When Life Falls Apart: Buster Pray on Leading, Following & Holding Onto Hope episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 10, 2026 · 43 MIN

When Life Falls Apart: Buster Pray on Leading, Following & Holding Onto Hope

from The RISE Leadership Podcast · host Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas

Buster Pray has served at Cross Church for almost 33 years — as worship pastor, as campus pastor at Pinnacle Hills, and now leading our Legacy Ministry. Along the way, he buried his father at 20, lost his son Andrew in a cycling accident the day before Thanksgiving 2012, and survived a heart attack seven years ago, all while leading at a high level.  This episode isn't about frameworks or five-step plans. It's a conversation about what actually holds a leader together when life falls apart — how to grieve without faking it, how to show up for someone else's pain, and how real hope in heaven changes the way you lead on an ordinary Tuesday. Dr. Jeremy Dixon, Fayetteville Campus Pastor, and Phil McMichael, Executive Pastor, sit down with Buster to talk revival, tragedy, the "God factor," and 33 years of Cross Church and choosing to keep leading, keep following, and keep hoping. Mentioned in this episode: Courtney Pray Duke's book, And She Got Up: Shattered by Loss, Restored by Jesus — and Cross Church's Call to Lead Conference. Send us Fan Mail

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Buster Pray has served at Cross Church for almost 33 years — as worship pastor, as campus pastor at Pinnacle Hills, and now leading our Legacy Ministry. Along the way, he buried his father at 20, lost his son Andrew in a cycling accident the day before Thanksgiving 2012, and survived a heart attack seven years ago, all while leading at a high level. This episode isn't about frameworks or five-step plans. It's a conversation about what actually holds a leader together when life falls ap...

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When Life Falls Apart: Buster Pray on Leading, Following & Holding Onto Hope

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