigo so bad that if I lifted my head from the pillow I would vomit. I was that sick. I also knew that\u2014with the fever I had and the infection at the level it was\u2014if it crossed the blood-brain barrier, I could die. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn that moment, as I considered that I might die alone, I was not afraid to die; but I was embarrassed to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had this deep sense of loss\u2014that there were things in my life left undone. I remember, in my heart, saying, \u201cIf there\u2019s a God, I would like to know who You are before I die.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe next thing I know, I\u2019m in darkness. I can\u2019t explain it. I know it wasn\u2019t a drug, and I know it wasn\u2019t a side effect of what I was going through. I can\u2019t tell for how long I was in that place, but that place was so dark\u2014there was no sound. All I could feel was hopelessness and that there would be no hope ever again for me. In that darkness and in that deep sense of despair, I remember asking, \u201cBut who\u2019s God?\u201d I had an image of a man. He said, \u201cMy name is Jesus. You know who I am when you believe in Me.\u201d In that moment, I said: \u201cYes, I\u2019m done. I\u2019ve found my truth.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI can tell you that my conversion was a thread of the beginning of the fear of the Lord, which leads to wisdom. My experience with God started with awareness that I could step across the line and lose my soul. So, I turned and repented in a moment. I was Saul; and then, I became Paul\u2014I mean, I was that changed by that experience. I remember getting up, and leaving the hospital, and driving to Memphis, Tennessee, to apologize to my wife and kids for what I\u2019d done.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You talking about immediately?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>I\u2019m talking about immediately I got out of that bed.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>The guy who couldn\u2019t lift his head.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Here\u2019s the sensational part. Yes, I know\u2014look, I can\u2019t explain; and I don\u2019t try. All I can tell you is that I had an experience I can\u2019t explain. I saw Jesus\u2014I saw a place that you can\u2019t describe. I was well. I left. It sounds like something in the Bible; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>The man in John 9, who said: \u201cI can\u2019t explain it. All I know is this.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. As you\u2019re talking, I\u2019m just thinking about John 14, where Jesus said: \u201cLet not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father\u2019s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to Myself; that where I am, there may you be also.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJust a few verses later Jesus\u2014in responding to Thomas\u2014Thomas said: \u201cHow do I get there? What\u2019s the road to get to this place you\u2019re preparing?\u201d\u2014this is the encounter you had. Jesus said, \u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.\u201d You encountered Jesus Christ\u2014who redeemed your soul from darkness.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>There\u2019s no question in my mind\u2014that was over ten years ago. I remember it as if it was yesterday. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou cannot encounter the presence of God and not be changed. It\u2019s impossible. So, for me, I had an experience. If you were to interview my wife, if she was sitting in here with us, she would say to you: \u201cThat has to be true. The guy that I was married to is not the guy that drove back from Lake Geneva in the middle of the night.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What did she say when she answered the door and you were there?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Well, I knew she was so angry with me still that I called ahead of time so there would be no police involved or anything like that. I called her and said, \u201cI think I\u2019m a Christian.\u201d I was crying. She knew I didn\u2019t drink. I didn\u2019t have a problem with alcohol\u2014so she knew something was up. I said: \u201cI need to talk with you. I\u2019m driving down to talk to you and the kids. There\u2019s no joke here. I\u2019m not trying to get money. I just want to talk. Something\u2019s happened to me; and I feel really strongly that I\u2019m supposed to talk with you, immediately.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat I didn\u2019t know is that\u2014as a Christian, she hadn\u2019t actually signed the divorce papers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey\u2019d been sitting on our dresser for quite a while. She had begun to pray\u2014instead of God saving our marriage\u2014she just started praying for God to save me. So, she immediately sensed this was an answer to prayer. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe saw something genuine in me, but her counsel was to walk away from this: \u201cThis is a ploy.\u201d It took a few weeks for us walking through some things with the pastor before she really, firmly received what I had to say.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And so the reconciliation\u2014there was no need to go be remarried. You\u2019d never been officially divorced?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Never officially divorced.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When was it that Paige finally said: \u201cI do. I\u2019m ready to go again.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>Without her being here, I hesitate to speak specifically; but I can tell you that there was a process of six months from when I showed up at the door and we moved in together.