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How do you actually find healing and freedom from your past—and keep walking in it?

In the final episode of this season of Rooted, Pastor Brandon Petty and Tyler conclude their journey through A Journey Through the Wilderness by exploring three important parts of healing: facing it, formation, and freedom.

Healing isn't simply forgetting what happened or reaching a point where life never hurts again. Sometimes moving forward requires understanding the patterns we've inherited, acknowledging what happened to us, allowing Jesus to reshape the way we live, and learning what our freedom is actually for.

Brandon shares how understanding his family's story helped him develop empathy without excusing harmful behavior, why spiritual formation transformed his relationship with Jesus after nearly 20 years as a Christian, and why following Jesus requires more than simply attending church.

In this conversation:

Why healing begins with facing what happened
How family patterns can affect future generations
Why understanding someone's story doesn't excuse their behavior
How to identify and break unhealthy family cycles
Why acknowledging the past can change your future
What spiritual formation actually means
Why you can't simply remove unhealthy habits—you have to replace them
Why Jesus wants to be at the center of your life, not simply first on a list
The difference between being saved and being formed into the image of Jesus
What Christian freedom is actually for
Why freedom carries responsibility
How ordinary work can become worship
Why following Jesus requires perseverance
How your transformed life can help guide others through their own wilderness

You can't change what happened in your past, but through Jesus, your past doesn't have to determine what gets passed into your future.

Face it. Be formed. Fight for freedom.

If this conversation encouraged you, like the episode, subscribe to Rooted, and share it with someone walking through their own wilderness.

Journey Through The Wilderness by Pastor Brandon Petty is available now.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

What is God's calling for your life—and does it have anything to do with your career?

In this episode, Pastor Brandon Petty and Tyler talk about purpose, calling, perseverance, everyday work, and what it means to follow Jesus through the process of becoming who God created you to be.

We often think finding our calling means discovering the perfect career, ministry position, or opportunity. But what if your job and your calling aren't the same thing? What if the ordinary work already in front of you can become an opportunity to glorify God, serve others, and experience joy?

Brandon also shares what he's learned about facing painful parts of his past, pursuing restorative conversations, and trusting God when healing requires confronting something you'd rather avoid.

In this conversation:

How to trust God's process when you feel stuck
Why perseverance matters in following Jesus
What Scripture teaches us about handling hurt and disappointment
The difference between your job and your calling
How to discover purpose in ordinary work
Why every Christian is in full-time ministry
How your work can glorify God and bring value to others
Why your identity is bigger than what you do
What Moses teaches us about facing our past
Why old wounds can still affect us years later
The difference between hurt people and healed people
Pursuing forgiveness and restorative conversations
How to do your part even when you can't control someone else's response

Your purpose isn't limited to a job title, platform, or ministry position.

Wherever God has placed you, you have an opportunity to become more like Jesus, bring glory to God, and bring value to the people around you.

If this conversation encouraged you, like the episode, subscribe to Rooted, and share it with someone who is trying to discover what God has for their life.

Journey Through The Wilderness by Pastor Brandon Petty is available now.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

Why do we keep repeating patterns we know aren't healthy?

In this episode, Pastor Brandon Petty and Tyler talk about identity, unresolved pain, and what happens when we try to bury parts of our past instead of allowing God to bring healing.

Using the story of Moses, Brandon explains how running from pain doesn't necessarily free us from it. Like trying to hold a beach ball underwater, what we continually suppress has a way of coming back to the surface.

The conversation explores why we react the way we do, how unresolved experiences can follow us into new relationships and seasons, and why reflection is an important part of spiritual and emotional formation.

In this episode:

Why unresolved pain can continue affecting your present and future
What Moses' story teaches us about running from our past
Why changing your environment doesn't always change you
How buried pain can become repeated patterns
Why reflection helps us understand our reactions
The biblical significance of “well moments”
How shame can affect relationships and identity
Why healing is about pursuit, not perfection
Finding your identity and belonging in who God created you to be
How God can use relationships to help form and restore us

You may be able to run from a place, relationship, or season, but wherever you go, there you are.

Healing begins when we're willing to stop running, allow God to reveal what's beneath the surface, and become intentional about who He is forming us to be.

If this conversation encouraged you, like the episode, subscribe to Rooted, and share it with someone who may need it.

