Living Unoffended Podcast

Can you forgive someone without reconciling with them? Brant explores the important difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, and why healthy boundaries can still be part of a forgiving life. He looks at what it means to genuinely want God's best for someone who has hurt you—without pretending the hurt never happened, removing consequences, or making yourself vulnerable to the same harm again. Forgiveness isn't passive; it's choosing not to let someone else's cruelty reproduce itself in you.

Is there ever a good reason to hold on to anger? Brant looks at several passages people use to defend the idea of "righteous anger" and asks whether that really fits with the broader teaching of Jesus. He also responds to a thoughtful listener question about loving enemies while still recognizing real evil, accountability, and justice—and why forgiveness does not mean pretending hurt isn't real or ignoring wrongdoing. Instead, it means trusting God with vengeance, refusing contempt, and choosing to remain for people even when they have done real harm.

What if the way we forgive others reveals something about how we understand God's forgiveness toward us? Brant revisits Jesus' words about mercy, judgment, and forgiveness, including the parable of the servant who was forgiven an enormous debt but refused to extend that same grace to someone else. He explores the challenging idea that forgiveness is not just something we receive—it is also a way of life we are called to practice, shaping how we treat others and how we understand the mercy of God.

What kind of faith can shape a family for generations? Recording from Corrie ten Boom's home in Haarlem, Brant reflects on the remarkable legacy of a family committed to prayer, hospitality, forgiveness, and loving their enemies. He looks at how that way of life helped prepare the ten Booms to shelter hundreds of Jewish people during World War II—and how the values we practice now can echo far beyond our own lifetime.

What if the real danger isn't just anger—but contempt? Brant looks at why contempt is so destructive, especially among Christians, and why Jesus takes it so seriously. From social media insults to self-righteousness and shame, he explores how easily we can devalue people we disagree with—and why the goal isn't to become less passionate about truth, but to become more like Jesus in the way we handle disagreement.

What makes radical forgiveness possible in the first place? This episode reflects on Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place and the remarkable trust that shaped her family long before they faced the horrors of the Holocaust. Brant shares stories of forgiveness, generosity, and faith under pressure, and explores how trusting God with our needs can loosen the grip of anger, fear, and scarcity. The more we trust that God will take care of us, the freer we become to extend grace—even to people who have hurt us.

If anger isn't supposed to be our default response to evil and injustice, what is? Brant explores another possibility: sorrow. Drawing from the way Jesus responded to a broken world, he looks at how sorrow can move us toward compassion, action, and love without trapping us in rage. He also reflects on the difference between simply knowing things about God and actually living in relationship with Him—and why trust in God's character is what lets us remain hopeful even when the world feels deeply broken.

What does it really mean to "believe" in Jesus? Brant looks at the Greek word often translated as belief or faith and argues that it points to something much deeper: trust—placing the full weight of our lives on Jesus. That kind of trust changes how we handle offense, justice, and even our enemies. He also shares a listener's story about a 13-year-old learning to pray for a bully, and reflects on how practicing the way of Jesus can slowly reshape our instincts, our character, and the way we see other people.

Brant shares fascinating research from Dr. Robert Enright on the measurable effects of forgiveness—from reduced depression and anxiety to improved heart health—and reflects on why Jesus' call to forgive is meant to become a way of life. He also shares a listener's powerful story of learning to pray for someone who repeatedly stole from her ministry, and how that practice slowly changed her response from anger to grace. 

Brant shares a powerful letter from a listener in prison who was forced to put Jesus' command to love and pray for enemies into practice after being violently attacked. His story becomes a real-world picture of how forgiveness can loosen the grip of hatred and begin changing the heart. Brant also revisits practical ways to pray for enemies—for their peace, for mercy, and for God to heal our own anger—reminding us that obedience to Jesus isn't just about changing other people. It changes us.