Podcasts by Category
- 501 - Finding Stability and Peace in the Shifting Sands of Change: Emily P. Freeman and Stephanie May Wilson
There is an intricate dance between the difficulty of making changes in our lives and a profound trust in God to guide us through. When we have to make the decision to leave something behind and start anew, there is an emotional toll and a fear of the unknown. However, there is much to be learned from endings and new beginnings, and how sometimes we end up finding peace in the midst of our turmoil.
Emily P. Freeman is a spiritual director and author who hosts The Next Right Thing Podcast. Emily shares practical thoughts on how to navigate change, taken from her new book, How to Walk Into A Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away. Stephanie May Wilson is a Tedx speaker, author, and podcaster who speaks to young adults who are facing crucial years where they will make some of their biggest life’s decisions, and advises them on how they can faithfully move forward by trusting God with their questions and their fears.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Reba McEntire
Upcoming interview: Jesse Hutch
How to Walk Into A Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away
Interview Quotes:
“I have a lot of compassion for anyone who is standing in the threshold of a room that they have been in for a really long time, and maybe feel a really deep sense of belonging, to walk out of that room into something that could be amazing and beautiful, but something that also might come with some risk.” - Emily P. Freeman
“In reality, there is both beautiful and terrible in probably every space that we're in. And so if we decide to walk away, I think it's so good to do it with our eyes wide open, not just at the hesitations, but also to the gifts, so that we're having a truer experience of not only the room, but also our leaving of it.” - Emily P. Freeman
“I truly believe God is always aware of us, that God is fully love and fully attentive and and God will not let us miss our own future. Which means that as I make my decisions, I'm not making them in a room by myself.” - Emily P. Freeman
“Even if I make a move in a direction that turns out terrible and I learn something from it, God was still with me. And in that move, I am becoming someone. Because what is infinitely more important than the decision that I make, ultimately, is the person who I am becoming as I make my decisions.” - Emily P. Freeman
“True peace is not the absence of discomfort or conflict, but it is an inner brokenness and an inner wholeness and an inner knowing that even though chaos may be all around me, I can still be aligned with what I know and who I am, I can live in congruence with my own core values, with my true identity, with the common good, with my life and God.” - Emily P. Freeman
“The ‘everything era’ really is this super tricky period of time where a bunch of different forces are pushing and pulling us in different directions, and where I think it leaves us constantly feeling like we're falling short and falling behind.” - Stephanie May Wilson
“I don’t know that I knew that I got to participate in my life. I felt like there was one exact right way to do it, and I had to figure it out. And if I couldn't figure it out, then I was going to mess it all up. And I think that that's a really big lie that I had to combat.” - Stephanie May Wilson
“I started to learn that a beautiful life isn't one size fits all, and that there are a whole bunch of different ways that life can be lived, that are all right and beautiful and good and God-approved.” - Stephanie May Wilson
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 30 May 2024 - 30min - 500 - [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Prayers To Be Used By God: Evan Craft
On this episode of Jesus Listens, we hear from Evan Craft, a singer-songwriter who discovered the importance of loving and serving others during a mission trip to Mexico. Through his music, Evan now spreads messages of hope and love while raising awareness for causes like homelessness.
Guest’s Links Evan Craft’s Facebook: @evancraftmusic
Evan Craft’s Twitter: @EvanCraft
Evan Craft’s Instagram: @evancraft
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 28 May 2024 - 09min - 499 - Through Prayer Comes Healing: Lauren Green and Carrie Sheffield
*Content Warning: This episode mentions suicide and depression and may not be suitable for all listeners.*
We all carry scars, both visible and invisible, that life's challenges leave behind. Far from permanently marring us, our scars can become sites of incredible healing and strength when we open ourselves to faith.This faith doesn't erase the pain or revert the past, but transforms our relationship with our scars. It encourages us to see them not as symbols of hurt but as markers of healing and resilience: vibrant signs of what we've overcome through faith.
Lauren Green is a seasoned journalist and the chief religion correspondent for Fox News Channel. Exploring the intricate intersection of religion and journalism, Lauren found herself reporting on stories ranging from everyday news to the profound mysteries of faith that shaped her perspective on communication and human connection. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Carrie Sheffield, whose troubled, nomadic childhood eventually gave way to a season of academic success and achievements, where her agnostic beliefs were challenged by a quest for deeper meaning.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jana Monroe
Upcoming interview: Emily P. Freeman
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Interview Quotes:
“When I became a journalist, it was as if I was trying to translate from one language to another. I was trying to find words to communicate something that I only felt in music.” - Lauren Green
“That is one of the challenges for living in a very secular world, is understanding and seeing God in the everyday.” - Lauren Green
“Everyone is made in God's image. So first and foremost, whoever they are, whatever they've done, you have to see them first as someone made in God's image.” - Lauren Green
“You cannot know God's will for your life unless you read His words.” - Lauren Green
“I kind of took pride in what I thought was being humble about being a shoulder shrugger, but part of why I did not believe in God was because I just felt anger toward if there was a God, why would He put me in such a horribly abusive family that eventually led three of my siblings to attempt suicide? That I would think about suicide and have depression and PTSD and anxiety for many years? Why would God do that?” - Carrie Sheffield
“Mathematically and statistically and probabilistically, it actually takes a lot more faith to believe in random chance than in some type of divine order.” - Carrie Sheffield
“I think trusting that God can help us to do differently and to choose differently, and to know that He wants differently for us, that takes faith.” - Carrie Sheffield
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 23 May 2024 - 17min - 498 - Coming Together In Our Weaknesses: Willie Robertson & Ben Fuller
When things get tough, and it feels like hope is barely hanging on, it always helps to remember we’re not alone. Haven’t we all benefited from a friend or a loved one who reached out, was able to lend an ear, or who was just there for us when we were going through a rough patch? It's amazing how a little kindness and understanding can bring us back to life. In Ephesians from the Bible, we are instructed to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. [Ephesians 4:32]” We might never know how the smallest kindnesses we show could have a life-changing impact on those who receive it.
Our first guest is Willie Robertson, the CEO of Duck Commander and a familiar face from the Duck Dynasty television series. Willie shares a story about the transformative power of being there for one another—about a minister who showed up for his father, Phil, in one of his darkest hours—and how it inspired a new found faith that would eventually turn his life, and the lives of his family, in a new direction. We’ll also hear from Ben Fuller, a Nashville-based singer/songwriter, who faced addiction in his youth and early twenties. When he lost a close friend to addiction, Ben’s future seemed destined for a similar, dismal outcome. But a family who’d known Ben as a child decided to take him under their wing, invited him to church, and Ben found the hope he’d been looking for all his life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Delilah
Upcoming interview: Lauren Green
Duck Dynasty television series
Interview Quotes:
“If you talk to someone and they change their lives, all that could be generational change for them, for their children, for their grandchildren. And all that could take place just by telling someone a story.” - Willie Robertson
“Whether I'm studying the Bible with someone and trying to teach someone, or if I'm just literally trying to figure out some of the answers to life, I always just go into the Bible and see what it says.” - Willie Robertson
“What I find is when you share your faith, when you do that a lot, it starts fixing a lot of the other problems that you may have in life anyway.” - Willie Robertson
“In a moment [during my first time at church] hearing music and worship and seeing everyone's hands in the air and just feeling the Holy Spirit tangible in the room, it was like, This is what I've been looking for.” - Ben Fuller
“My Savior, His last few days on earth, He's washing filthy feet and He's spending His night with a leper. That's the Savior that saved my life.” - Ben Fuller
“It's amazing how when I don't open the Word of God, or if I'm not constantly seeking His presence, if I'm not constantly asking Him to guide me, to lead me, to just walk with me, it's amazing how upset I'll get, how short tempered I'll get, how quick I am to forget.” - Ben Fuller
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 16 May 2024 - 22min - 497 - Wherever Life Takes You, God Is There: Stephanie Quayle & Anna Broadway
Traveling far from home can reframe our perspectives on the world, ourselves, and our faith. But more than the places we go, the people we surround ourselves with, and the stories we share with one another, will profoundly shape our lives.
Country singer/songwriter and author Stephanie Quayle shares her journey from growing up in Montana to traveling to Switzerland and California before settling in Nashville. Tragic loss in a plane crash compelled her to confront grief and forgiveness, shaping both her life and her music and ultimately, strengthening her faith. We’ll also hear from Anna Broadway, an author who traveled the globe to gain new perspectives on singleness in the church, advocating for a more inclusive and understanding approach.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Glo Atanmo
Upcoming interview: Willie Robertson
Interview Quotes:
“I had so many questions of God; why? Why would You let this happen to me?” - Stephanie Quayle
“I went into the water one way and I came out different. It was immediate. I'd already been forgiven by God; I didn't get that forgiveness of myself until that moment.” - Stephanie Quayle
“What I love about country music is its storytelling and it’s a very simple version when it comes to complex conversations. I think that sometimes in the way I structure my songs, I can take something that's very heavy and give it a little bit more softness around the edges.” - Stephanie Quayle
“Forgiveness, that is such a powerful word. Because you only get forgiveness through faith.” - Stephanie Quayle
“We need each other to be different, but we have to figure out how to love and support each other in our differences.” - Anna Broadway
“When you do study the Bible for yourself, I think that's the first and most important place to see, Wow, singleness is not necessarily what I make of it.” - Anna Broadway
“When we reshape our narrative for life from one that's about finding a relationship or not, and having children or not, to one that's about following Jesus and seeking first God's kingdom, it really changes how we think about singleness.” - Anna Broadway
“God can show up where you think it's almost impossible. There is no limit to how and where God can meet us.” - Anna Broadway
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 09 May 2024 - 28min - 496 - Your Pain and Your Story All Make Sense to God: Dr. Josh Axe & J.S. Park
The content in this episode is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your physician to see what works best for you.
During times of pain, loss, and grief, faith and a close relationship with God can serve as a profound source of comfort, strength, and hope. Prayer, meditation, and the study of scripture can be vital practices in nurturing our spiritual resilience, offering a refuge and a sense of peace. In these ways, our faith acts not only as a beacon of light amidst the shadows, but also as a foundation upon which we can rebuild and heal.
Dr. Josh Axe, a functional medicine doctor, shares his personal health experiences that have shaped his approach to health and wellness. He recounts his mother's battle with cancer and her successful remission through natural approaches. When Josh had a back injury that turned into a serious infection, his connection to God provided faith and hope that he would make a full recovery. J.S. Park, a hospital chaplain, discusses the importance of being present for people in their most difficult moments and the profound impact of grief support and crisis assistance. J.S. also opens up about his struggle with faith and finding comfort in difficult times.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Leslie Schilling
Upcoming interview: Stephanie Quayle
Interview Quotes:
“One of the things I know that God always does is He can turn pain into purpose.” - Dr. Josh Axe
“I've found that sometimes if people just break through one limiting belief, it can radically change their life.” - Dr. Josh Axe
“If we're having right and positive thinking, it's a major, major contributor to us healing and achieving our optimal level of health.” - Dr. Josh Axe
“It was the love of this small, little church that invited me–despite us believing different things, despite the life that I was living at that time–and just kept loving me. And that's how I came to understand God and God's love.” - J.S. Park
“It's such a rare thing in life to be in a room where suddenly all the pieces—your experience, your pain, your story, your gifting, your calling, all of it—somehow clicks into place. What a rare and beautiful thing that is.” - J.S. Park
“Chaplains fit the space between the sacred and the system, between the medicines and the machines. And so I do my best to be there for anything that my patient needs.” - J.S. Park
“Can we pause to take a moment to sit with someone? I think if we paused and offered empathy and compassion–really listening–and then maybe ask that question, ‘What do you need right now?’ we'd hear [others’] stories and be able to connect.” - J.S. Park
“Being a loving presence through grief makes the unbearable a little bit more bearable…I don't want a faith that I need to hold up, but a faith that holds me—not one where I feel like I need to prove that it's right, but instead rather one that is going to be able to wrap around my questions and continue to hold me.” - J.S. Park
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 02 May 2024 - 27min - 495 - [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Prayers for the Middle Of Your Life: Dawn Barton
Do you ever feel like life has passed you by, or that the best days of your life are gone and done? Self-proclaimed “joyologist” Dawn Barton has experienced those same feelings, but even through the worst heartbreaks and devastating losses, she believes there’s always time to write a new story.
Guest’s Links Dawn’s Facebook: @dawnrbarton
Dawn’s Instagram: @DawnRBarton
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 30 Apr 2024 - 11min - 494 - God Is Listening and He Cares For Us: Andre Ward & John Burke
It’s often said that hindsight is twenty-twenty, and our guests this week look back on how God has shaped their own lives in profound ways—though it might’ve been hard to see at the moment.
