Sifted Wheat

How to Find Joy After Loss: Grief, Identity, and Faith with Patricia Cameron

In this episode, Patricia Cameron shares her powerful journey through grief - losing loved ones, finding her identity in faith, and discovering how to experience joy AND sorrow. Her story is a testament to resilience, faith, and the transformative power of community and purpose.
Patricia is an author, speaker and the voice behind her Faith-driven Joy blog.  
She left a 30+ year Public Relations and Marketing career to follow God’s leading and turned her journaling into writing with a purpose. Patricia’s mission is to share the hope, strength and joy she has found in Christ, encouraging others to move beyond their pain and embrace a life filled with God’s presence and purpose.  
Her journey inspired her first book Grief Unwrapped: Discovering Joy in a Season of Sorrow (2022), where she openly shares how God meets us even in our deepest seasons of loss. Her second book, Ever Present (2025), continues that message — reminding us that God’s presence never leaves us, even in life’s hardest moments.
In this conversation, Patricia shares
🤎 The role of faith in navigating grief and maintaining identity
🤎 How grief can reshape our understanding of joy and purpose
🤎 Recognizing the distinction between feelings and identity in Christ
🤎 Practical ways to support loved ones who are grieving
 
You can connect with Patricia and/or purchase the books mentioned at the following link:
https://patriciacameronwrites.com/
 
For other grief resources mentioned in this episode, search Instagram for
The Hollow Collective - A guide to the journey through grief
 
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So glad you’re here!

From the Grip of Control to the Overflow of Identity in Christ with Kennedy Johnson

In this episode, we sit down with Kennedy Johnson (KJ) to talk about identity, healing, and learning how to live from purpose instead of pressure. KJ shares how her experience in athletics, fitness, and business shaped both her discipline and her struggle with control, and how Jesus helped her break free from shame-driven patterns.
This  conversation is a powerful reminder that when identity is rooted in Christ, performance no longer has the final word.
In this episode, we cover:
How identity shapes the way we live, work, and make decisions
The difference between healthy discipline and controlling behavior
How athletics and fitness can become tied to self-worth
Why grace and accountability both matter in healing
Choosing balance in food, movement, and daily habits
How to pursue purpose without being driven by performance
Why reading the Word helps us understand who we are and whose we are.
Want to Connect?
Instagram/Facebook: Kennedy Grace Johnson and/or @hebrewscoffee.monroe

The War-Torn Soul: Reframing Childhood Trauma, Shame, and Identity

Have you ever felt lost in your identity, especially when faced with life’s toughest challenges?
In this episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Clint Davis, a licensed therapist and fellow podcaster, who shares how war, tragedy and trauma have shaped his deeper understanding of self and faith. Through his experiences and words of wisdom, we’ll uncover how embracing our struggles can lead to profound personal growth and healing.
A few key takeaways:
How trauma can also serve as a transformative experience when approached with the right support and mindset.  
The role that faith plays in healing to provide a sense of belonging and purpose, helping individuals reframe their identity positively.  
How we can start our own healing journey, and the personal work it takes to find freedom.  
 
Clint is an Army Veteran with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Louisiana Tech University and Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also an ordained minister and Licensed Professional Counselor trained in EMDR for trauma, Restoration Therapy for couples and families, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT).  He is married to Jacie, and they have two sons, Grady and Jude. He started Clint Davis Counseling practice in Shreveport, Louisiana, has written a book about about consent, body safety and boundaries with children called "Building Better Bridges: A Guide to Having Difficult Conversations That Can Save Our Children" and hosts his own podcast “Asking Why” that explores mental health issues, modalities and specialties through a lens of faith. 
You can follow him on social media @clintdaviscounseling as well as listen to his podcast and  purchase his book below:
Asking Why Podcast
Building Better Bridges: Guidebook to Conversations That Can Save Our Children
 

Wounded to Whole: Transforming Father Wounds Into True Identity with Rachel V. Ochoa

Join me as I talk to my friend, Rachel Vowtah Ochoa, a wife, mom, and therapist specializing in trauma. It is her mission to encourage and help people heal from trauma that holds them back from becoming who they are meant to be. 
Rachel's story highlights several key takeaways for anyone looking to heal from trauma and guidance in securing their identity.
In this episode we discuss:
⏩ How to Recognize Attachment Patterns: Understanding how your past influences your present can lead to significant breakthroughs in emotional healing. 
⏩ The Significance of Transformative Encounters: Moments of vulnerability can lead to profound spiritual encounters that reshape your understanding of love and support. 
⏩ Embracing Your Journey: Healing is a process, and it’s essential to embrace your unique journey towards understanding and reconciliation.
 
If you like what you hear, please follow us on instagram @siftedwheatpodcast and you can find Rachel's podcast @ApricotOakpodcast and you be sure and follow her where you listen to podcasts!

