At the Counter with the Baking Pastor | Christian Encouragement, Grief Support, Burnout Recovery & Soul Care

Laura Sharp-Waites | Licensed Minister, Pastoral Counselor & Christian Soul Care Coach
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Are you grieving a loss, navigating an unwanted change, caring for everyone but yourself, or waking up already tired? Maybe you’re burned out, your faith feels weary, or life simply doesn’t feel the way it used to. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is a Christian podcast offering encouragement for hard seasons, grief and loss support, burnout recovery, practical soul care, and honest conversations about faith in everyday life. Hosted by Laura Sharp-Waites, licensed minister, pastoral counselor, and Christian soul care coach, each episode brings meaningful stories, gentle spiritual encouragement, and practical ways to care for your soul when life feels heavy. Here, grief is bigger than bereavement. It can come with caregiving, divorce, friendship loss, health changes, career changes, disappointment, or a life you never expected to be living. Sometimes what you’re carrying has a name, and sometimes you simply know you don’t feel like yourself anymore. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to the Counter. This is a place to slow down, breathe, reconnect with your faith, and notice God’s presence in the middle of ordinary life. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

  1. 4 days ago

    33 | When Other People Decide What You're Capable Of | Christian Encouragement with Dorsey Ross

    What happens when other people decide what you’re capable of before you ever get the chance to find out for yourself? Dorsey Ross has spent much of his life hearing predictions about what he wouldn’t be able to do. Born with Apert syndrome, Dorsey was not expected to survive into adulthood. Doctors encouraged his parents to institutionalize him, teachers questioned whether he could succeed in college, and later, doors into traditional ministry repeatedly closed. But Dorsey’s parents raised him differently. They encouraged him to try, explore, and discover what he could do rather than allowing other people’s expectations to define his future. At the counter, Dorsey and Laura talk about the voices we allow to shape our identity, trusting God when His plans look different from ours, finding genuine friendship, navigating grief, caring for someone you love, and learning to keep moving forward when life knocks you down. Dorsey also shares how a calling he once struggled to imagine eventually led him to travel and share his story for years. Because a closed door doesn’t necessarily mean your purpose has disappeared. And someone else’s prediction about your life doesn’t get to write the ending. ☕ Soul Pause: Whose voice have you allowed to tell you what you’re capable of, and what might God be saying instead? Connect with Dorsey: Visit DorseyRossShow.com to learn more about Dorsey, his podcast, faith story, ministry, and speaking. Continue the conversation: Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    33 | When Other People Decide What You're Capable Of | Christian Encouragement with Dorsey Ross

  2. 2 Sept

    32 | When You Need Someone to Carry Your Mat | Christian Encouragement

    You’re probably pretty good at carrying other people’s mats. You show up. You help. You pray. You remember what everyone needs. You’re the person others know they can count on. But what happens when you’re the one who can’t get up? In Mark 2, four friends carry a paralyzed man to Jesus. When they can’t get through the crowd, they find another way. They open the roof and lower their friend down in front of Jesus. The friends couldn’t heal him. They couldn’t fix what was wrong. But they could carry him. And sometimes, that’s what we need too. In this solo conversation, Laura explores what this familiar story can teach us about receiving care, asking for help, and allowing other people to hold a corner of the mat when life becomes too heavy to carry alone. We’ll talk about: • Why receiving help can feel harder than giving it • The difference between supporting someone and trying to fix them • What Mark 2 means when it says Jesus “saw their faith” • Who might be able to hold one corner of your mat • Why people can’t always help with something we’ve become very good at hiding • How to ask for the kind of support you actually need • Why community means sometimes carrying and sometimes being carried Maybe your mat today is grief. Maybe it’s caregiving, exhaustion, uncertainty, a diagnosis, a relationship that has changed, or simply more than you can carry by yourself right now. You don’t have to find four perfect people. Maybe there’s one person who can listen. One who can pray. One who can help with something practical. One who can remind you that you are loved and this difficult season is not the whole of your story. And maybe, for now, one person is holding two corners. Soul Pause: Who could hold one corner of your mat today? Sometimes faith looks like carrying someone. Sometimes faith looks like letting yourself be carried. ☕ Continue the conversation The At the Counter community is a place to slow down, connect, find encouragement, and remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Scripture: Mark 2:1–12 Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    32 | When You Need Someone to Carry Your Mat | Christian Encouragement

  3. 26 Aug

    31 | When the Screen Is Meeting a Need You Can't See | Christian Parenting with Nathan Graham