Former boxing champion Andre Ward shares his life story, both inside and outside the ring, marked by struggles with family addiction and a sense of aimlessness. He reveals how he turned his life around and reignited his faith after the passing of his father, and became determined to become a warrior for God. John Burke shares insights he gained from researching over a thousand near-death experiences. These firsthand accounts convinced him—as an agnostic at the time—of the existence of God, and of the notion that God hears us and is answering our prayers.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tamera Mowry-Housley
Upcoming interview: Dr. Josh Axe
Interview Quotes:
“Instead of me trying to lean into my faith and let God be my outlet and communicate with Him, I shut down, I went inward. I didn't speak to Him, I didn't speak to the ones around me.” - Andre Ward
“It's just amazing to me that God will take people and put them in these different spheres and use them even in spite of where they are, and what the atmosphere is calling for.” - Andre Ward
“My rags were filthy, I was dirty, I was in the thick of my mess. But the fact that I called out and said, ‘Can you help me?’—that's when my life started to change for the better.” - Andre Ward
“We love putting God in a box and saying, ‘He will do this. He won't do that.’ He can do what He wants to do. And if He’ll take someone like me who's flawed, messed up, and is no good without Him, and put me in a flawed sport like boxing, and say, ‘I want to use this for my purpose. I want to use you as a light,’ He not only can do it, but He will do it.” - Andre Ward
“I'm really focused on helping people understand how God is raising up near-death experience testimonies all over the world that are pointing not only to the reality of the life to come shown in the scriptures, but also the reality of this amazing God of light and love who is personal and who revealed Himself through Jesus.” - John Burke
“We learn to listen to those quiet, prompting thoughts, and the way we know we're hearing is when we act in faith.” - John Burke
“You are unique and you have a unique purpose. And it has to do with love, with loving God, and following His voice throughout the day to love and serve others with all that you've been given.” - John Burke
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 22min - 493 - Happiness is Fleeting, But Joy Lives Deep Within Our Souls: Molly Stillman & Jeanine Amapola
*This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners.*
Have you ever had a moment where you plastered on a smile, carried on through your day as if everything was perfectly okay, but really on the inside you were hurting? It’s okay to have sorrow, and it doesn’t mean we are cut off from joy in the midst of it. In the Psalms, David reminds us that God reveals joy during all the ups and downs of our lives. “You make known to me the path of life,” David prays, “in Your presence there is fullness of joy.” [Psalm 16:11]
Molly Stillman is an author, speaker, blogger, and podcast host who leans toward the brighter side of life and wants to bring that joy to others. The daughter of a nurse who served in Vietnam, Molly’s mother championed for the rights of women veterans all while battling alcoholism and addiction. Molly witnessed her mother’s powerful influence, despite her afflictions, and would come to know what it was like to hold both joy and grief in her heart as she navigated life after her mother’s death. Jeanine Amapola is a speaker and influencer who battled alcohol addiction and toxic relationships. At her lowest point, she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel joy again, but the healing began as she connected with a community of women who had experienced some of her same hardships.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jen Lilley
Upcoming interview: Andre Ward
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
collagen vascular autoimmune disease
Interview Quotes:
“A lot of veterans today say that women veterans have access to a lot of the things that they have access to because of the advocacy and trail that my mom blazed. And I got to be a front row witness to all of this.” - Molly Stillman
“I wasn't walking with Jesus in any way, shape, or form, so I had no solid foundation on which to place anything in my life. And so everything I had built and was continuing to build, was just on very, very loose sand that had no firm foundation.” - Molly Stillman
“The shame and the embarrassment, the guilt, that washed over me felt like I had a ton of bricks on my chest and my shoulders. It was devastating to find myself in this position and to just feel that level of condemnation towards myself.” - Molly Stillman
“I walked through the doors of a church and I heard that there was a God in heaven who created me on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose, that He loved me just as I am, that He’d forgiven me of the mistakes that I made, and that there was hope to be found in Him. And so I walked out of those doors that day with hope. And that is a powerful, powerful thing when you are hopeless.” - Molly Stillman
“People that say that God doesn't have a sense of humor clearly don't read the same Bible I do, or have the same relationship with God that I do.” - Molly Stillman
“I found myself floating around and just looking for affirmation in all the wrong places. And because I had such a severe, severe disdain for myself and a low self-worth, I went to all these other places to try and find confidence and identity and worth and value.” - Jeanine Amapola
“I just remember feeling, Man, there's got to be more. I'm not happy. I'm trying to connect with God. I keep going back to my old ways. I keep making bad decisions. I hate my body. I don't like myself.” - Jeanine Amapola
“God did not design us to be alone. He literally says, ‘It is not good for man to be alone,’ and so we should pay attention to that. If God says that, then why are we surprised when we're alone, and all of a sudden we're facing all this insecurity and anxiety and depression and doubt and all these lies, and we're feeling lackluster and lukewarm in our faith? Why are we surprised?” - Jeanine Amapola
“If you're wanting to have a good friend, you should also be a good friend. I think it's important to surround yourself with people that inspire you, that are also places that you want to be, that are going to live life in such a way that you're like, Wow, that motivates me to want to look more like Jesus.” - Jeanine Amapola
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 18 Apr 2024 - 27min - 492 - The Restorative Power of Connection: Dansby Swanson and John Inazu
In all the moments of our lives, whether we’re dealing with depression or anxiety, or navigating the responsibilities of taking care of other people, or simply trying to make our days have more depth and meaning, our connection to others is key to our well being. Through prayer, intentionality, and consideration, we can strengthen that cord that ties us to others and build relationships that become a lifeline when things get hard.
This week, we're joined by Dansby Swanson, a major league baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. Dansby shares the ups and downs of being a major league baseball player, including the stress and anxiety that comes with the job–and how his connections to his family, caring coaches, friends, and to God, made all the difference in getting a handle on his depression. Later in the episode, we'll hear from John Inazu, a professor of law and religion, who discusses how we can foster healthier conversations around challenging topics, creating understanding and connection even with those who disagree with us.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jordan Davis
Upcoming interview: Molly Stillman
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Interview Quotes:
“God created us to live in community with one another, because there's such a level of His love and connection that comes with that.” - Dansby Swanson
“God does a lot of things through people for me, and I'm just so grateful that I'm able to keep that perspective, to just trust in Him and His plan, and just be able to realize what He's done for me along the way.” - Dansby Swanson
“Our identity is secure in Christ and what He did for us and no matter how great we are, we're still never going to be perfect. Jesus is the one that lived a perfect life so that He could sacrifice Himself for our shortcomings.” - Dansby Swanson
“I think the way we respond to hostility or adversaries, even if we don't win the point, we might actually still model a kind of relationship or model the fruits of the spirit in a way that will make that other person pause.” - John Inazu
“I think we are formed by the people around us most deeply when we give them permission and find the time to sit with conversation and listen and pause.” - John Inazu
“There will be times in life and roles that you have where you're not equipped yet to jump into that hard conversation. Prayer has to be the anchor of this; that you wake up and you thank God for the part that you get to play in His story, and then you ask for more of the fruits of the spirit.” - John Inazu
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 11 Apr 2024 - 22min - 491 - Losing Hope? Turn to God: Tamron Hall & LaRae Quy
Content warning: This episode contains mature content and may not be suitable for all listeners.
When we face darkness in our lives that threatens to overwhelm us, it can feel like it’s harder and harder to find any light. But in Hebrews 6:19, it says “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” That anchor is Jesus—and He is waiting to hear our cares and concerns, and is present to be that Rock we can cling to in every trial we encounter.
This week, our guests talk about how they turned to Jesus when they started to lose hope in humanity. Talk show host and author Tamron Hall had periods in her life where her job took a toll on her mental health, and when she asked God to help her see the good in humanity again, she was able to find a renewed passion for helping others. LaRae Quy, a former FBI agent and spokesperson, faced the harsher side of humanity during her twenty years as an undercover and counterintelligence agent. Hearkening back to the lessons of patience and perseverance she learned growing up on a Wyoming ranch, she reached out to God to bring peace to her mind, which was haunted by the hurts she had seen perpetrated on so many victims in the cases she covered.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jay Hewitt
Upcoming interview: Dansby Swanson
Thank you to our sponsors: www.give.cru.org | BetterHelp.com/JesusCalling
Interview Quotes:
“There's no school that can prepare you for a parent handing you the kindergarten photo of their child who's just been found dead and looking to you for comfort, but also believe that you are going to care for them while telling their story and not use it as an opportunity just to get people to watch TV.” - Tamron Hall
“I lost my dream job before the public nationally, but I knew it was in God's hands, and I knew that I didn't need to do anything other than find peace with it and find my lane.” - Tamron Hall
“The win is in the loss. Faith is in the challenge. The uncertainty is supposed to bolster the faith and the belief that it is going to happen in God's time.” - Tamron Hall
“When I'm on set, before I walk out of the doors of the show, I ask God to guide me in my words and let me be a comfort if I need to be that for someone, allow me to bring a smile to someone's face if that's what they need.” - Tamron Hall
“God opened the door and I have no doubt it was the right path for me, because the values of the FBI closely aligned with the values I developed on that Wyoming ranch.” - LaRae Quy
“We need to have faith in something. We need to find value somewhere. It's how we psychologically survive and thrive.” - LaRae Quy
“Through prayer and self-awareness, we get to the truth of who we really are, and the journey of self-discovery can be hard because we’re asked to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. It doesn't do any good to try to hide all of that from God, because God knows us better than we know ourselves.” - LaRae Quy
“Anytime we connect with God, it brings hope back into our lives. Without hope, we cannot be brave.” - LaRae Quy
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 04 Apr 2024 - 21min - 490 - Tapping Into Healthy Mental and Spiritual Habits for Our Families: Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Charles Fay & Melina Luna Smith
The Bible reminds us over and over what a gift from God children are. As parents, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the different worries when it comes to raising a child: Are they healthy? Are they happy? Are they kind to other people? One essential element of parenting that sets a great foundation for a child’s well-being is modeling a spiritually healthy life for our kids, so that they know there’s a God who cares for them, and listens when they pray.
This week, we get to hear from three experts on how we can mentally and spiritually nurture the young minds of tomorrow. Dr. Daniel Amen is the founder of Amen Clinics, and a leading expert in brain health and mental health. Charles Fay, PhD, is an nationally recognized author and president of the Love and Logic Institute, which joined Amen Clinics in 2020, offering practical solutions for educators, mental health professionals, and parents dealing with challenging behaviors in youth. Melina Luna Smith is the Executive Director of Storymakers NYC, who works with parents to reach their children through storytelling, and gives tips on how to incorporate story into the everyday life as a family, as a way to connect and teach faith values as well.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Meg Meeker
Upcoming interview: Tamron Hall
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Interview Quotes:
“The good habits that our kids have to start with are our good habits.” - Dr. Charles Fay, Ph.D.
“Write down the mistakes you hope and pray that your kids make.” - Dr. Charles Fay, Ph.D.
“When do we really have the closest, deepest faith encounter with our Lord? Is it when things have gone really well and we've made really good decisions, or is it maybe when we've exercised some free will and we haven't made such a good decision, and then we look up and we say, ‘Oh, please, Lord, I know that I can trust you’? That’s a faith exercise. We all need those.’” Dr. Charles Fay, Ph.D.
“If you want to give your child the greatest gift, which is the gift of faith, you need to work on your relationship with God, of course, but also with your kids.” - Dr. Daniel Amen, MD
“When [children] connect with us, they put our values inside of their heart, and those values travel around with them.” - Dr. Charles Fay, Ph.D.
“We want kids to be engaged with [Bible stories], and we really want them to walk away with information and an experience that is meaningful and that is going to shape and form them, so that they know that God is with them, for them, now and always.” - Melina Luna Smith
“God is the ultimate story maker, and we are story makers too.” - Melina Luna Smith
“Just as Jesus would always bring the parables to the listeners, He was drawing a story. He was drawing a picture of what was heavenly truth for us to hear.” - Melina Luna Smith
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 23min - 489 - [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Praying Through Life’s Storms: Colton Dixon
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we hear from musician Colton Dixon. From his American Idol days to the unexpected challenges in the music industry, Colton shares how his unwavering faith in God has served as his guiding light through every circumstance–enabling him to be a light to others facing their own storms.
Guest’s Links Colton’s Facebook: @ColtonDixonMusic
Colton’s Twitter: @ColtonDixon
Colton’s Instagram: @ColtonDixonMusic
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 26 Mar 2024 - 07min - 488 - When Things Look Dark, Reach For a Higher Perspective: Savannah Guthrie & John Tesh
Sometimes, our dreams seem so far-fetched that even we don’t believe we’ll ever achieve them. But in Romans 12:2, it says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” When we train ourselves to look for the good, to see God’s opportunities around every corner, we’ll find that the life of our dreams isn’t so far away after all.
As we celebrate our 400th episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, we’ll hear from Savannah Guthrie and John Tesh, who both had unconventional and unexpected breakthroughs into television. Savannah, co-anchor of the Today Show on NBC, shares how her greatest dream of being in journalism came only when she made peace with leaving it behind. Musician and former host of Entertainment Tonight John Tesh shares about the challenging road to his career in television; including being expelled from college to living in a tent, wondering if he’d ever have a career in any kind of media. Until one night, during a desperate prayer to God, he got the answers he was looking for.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ainsley Earhardt
Upcoming interview: Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Charles Fay
***Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Interview Quotes:
“When you get really discouraged about the world and the state of the world, for me that really indicates that you could benefit from a different perspective and a higher perspective. And that's why my faith is so important to me.” - Savannah Guthrie
“In this business, we cover so many sad stories and you don't want to get a thick skin. I don't want to get a thick skin. I don't ever want my heart to be hard and cold toward the suffering that we sometimes talk about or witness firsthand. It's okay to show that you have a heart and that you care.” - Savannah Guthrie
“When we are consumed by the grief of the world, our own griefs, we are usually looking inward, and sometimes we need to look up and out for help, for help coming on the horizon, for perspective, for sunshine, for a belief that not only is help on the way, but help is coming from God Himself, who is all-powerful and all-seeing and has a perspective that I cannot possibly have as a human being.” - Savannah Guthrie
“The only prayer that I could remember was the Lord's Prayer. And I would pray that prayer and I would just ask God to save me. And I woke up in the middle of the night, it was like 2:00 in the morning. And the answer came to me, it was basically God saying, ‘Do something.’” - John Tesh
“In the Bible, there was never a promise that you were instantly going to be happy, and that you were instantly going to be devoid of any of any hardships. You understand that there's really only one choice, that is to tough it out, shoulder to shoulder with God, and get through it. And when you do get through it, it's an amazing place to be.“ - John Tesh
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 21 Mar 2024 - 31min - 487 - God Will Show Us What We’re Capable Of: Joseph Rojas & Monica Swanson
This week’s stories are set an ocean apart, but share a common thread of two individuals placing their trust in God to be a lighthouse in the dark while mapping a new course for their lives.