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Let me just say, \u201cGood for her\u2014that there was a six-month process.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, I agree with that because it\u2019s not immediate trust. You can\u2019t restore trust by flipping a switch.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>There have been guys who have showed up and appeared to be one thing; and over the next several weeks or months, the reality of who they are gets revealed. In your case, it got proved out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>It did. I can honestly say that my intent in reconciling wasn\u2019t to save the marriage. In my mind, I didn\u2019t even know that was a possibility. My intent was to restore the relationship. So, I didn\u2019t have a pressure of, \u201cWe have to reconcile and get re-married,\u201d or, \u201cWe have to move back in.\u201d All I knew is God was saying: \u201cYou have to own this. You have to own this with your kids.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, I did. I got on my knees and told my three children, \u201cDaddy <em>really<\/em> messed up and really hurt Mom.\u201d At the level of their age\u2014for them to understand\u2014I explained what I had done. As they got older, over the years, I filled in more of the blanks.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And they forgave you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brad: <\/strong>They did. They did. But it sets the setting \/ the context for what happened later with my daughter, Bethany, when she was 14, and how the past had a long shadow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. We\u2019ll unpack that this week; but I really want to encourage our listeners, if you find yourself in a place like Brad has described\u2014where you recognize the spiritual deficit in your life and God\u2019s awakened you to that\u2014let me encourage you to go to our website, which is FamilyLifeToday.com, and click the link you find there that\u2019ll say: \u201cTWO WAYS TO LIVE.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt will explain to you the two paths that everyone is on because the reality is\u2014everybody\u2019s on one of these two paths. You can see where you are, and see if it\u2019s leading you where you want to go. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link that says \u201cTWO WAYS TO LIVE.\u201d Find out more about what it means to be on the path that leads to hope and redemption\u2014ultimately, leads to Jesus Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhile you\u2019re on the website, we also have copies of Brad Matthias\u2019s book, which is called <em>Road Trip to Redemption<\/em>. It tells more about what we\u2019re going to hear more about this week from Brad\u2014the story of the road trip he and his family took\u2014and about how God worked in that road trip in the life of their daughter. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFind out more at FamilyLifeToday.com. You can order a copy of the book from us, online, if you\u2019d like; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to request the book. Again, the website\u2014FamilyLifeToday.com; the toll-free number is 1-800-FL-TODAY. The name of the book is <em>Road Trip to Redemption <\/em>by our guest, this week, Brad Matthias.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me take just a minute here if I can and say a special, \u201cThank you,\u201d to a special group of people who really make <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> possible, month in and month out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s our Legacy Partners\u2014those folks who are linked up with <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>\u2014providing financial support for the ministry on a monthly basis. We really appreciate your partnership with us in this ministry. We\u2019re grateful for you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDuring the month of March, we\u2019re asking regular listeners, who are not Legacy Partners, to consider joining the team. You can go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click on the button that says, \u201cI CARE.\u201d You\u2019ll find out more about what it means to become a Legacy Partner there. You can sign up. When you sign up, this month, we have a special welcome gift we want to send to you. It\u2019s our brand-new <em>Legacy Partner Cookbook,<\/em> filled with recipes from Legacy Partners, all across the country, and from Dennis and Barbara, and from Mary Ann and me, as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ll keep in touch with you, throughout the year\u2014keeping you up to date on all that is happening, here at <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Being a Legacy Partner really is joining the team and being a part of what God is doing through this ministry on an ongoing basis. We hope you\u2019ll consider doing that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the button that says, \u201cI CARE,\u201d to sign up as a new Legacy Partner and get the cookbook, or call 1-800-FLTODAY. You can sign up as a Legacy Partner over the phone, and we look forward to staying in touch with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you can join us back tomorrow. Brad Matthias will be here again. We\u2019ll find out about the road trip he and his family went on and about how God used that in his family\u2019s life\u2014particularly, in his daughter, Bethany\u2019s, life. Hope you can tune in for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2014 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302971"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302971"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302971"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}