    What if the screen isn’t the real problem? For many parents, gaming can become a battleground. We see hours disappearing behind a screen, responsibilities being ignored, tempers flaring when it’s time to log off, and a child who seems increasingly disconnected from the family. But Nathan Graham invites us to look beneath the behavior. Nathan knows the world of gaming from the inside. What began as childhood entertainment eventually became a place where he found accomplishment, significance, connection, and belonging. His own experience taught him that simply removing a game may stop a behavior without addressing the deeper need the game was meeting.   Together, Laura and Nathan explore what can happen when parents trade immediate correction for curiosity. Nathan shares why entering a child’s world can create connection, how asking better questions can uncover what’s really happening underneath gaming, and why the goal of the first conversation doesn’t have to be changing the behavior. Sometimes the first goal is simply being invited back into your child’s world.   Nathan also shares a meaningful story about the first time his own father became genuinely curious about gaming and how that small act gave him something much bigger: a sense of significance and connection with his dad.  The conversation reaches beyond gaming, too, into parenting, boundaries, churches, belonging, and the places young people go when they’re searching for somewhere they feel known and valued. At the counter:  Why gaming may be meeting needs we don't immediately see  The difference between addressing a behavior and understanding what's underneath it  Belonging, significance, accomplishment, and connection  Why taking the game away doesn't necessarily solve the problem  How curiosity can change difficult parent-child conversations  Nathan's practical “three deep questions” approach  What happened when Nathan's father entered his gaming world  Creating boundaries without shutting young people out  What churches can learn about welcoming the young people they say they want to reach  Why the first goal may not be changing your child at all Nathan leaves parents with a simple invitation: come from curiosity. Your child may not yet be able to understand your adult world, but you have something they don't have yet. You remember what it was like to be young.  Maybe the question isn't simply, How do I get them off the screen? Maybe it's: What are they finding there that they're struggling to find somewhere else? About Nathan Graham Nathan Graham helps parents better understand gaming and the needs children may be meeting through it. Drawing from his own experience with gaming and his work with families, he encourages parents to move beyond fear and frustration and toward curiosity, connection, healthy boundaries, and stronger relationships. Learn more at his website: https://syntheticecho.com/ Purchase his book: https://amzn.to/4ckXDmD Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    31 | When the Screen Is Meeting a Need You Can't See | Christian Parenting with Nathan Graham

  4. 19 Aug

    30 | When Coping Isn't Enough Anymore | Burnout Recovery with Kathrine Parnell

    Sometimes the things that helped us survive eventually stop helping us live. We keep functioning. We show up. We take care of people. We handle the responsibilities. From the outside, we may even look successful. But underneath all that competence, something feels off. This week at the counter, Laura welcomes licensed therapist, author, and Stone and Sky Retreats founder Katherine Parnell for a conversation about what happens when coping, performing, and pushing through are no longer enough. Katherine shares why the strategies that once helped us manage difficult seasons may eventually leave us exhausted and disconnected, especially when we're living according to expectations that no longer align with who we are or what we value. Together, Laura and Katherine explore the hidden exhaustion of switching roles, why burnout can sometimes look remarkably like success, and what happens when identities such as caregiver, helper, peacemaker, achiever, or "the strong one" begin to cost us more than we realize. They also talk about grief that accompanies even positive transitions, the discomfort of slowing down, and Katherine's unexpected experience in the Scottish Highlands that taught her what can happen when the noise finally becomes quiet enough to hear ourselves again. And Katherine offers a simple pen-and-paper exercise to help identify what actually matters to you now, rather than what you've been taught should matter. At the counter:  When coping strategies stop helping  Why appearing capable doesn't mean you're okay  The energy cost of constantly shifting roles and performing  How values change as our lives and circumstances change  Why burnout can masquerade as success  Caregiving, identity, and the question, "Who am I when I'm not taking care of everyone else?"  Why even good changes can bring grief  What stillness can reveal when we're brave enough to stay there  Katherine's 60-second exercise for identifying your values  Where to begin when you realize you've lost touch with yourself One of the most hopeful reminders Katherine offers is beautifully simple: It's not too late. Reconnecting with yourself doesn't require changing your entire life overnight. It can begin with one quiet moment, one honest answer, and one small step toward living in greater alignment with what matters to you. Katherine emphasizes that even one step toward authenticity is worthwhile.  About Katherine Parnell Katherine Parnell is a licensed therapist, author, and founder of Stone and Sky Retreats. For more than 20 years, she has worked in mental health, helping people navigate burnout, identity shifts, life transitions, and the exhaustion that can hide behind competence and success. She is the author of Keeping It Real: Discovering Your Authentic Self and creates retreat experiences designed to help people slow down, reconnect with their values, and rediscover who they are beneath expectations, roles, and responsibilities. Learn more about Katherine and Stone and Sky Retreats at stoneandskyretreats.com and look for Keeping It Real: Discovering Your Authentic Self https://amzn.to/4bYpUiv Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    30 | When Coping Isn't Enough Anymore | Burnout Recovery with Kathrine Parnell