Joseph Rojas, the lead singer of the Christian rock band Seventh Day Slumber, candidly shares a background where abuse, addiction, and suicidal ideation haunted his days, and how that led to a rock-bottom moment in the back of an ambulance, where he had a life-changing encounter with God. Author and podcaster Monica Swanson is a mom to four boys who she decided to start homeschooling when they were elementary age. Though Monica and her husband initially had doubts about handling the boys’ education, they leaned into the task and discovered some of the benefits of this type of education, and now help others who desire to choose this route for their own families.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Brandi Rhodes
Upcoming interview: Savannah Guthrie
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Unveiled Skies: Conquering Emotional Battles
Interview Quotes:
“It was hard to believe that if there really is a God and He's holy and good, what would He want with someone as messed up as me?” - Joseph Rojas
“I gave my heart to Him. I was talking with my heart to God. I don't remember exactly what I prayed, probably something along the lines of, God, if you'll still have me, if you still want me, I'll give my life to you.” - Joseph Rojas
“When I saw the people come forward and give their hearts to the Lord, I said, ‘That's what I want to do.’” - Joseph Rojas
“I wish that someone would have told me earlier on that I need to quit looking to everybody else to try to tell me who I am…At the end of the day, if you want to know who you are, you should ask the One who created you, and He will tell you that you're not a throw away, that you're not a lost cause, that you're not too fat, that you're not stupid, that you're not worthless. He'll tell you that you are loved beyond measure.” - Joseph Rojas
“Faith has been a huge element of our homeschool experience, mostly because we've been able to live out the Deuteronomy chapter six idea of talking about God's commands as we get up, as we walk along the road, as we lie down.” - Monica Swanson
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 14 Mar 2024 - 23min - 486 - Unleash Your Hidden Talents to Transform the World: Michael Hyacinthe & Katharine Hayhoe
This week, we speak with Navy veteran Michael Hyacinthe, who is also an artist and sculptor. Michael recounts the profound impact of his time in the military, and how, after he returned to civilian life, he wanted to use his talent in the arts to support veterans, and eventually children through his company Wimage, who created a toy robot named Wimee, featured on the PBS children’s show called Wimee’s Words. Our second guest is climate scientist and speaker Katharine Hayhoe, whose work bridges the gap between science and faith. Interpreting complex climate data through the lens of religious stewardship, Katharine educates faith-based communities on their role as protectors of creation. Both individuals exemplify how unconventional talents can spark change and encourage others to utilize their own unique gifts for the greater good.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Upcoming interview: Joseph Rojas
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 40
Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
Interview Quotes:
“We're using art as a bridge for the veterans to express themselves and to connect and be a part of the community that they live in.” - Michael Hyacinthe
“There are a lot of ups and downs in this journey of life, which sometimes are completely out of our control, but knowing that ultimately I'm doing God's will and I need His strength, I know that I am not alone, that I have someone—the Creator—that is with me and that is guiding me through good and bad.” - MichaelHyacinthe
“I need to do everything I can to help fix this problem, because otherwise, how can I truly feel that I am expressing God's love and using the gifts that God has given me to love and to care for others? You don't often think of physics as being a way to love others, but this was a way that I could use my skills to do this.” - Katharine Hayhoe
“More than 70% of scientists at research universities in the U.S. identify as spiritual people, but surveys have shown that most of us don't engage in our local churches just because we feel like we wouldn't be accepted if we talked about our science.” - Katharine Hayhoe
“Just initiating conversation from the heart rather than the head, talking about what we have in common rather than what divides us, and connecting it to our hands—what we can do to make a difference.” - Katharine Hayhoe
“It's just about having that conversation and expressing how you feel, whether it might be joyful, whether it might be sad, whether it might be stymied, not knowing where to go.” - Katharine Hayhoe
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 07 Mar 2024 - 24min - 485 - Glory on the Field and Grace in Our Hearts with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Eugene Cho
People of faith have many opportunities to demonstrate how that faith leads and guides them. As a star athlete recognizes where their gifts and talents come from on a platform for all to see, we can also be faithful in our normal daily interactions with others, demonstrating grace—especially when we disagree—and showing kindness, understanding, and humility, all which reflect the love of Christ in our lives.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, an American hurdler and sprinter, competes in the 400 meter hurdles. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record, and 2022 World champion with a world record time of 50.68 seconds. It takes work to be the kind of athlete Sydney has become, but she always acknowledges the One who gave her the talent and the strength to persevere in her sport. Eugene Cho is a pastor, author, and the president of Bread for the World, a Christian advocacy organization that is committed to ending hunger. Many years ago, while pastoring a church, Eugene noticed a tension that was sweeping through his congregation—and it involved groups of people who disagreed strongly over faith and politics. Over time, he began to look at these situations, drawing parallels from the life of Jesus and how He handled those who disagreed with Him and His work.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Chang
Upcoming interview: Michael Hyancinthe
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Doha World Championships in 2019
Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith
Interview Quotes:
“God really helped to rework my mind and my heart to truly put Him on the throne of my life. And because of that, I was able to reprioritize how I viewed track and field and how I prepared for races, how I viewed wins versus losses.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
“I can show up to the track every day and understand that this is a gift He's given me that win, lose, or draw, it's an opportunity to glorify Him, and my value is already secure in Christ.” - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
“I want to make sure that I'm keeping company with people that are not just people that will agree with everything that I will say, that are willing to challenge me, but also making sure that I'm rooted and guided in the gospel through Jesus Christ.” - Eugene Cho
“I just think it's really important that we be wise, cautious, careful not to dehumanize those that we disagree with, because in our self-righteousness, we can become the very things that we criticize in others and not even know it.” - Eugene Cho
“We have to understand that the ultimate call for us as followers of Jesus is not to be successful. It's not to be outrageous. It's not to be the loudest. It's not to be the one that's most heard, but the one that's rooted in Christ, who seeks to be faithful, who walks with integrity, who seeks to love like Jesus loved, including making sure that we're mindful of the lessons of the Good Samaritan.” - Eugene Cho
“I think it's so important that we understand that everything that we do as followers of Christ must be rooted in this commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. That’s our anchor and our foundation.” - Eugene Cho
“Maybe part of the reason why I have always appreciated the invitation to spend time in God's Word on a regular basis is so that as we go about doing this work, we don't lose ourselves in the blustery winds of our culture and times.” - Eugene Cho
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 29 Feb 2024 - 28min - 484 - [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Coping with Anxiety & Worry Through Prayer: Rebekah Lyons
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we hear from author and podcaster, Rebekah Lyons. Rebekah opens up about her experiences with anxiety, raising her beloved son who has Down Syndrome, and how faith and prayer got her through some uncertain moments.
Guest’s Links Rebekah’s Instagram
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 27 Feb 2024 - 13min - 483 - There’s No Such Thing As a Perfect Christian: Anita Renfroe & Hollylu Jostes
This week, we’re talking to two women who grew up checking off the boxes to be the best Christians they could possibly be, and who would learn later in life would come to know a God who was more concerned with their hearts than with their behaviors.
Comedian Anita Renfroe grew up in a church that didn’t consider laughter to be appropriate within its walls. As a person who always had something funny running through her head, it took her years to realize that joy, which bubbles over into laughter, is actually something that pleases the heart of God. Writer and teacher Hollylu Jostes also grew up in an environment that had very specific notions on what it meant to be a “good Christian.” Basically playing a role that ran counterintuitive to who she was as a person, she struggled to find her authentic self until she learned to know the God who loved her madly, who gave her the freedom to be exactly who she was meant to be.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Rachael Lampa
Upcoming interview: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Salty: The Deconstruction of a Good Christian
Interview Quotes:
“One of my favorite things about how the Lord led me into this is that it takes, sometimes, other people to point out things that should be obvious to you, but are not.” - Anita Renfroe
“I feel it's a gift when the body of Christ can call out [talents] in each other.” - Anita Renfroe
“I like to sign up for things I don't know how to do and do it, and I think that's how I communicate with God the best, is when I'm pushed way out on a limb.” - Hollylu Jostes
“I chose Him because He's God. He is the only rational choice, and then everything falls under that. And once that is in the right place, then you are free to be who God created you to be.” - Hollylu Jostes
“I think it's important to connect with God daily because He is the fuel. He is what gets us through our day. He's what gives our day meaning and He's what infuses our day with joy. He will meet you in these meager little moments that we offer Him and He will grow them.” - Hollylu Jostes
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 22 Feb 2024 - 22min - 482 - Surviving the Shadows: Jochen Wurfl's Escape from the Holocaust and Holly Marie's Unexpected Family Mystery
This week, we’ll hear the stories of two individuals who were tragically separated from their families at an early age. Though they faced unimaginable losses, they fought to hold onto what was left of their families, and continued to seek God as they also searched for their belonging in the world.
Jochen Wurfl has seen more than his fair share of suffering. As a Holocaust survivor who experienced firsthand Hitler’s persecution of the Jewish people, and separation from his parents, Jochen clung to his brother to survive, and held onto faith that they would make it through. Holly Marie’s parents were members of a cult, who compelled them to give Holly Marie up for adoption when she was just a baby. When members of her biological family connected with her years later, there was an emotional reunion, and revelations that would forever change her life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ellie Holcomb
Upcoming interview: Anita Renfroe
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Dean and Tina Linn Clouse Memorial Fund
Interview Quotes:
“We found the cell where my mother was, and she said, ‘Boys, be good at school. Learn as much as you can. Pay attention. I know you love me and I love you. I want you to leave right now because I am afraid you're going to be arrested and you're going to be sent along with me.’ We never talked to our mother again. We never saw her again. She was taken to Auschwitz and she was killed there.” - Jochen Wurfl
“Eventually, our entire family was killed in the concentration camps, or somewhere by the Nazis. Everybody. My brother and I were the only two people who survived.” - Jochen Wurfl
“That was probably the happiest day of my life when we landed in LaGuardia and I knew that I was in this country, a country where we had freedom, where you had democracy. Coming from Germany, from the Second World War, the difference was so immense.” - Jochen Wurfl
“I still remember when I was twelve years old back in Germany, and we heard then on the BBC that the troops had landed successfully in Normandy. And here all these years later, I was in the color guard in Normandy to celebrate the success of the invasion. The sun was rising over the channel, and we stood there lowering the flags, listening to the tides. It was just an unbelievable experience.” - Jochen Wurfl
“I was so blessed in this country and by my life as a whole.” - Jochen Wurfl
“I felt overwhelming joy that my biological family actually searched and prayed for me to be found and wanted to meet me.” - Holly Marie
“I praise God every day for blessing me with an adopted and biological family who both loved me and prayed with me, and always have my whole life.” - Holly Marie
“I praise God for the platform He has opened up for me to share my story. This is an honor that I don't deserve, but shows how great our God is, and that He bestows His greatness upon all those who call upon His name, not because we earn it or deserve it, but because He loves us that much.” - Holly Marie
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 15 Feb 2024 - 25min - 481 - A Love Beyond Our Dreams: Jen Lilley & Christian and Sadie Robertson Huff
God's love transcends human understanding and surpasses any love we could envision for ourselves. It is pure, unconditional, and ceaseless, unlike human love, which can be influenced by imperfection and self-interest. This divine love serves as an unfaltering source of comfort, healing, and transformation, exceeding any form of love we could dream of in its depth, breadth, and constancy.
You may recognize actress Jen Lilley from her appearances on Criminal Minds, General Hospital, Days Of Our Lives, and several Hallmark and Great American Family movies. Her road to becoming an actress had its fair share of challenges, but her faith that God cared about the outcomes of her decisions kept her pushing forward. Authors and influencers Christian and Sadie Huff have learned firsthand that their relationships with friends, family, and as husband and wife dramatically improve when Christ’s love is at the center.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kerry Washington
Upcoming interview: Jochen Wurfl
Thank you to our sponsors: www.give.cru.org | www.ReadRelief.com
Interview Quotes:
“I think anytime you are choosing to center your day around Jesus, you're gonna get through life easier, you're going to get through life with the fruit of the spirit, and you're going to get through life in a way where God really is the author and finisher of your faith.” - Jen Lilley
“If your relationship with God is first, how to put love first essentially is saying how to put God first, because if God is first, then love will flow into all your other relationships from there and it'll bless every relationship that you touch.” - Sadie Robertson Huff
“Your relationship with God does not have to look one certain way.” - Sadie Robertson Huff
“I think that if you do put love first, meaning if you put God first in your life, then you will see these things produced in your life; you will see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control.” - Christian Huff
“Before [the Bible] says ‘love your neighbor as yourself,’ it says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.’ You’ve got to love God first so that you can love who He created–you–-so that you can love people, be a good person in your community and love others in your community well.” - Sadie Robertson Huff
“I think connecting to God, prayer and reading; it does make you feel less alone. The Bible and Scripture says that ‘God's always with you,’ it says ‘He will never leave you and never forsake you.’ And I think if you're constantly aware that He's with you in all those moments, it is easier to not go it alone.” - Sadie Robertson Huff
_______________________
Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 08 Feb 2024 - 19min - 480 - Music As A Window To Our Souls: Candi Staton & nobigdyl.
Of all the languages in the world, music is one of the most profound. Its many shapes and forms can stir up a vast spectrum of emotions and tell stories in a way like no other.
Candi Staton is a legendary, 4x Grammy nominated R&B and gospel singer. Candi vulnerably opens up about how her music was a direct reflection of things she was facing, including an absent father, an abusive marriage, and a battle with alcoholism, and how the music helped her build a bridge to God for herself and others. nobigdyl. found his way into the music industry at an early age, and stumbled upon an unexpected blessing when his mentor, Christian rapper Derek Minor, fired him so that he would be “pushed out of the nest.” Now, in his music, he addresses difficult topics like mental health problems in order to help listeners feel less alone.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Gloria Gaynor
Upcoming interview: Jen Lilley
Thank you to our sponsor: www.give.cru.org
Holy Smoke Festival in Nashville, Tennessee
Interview Quotes:
“The passion that I have for music, the sincerity… when I sing, I sing from my heart, not because I know a song. I put everything in that song that I would do if I was singing it for the first time.” - Candi Staton
“Difficult times always come, you just trust God. He knows the ending from the beginning and the beginning from the ending. He knows all of that. He's already been there. He's already paved the way out. And if you keep those kinds of things in mind, knowing that God has got your back and He's going to lead you into the path of righteousness for His namesake, you can make it through anything.” - Candi Staton
“Whatever job you have, whatever career you have, that amount of hours and those setbacks and changing direction and second guessing yourself and redoing it and failing and then succeeding, it's the same thing for artists.” - nobigdyl.
“I think that being a believer, a follower of Christ, no part of our life is exempt from caring and honoring for the other person.” - nobigdyl.
“He has created us in His image, we are very complex creatures, and I think that an honest look at the Scriptures suggests so much of what we need in these situations where we feel depressed or we feel anxious or we're hurting in any way. We need people to sit with us, to walk with us, to care for us tangibly.” - nobigdyl.
“Prayer is essential for me, and one thing that I learned about prayer was that the less I thought of it as a kind of rigid ritual and the more I thought about it as meeting with a Father who loves me, that kind of opened up my prayer life in a whole different way.” - nobigdyl.
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 01 Feb 2024 - 26min - 479 - When Dreams Slip Away, God Brings New Ones: Bryce Kenny & Charlene Tilton
Life is a tapestry of dreams and aspirations, yet sometimes, despite our best efforts, we fail to see our dreams come to life. In these moments, we might feel engulfed by a sense of loss and disappointment. But we can find solace in a promise from God; when one dream fades, a new one is waiting on the horizon, ready to infuse our lives with renewed hope and purpose.
Bryce Kenny is a professional Monster Jam driver who is known as the Great Clips Mohawk Warrior. Bryce always dreamt of being a professional racer, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a professional drag racer. Before reaching his dreams, and eventually setting a World Record in 2021 for the fastest speed in a monster truck, Bryce encountered many roadblocks, and felt he was seeing his dream die before it could even begin—but he would eventually realize that God was working to bring a new dream alive, all in His perfect timing. Also featuring a special segment from the Jesus Calling YouTube Channel: an interview with Susie McEntire Eaton talking to actress Charlene Tilton as recorded for our YouTube monthly video series, Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer!
