Noticing God Bind Our Spiritual Wounds with Michael John Cusick

Can we really trust God with our wounds?

Fear and shame can lead us to mishandle and hide our brokenness and insecurities from God and others. Yet, as we attempt to protect ourselves, these fractures hinder our ability to perceive and receive God’s loving presence.

How can we instead believe in our belovedness and embrace our vulnerabilities as an opportunity to experience God’s delight in us?

In this episode, host Jay Y. Kim speaks with Michael John Cusick, CEO and founder of Restoring the Soul, a Denver-based intensive counseling ministry. Cusick, a licensed professional counselor, spiritual director, and author of Sacred Attachment, explores the profound connections between attachment theory, spiritual wounds, and our relationship with God.

This conversation challenges us to steward our vulnerabilities with self-compassion, honesty, and hope—while reckoning with God’s gentle desire to meet us precisely in our needs and limitations. Cusick shares practical steps to connect with God through our imagination, helping us more fully trust that God sees us, soothes us, keeps us safe, and offers us security.

Tune in to learn how to move from spiritual exhaustion to sacred attachment, finding rest in the healing balm of God's unchanging love.

This episode highlights the following themes:
✅ The impact of attachment needs and theory on spiritual growth
✅ The role of vulnerability in deepening our relationship with God
✅ Practical steps to experience God’s loving presence

Links from this episode:
✅ Get to know more about Michael John Cusick (www.ivpress.com/michael-john-cusick)
✅ Read Cusick’s book, Sacred Attachment (www.ivpress.com/sacred-attachment)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/184fAbydHRxssCM7EZnn5VSdQClyCDTF4/view)

God is present; do we notice him? As the world gets louder, listening to God’s voice becomes increasingly challenging. We are bombarded by the chaos of our feeds, by distractions both inside and out, and by the everyday cacophony that drowns out the calm of a life lived in close communion with God. In this season of The Digital Examen, pastor and author Jay Y. Kim guides us toward reorienting our lives so that we can notice God with the entirety of our beings—heart, soul, mind, strength—in both the mundane and majestic moments of everyday life.

✅ Learn more about The Digital Examen (www.ivpress.com/)

✅ Learn more about your host, Jay Y. Kim (jaykimthinks.com)

✅ Read Analog Church (www.ivpress.com/analog-church) and Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim (www.ivpress.com/analog-christian)

✅ Listen to Meditations from The Digital Examen (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meditations-from-the-digital-examen/id1777487307)

✅ Download a Guide to The Examen (www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/digital-examen-podcast/The-Examen.pdf)

Links and Credits

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com (www.ivpress.com/) and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee
✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton
✅ Production Assistant: Jack Reece
✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅ Social Media Managers: Allie Noble and Makayla Payne
✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard and Elsbette San Blas
✅ Theme Song: "For They Will Inherit the Earth" by Stephen Keech

==== Time Stamps ====

00:00 - Introduction
04:13 - About Michael John Cusick
06:20 - Attachment deficits affect spirituality and faith
09:36 - Disillusionment spreads through church-related disappointments
12:07 - Acknowledging personal truth leads to spiritual growth
16:34 - Talent for integrating ideas; exploring human behavior
19:04 - Our poverty invites God's grace and blessing
23:37 - Trust issues and trauma affect mental health
25:51 - Reflect on vulnerability as a spiritual starting point
29:53 - Find solace in God's understanding and presence
33:45 - Union with Christ provides inner security
38:28 - Christian authenticity sought beyond church routine
42:12 - Embrace presence over constant information consumption
44:01 - Connection to Jesus: choice without condemnation

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.