November 10, 2025 | Steve Cuss
In this episode of Engage360, host Dr. Angie Ward—Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Denver Seminary—speaks with Steve Cuss—former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, leadership coach, and author of “The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God.”
Steve explores the concept of reactivity—contagious anxiety that disrupts our relationships with others and with God—and explains how false needs like being right or liked keep us from experiencing genuine connection. He delves into three critical gaps in our relationships with God: believing God loves us but not feeling it, believing God is with us but not seeing Him, and feeling like we should be further along spiritually than we are.
Steve offers practical tools for identifying and managing our inner critics, childhood trauma patterns, and the cultural pressure to constantly grow that churches often perpetuate. He introduces the concept of staying “human-sized” rather than becoming too big (dominating) or too small (withdrawing) in order to experience God’s presence. Throughout the discussion, Steve emphasizes that relief and worship matter more than self-improvement projects, encouraging listeners to step off the treadmill of trying harder and instead encounter the Risen Christ.