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Chang
Upcoming interview: nobigdyl
Geared For Life: Making the Shift Into Your Full Potential
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer YouTube series
Interview Quotes:
“I made that faith jump and said, ‘Look, I don't know what's on the other side of this jump. I don't know where I'm going to land here, but I do know, God placed a calling on my life and the circumstances of my life do not change the calling of my life.’” - Bryce Kenny
“I want people to begin to understand that your purpose, that God-given dream that you've had, every God-given dream goes through three stages: a birth, a death and a resurrection.” - Bryce Kenny
“God wants to watch us in the skill sets that He gave us. He gave us passions for a reason and it's not just to use us, it's to be in relationship with Him.” - Bryce Kenny
“There's no better joy in the world for me than to know that the Heavenly Father is using me somehow to put those smiles on people's faces. I'll never get used to that. And I've never had more fun watching God move His hand over an environment that I couldn't have impacted if it was just myself trying to make it happen.” - Bryce Kenny
“No matter how bad it is, I know that God is going to take my situation, even the dire situations, and bring something amazing out of it, whether I get to see it now or twenty years from now. And when you operate with that level of faith, you cannot help but act on that belief, and that is what faith truly is.” - Bryce Kenny
“God is the one that is in control and He still has the creative power that He brought all of this into existence with the spoken word—He still has that same creative power to create the life that you have always believed that God has called you to.” - Bryce Kenny
“God really had His hand on my life.” - Charlene Tilton
“If you are in depression or anxious or in grief or feeling sorry for yourself, what do you do? You go help somebody else. Because that's the best thing.” - Charlene Tilton
“It's just a blessing to be able to start every day in the Word of God and in prayer.” - Charlene Tilton
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 25 Jan 2024 - 28min - 478 - God Transforms Our Caterpillars Into Butterflies: Yvonne Orji & Naghmeh Panahi
Do you find it difficult to believe that you have a life that could be used for good in the world? We tend to minimize the gifts and talents God gave us, wondering how we—just one individual—could ever make a difference. Nature gives us a beautiful example in the way a small, unassuming caterpillar is eventually transformed into a colorful, winged butterfly, bringing joy to others by simply being viewed. When we believe in ourselves and the unique abilities God has given us, and open ourselves up to sharing those gifts with the world, we create impact in a way that might touch lives for years to come.
Actress and comedian Yvonne Orji was raised in a Nigerian family, and she was shaped by traditional views on family life: a hard drive for pleasing people, and a fear of failure. When her dreams of becoming a doctor didn’t pan out, Yvonne began looking at her own unique gifts and leaned into those, which led her to becoming an actor, writer, and producer. Advocate Naghmeh Panahi made headlines when her husband, Saeed, was arrested in Iran for his Christian beliefs. As a missionary herself, Naghmeh had seen many of her friends persecuted for their faith, and was determined to get her husband released—despite the abuse she faced in their marriage. Naghmeh found herself with a huge platform she had dreamed about as a child, and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives all over the world.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Damon West
Upcoming interview: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Thank you to our sponsor: BetterHelp.com/JesusCalling
George Washington University medical school
Interview Quotes:
“I was like, Could it be that God sees something in me that I don't even yet see in myself?” - Yvonne Orji
“For the first time in my life, somebody was giving me the luxury, the privilege, of potential failure. And that's not a thing that I was accustomed to.” - Yvonne Orji
“Like food poisoning, fear is one of those things where if you push past it, you might throw up, you might move about, it doesn't feel good in the moment, because you are not on the other side of it to see, What if God has something? But then you do it and you overcome it. And now you can't see yourself without it.” - Yvonne Orji
“One of the most confusing things to me, or interesting things to me, was in elementary school when they asked me, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Which is a normal thing that children say to each other. And I remember thinking, Wow, I've never thought about this. Growing up in war and revolution, you don't really think about growing up.” - Naghmeh Panahi
“I got to see the plight of the persecuted church for the first time, and the fear of gathering in homes just to pray together, just to worship together, just to read the Bible together. The fear of being caught with a Bible; it carries the death penalty. And I couldn't wrap my mind around it.” - Naghmeh Panahi
“How was I going to get my husband out of one of the worst prisons in the entire world, in one of the most radical countries in the world? I didn't know. The only way I knew was to get on my knees and pray.” - Naghmeh Panahi
“I stepped out in faith, and I saw God telling me to do that as I was reading His word and I was praying, God was encouraging me and building up my confidence to step out.” - Naghmeh Panahi
“I got to be a voice for the persecuted church. The people I had seen get arrested and beaten and killed because they simply follow Jesus, I got to advocate for them and be a voice for them. And that was encouraging to me.” - Naghmeh Panahi
“I cried out to God and said, ‘God, what are you doing? My life's already hard. You're making my life harder.’ But I didn't know at that time that what God was doing was He was setting me free. He was separating me from my abuser so that the fog of confusion, of abuse, was lifting and He was setting me free as His daughter.” - Naghmeh Panhi
“The joy and peace can be there in any of our lives as His children, no matter the situation, no matter the loss.” - Naghmeh Panahi
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 18 Jan 2024 - 23min - 477 - Faith: A Lighthouse for Finding Our Way ft. Jana Monroe & Ike Miller
Living with a negative worldview, often born out of childhood trauma or difficult experiences in one's life or workspace, can feel as if you're perpetually shrouded in a bleak fog. The world may seem unkind and unfair, every experience tainted by the shadows of your past. Sometimes it can feel like there’s danger around every corner, stealing our joy and our ability to live without constant fear.
Former FBI investigator Jana Monroe worked on some notorious and heinous murder cases, including those of Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. She shares about the demanding challenges of interviewing serial killers and how it affected her mindset and her view of the world–and how prayer and daily reflection with God was a lifesaver in rescuing her from fear. Ike Miller, a pastor and author, shares about the hurdles he faced during his formative years, navigating the difficulties of growing up with an alcoholic father and overcoming unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Content Warning: This episode mentions violence and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Herman Mendoza
Upcoming interview: Yvonne Orji
Quantico behavioral science unit
Interview Quotes:
“I would pray and I would have conversations with the Lord, and always there would be this overwhelming sense of calmness.” - Jana Monroe
“I began my journey, or He began that journey for me, of starting to look at the good in other people. It was a process. It was certainly nothing that happened overnight, but by having those conversations, He opened up my heart and mind to a whole different perspective and optic of looking at things.” - Jana Monroe
“I have faith that the Lord is going to show me the way out of this and show me a different path, and I was never disappointed.” - Jana Monroe
“I began to rid myself of some of these unhealthy behaviors when I honestly started paying attention to the pain that these things were causing me: anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, and being able to do the work to connect those back to childhood experiences and that environment so that I could begin to disarm the impact of some of those things on me as an adult.” - Ike Miller
“One of the things that I often tell people, whether that is in my congregation in preaching or in one-on-one conversations, is pain in the past doesn't die just because we bury it.” - Ike Miller
“One of the things that I often tell people, whether that is in my congregation in preaching or in one-on-one conversations, is pain in the past doesn't die just because we bury it.” - Ike Miller
“Connecting with God in prayer can help us feel less alone because it creates space for us to understand what pain and fears prevent us from connecting and experiencing intimacy now.” - Ike Miller
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 11 Jan 2024 - 20min - 476 - Where is Hope When God Doesn’t Take Away Our Burdens?: Jay Hewitt & Amanda Held Opelt
Perhaps you are facing a time in your life where the world around you seems to be crumbling, and your heart is heavy with the weight of unexpected trials. How, in the midst of our struggles, can we remain steadfast, continue to show up, and face each day with courage and resolve when the pain and fear threaten to steal any last shred of hope we have? Our guests this week believe that every challenge, every hardship, is a part of God's grand design. They found strength in the belief that their trials were not random occurrences, but purposeful events, shaping them, refining them, and guiding them toward a deeper understanding of God’s love for us.
Jay Hewitt, a pastor in Southern California, found out at 37 years old that he had a malignant brain tumor. What could have sent him into a tailspin fueled him to do something that seemed counterintuitive to someone who would face months of chemo and treatments that would weaken his body: he decided to run an Ironman race. What he learned in this process about his faith and his relationship with God changed his perspective and gave him an appreciation for how God works through our suffering like he’d never had before. Amanda Held Opelt, a seasoned author, speaker, and songwriter, focuses on faith, grief, and creativity. With fifteen years of experience in non-profit and humanitarian work, she’s seen the human love that rises above and surrounds a hurting community—and the hope that gets rediscovered after seemingly, your life is destroyed.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Meg Apperson
Upcoming interview: Jana Monroe
I Am Weak, I Am Strong: Building a Resilient Faith for a Resilient Life
Interview Quotes:
“I’d wrestled with God plenty of times before, and I think that real strength comes from wrestling. When you wrestle with God, He strengthens your inner being.” - Jay Hewitt
“I've got the grace that I need to get through this. Somehow, I'm going to get to experience God's power being demonstrated through my weakness. And not only that, but I'm going to get to experience the paradox of faith that it's when I'm weak, that I'm strong.” - Jay Hewitt
“Any time there's a large obstacle ahead of you, there's great opportunities within that obstacle.” - Jay Hewitt
“In His power, get up, stay strong, and press on and see the dreams that God has given you be fulfilled in your life.” - Jay Hewitt
“I'm passionate about how the experience of loss or hardship becomes integrated into a person's story—how it makes them who they are, how it impacts their relationship with God and with others, and how people rise up and move forward in the aftermath of grief or a disaster.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“I got to witness what happens when people show up for other people when we live as neighbors and offer ourselves and offer resources to one another and come alongside one another in those spaces of lack.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“We are given these holy songs of lament as a form of worship, because part of being human made in the image of God, is to suffer pain, and in fact, God Himself is a highly emotive God.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“I think part of the reason I believe lament is such a high form of worship is that to me, worship is just any time we stand in agreement with God about what is true, about who He is, and who we are, and when we cry out to Him because the world is not as it should be, when we lament injustice and violence, or when we weep over death.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“I think what God really wants with us, where He knows the blessing is, is in intimacy. He wants a relationship with us, and that's where we find the blessing. Relationship with God, intimacy with God, is something He offers to all of us, and sometimes it's actually the path of pain or those uncomfortable emotions. It's the path of lack that brings us into a deeper, richer intimacy with God.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“I love committing to rhythms of prayer and scripture reading, because those practices serve as a safeguard to us when our emotions aren't really feeling connected to God. When we have these habits, they make space for our faith, even when our faith feels small.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“I think grief will still feel like grief, loss is still going to feel like loss, no matter our commitment to the spiritual disciplines. God doesn't always take away that heavy burden we are carrying, but I do believe He gives us the strength that we need to carry it.” - Amanda Held Opelt
“My prayer is that as a Christian, I would not be someone who's just marked so much by my happiness, but more that I would be a person who is marked by hope.” - Amanda Held Opelt
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 04 Jan 2024 - 36min - 475 - Exploring the Enneagram Toward Deeper Relationships: Christa Hardin & Bill and Kristi Gaultiere
Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. The Enneagram system is a widely accepted personality model that offers deep insight into our core driving motivations, opening up exciting possibilities in the prediction and understanding of human behavior. As a doorway to self-discovery and self-awareness, the Enneagram is also a powerful tool for spiritual transformation that can replenish our energy toward our relationship with God and others.
This week podcaster and counselor Christa Hardin shares how she’s used the Enneagram as a tool to help couples communicate better and learn more about each other so that they can learn to grow together. Doctors of psychology, Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, share how we can use the Enneagram to deepen our relationship with God by learning more about emotions and personalities.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Upcoming interview: Jay Hewitt
The Enneagram in Marriage: Your Guide to Thriving Together in Your Unique Pairing
Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith
Interview Quotes:
“I think that it's important that couples realize that they can shine even more beautifully as they walk through these seasons together with faithfulness and learn about one another's [Enneagram] types, learn about how one another thrives, what makes each other feel safe and secure, what makes one another feel like a bit of a basket case.” - Christa Hardin
“It's so lovely to have time and space with God every day to journal, to pray, to be in the Word, to really allow God's Word to refresh us, to trust Him that though pain lasts through the night, joy comes in the morning.” - Christa Hardin
“As we bring our emotions honestly, intimately into relationship with Jesus, it results really in us growing in our emotional intelligence and experiencing the positive emotions of the gifts He's given us, which emotions they move us, they motivate us, they enable us to thrive in our life with Jesus.” - Kristi Gaultiere
“Cultivating healthy feelings is such an important key to a healthy faith, and the Enneagram is just a great tool to help us be healthy in our emotions, relationships, and spirituality, particularly when we take a Jesus-centered and a Biblical approach to the Enneagram, that's when God can really use this tool to bring transformation in our lives.” - Bill Gaultiere
“We've come to blend our personalities together, we've learned that we're better together.” - Kristi Gaultiere
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 28 Dec 2023 - 19min - 474 - Spreading Hope During The Holidays: Stevie and Sazan Hendrix & Dr. Emily Smith
For so many, the holidays don’t always represent a time of joy, but trigger memories of painful past trauma, or reminders of deep loss. Whether we greet the holidays with anticipation or dread, we can all be a part of helping each other heal during the holidays. Small acts of kindness, beyond traditional Christmas gifts, can have a big impact in spreading love and creating positive change, especially during a time that brings mixed emotions for so many.
Our first guests this week are digital creators Stevie and Sazan Hendrix. They share some tips about how to navigate the holidays, even when they are hard, and how to find hope even when things feel hopeless. Dr. Emily Smith, who is an epidemiologist at Duke University. Emily’s love for both science and people inspired her to help others answer some difficult questions.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Bo Stern
Upcoming interview: Christa Hardin
Thank you to our sponsor: BetterHelp.com/JesusCalling
Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist
The Science of the Good Samaritan
Interview Quotes:
“Sometimes life happens in the midst of holidays and exciting things and all the happenings and these unexpected, chaotic things happen, but you're still able to stop and see the good, find that hope in the hopeless moments.” - Sazan Hendrix
“It's not these larger than life things, it's just these small little tokens of appreciation that you can pour into your community and it just is one little thing at a time. And what is that one thing you can do when you look around to help spread God's kingdom and His love?” - Sazan Hendrix
“As an epidemiologist, my job is to quantify the need for children in very low income, impoverished areas and then using that data to choose not to walk by. It's like the Good Samaritan story of where we see someone helping the person on the side of the road in some really tangible ways.” - Dr. Emily Smith
“I think that what it looks like to be a good neighbor in today's world is just wherever you are, be a good human.” - Dr. Emily Smith
“We don't have to do it all, but we can do what our great work is. I think if people can discern where they are and what great work they are doing, I think it helps not get so paralyzed.” - Dr. Emily Smith
“During Christmas, take some time to just breathe and maybe remember who has neighbored us well, to tell them thank you…it cost Jesus so much to be a Good Samaritan, but it gives us courage now to do the same.” - Dr. Emily Smith
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 21 Dec 2023 - 16min - 473 - [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Songs and Prayers for Christmas with Ellie Holcomb
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to author, singer/songwriter and multiple Dove Award winner Ellie Holcomb, who shares about the humbling experience of singing on a stage for an audience, her Christmas family traditions, and the hopes she has for the season.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @ellieholcombmusic
Twitter: @ellieholcomb
Instagram: @ellieholcomb
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 19 Dec 2023 - 18min - 472 - Triumph Over Trials: Rapper Otis Kemp and Softball Star Katelyn Pavey
The Bible is filled with stories of people who faced uncertain times; like Joseph who was betrayed by his brothers and was sold as a slave, or Job who went through unbearable pain and loss. But their hardships didn’t cause them to give up—in fact, their lives went on to have profound impact, despite the challenges along the way.
