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About the Episode
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Rush Witt about his book, I Want to Escape: Reaching for Hope When Life is Too Much. Some of the questions addressed in this interview are:
• What are some words to describe the experience of feeling overwhelmed by life?
• What are four common “escape routes” we might be tempted to take when we feel overwhelmed?
• How do suicide and self-harm relate to our desires to escape pain or overwhelming emotion?
• What are three reasons why we can be “courageously dependent” on God when life is too much?
• What does it look like, practically-speaking, to be courageously dependent on God when we’re tempted to escape life through other means, such as denial, distraction, deflection & destruction, or even death?
• How does the hope and help of Jesus Christ encourage someone who feels overwhelmed by life?
About the Guest
Rush Witt MDiv, DMin, is Lead Pastor of Paramount Church in Bexley, Ohio and a certified biblical counselor. He is the author of Diehard Sins and I Want to Escape. Rush and his wife, Kathryn, have three daughters and two sons.
About the Book
I Want to Escape: Reaching for Hope When Life is Too Much
When life overwhelms, it’s natural to try to get away. Escape holds a powerful allure amid hard times. In every season, a myriad of pressures, challenges, regrets, and disappointments plague our lives. These trials and tribulations often provoke us to cry, “I’ve got to get outta here!”
Even though we have many good reasons for trying to escape, as Christians, we have even better reasons to depend courageously on our Savior in the ups and downs of life. Pastor Rush Witt helps us learn to bravely run to Christ instead of running away.
I Want to Escape explores the reasons why we so often want to run and offers hope-filled direction to experience Jesus’s grace and mercy to comfort us and lead us on a better path. You will learn to recognize the classic signs of escapism: denial, distraction, self-destruction, and thoughts of death and to instead take the path of courageous dependence on Jesus, who remains closer than a brother even when we’re ready to run. At the very center of Christian courage stands not a principle or a system, but a Person who intimately knows each one of us.
I Want to Escape is part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series. This series walks readers through their deepest and most profound questions. Each question is unpacked by an experienced counselor that gives readers the tools to understand their struggle and how the gospel brings hope and healing to the problem they are facing.
About the Podcast
The Hope + Help Podcast offers interviews with seasoned biblical counseling professionals and ministry leaders on a variety of topics regarding life’s challenging problems. Hosted by IBCD Outreach Director Christine M. Chappell. Listeners can subscribe on major streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, & iHeart.
*Amazon affiliate links are used for books featured on this webpage, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Related Resources from IBCD
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- Hope + Help for Hard Times with John Crotts
- Helping People Come to the God Who Satisfies (Jim Newheiser)
- Gospel Hope for Instant Gratification Junkies (Shannon McCoy)
- Depression: What Do We Do if We Have it? (Zack Eswine)