  5. 12 Aug

    29 | Second Chances, Front Porches, and Grace | Christian Encouragement with Melissa Alyse

    Some stories entertain us. Others somehow feel like home. Author Melissa Alyse has created just such a place in Willow Creek, Texas, the fictional small town at the heart of her grace-soaked Christian fiction and cozy mystery series. It's filled with coffee, baked goods, front porches, church potlucks, friendship, a delightfully determined group of bridge-playing women, and people discovering that God's grace has room for them exactly as they are. Melissa joins Laura at the counter for a warm, laughter-filled conversation about much more than books. They explore our longing to belong, the pressure to become who others expect us to be, the freedom of releasing perfectionism, and the courage it takes to choose a different story for our lives. Melissa shares why grace became the drumbeat running through Willow Creek and why Ephesians 2:10 has shaped her message: God made you just as you are on purpose. Through characters like Sammy and Michelle, her stories wrestle with questions many of us know personally. Where do I belong? Who am I beneath everyone else's expectations? Have I made too many mistakes? Is it too late to become someone different? And then there are Glory and the Bridge Ladies, women shaped by faith, wisdom, friendship, and the kind of grace that knows how to sit beside someone without trying to fix them. Melissa shares how women who have left “footprints on her heart” found their way into these beloved characters.  Together, Laura and Melissa talk about seeing ourselves through the lens of grace, letting go of the polished versions of ourselves we think God expects, and discovering that our mistakes cannot cancel what God has called us to become. As Melissa beautifully reminds us, God is bigger than all of our mistakes.  And yes, there is plenty of conversation about coffee, brownies, baked goods, glitter pens, and why Laura would very much like Glory and the Bridge Ladies to adopt her. ☕✨ At the counter:  Why Willow Creek feels like home to so many readers  The difference between fitting in and truly belonging  Learning to believe God made you just as you are on purpose  How perfectionism and people-pleasing can keep us from being ourselves  Why seeing our younger selves through grace can be healing  The women who mentor, encourage, pray for, and walk beside us  Why fiction can help us recognize that we're not alone in our struggles  Offering God our real selves instead of a carefully polished version  What Glory teaches us about holding space without judgment  Why mistakes and missed opportunities don't put us beyond a second chance  Finding grace, purpose, and belonging in ordinary life About Melissa Alyse Melissa Alyse writes grace-soaked cozy Christian fiction and cozy non-murder mysteries set in Willow Creek, Texas, a fictional small town where faith, love, and second chances bloom. Her stories offer hope, encouragement, and the reminder that God made you just as you are on purpose. Melissa lives in Alaska with her husband and their rescue pup. She loves quiet mornings journaling with Jesus and coffee, FaceTime with the grands, creating beautiful things, and noticing the beauty tucked into life's ordinary moments. Learn more about Melissa, Willow Creek, and her books at MelissaAlyse.com. A Blessing for the Week May you release the pressure to be perfect.  May you find people who remind you that you belong.  May you discover grace in unexpected places.  And may you trust that the Author of your story is still writing it.  Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    29 | Second Chances, Front Porches, and Grace | Christian Encouragement with Melissa Alyse

  6. 5 Aug

    28 | When Life Doesn't Go Back to Normal | Grief Support with Laura Bratton

    What do you do when life changes in ways you never expected? When the future you imagined is no longer possible. When grief isn't just about losing a person, but about losing dreams, milestones, health, or the life you thought you would have. In this episode of At the Counter with the Baking Pastor, Laura welcomes author and speaker Laura Bratton for a deeply honest conversation about navigating life's unexpected transitions with courage, grit, and gratitude. Diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease at age nine, Laura gradually lost her sight as a teenager. She shares what it was like to grieve that loss, wrestle with anxiety and depression, learn to receive support, and slowly accept a new normal. Rather than offering quick answers, Laura reminds us that courage isn't having everything figured out. Sometimes courage is simply taking the next step. Whether you're facing grief, a difficult diagnosis, a life transition, or simply wondering how to move forward when nothing looks the way you planned, this conversation offers hope that healing happens one step, one day, and one choice at a time. In This Episode Why grief is about more than deathLearning to accept a "new normal"Why asking for help is a sign of wisdom, not weaknessHow courage grows one small step at a timeThe difference between toxic positivity and genuine gratitudeFinding purpose after unexpected lossBuilding resilience through support and communityWhy you don't have to have everything figured out todayA Quote to Carry With You "Courage isn't having all the answers. Sometimes courage is simply taking the next step." Reflection Questions • What part of your life has changed that you're still learning to accept? • What is one next step you can take instead of trying to solve everything at once? • Where might God be inviting you to receive support instead of carrying everything alone? Connect with Laura Bratton 🌐 LauraBratton.com 📖 Harnessing Courage - https://link.amazon/B06OUpqPg Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    28 | When Life Doesn't Go Back to Normal | Grief Support with Laura Bratton