Journey Through The Wilderness by Pastor Brandon Petty is available now.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

What if your story isn't really about you?

In this episode, Pastor Brandon Petty and Tyler continue their conversation through "A Journey Through the Wilderness" by looking at the life of Moses and what his story can teach us about our own.

Moses was an imperfect person with an imperfect story, yet God used his life as part of something much bigger. The same is true for us. Our pain, identity, struggles, gifts, and experiences don't exist in isolation. They are part of God's larger story of redemption.

Together, Brandon and Tyler talk about what it means to find our identity in Christ, align our will with God's will, learn from the broken stories throughout Scripture, and take responsibility for becoming the people Jesus is forming us to be.

In this conversation:

• Why Brandon connected his own journey to the story of Moses
• What Moses' identity struggle can teach us about our own lives
• Why we shouldn't always identify ourselves as the hero of the biblical story
• How imperfect people become part of God's redemptive story
• The difference between humility and thinking less of yourself
• Why our primary identity must be found in Christ
• How identity shapes our beliefs and our behaviors
• Our responsibility in spiritual formation
• Why silence and margin matter in an overly busy world
• How creating quiet space can help us become more aware of God's presence
• Practical ways to respond when you're overwhelmed or discouraged

Your story may contain pain, failure, uncertainty, and brokenness—but your story is only one page in something much bigger.

God is still writing His story of redemption.

If this conversation encouraged you, like the episode, subscribe to Rooted, and share it with someone who needs the reminder that God isn't finished with their story.

Journey Through The Wilderness by Pastor Brandon Petty is available now.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

Why do moments from our childhood still affect us years later?

In this episode, Pastor Brandon Petty and Tyler talk about the memories, moments, and experiences that shape who we become and what happens when pain from our past continues showing up in our present.

Brandon shares a personal story about an unexpected trigger that revealed something deeper from his childhood and explains why triggers don't always have to be viewed as something negative. Sometimes they can reveal places in our lives that still need healing.

Together, they discuss how we can stop building monuments to our pain and instead recognize God's faithfulness through every season.

In this conversation:

• How childhood experiences can shape us as adults
• Why certain memories and triggers affect us so deeply
• How to ask, “Why is this making me feel this way?”
• The difference between remembering pain and living in it
• How to stop building monuments to painful moments
• Why your current circumstances aren't your final destination
• How gratitude changes our perspective
• Finding your identity in who God is forming you to become
• Moving beyond survival and toward freedom

Your past may be part of your story, but it doesn't have to become your destination.

If this conversation encouraged you, like the episode, subscribe, and share it with someone who may need it.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

What do you do with the pain from your past?

In this conversation, Pastor Brandon Petty shares the story behind his new book, Wilderness: Finding Healing When Life Hurts, and the personal journey that led him to write it.

What began as Brandon writing down his own story as a way to process his experiences eventually became something he hoped could help others walk toward healing. Together, we talk about childhood trauma, unresolved pain, the importance of processing our stories, and how God can use what we've walked through to help someone else.

In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• The story behind Journey Through The Wilderness
• Why Brandon almost gave up on writing the book
• How unresolved pain can affect our relationships and lives
• Practical ways to begin processing your story
• Why talking, physical movement, and writing can be important parts of processing difficult experiences
• How our healing can equip us to help others
• Finding hope and purpose in the wilderness

Whether you're walking through your own season of healing, processing experiences from your past, or helping someone else through theirs, we hope this conversation reminds you that your wilderness doesn't have to be the end of your story.

Journey Through The Wilderness by Pastor Brandon Petty is available now.

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

Have you ever felt distant from God—like your prayers aren’t being heard and your faith feels dry? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Rooted Podcast, we unpack the reality of spiritual drought, why it happens, and how to move forward when you feel stuck.

The goal isn’t to feel spiritual again—it’s to grow in deeper union with God.

If this episode encourages you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE it with someone who needs to hear this!

🔗 Have questions? Click here

Have a question or comment? Send us a text.

What do you do when you hit a spiritual wall? When prayer feels dry, worship seems dull, and serving no longer brings joy? In this episode of the Rooted Podcast, Pastor Brandon and Tyler dive deep into the root causes of spiritual drought—not just the surface-level symptoms

If this episode encourages you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE it with someone who needs to hear this!

🔗 Have questions? Click here