Today I had the absolute honor of talking with Aubrey Sampson—author, podcaster, pastor, and a woman who carries the kind of hard-won hope you don’t get without walking through the deep. Her newest book, What We Find in the Dark, releases today and it’s one I truly believe every person navigating grief, loss, or the silence of God needs to have on their shelf—and in their hands.

Aubrey shares the raw, powerful journey behind this book—how she cried out to God in her car while pregnant with her first son, begging for freedom from shame. She tells us about the Holy Spirit’s presence in some of her darkest moments, the redemptive power of truth-telling, and what it looks like to meet Jesus in the middle of trauma and heartache.

From losing her best friend to breast cancer, to grieving the unexpected loss of her father just two years later, to wrestling with the “dark night of the soul,” Aubrey’s story is not a neat testimony wrapped in a bow—it’s a holy invitation to let Jesus meet us in the night, even when He feels far away.

This episode is for the one who is still in the middle of it—for the one asking, “Where are you, God?” and needing to know they’re not alone. Aubrey reminds us that while answers may not always come, His presence does. And that is everything.

Bio:

Aubrey Sampson (MA, evangelism and leadership) coplanted and serves as a teaching pastor at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in Chicagoland. She also speaks regularly at churches and conferences around the country. She is an award-nominated author, a coach with Propel Women Cohorts, and the cohost of The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast. Aubrey is the author of several books, most recently Big Feelings Days: A Book about Hard Things, Heavy Emotions, and Jesus’ Love (October 2023). She is passionate about helping hurting Christians find God’s presence in their pain. She and her husband, Kevin, and their three hilarious sons live, minister, and play in the Chicagoland area.

Anchor Verse:

Psalm 34, with an emphasis on verse 5

Connect with Aubrey:

Website: https://www.aubreysampson.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/aubsamp

FB: https://www.facebook.com/aubsamp/

The Nothing is Wasted Podcast: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast

Buy What We Find in the Dark: https://www.tyndale.com/p/what-we-find-in-the-dark/9781641583121

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