This week’s guests know what it’s like to feel like giving up after enduring a trying season, but instead, persevered in the hope of making their lives count. South Florida rapper Otis has collaborated with artists such as Rick Ross and Flo Rida. As a youth, Otis was kicked out of multiple schools and made some unwise choices due to peer pressure. Instead of succumbing to a label of being a “problem,” he took the challenges he faced in his youth and turned them into a passion to help all kids succeed. Collegiate softball player Katelyn Pavey was born without a full arm. You might think this could have been an impediment to pursuing a sport like softball, but Katelyn was determined to be the best she could be—and ended up becoming one of the top players in her sport.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Darnell Ferguson
Upcoming interview: Stevie and Sazan Hendrix
Interview Quotes:
“I’ll never forget. I said, ‘What am I doing? You know, God, you gave me this gifting or whatever it is,’ I didn't understand it, but I knew that I was supposed to be using it for Him. “ - Otis Kemp
“It was hard, it wasn't easy, and I think that's why God is faithful and He’s blessing me now, because I gave up something at a time where it was just insane to the normal individual.” - Otis Kemp
“It's been ups and downs, but God has been able to sustain us all the way through. He never said it would be easy, but He said, ‘I'll be there with you even until the end of the age.’” - Otis Kemp
“Anything you do for the Lord and you present it to Him in the right heart posture, He will come and consume it and He will dwell there. And so I'm honored that He chose Otis. And that's something no one can ever take from me, that God has smiled on me, and it's just the beginning.” - Otis Kemp
“I ended up recovering in four and a half months from this injury, and it just proved to me that trusting in God and trusting that He has a plan, really pushed me to get better and pushed me to come back and play softball again.” - Katelyn Pavey
“I don't need to play for myself. I need to play for Him in all my playing and all my life, my actions and my words should be glorifying to Him and show others to Him through my play.” - Katelyn Pavey
“He has a plan for me, even though I didn't know what the future held, I just was reminded that I know who holds my future, and that in the end, there's going to be a reason why these things happened.” - Katelyn Pavey
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 14 Dec 2023 - 17min - 471 - Embracing Serenity Through Letting Go: Father James Martin & Michael Freeland Miller
As we celebrate the season of advent, it’s a wonderful time to focus on prayer. This dialogue with God can be an avenue leading us to tranquility by enabling us to articulate our deepest fears, hopes, and concerns. It provides an opportunity to let go and surrender our burdens. In the practice of releasing our worries, we open ourselves up to God’s calming embrace of serenity.
Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest who is a student of scripture, helping bring it to life for people in new ways. In his latest book called Come Forth, Father Martin explores the story of Lazarus and how understanding the context for Jesus’ greatest miracle can have meaning for us as we strive to let go of things that no longer serve us, and have faith that Jesus can give us new life, just as He gave His friend Lazarus. After Father Martin walks us through the miraculous story of Lazarus, he brings a special message for us about the meaning of Advent as we celebrate this special time of year. Michael Freeland Miller is the founder and one of the senior leaders of UPPERROOM. In April of 2010, Michael and his wife started a small prayer meeting in an office space overlooking downtown Dallas. From that initial prayer meeting, God birthed a movement of prayer and worship that continues to grow globally.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ryan Stevenson
Interview Quotes:
“What do we want to let die? What do you want to let go of? What do you want to get rid of? What patterns, what behaviors, what addictions do we want to leave behind in the tomb to let die so that we can hear God's voice inviting us to come forth?” - Father James Martin
“People feel so stressed at Christmas, and what is really a joyful holiday becomes sort of a burden. There's always this temptation at Christmas to want to do everything, visit every person, write every single person you know a Christmas card, buy everyone a gift, sort of go for broke when it comes to Christmas dinner. And I think doing less might be helpful.” - Father James Martin
“What does it mean that God became human? What does that mean for me? What does it mean that God was human in the most vulnerable way possible? What does it mean that God would choose to be vulnerable and little and dependent on human beings, on Mary and Joseph?” - Father James Martin
“Instead of being on Amazon all day and clicking for the next gift, trying to get the right thing—stressing out about it may not be as helpful as just five minutes of prayer. It's about balance, I think. And Advent enables us to slow down a bit.” - Father James Martin
“God becomes human in order that we might relate to God better.” - Father James Martin
“I died a thousand deaths to my various strategies and the resume that I had built up in ministry. And the Lord really stripped me in that season in discovering what it was like to build a church around prayer.” - Michael Freeland Miller
“I think prayer is a means to God's presence, His spirit.” - Michael Freeland Miller
“I find such joy in praying with God's people. I find it encourages my faith to listen to other people pray, and then I love to pray for them and then pray together.” - Michael Freeland Miller
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 07 Dec 2023 - 20min - 470 - Breaking Down The Walls That Divide Us: Eric Costanzo, Yana Sherdis, & Julie Mirlicourtois
God's love knows no borders, boundaries, or limitations. It reaches every person, regardless of origin or language. When we strive to follow Jesus’s greatest commandment, “Love one another,” we can begin to break down the walls that often divide us.
This week, we speak to pastor Eric Costanzo and one of his church members, Yana Sherdis, who have dedicated their lives to serving and supporting refugees and international families through their church’s powerful outreach program. We’ll also speak with the director of a new docuseries, ACROSS, Julie Mirlicourtois who shares the inspiring faith of Christian asylum seekers from Central America.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Anthony Ray Hinton
Upcoming interview: Father James Martin
English second language program
Interview Quotes:
“The biggest thing that made a difference was when folks who were from our church and had been there for a while really started to interact with their refugee and immigrant neighbors and they realized who they were, and they saw them, just who they truly are.” - Eric Costanzo
“When anyone is looking for a safe place or a refuge—it could be because of physical circumstances or emotional circumstances or legitimate issues of safety or spiritual issues—the church can be that kind of safe harbor, just like a ship comes to the harbor so that it might find safe passage.” - Eric Costanzo
“I think I had this gift of faith all along. I think I could feel God so clearly, I just had no clue who He was.” - Julie Mirlicourtois
“It kind of felt like I had been talking to this person on the other side of a closed door my whole life, wondering if He was real or just part of my imagination, and then He revealed Himself to me in so many undeniable ways.” - Julie Mirlicourtois
“I had believed for so long these lies, lies I'd been told about Christians, about Jesus, and I really became determined to cut through the noise of culture and politics and reach people in those secular audiences where I once was.” - Julie Mirlicourtois
“Following the lives of these asylum seekers for the past two and a half, three years, I've never understood more of what the Bible tells us when it says ‘Blessed are the poor.’ Their faith has enriched and enhanced my faith and countless other people so much. It's taught me to shift my perspective that the hardships are there for a reason. I can't just make my life and my kids’ lives in this comfortable place. I have to really thank God for the good and the bad and keep growing through it.” - Julie Mirlicourtois
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 30 Nov 2023 - 19min - 469 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Praying For Mercy: Jason Crabb
We all need God’s mercy at some point in our lives. And for singer Jason Crabb, that time came when he was in a rebellious phase; realizing the faith he had was something passed down from his family–not necessarily his own. Ultimately Jason began a relationship with God for himself–and that “mercy moment” began a habit of recognizing God’s mercy through all the phases of his life.
Guest’s Links
Facebook: @JasonCrabbMusic
Twitter: @jasoncrabbmusic
Instagram: @jasoncrabbmusic
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 28 Nov 2023 - 15min - 468 - Cultivating Connection Amidst Loneliness: Levi Lusko & Daniel Darling
In today's world, characterized by advanced technology and increasing isolation, there's a pressing need to foster real connection. As technology continues to advance, genuine human connections are taking a backseat. However, in Scripture we find that God recognizes; "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18). As part of God’s unique design, He wired us for meaningful connection where we find strength, love, and support from others.
This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and a season of connection and gratitude, we have two pastors to help us navigate a season that also can be lonely and disconnected. Author and pastor Levi Lusko sheds light on the growing loneliness crisis in our highly connected world, and Daniel Darling explains the fundamental aspects of healthy relationships, including forgiveness, reconciliation, and trust.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Larry Randolph and Jennifer Bleakley
Upcoming interview: Eric Constanzo
Jesus Listens for Advent and Christmas
National Religious Broadcasters Association
Land Center for Cultural Engagement
Interview Quotes:
“God said, ‘It's not good that man should be alone.’ And so I think there's something of the human experience where our souls will always crave and always be deficient if we're not having those vital exchanges, those conversations, those moments.” - Levi Lusko
“I think when we lift our eyes, we'll be reminded, Hey, the one who made the moon, the one who with His fingers called out the stars, with His voice, with the word of His power, separated light from darkness, He loves you. He has a plan for you. He came in the person of Jesus to this world. He wants to have a relationship with you.” - Levi Lusko
“No matter what you're facing today, God is safe to build your life upon, and the weather and the wind can change in a moment, but God's Word never will.” - Levi Lusko
“Jesus knows what you're going through and He has a plan for you in it. He has a plan to give you power and to give you peace and to give you comfort.” - Levi Lusko
“Paul says at one point in 1 Timothy, he says, ‘To fight the good fight.’ In other words, there are things worth fighting for.” - Daniel Darling
“Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy, ‘Avoid stupid and foolish arguments.’ And so there are things that we may have opinions on and that may be important to us, but we should be open handed about them and learn to love and live with people who disagree.” - Daniel Darling
“We should say, ‘I'm going to hold onto you amidst all this turmoil in the world, amidst these raging rapids. I'm not going to let you go as a friend.’ I think this is what God is calling us to do.” - Daniel Darling
“We don't have to be alone. We can be known by God and we can know God.” - Daniel Darling
“Once we understand how much God has forgiven us in Christ, anything that we've done against God is even worse than the worst thing done to us, if we can imagine that. And God gives us that ability to forgive.” - Daniel Darling
“See how God will use you as a witness in your own family and in your own communities.” - Daniel Darling
“We're praying to a personal God. We can ask Him for our personal needs. We can draw on Him for strength in our own personal lives, and what a blessing it has been to my family and to countless other families.” - Daniel Darling
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 23 Nov 2023 - 22min - 467 - The Power of Our Choices Toward a New Start: Herman Mendoza & Stephen Arterburn
Do you ever wish you could simply start over, or that you had a second chance? Maybe you feel like your life is “too far gone,” that there’s no hope of ever going back to what could’ve been. But there is good news to be found in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old is gone, the new is here!”” There is always a chance for a fresh start, as our God meets you with compassion, grace and beautiful mercy.
Pastor Herman Mendoza came up through some tough years growing up in Queens, NY, enduring abuse from his father, and finding it hard to find connection from his peers. He ultimately chose to get involved in gang activity and drug trafficking, which brought him the power and sense of connection he had always wanted, but also ended up with run-ins with authorities, and ultimately jail time that he couldn’t negotiate his way out of. He shares how God changed his path to become a force for good in a place where goodness isn’t easily found. Stephen Arterburn, founder of New Life Ministries, has a focus of transformation with God's truth and a genuine desire to see parents shepherd their children well through the pitfalls of the online world. He shares helpful guidance for parents seeking to mentor their children in this screen-saturated time.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: John & Stasi Eldredge
Upcoming interview: Levi Lusko
Promise Ministries International
Understanding and Loving Your Child In a Screen-Saturated World
Interview Quotes:
“This was all God setting everything up. He would have it no other way.” - Herman Mendoza
“For the very first time it wasn't about me. It wasn't about excuses. It wasn't about negotiating with God. It was about the wrongs that I've done and that Jesus paid the price for my sins and that He can make it alright, even though the sins that I was committing, there's a price to pay for them, and I had to pay that price.” - Herman Mendoza
“There's hope in Jesus Christ. God is amazing, and when you seek Him, you will find Him. and He will change your life forever.” - Herman Mendoza
“You have to come to that place where you have to know Jesus first. He will navigate you through life’s obstacles and life's challenges. God enables me to have freedom through prayer, to talk to Him and and for Him to remind me that He loves me. He's with me, and the Holy Scriptures are there to guide me each and every day.” - Herman Mendoza
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 16 Nov 2023 - 27min - 466 - Losing Someone You Love, And Losing Yourself: Ed and Lisa Young & Dr. Morgan Cutlip
Experiencing a significant loss or trauma often leads to an identity crisis, a sensation comparable to losing footing on solid ground. You may suddenly feel untethered, as if the person you once knew as "you" has evaporated, replaced by an unfamiliar stranger. Your faith may seem hollow, your relationships distant. It’s like you’re lost in your own life, and you don’t know how to get back.
Our guests this week share how they coped with grief and hardship, and how they found their way back from feeling disoriented and disconnected from themselves. Senior pastor of Fellowship Church Ed Young and his wife Lisa share the heart wrenching story of their daughter, LeeBeth, and her struggle with addiction, and how it forever altered the course of their lives. Dr. Morgan Cutlip looked forward to motherhood, but was quickly faced with the real struggles that come alongside it, and made it her life’s work to help mothers cope with that loss of self, and show them how to remember who they are again.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Lee Warren
Upcoming interview: Herman Mendoza
Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas
Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself
Interview Quotes
“Through that pain [of losing our daughter], God just surrounded us with His indescribable love. I still can't believe it to this day, but He did, and He has, and I know He will. We had just experienced something together that nobody wants to experience, but it was something that God was walking with us together.” - Lisa Young
“Ed said right after LeeBeth passed away, ‘We will never, ever, ever be the same. We won't do church the same, I won't minister the same, I won't pastor the same.’ And that's in a good way, and so it's continually God showing us new ways to live past this point of grief.” - Lisa Young
“Pour your heart out to God, your anger out to God, your questions out to God, but also realize, Man, God’s got this, He's got me.” - Ed Young
“When things started happening, things that were painful, I was able to draw upon what God had given me, what God had instilled in me, and that's how joy and pain can coincide.” - Lisa Young
“Whatever we face, joy can be ever-present. It seems distant at times, but it's ever-present because of His Presence in my life.” - Lisa Young
“I think that we're in a society right now that is like, ‘Feelings are facts,’ and they’re just not. We put a lot of emphasis on feelings, but feelings are signals. Feelings are a warning bell that are calling you to tune in to you and say, ‘What's going on with me?’” - Dr. Morgan Cutlip
“I just stay in conversation with God all day. I feel like it's a running dialog, and this really is what helps me in so many ways of feeling like I'm never really alone. I am in a relationship with Someone who knows me deeply, who loves me, who doesn't give me more than I can handle; who I can turn things over to.” - Dr. Morgan Cutlip
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 09 Nov 2023 - 22min - 465 - Our Faith Will Carry Us To The Finish Line: Daniel Gil & Brad Minns
Many writers and philosophers have compared the process of living our lives to running a race, or following a path. The Bible, in Hebrews among other places, makes this comparison as well by saying; “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith [Hebrews 12: 1-3].” Much as a marathon runner relies on their faith to complete a grueling race, or a mountaineer looks to the heavens for strength to conquer a strenuous climb, our faith can provide a source of strength and motivation to endure life’s challenges, pushing one's limits beyond perceived boundaries.