  7. 29 Jul

    27 | When You Don't Recognize Your Life Anymore | Soul Care with Shannon Michelle

    Sometimes life changes slowly. Sometimes it changes all at once. One day you know who you are. The next, everything feels unfamiliar. In this heartfelt conversation, Laura welcomes Shannon Michelle, former award-winning Los Angeles interior designer, author, and self-described "one-eye miracle." After surviving a catastrophic motorcycle accident, a two-month coma, memory loss, childhood trauma, and later breast cancer, Shannon discovered that healing wasn't about returning to the person she used to be. It was about learning to embrace the person she was becoming. Together they explore: • Why healing isn't about getting your old life back • Learning to live in the present instead of chasing the past • Releasing perfectionism, fear, and the need to control everything • Becoming a better receiver instead of always being the giver • Taking small, faithful steps instead of waiting for a complete transformation • Seeing brokenness as part of your story, not your identity • Choosing kindness toward yourself, even on the hardest days If you've ever looked in the mirror and wondered who you've become after trauma, illness, grief, or life's unexpected turns, this conversation is a gentle reminder that you don't have to become who you were before. You are allowed to become someone new. Breath Prayer Breathe in: I receive Your grace. Breathe out: Help me become. ☕ Pull up a chair. There's always room for you at the Counter. Connect with Shannon Learn more about Shannon Michelle and her speaking ministry at StepIntoYourMiracle.com.  Here is a link to her book, Step Into Your Miracle: Transforming Trauma into Triumph: https://amzn.to/4yEDHEz Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    27 | When You Don't Recognize Your Life Anymore | Soul Care with Shannon Michelle

  8. 22 Jul

    26 | Your Story Is Still Unfolding | Christian Encouragement with Chip Scholz

    There are seasons when it feels like everyone else is moving forward while you're standing still. You look around and wonder if you've missed your chance, taken a wrong turn, or simply should be further along by now. This week at the counter, Laura welcomes executive coach, author, and wood turner Chip Scholz for a thoughtful conversation about the slow work of becoming. Drawing from decades of coaching leaders, personal loss, woodworking, and everyday life, Chip shares why growth rarely happens all at once and why the small decisions we make each day quietly shape the people we're becoming. Together they explore what it means to grant ourselves grace, stay curious instead of judgmental, and trust that God is still at work, even when life doesn't look the way we expected. If you've ever felt unfinished, behind, or unsure of your next step, this conversation offers a gentle reminder that you don't have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward. In this episode... Why so many of us feel like we should be further along in life Learning to extend grace to ourselves as freely as we give it to othersWhy curiosity often leads to healing better than self-judgmentWhat a pocketknife, a wood lathe, and a piece of maple can teach us about becomingTrusting God through unexpected detours, loss, and changing plansWhy the next small step matters more than having the whole journey mapped outEmbracing the truth that your story is still unfoldingAbout Chip Scholz Chip Scholz is an executive coach, leadership consultant, author, and wood turner who believes life's greatest lessons are often found in the ordinary moments we tend to overlook. Through decades of coaching leaders, telling stories, and crafting with wood, he has discovered that growth happens one small decision at a time. His book, Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe, reflects on the people, experiences, and quiet moments that shape who we become. Connect with Chip 🌐 https://scholzandassociates.com/ 📖 Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe https://amzn.to/4faf23a Connect with Laura If this conversation encouraged you, I'd love to invite you to pull up a chair each week. 🌐 bakingpastor.com 🎙️ Follow At the Counter with the Baking Pastor wherever you listen to podcasts. Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes.At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    26 | Your Story Is Still Unfolding | Christian Encouragement with Chip Scholz
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About

Are you grieving a loss, navigating an unwanted change, caring for everyone but yourself, or waking up already tired? Maybe you’re burned out, your faith feels weary, or life simply doesn’t feel the way it used to. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is a Christian podcast offering encouragement for hard seasons, grief and loss support, burnout recovery, practical soul care, and honest conversations about faith in everyday life. Hosted by Laura Sharp-Waites, licensed minister, pastoral counselor, and Christian soul care coach, each episode brings meaningful stories, gentle spiritual encouragement, and practical ways to care for your soul when life feels heavy. Here, grief is bigger than bereavement. It can come with caregiving, divorce, friendship loss, health changes, career changes, disappointment, or a life you never expected to be living. Sometimes what you’re carrying has a name, and sometimes you simply know you don’t feel like yourself anymore. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to the Counter. This is a place to slow down, breathe, reconnect with your faith, and notice God’s presence in the middle of ordinary life. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

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