"Who does God say I am?" Hearing From God with Bob Hamp

Hearing from God is the best way to learn about ourselves.
But, it is often confused with New Age ideologies and compared to New Thought, creating tension with Christians and disconnecting us from the One Who designed them with intention and purpose and has been encouraging communication with us from the beginning!
In this conversation, Bob Hamp and I dive deeper into the concept of identity and how it shapes our lives and relationships. Bob asserts that our early life experiences significantly influence how we perceive ourselves and others. It's our perception that often guides our experiences, and the weight of expectations can be the very thing disconnecting us from those we love, including God and ourselves.
Bob Hamp is well-versed in this conversation and his own experience of exploring identity. He is an author and speaker, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and business consultant. He has worked with a range of organizations and individuals to help maximize functioning. Bob emphasizes operating from core identity and recognizing systems issues as the key to each person living and producing at their highest level. His practices integrate a unique combination of family systems theory, neuroscience and communication models, which allows for a focus on both individual growth and organizational change. 
There is much to discover and explore through the lens of hearing from God to help us move through limitations into eternal Truth through the Holy Spirit to live out our True Identities with purpose and intention.
You can find Bob's books and other details about his work and opportunities to get involved through his website www.tdacad.com.

The Creator's Role: Seeing Ourselves As He Sees Us

This episode is about the multifaceted nature of identity, with the emphasis being - it is not solely defined by external opinions, past experiences, or roles in life. Instead, true identity is rooted in understanding whose we are—our relationship with our Creator. Through biblical references and personal insights, listeners are encouraged to rise above labels and personal failures, embracing their identity as beloved children of God. The discussion highlights the importance of recognizing God's pursuit of us and the transformative power of His love in shaping our true selves.
 
In this conversation we explore the following truths:
You are not defined by what others say about you.
Your past does not determine your identity.
Your actions do not define who you are.
Your roles in life are not your entire identity.
You are created to be a child of God.
 
If you like what you hear, leave a rating and/or review and share us with your friends! You are also welcome to connect through instagram @siftedwheatpodcast 🤎

The Creator's Blueprint: Understanding Our True Selves

Welcome back with a new season and a new topic!
In this episode, we will dive into the topic of identity, exploring it's foundations, the influence of culture, and the journey of rediscovering out "true selves." The importance of this discovery is rooted in our creation by God and how societal pressures and expectations can distort that designed image. 
The motivation of this conversation is to encourage you to reflect on your own identities and the factors that shape them, while also offering hope for returning to our original design.
If you like what you hear, leave us a rating and or review or comment and follow us to you don't miss more on this necessary conversation about identity!
 

How to rebuild trust and connection

Anyone that has been betrayed or cheated on knows the struggle of healing in that space. In this episode, we join Wes and Renee again as they share how they learned (and are still learning) to reconnect and rebuild after 3 affairs.
As you will learn, it is not a step 1-2-3 of how to forgive and trust again, it is a consistent and intentional process of humility and faith, that is often interrupted by triggers and fear. What one couple needs to heal might be very different from another, and the source of stability is not in the relationship between you and your spouse, but in your relationship with God as your source no matter what happens.
This is the last BONUS episode of the season, and I hope, as with every episode, you are encouraged and inspired by their story. I know that it is one that is helping so many others who are making their way through betrayal and unfaithfulness and into the eternal faithfulness of Father God.
Stay tuned for our next season on Identity and when it will be released next year!
Leave a rating and/or review where you listen so that others can find us! 
Thanks so much for a successful and encouraging second season of Sifted Wheat!

Can you come back from infidelity?

This week in another bonus episode, I am joining my sister and brother in law, Wes and Renee Pippin, as they share their story.
In this conversation they will share about the slow burn of outside attractions, where disconnection and compartmentalization lead to more temptation, and how resentment and bitterness, not dealt with and healed, can turn around and make the same choices.
It isn't easy to put your failures out there, but there is so much good that comes from sharing our stories and how they continually point to God's faithfulness, not ours.
For more information:  If you would like support from Renee and Wes for mentorship or accountability, email siftedwheatpodcast@gmail.com.
 

The slow burn of infidelity

"How did I get here?"
If you have found yourself in the midst of an extramarital affair, at some point you asked this question. 
We can’t leave a season on sexuality without opening up the closet of infidelity in a more personal space, especially since we have spent so much time highlighting the dangers of pornography. In this episode, I will shed some light on the following topics:
1) Adultery starts with a lack of boundaries, and ruptured boundaries in childhood often create confusion around sexual engagements as adults.
2) Grooming is the process of gaining trust and creating a narrative that provides more opportunity for sexual engagement.
I am a firm believer that the more we know, the more we can protect ourselves from deception and manipulation of others or just the enemy of the soul. I am here to talk about hard topics and bring new perspectives to where boundaries and ruptures can create long-term relational impact.
 
If you like what you hear, if you have gained any support or guidance or wisdom from engaging this episode, please drop a rating or review, and if you think others need the same insight, please share it with them!
Follow me on social media @siftedwheatpodcast or my website lesliealamb.com for access to blog, other episodes, and my teen book series!