With unwavering passion and determination, eight time American Ninja Warrior finalist and competitor Daniel Gil shares how his relationship with the Lord has helped him push through some of the toughest challenges–both mental and physical. Professional tennis player and Deaf World Championship winner Brad Minns lost his hearing at the age of three and shares the challenges that brought when entering the world of tennis, how he found the strength to defy the odds.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Don Wickstrum
Upcoming interview: Pastor Ed & Lisa Young
Never Give Up book
The Education of a Bodybuilder
Never Give Up movie
Interview Quotes:
“It wasn't until I was chasing wholeheartedly, fully, and completely after my walk with the Lord that these relationships and these doors began to open for what I feel like God had purposed for my life all along.” - Daniel Gil
“I'll put the blinders on, block out all the noise, block out the lights, block out the cameras, block out the audience, and I'll put a smile on my face from ear to ear, because as an athlete and more so as a Christian, I'm grateful for every single opportunity to be there.” - Daniel Gil
“I'll give it everything that I've got, but at the end of the day, I don't find my identity in American Ninja Warrior. I don't find my identity in anything that I do. I find my identity in my walk with the Lord.” - Daniel Gil
“I said, ‘God help me.’ And [as] I said [that] prayer, I left the rest to God. And I came back and won the match.” - Brad Minns
“There's physical training, and there's spiritual training. Physical training has some value, but spiritual training has far greater value because it has benefits, not just in this life, but the life to come.” - Brad Minns
“We all have a gift that God created us for, to use while we are here on this Earth to do what He wants us to do. The only way you are going to use that gift to the maximum is to put God first and let Him have total control in your life.” - Brad Minns
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 02 Nov 2023 - 21min - 464 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Prayers For the Journey of Life: Naomi Raine
Naomi Raine from Maverick City Music has been singing since she was just two years old—and the power in her voice comes from a passion to glorify God in her music. Through her life journey, with all its ups and downs, Naomi has kept Christ at the center, allowing Him to shine through in all that she does, which has inspired countless listeners.
Guest’s Links
Facebook: @NaomiRaineMusic
Instagram: @naomiraine
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 31 Oct 2023 - 11min - 463 - Trusting God and Finding Your True Self: Rachael Lampa and KB
When other people's expectations drive our lives, we run the risk of losing our authentic selves, and are subtly steered away from our own unique paths. We’re compelled to show up as others would have us, instead of showing up as our true selves. It can be hard to change our instinct to listen to others and we can get lost in the noise. But when we trust that God will show us who we really are, we are empowered to sift through all those societal expectations and find the courage to stand firm in our truth.
This week, singer and songwriter Rachael Lampa shares how she was thrust into the spotlight at an early age, becoming a number one selling Christian artist at only fifteen years old. After a few years of showing up for her record label, her managers, and her fans, Rachael began to feel her own voice starting to diminish. She shares what brought her back from burnout and how she learned to trust her own voice again. After we hear from Rachael, we’ll talk with Dove award winning rapper KB who shares his own identity crisis as a people pleaser, and whose voice of approval he was really seeking in his quest to feel worthy.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Lauren Alaina
Upcoming interview: Daniel Gil
Interview Quotes:
“It was a really special thing to be able to grow in my faith and also grow in music at the same time and watch how the music reflected where I was with my faith.” - Rachael Lampa
“I'm turning my back on the thing that I thought I was going to do for the rest of my life. It was one of those first moments where I was able to say, ‘I trust God right now, I trust God a lot. I don't have a plan for what this is going to look like.’” - Rachael Lampa
“When we give gifts to people, we don't expect them to take that gift and be like, ‘Here you go, world. You can have it, too.’” - Rachael Lampa
“I got to worship [God] in the smallest ways and not always under sound and lights. That is really what brought me to a place where I was able to say, ‘Okay, if music never comes back, I'm okay. I am loved, I still matter, I still have purpose.’” - Rachael Lampa
“I fully trust God, and He has just been honestly blowing me away.” - Rachael Lampa
“I realized that this unhealthiness that was showing up in my life was connected to me working for the approval of a voice that I would never hear.” - KB
“I'm not able to even taste the fruit of my labor because everything I do is always incomplete because I need the approval of my father. That created all kinds of problems in my heart, but what I found was it made me ripe for the Father God.” - KB
“God's glory doesn't take a backseat, it doesn't suspend itself in our brokenness, in our confusion; it is a part of how God shows up and shows out in our weakness. There is strength in confessing our fragility and there’s strength in owning our need for healing.” - KB
“I've been so grateful for the brothers and sisters that God has assigned to me that make up His church, that helped to hold my arms up, helped calm me to repentance and helped to heal the wounds that I've become so acutely aware of.” - KB
“If God is not holding the leash on my desires, if He's not holding the leash on my trauma and what I'm enduring, if He is not holding the leash on my world, I am utterly lost. And I need to break away from that mythical idea that I have the leash in hand and I'm only going to be as happy as I'm in control.” - KB
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 26 Oct 2023 - 24min - 462 - Give Up Your Despair To God: Nicole Avant & Gary Miracle
In the bleak aftermath of unspeakable tragedy, it is faith that dawns as our beacon of survival and healing. Faith, by its very nature, is about trust, hope, and a belief that God is in control. It allows us to seek solace and strength in something greater than ourselves, and it provides a comforting balm for our wounded hearts. Both of our guests this week faced heartbreaking circumstances that could have shaken their faith beyond repair, but each of them chose to wait and see what God would do in their lives as they healed from their scars and faced a new way of living through their pain.
Nicole Avant is an author and film producer who grew up around the music business. Her father, Clarence Avant, was known as the Godfather of Black Music, and as an executive in the music business, he furthered the careers of jazz legends like Sarah Vaughn and Jimmy Smith, and was a sought after mentor for artists like Jamie Foxx, David Geffen, Whitney Houston, and others. Nicole’s family life was steeped in music and in faith. It was the faith she would cling to when tragedy struck twice—first, the devastating loss of her mother to the hands of a gunman who invaded their home, and then, the loss of her father shortly after. Author and speaker Gary Miracle unexpectedly found himself on his deathbed in the emergency room, with a 1.7% chance to survive the night. A series of small miracles lined up, and though he ultimately lost all four limbs, Gary’s life was spared, inspiring MercyMe’s hit song, “Say I Won’t.”
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: The Beathard family
Upcoming interview: Rachael Lampa
Think You'll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude
Interview Quotes:
“If I need to understand myself, I always go to a song.” - Nicole Avant
“I always go back to the music because you don't feel alone. You never feel alone.” - Nicole Avant
“The first scripture that my mom made me memorize was Philippians 1:11, ‘May you always be doing those good, kind things which show that you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.’ And that was kind of my mantra.” - Nicole Avant
“My faith was everything to me during the experience [of losing my mother]. It does not take the pain away, but it does help you move through the pain. I was taking it day by day, and then it became, ‘Oh, Lord, minute by minute, minute by minute, give me today.’” - Nicole Avant
“Something that took me years to learn, but I'm grateful that I learned it before this [tragedy], is forgiveness really has nothing to do with condonement.” - Nicole Avant
“What a beautiful thing that you could change your thinking and you could use your imagination. And if you use it wisely and ask for help from the divine, you're going to be okay.” - Nicole Avant
“I want to spend my whole life telling people that God is good and begging people to believe that God is good and convincing people of that, and then when something traumatic happens to me, still living my life like He is really, really good.” - Gary Miracle
“I want to fight for life. I want to learn what it means to live and not just be alive.” - Gary Miracle
“I'm still here and I'm still alive and I'm still present, and now I get to gladly say that I am in prosthetic legs and God's grace has been so sufficient and so good for me through this season.” - Gary Miracle
“I get to say that there were only setbacks in my life because I thought they were setbacks in that moment, but looking back, they weren't setbacks at all. Christ was still working out my story and I just wanted it to be a lot faster and happen sooner than He wanted it to. So I had what I call setbacks, but Christ calls them next steps.“ - Gary Miracle
“Be vulnerable enough to tell just one person who you really are, because what I've learned right now in my life is through the sharing of my struggles, both visible and invisible, I've never been more loved in my entire life when I thought I would be judged for all of that.” - Gary Miracle
“I believe that there is going to be a day that I am going to be running down the streets of gold with my brand new legs, with my son Ellis, side by side, and I can't wait to meet him and I can't wait to be there. And I can't wait to meet all of you all there as well. So join me in chasing Jesus.” - Gary Miracle
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 19 Oct 2023 - 30min - 461 - Discovering God’s Unique Recipe For Our Lives: Chefs Aarti Sequeira & Darnell Ferguson
In a big world, we might feel a little lost in the mix, like there’s nothing really special about us. But much like a chef skillfully combines ingredients to create the perfect recipe, God uses challenges, experiences, and talents to give us all a one-of-a-kind design. This week, Food Network personality and author Aarti Sequeira shares how cooking as a hobby turned into a sacred place for her, and how the conversations she would have with God in the kitchen led to a deep and meaningful relationship with Him, and with others who came to dine at her table. Chef Darnell Ferguson came from a place in the inner city where he couldn’t find much to believe in—much less himself. It took a special teacher to see the spark of talent he had, and though he would continue to struggle with feeling forgotten and alone, an encounter with God at church turned his world around. After we hear Aarti’s and Darnell’s stories, be sure to stay with us until the end of the show for a special reading from Reba McEntire herself, straight from her new audiobook, Not That Fancy.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Melissa d’Arabian
Upcoming interview: Nicole Avant
Interview Quotes:
“Growing up in Dubai, I was like, well, I'm not Arab, I'm not English, I've always felt like I don't quite fit in here. But the beautiful thing about that is that I think it put in me this heart of wanting to connect with people, finding something in common with them so that we could feel connected.” - Aarti Sequeira
“I started to feel really worthless because my identity was so wrapped up in achieving professionally and being a journalist. Once that was taken away from me, who even was I anymore? I felt like a failure.” - Aarti Sequeira
“I felt like God would teach me and meet me in the slicing of the vegetables, the sizzling of the garlic and those things. He would just remind me, ‘I am Creator and you are made in my image, and so when you are cooking, this is you acting out of Me.’” - Aarti Sequeira
“When I cooked, the kitchen became this place of real sanctuary for me, a place where the chaos of my life could turn into order, where I could take a mess of ingredients and turn them into something beautiful, nourishing, helpful, purposeful. It really sort of took me over.” - Aarti Sequeira
“I want people to recognize that when they are in any way impressed by anything I'm saying or doing or cooking or creating, it's not me. If you knew who I was before the Lord took me, I was unremarkable.” - Aarti Sequeira
“The very basic nature of sitting elbow to elbow with someone and talking to them face to face is something that our soul is actually aching for.” - Aarti Sequeira
“I feel so, so grateful that I have this filter of Jesus through which I look at the whole world. I look at every person through it, and I just have so much compassion for people because of that.” - Aarti Sequeira
“I had to learn the hard way. And it also made me understand how much I need forgiveness, how much I need grace, because I know where I came from and I know where a lot of people are at today.” - Darnell Ferguson
“If you can attach yourself to the truth about what God says about who you are, it will change your entire life. You can do way more than you ever imagined.” - Darnell Ferguson
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 12 Oct 2023 - 24min - 460 - The Gift of Music to Heal Our Broken Spirits: Kelly Lang and Chris Brown
Music holds an incredible spiritual power that can't be easily defined. It serves as a universal language, connecting people across cultures and experiences, and has a mysterious way of mirroring our innermost feelings and thoughts. The gift God gave us through music can heal, uplift, and inspire, providing spiritual nourishment and a deeper sense of connection to the world around us.
Singer/songwriter Kelly Lang found herself in a dark place after an unexpected and frightening breast cancer diagnosis. As she contemplated her mortality, she started to look at the world with different eyes, and was inspired to write songs about her experiences during a season that would greatly test her strength. Chris Brown, a worship leader and songwriter at Elevation Church, has written amazing songs of worship during his life that help people feel closer to God. Chris describes how music got him through some difficult times, including the loss of his mom, and how God shows up for Him in those challenging places.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Francesca Battistelli
Upcoming interview: Aarti Sequeira
Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospitals
Kelly Lang’s latest album ‘Dragonfly’ features the single “I Think It’s Jesus” as well as “I’m Not Going Anywhere,” “Life Sentence,” and more! Lang’s advocacy for breast cancer awareness came full circle with her Grand Ole Opry debut at Opry Goes Pink, the annual event honoring breast cancer patients.
Here Again
Written by Chris Brown, Amy Corbett and Steven Furtick
© 2018 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (BMI) (admin. at EssentialMusicPublishing.com)
Interview Quotes:
“I survived with an attitude of gratitude and looking at things positively, like, Okay, I've got breast cancer, but at least I'm here. I was just grasping at every little detail because the people that I surrounded myself with taught me that. You could choose to live in a dark place or you could choose to live in a lighter place.” - Kelly Lang
“It's so important to daily set aside time with [God] so that these truths get rooted deeper into my spirit, into my mind, that whatever I'm worried about or facing right now, God is in it with me.” - Chris Brown
“Spending time with Jesus every single day is watering and tending to the garden of my soul.” - Chris Brown
“I need those moments where God can also pull out things in my heart and in my spirit that don't belong there, and He can reveal those things to me.” - Chris Brown
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 05 Oct 2023 - 18min - 459 - Casting Out the Shadows of Shame With the Power of Love: Kerry Washington and Anh Lin
It doesn’t matter how much we achieve, or how much we do to show ourselves as worthy, haunting doubts can creep in, making us question our value and undercutting our confidence. Sometimes these feelings stem from an internal comparison with others around us, as we measure our lives against others' highlight reels. However, there is a hope for the dark feelings we have that tell us we’re not enough, or that no one truly cares. The transformative power of God’s love encourages us to shed layers of self-doubt and replace them with an armor of self-acceptance and appreciation. In the face of this love, shame dwindles, losing its power to control our emotions and actions.
This week, actress Kerry Washington plumbs the depths of her family history to vulnerably reveal her own history, and found that she carried shame which made her feel unworthy and unlovable—which manifested into anxiety she would carry into adulthood. Through the help of therapy, prayer, and understanding her story, Kerry began vulnerably sharing her deepest secrets, and learned to love herself by letting go of shame. With a mixture of home design styling, DIY projects, and preaching from God's Word, Anh Lin has created a truly unique space on her YouTube channel, Girl and The Word. Anh recalls one of her darkest moments when she thought to herself, No one truly loves you, when she felt God comforting her and assuring her of her worth. Now, she works to help others transform spaces into healing sanctuaries of peace and reflection.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Carley Summers
Upcoming interview: Kelly Lang
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Girl and The Word YouTube channel
Interview Quotes:
“I really have been on a journey to figure out how to take care of myself and provide a sense of safety for myself that helps me stay out of depression and anxiety.” - Kerry Washington
“We are each of us a child of God. We all deserve to be loved unconditionally. We are all worthy. We are no less than or no greater than any other person.” - Kerry Washington
“We don't all have the same journeys, but we do share these common human, unifying experiences of wanting to be loved, wanting to be seen, knowing what it's like to be afraid, knowing what it's like to love, knowing what it's like to have our hearts broken.” - Kerry Washington
“My children and my husband are 100% proof of God to me. Each of us is a crazy, brilliant miracle, just a God blessed miracle to be here.” - Kerry Washington
“My deepest relationships with God have come in my most challenging times. I think those ebbs and flows in life happen to invite us to get closer to goodness, closer to faith, closer to God.” - Kerry Washington
“I had that experience of [God] coming to me when I was at my darkest stage, when I had wanted nothing to do with Him or anything to do with any religion, He still saw His broken daughter and it broke His heart. And He reached out to me.” - Anh Lin
“I generally just look at the things that surround me, such as land or paint or whatever I have within my vicinity, and I really allow the Lord to inspire me in what He wants me to do next, creative wise.” - Anh Lin
“I feel like if we are searching for that next creative project that would really glorify Him, just allow Him to inspire us in unexpected ways, and then open the Bible and see what the scriptures have to say about that.” - Anh Lin
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 28 Sep 2023 - 27min - 458 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Connecting to God: Prayer & Your Enneagram Type with Jackie Brewster
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we hear from author and Enneagram coach Jackie Brewster. Jackie shares with us how the Enneagram personality test can help us learn more about ourselves and how we can apply that knowledge to deepen our relationship with God.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @enneagramwithjb
Twitter: @jb_rewster
Instagram: @enneagramwithjb
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 26 Sep 2023 - 13min - 457 - Your Emotions Matter to God: Julie Chen Moonves & Dr. Anita Phillips
Have you ever been told that you are “too emotional?” Perhaps there are times we feel like we’re failing because we’re feeling. But the truth is, God created us to be emotional beings. Jesus Himself experienced an intense spectrum of emotions—He embraced the sadness, the loneliness, and the anger that all of us feel—and by meeting those feelings, He was able to respond to people in ways that demonstrated emotional maturity and love.
News anchor and host of Big Brother Julie Chen Moonves always prioritized her career, and committed herself to every opportunity in her path, until she began to notice a deep sense of loneliness, and realized that in her pursuit of success she had tuned God out of her life. When she started to tune back into Him, she found the peace she’d been so desperately longing for. Dr. Anita Phillips has studied the intersections of mental health, faith, and culture—and made the discovery that Jesus was an intensely emotional being, and through His example, we can know that there’s an incredible amount of good that can come when we learn to embrace our emotions instead of running from them.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Gary Chapman
Upcoming interview: Kerry Washington
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Interview Quotes:
“There is no such thing as coincidence. God is in control. God either ordains it or He allows it.” - Julie Chen Moonves
“If you don't put God first, what do you have? Everything you have is because of Him, and I didn't realize that until I was closing in on fifty, because I spent the first forty-eight years of my life ignoring God and having false idols.” - Julie Chen Moonves
“It's easier to be in this world and look at everything just from your lens. Now, I know it's not about my lens, it's about His lens. Everything is about His agenda, not mine. That's what Amen means, it means Thy will be done. Not my will, Thy will.”- Julie Chen Moonves
“God knows how to give you what you need, depending on what you're going through at that moment in your life.” - Julie Chen Moonves
“He has changed how I live, what I prioritize, how I think, how I speak, how I act, how I treat other people, whether I know them or not. Tomorrow is expected, but it is not promised. So having God first in my life has made everyone else in my life have a better relationship with me. It's a trickle-down effect.” - Julie Chen Moonves
“God created gardens to give us an understanding of how He created us. Eden wasn't just about where we lived, it was about how we function.” - Dr. Anita Phillips
“Every time Jesus allowed the full expression of His emotion, power followed, and I never once saw Jesus repent for feeling.” - Dr. Anita Phillips
“We must recognize that emotion is a bodily experience and that we have to allow ourselves to be in its presence, to feel it, and allow it to pass through us just as Jesus did.” - Dr. Anita Phillips
“There is nothing unholy about my emotions, and my emotions matter so much to God.” - Dr. Anita Phillips
“Once we know what we need, then we can get our needs met. But when we refuse to get our needs met, when we refuse to water the soil of our hearts with what it needs, we undermine our entire life.” - Dr. Anita Phillips
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 21 Sep 2023 - 30min - 456 - When Our Most Broken Moments Reveal God’s Grace: Madison Prewett Troutt & Dr. Esau McCaulley
Making mistakes is an inherent part of our human nature, and a crucial element of our learning and growth. It is through mistakes that we come to realize our imperfections, reassess our actions, and strive for improvement. However, when we are shown grace from others amidst our shortcomings, it transcends the simple act of forgiveness. Grace is a potent demonstration of understanding and compassion, a silent acknowledgment that we are all fallible and capable of erring. It serves as a gentle reminder that mistakes do not define us, but rather, it’s how we rise from them, empowered by the grace we've been granted.
Madison Prewett Troutt, a former contestant from ABC’s The Bachelor who is now an author, always longed to be in a relationship. After breaking up with a person she thought might be “the one” and being thrown into the whirlwind of a reality TV show, Madison found grace through her struggle with finding love by a deeper understanding of the foundation of God’s love in her life. Dr. Esau McCaulley is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and an assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. After learning of his estranged father’s death, Esau had to dig deep to find the words that he would use for his eulogy, which led him down a path to renewed empathy and believing that every life, no matter the mistakes made, is deserving of grace.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Matthew West
Upcoming interview: Julie Chen Moonves
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Interview Quotes:
“Rejection doesn't have to be such a bad thing. Rejection can actually be God's redirection to something better, and it can also be God's protection to keep you from something that you just tried to settle for. He's still in the no’s, just like He's in the yeses.” - Madison Prewett Troutt
“I see what God has done and is continuing to do through me and how He's using my life to just encourage people. And man, just what God can do with a surrendered heart and a yes is truly amazing.” - Madison Prewett Troutt
“It's by the grace of God that I was really able to experience almost all the different versions of relationships in life: the waiting seasons, the heartbreaks, the rejections, the singleness.” - Madison Prewett Troutt
“My goal is to show everybody how to look to God and see ourselves and find deep love amid our culture's shallow ideas about love and romance. Because the truth is, finding love isn't as complicated as we've made it.” - Madison Prewett Troutt
“My mom always told me when I was a kid that, ‘When you get where you're going, don't forget where you came from’ And that's true, but I think it's more than simply remembering where you came from, it’s bringing where you came from with you, and that you bring them through the door of opportunity.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
“When I began to see my father as a person with his own narrative and his own struggles, it gave me the courage to tell the truth. But telling the truth about my father, both his sins and his successes, gave me space to tell the truth about my past.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
“I think that if you're a Christian, a person of faith, and you believe that every single life is sacred, then there are no lives that you can throw away.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
“If God raises the dead, any person's life at any point can change dramatically. Every single life, as long as it's still going on, has a chance to become something beautiful.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
“I think we owe each other attention. This may seem to be like a relatively small request, but before you can actually help someone, you have to actually get to see them. We need to let what we see change us.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
“God never abandons His people. The good news is that we don't have to get it right, but that God gets it right. And if we trust Him, we'll find a way home in the end.” - Dr. Esau McCaulley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 14 Sep 2023 - 22min - 455 - [BONUS] A Tribute Honoring the Life of Sarah Young
Today, we have a very special episode honoring the life of the writer of Jesus Calling and countless other inspiring books, Sarah Young. Sarah left this world for her heavenly home on August 31, 2023. Sarah’s work has had a profound impact, and we’ve been privileged to tell so many stories of that impact here on this podcast with nearly 400 episodes and 700 guests. Nearly 50 million of her books are in the hands of people all over the world, yet Sarah never sought the spotlight for herself. Her sole concern was leading people to a deeper relationship with Christ through her thoughtful and intimate devotionals, which have met so many people in their deepest moments of need. This episode honors her legacy through the heartfelt words of her friend and publisher, Laura Minchew, SVP and Group Publisher of the Children’s and Gift Book Group at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, as well as some special guests whose lives have been directly impacted by Sarah’s work, including:—Lisa Harper, Ainsley Earhardt, Jim Burns, Morgan Harper Nichols, Amy Grant, Margaret Feinberg, and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Links Jesus Calling Podcast
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Mon, 11 Sep 2023 - 14min - 454 - Life-Changing Grace for Our Darkest Moments: Max Lucado & Jeff Allen
We all make mistakes in our lives—big and small—and worry about letting people down, or not living up to who we think we should be. But imagine if someone saw our mistakes, no matter how grave, and instead of chastising us, still believed in us and thought we were amazing? That’s what God’s grace is like. It’s a kind of love that forgives us and gives us a fresh start over and over again, without end.
Author and pastor Max Lucado shares his personal journey from soaring to heights of success to rock bottom moments where he questioned why he was doing what he was doing. Max draws parallels between his experiences and the story of Jacob, and how God’s grace overflows to us, even in our worst moments. Veteran comedian Jeff Allen opens up about the struggles in his life caused by addiction, and the rock bottom moment that led him to seek help, and how he ultimately found his way through a relationship with Christ and the unfailing grace that comes with it.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Michael Jr.
Upcoming interview: Madison Prewett Troutt
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Are We There Yet?: My Journey From a Messed Up to Meaningful Life
Interview Quotes:
“It was a wrestling with God moment, and just like Jacob was brought to his knees, I was brought to mine. And I realized that apart from God, I can't even make it through the day.” - Max Lucado
“God found Jacob in the Badlands and came to him and spoke to him, and God will do the same for us. I believe that God will meet us in those times.” - Max Lucado
“Be obedient. Acknowledge what you've done. Find help, confess it, go to a circle of friends, begin to get your life in order, because the longer you resist Him, the harder it is to accept Him. Make sure you give problems to God before the problems get to you.” - Max Lucado
“We have a huge advantage. We know the pilot. We know what He has guided the church through or people through. We know He's not intimidated. We know we'll be okay. And so the key is not trying to live a life in which we are escaping turbulence or trying to manage the turbulence on our own. The key is making sure we know the pilot.” - Max Lucado
“If God is big, then our problems are small. But if our problems are big, then it usually means our perception of God is small. So make a big deal out of God.” - Max Lucado
“As you learn in the Bible, anything apart from God that you think will make you whole usually destroys you.” - Jeff Allen
“I loved the whole process of standup comedy, but it really wasn't until I got on my knees and I said to Jesus, ‘I'm yours,’ that it all kind of clicked and made sense to me.” - Jeff Allen
“Unless you're doing it for the glory of God, it becomes a chore. But I consider myself blessed that I had the disease of alcoholism because it got me on a journey that ultimately led to Him.” - Jeff Allen
“God knows the world is broken, and He has charged us with repairing a broken world.” - Jeff Allen
“Pray to Jesus and ask Him to show you what He sees in your heart. ‘What do you see in my heart?’” - Jeff Allen
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 07 Sep 2023 - 23min - 453 - The Beauty of Leaning on Each Other: Jordan Davis & Curt Thompson
Having friends and being part of a community can give us strength, understanding, and inspiration. When we have friends who share beliefs and/or support us, it’s like having a team that’s there to always lift us up whether it is spiritually, emotionally, or physically. Through friendships, we can actually help deepen and strengthen our faith by reminding ourselves that we are a part of something greater.
This week singer and songwriter Jordan Davis shares his experiences and conversations with friends and family that taught him about his faith, and his music. Psychiatrist Curt Thompson discusses what it’s like when we walk with someone through their pain, and how it makes us grow in spiritual thought and understanding.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Victoria Osteen
Upcoming interview: Max Lucado
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Interview Quotes:
“Church is right now, us talking about it. Church is waking up and having a quiet time. It's all around. So you could be in a Chevy on a back road. You could be in a deer stand. You can be going through some tough things at home. You just grab your Bible and talk about it.” - Jordan Davis
“We're called to pray for everybody. Seeing the loneliness and some of the mental health issues in the world, like, the only way that I know to combat that is to pray about it and to just say, ‘Lord, I know you have this, but still help me show how I can help in any area….Lord, put somebody in my life today that could use a light, somebody that's lonely that I could help out, somebody that needs some guidance. Put them in the crowd tonight. Let one of my messages get through to them.’ I've just prayed that I get a chance to actually make a difference.” - Jordan Davis
“The reality is that if we have a pulse, if we are human, we suffer.” - Dr. Curt Thompson, M.D.
“Faith in its most real form is really an act of trust that I place in a real person. So when I say I have faith in a person, whether it's Jesus or somebody else, it is because I am offering things about my life to them that I am entrusting to them in real ways. It’s easy for us to talk about having faith in God, we just don't trust human beings. The degree to which we actually trust God is measured in terms of the degree to which we trust others.” - Dr. Curt Thompson, M.D.
“Suffering is what draws us together in so many ways that shapes, deepens, authenticates the relationship that we have, and so opens our minds and hearts and awareness to what it means for us to share in the sufferings that Jesus experienced.” - Dr. Curt Thompson, M.D.
“Our God's vision was for us to be those who, as His image bearers, steward and create and curate beauty and goodness in the world.” - Dr. Curt Thompson, M.D.
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 31 Aug 2023 - 26min - 452 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Prayers for Redemption: Ben Waites
On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we hear from southern gospel artist Ben Waites, who was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that causes his joints to be locked up. Ben shares what it means to him to share hope through his music, the life changing moment one of his songs went viral, leading to a chance to audition for American Idol, and how he continues to spread the message of redemption through his music and his life.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @BenWaitesMinistries
Twitter: @BenWaites
Instagram: @bjwaites
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 29 Aug 2023 - 17min - 451 - Surprising Ways to Find Connection in a Lonely Space: Jo Dee Messina & Larry Randolph and Jennifer Bleakley
One of the most fulfilling aspects of our lives is the opportunity for connection. We were not designed to live life on our own, but today’s world makes it so easy to be self-focused instead of others-focused. John 13 tells us we should love one another as Christ loved us and “…by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” When we ask God to show us places we can connect to others, we will begin to reap the many benefits of those bonds, and also find ways to bless others as well.
Country music trailblazer Jo Dee Messina is known for her chart-topping hits, but in the process of building her legendary career, she found that everything she’d built was crumbling, mostly because she’d tried to do it on her own. That’s when she found God (or actually, He found her), and she began to see the importance of connection with Him, which in turn led her to see her music as her connection point to the world. Founder of Canines for Christ Larry Randolph and author Jennifer Bleakley found ways to connect with their faith through their animal friends, and they share how help and hope is brought to the world through the gift of therapy dogs.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Walker Zimmerman
Upcoming interview: Jordan Davis
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizens certification
Interview Quotes:
“I think at the very end of myself is where in my spirit, in my soul, I sensed Jesus saying, ‘She's mine.’” - Jo Dee Messina
“For me to connect with the fans is more of a humanities thing, being able to have compassion and empathy for someone else's situation, which just happens to be the same as mine.” - Jo Dee Messina
“I was a hot mess. I built a kingdom on my own, I watched it crumble, and even at the very end of that—when everyone else was running away—[God] was running towards me.” - Jo Dee Messina
“Looking back, I can see how God planted seeds in my heart that day that would one day sprout into a career of writing books and stories about all the beautiful ways God works through animals to direct people's hearts and minds to Himself.” - Jennifer Bleakley
“[God] had planned for me all along to have this dog in my life, this basset hound named Gus, to set up what was going to happen next for me, and that was to create a ministry using therapy dogs.” - Larry Randolph
“[A dog] can just put a little paw up on somebody's hand or in a wheelchair or give somebody a little kiss on the cheek, and wag that tail, and all of a sudden you see the loneliness stop and the sadness just go away. And it's beautiful to see how the dogs can just bring that out. It's just that beautiful way of sharing the powerful love of Christ.”- Larry Randolph
“It's so kind of God to provide dogs to step in when people have been hurt by other people. And then here's a beautiful dog that's able to enter into their heart where maybe another person could not, and help them experience the love of God, the tenderness of God, the faithfulness of God.” - Jennifer Bleakley
“If you listen to God and you obey Him, you take one step forward, God will be there with you through the steps and He will guide you through it and amazing things can happen.” - Larry Randolph
“Just that practice of having an animal sit with you as you sit with the Savior, and a tangible reminder that we're never truly alone, that God Almighty, the God of all comfort and hope, is with us. And I think that is just one of the many, many gifts that our animals can give us. It's really an invitation to see ourselves in this story and to ask and to ponder, What might God be asking me to do?” - Jennifer Bleakley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
________________________
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Thu, 24 Aug 2023 - 23min - 450 - Yearning for the Divine: Dennis Quaid & Makenzie Phipps
The search for God is a deeply personal endeavor, often paralleling our journey to self-discovery. As we seek to know more about Him, we might read books, listen to sermons, or study Scripture. These all add to our understanding of who God is, but the best way to find Him is simply to talk to Him like you would a friend. And in case we think that we have to pray a certain way, or act a certain way to talk to God, we can rest in the knowledge that a relationship with Him doesn't demand perfection; instead, it thrives on authenticity and humility, fostering a safe space for exploration, growth, and understanding.
When actor Dennis Quaid was a young man, he went on a quest to find Him by simply asking along the way one question: Who is God? After much searching and not finding anything that filled the vacant space inside him, he returned to the faith of his childhood and found the joys of a relationship with Jesus. Country singer Makenzie Phipps has been playing music from a very young age, much to the delight of her grandmother who has supported her all along the way. But now, Makenzie has found herself in a place of needing to support her grandmother as she faces the long decline of Alzheimer’s disease, and now she’s seeking God through it all.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Cam Ayala
Upcoming interview: Jo Dee Messina
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Fallen: A Gospel Album for Sinners
Interview Quotes:
“God was always over there or He was out there and not here, and it was just something about what Jesus said. He's a personal experience that you have with Him, rather than something that's just an idea…It's about letting go and letting God work in your life, that's all.” - Dennis Quaid
“There's still room for you at the table.” - Dennis Quaid
“We're all sinners, and it's taken me a lot to get the point that Jesus actually came here, and we were forgiven of our sins even before we committed those sins—that's all we need.” - Dennis Quaid
“I just hope people out there do realize that they are not alone, and that everything will work itself out in the end. There definitely will be some things that may take you a step back, but you can only push through and persevere and go to the next step because it's always just a climbing journey.” - Makenzie Phipps
“I just feel like God has a path for everybody and I feel like He's paving the way for me in my music. Every day is just a new opportunity and a new experience, and I just have to leave everything in His hands because He knows what He wants me to do at the end of the day and I just have to trust Him.” - Makenzie Phipps
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 17 Aug 2023 - 21min - 449 - Finding Faith In A World of Uncertainty: Austin and Marideth Telenko & Tom Rudelius
In our uncertain world, the quest for faith often becomes a beacon of hope and assuredness. Amid the constant fluctuations of the world, God emerges as a grounding force; offering us a sense of purpose and direction when navigating a path we’re not sure of. Even when the world around us is shrouded in uncertainty, faith can illuminate our path, fostering resilience, strength, and optimism.
Dancers Austin and Marideth Telenko met in New York, both pursuing dance careers. Barely a month into their dating life, COVID hit, and the jobs they had dancing fizzled as shows and studios closed. Temporarily relocating to North Carolina, and uncertain about their future, they sought God for guidance, and were led to an opportunity that changed everything. Tom Rudelius is a scientist who began studying the mysteries of the universe long before he would ever have questions about the God of the Universe. His twin brother, who had recently become a Christian, encouraged him to explore his faith; so Tom pursued the truth of the Gospel, very much like he pursued scientific truths, and was amazed by what he found.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Myron Rolle
Upcoming interview: Dennis Quaid
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
University of California Berkeley
Interview Quotes:
“There's a lot of people, there's a lot of noise and voices telling you exactly who you should be and exactly what you should look like and exactly what you need to do to get to where you need to go. And I think it's really easy to sort of lose yourself in that noise, which is something that I struggled with a lot.“ - Marideth Telenko
“It was really a risky moment of me being like, ‘This is what I have to do for my life, and if that does not align with you, that's okay.’ And I think that I really had to let [Austin] find it on his own.” - Meredith Telenko
“Putting our faith and our careers in His hands—man, look at what the Lord does, because we would have never, ever in a million years thought that coming out of the pandemic we would be in the position we're in.” - Marideth Telenko
“We always try to make sure that the light shining through us is brighter than the light shining on us.” - Marideth Telenko
“I think that science tells us how the world works in the absence of supernatural intervention, but it doesn't tell us whether or not supernatural intervention is possible in the first place.” - Dr. Tom Rudelius, Ph.D.
“If we're going to talk about Jesus's miracles, we should really talk about it through the lens of the Christian worldview. If the Christian worldview is true, then the miracles of Jesus aren't just these random acts that happened for no good reason, but they're actually a key part of the whole story of what God was doing through Jesus.” - Dr. Tom Rudelius, Ph.D.
“The moment I became a Christian wasn't the moment that I sat down and I did this calculation and decided that Christianity was more likely true than false. It was the moment that I realized that I actually needed these things, that the gospel [my brother] Steve had been telling me about offered, things like forgiveness and hope and eternal life and the Holy Spirit.” - Dr. Tom Rudelius, Ph.D.
“And so to me, it's when I started appreciating that overarching narrative in the Bible and how it fits onto my own experience that the Bible really came alive for me.” - Dr. Tom Rudelius, Ph.D.
“That's what makes it actually so incredible, the gospel of Christianity, that God would look down at us, just this tiny little planet, a seemingly insignificant species, and He would actually decide to become one of us and to come into our world and to suffer and to die so that we could have life.” - Dr. Tom Rudelius, Ph.D.
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 10 Aug 2023 - 27min - 448 - Finding Our Way Back From Hopelessness: Dr. W. Lee Warren & Lily Taylor
Hope holds great significance in our lives and can shape our attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. As hope affects our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, the absence of it can cause adverse results. For Christians, hope is not merely a positive emotion or wishful thinking but is deeply rooted in faith and trust in God's promises. Life is hard, but we don't have to give in to hopelessness. Though seasons of grief and sadness will come, it is possible, as Paul says in the Bible, to be “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
This week, we’ll hear from neurosurgeon Dr. W. Lee Warren, who shares about what hopelessness can do to our minds and spirits, how he wrestled with the idea that we can have a hard life and still have an abundant life, and what he did to cope after tragically losing his son. Author Lily Taylor shares about the devastation she experienced when her son was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and how by keeping God at the center, she was able to hang on to hope for herself and her son.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kirk Cousins
Upcoming interview: Austin and Marideth Telenko
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Interview Quotes:
“I was trying to figure out how to be a good doctor to people when I couldn't save [my patients], and how to be a good brother in the Lord to people when I couldn't save their bodies.” - Dr. W. Lee Warren
“The last thing I heard my son say in this life was, ‘I love you.’” - Dr. W. Lee Warren
“I had to say, ‘God, this doesn't feel like refinement. It feels like you're burning me up.’ But if I want to move forward in my life, I'm going to have to find some way to redeem this time and make something out of it that [my son] Mitch could be proud of.” - Dr. W. Lee Warren
“What happens with the gift of time, as time passes, God opens your eyes in a new way, and the light comes back on a little bit and you start being able to see ways in which those promises are actually true.” - Dr. W. Lee Warren
“Tragic events happen in our lives, and the bad news is they happen to all of us, but the good news is there really is a way back.” - Dr. W. Lee Warren
“We heard the news that [our son Stephen] was going to be sentenced to a very long prison term, and it was really hard. So we just had to do what we had been doing up to that point when we heard the news, which was to just turn to God and say, ‘Okay, God, you can still work a miracle here.’” - Lily Taylor
“[Our son Stephen] started getting a little bit of joy back because he started to feel that presence, get comfort and peace from the fact that God was so big, so loving, so amazing that nothing that he was facing was going to be impossible to face.” - Lily Taylor
“Your destiny is not defined by what you did, a detour is not your destiny. Your destiny is whatever God says it is, and your job is just to be faithful to whatever light He gives you on your path today.” - Lily Taylor
“God showed us that there's absolutely nothing that He can't use for good. God hears those prayers. It may not look like anything good in the natural, but in God's economy, He is covering it and He does hear our prayers and He does answer our prayers.” - Lily Taylor
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 03 Aug 2023 - 26min - 447 - Nurturing Faith and Filtering Harmful Voices: Leslie Schilling & Bianca Juarez Olthoff
Belief is a crucial factor in personal growth and success. It fuels our determination, inspires resilience, and empowers us to overcome challenges. When we trust what is true we are less influenced by the opinions and judgments of others, which can often be hindered by their own limitations or biases. The object of our faith and belief must be sound, reliable, and constant. When we define our worth by a divine standard instead of the perceptions of others, we find greater self-confidence, authenticity, and ultimately, fulfillment.
This week, author and registered dietitian Leslie Schilling shares her philosophy on having a “full and fed” life where we resist what society tells us is “healthy,” and decide that the bodies God gave us, no matter their size or shape, are miraculous. Author and preacher Bianca Juarez Olthoff shares how she defied the voices that told her that she was “prone to fail” by believing her status as a child of God would bring her a true definition of success.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Upcoming interview: Dr. W. Lee Warren
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Interview Quotes:
“It's important to have a healthy relationship with food so we can actually feed ourselves, so we can have the energy to go out and connect with others and take care of those we love around us and do our jobs. We have to be fed to live this life well.” - Leslie Schilling
“My hope is that people realize that it's never wrong to feed yourself and that we are diverse by design so we can move into more of a fed and full life.” - Leslie Schilling
“Diet culture has made us not trust our bodies and not believe that body diversity is by design.” - Leslie Schilling
“I think connecting with God daily helps us have a healthy mindset. If we really think about what healthy means, it's our own definition of healthy and not the world's definition of healthy. And for me, that's starting my day with time with God.” - Leslie Schilling
“I think pursuing health in a way that aligns with our individual values can help us spiritually by being fed. If you are living a fed life and not a restricted one, you can do more.” - Leslie Schilling
“No matter what I walked into, no matter what people said, no matter what my test scores evaluated me as, I knew that I was a child of God, and with God on my side and a whole lot of work, you can step into the God call upon your life with or without a traditional educational story or a traditional story of how you were raised.” - Bianca Juarez Olthoff
“We all love an underdog story, but I think it was more the Spirit of God reminding us of our truest identity, that we have a good Father who hears us and loves us.” - Bianca Juarez Olthoff
“This idea of grit, this idea of resilience, this idea of perseverance has been something that has been fostered and fought for in my life.” - Bianca Juarez Olthoff
“Our God is the God who redeems. If the situation is not good, then God is not done, that is the perspective that we need. That perspective allows us to be gritty.“ - Bianca Juarez Olthoff
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 27 Jul 2023 - 21min - 446 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Securing Our Identity in Christ: Nona Jones
On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking with the head of faith-based partnerships at Facebook, preacher, and author Nona Jones about why we often compare ourselves to other people and their accomplishments, using that as a marker of our worthiness, and how she has had to deliberately learn to refocus her mind on her spiritual value as God’s beloved child.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @NonaNotNora
Instagram: @nonanotnora
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 25 Jul 2023 - 13min - 445 - When Our Losses Take Us To Healing: Philip Yancey & Mike Nappa
Even though it may not feel like it, grief can be a source of great hope. The way that we react against what is wrong comes from a deep desire for things to be made right. Our loss may actually lead to healing and restoration. The Bible assures us that better days are coming when God Himself will wipe every tear from our eyes. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,” it says in Revelation, “for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)
Our guests this week have walked through deep and unexpected grief and what even seemed like unfair losses. Best-selling Christian author Philip Yancey uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death while he was still in college, one that illuminated the sometimes overbearing religious convictions of his mother. Yancey shares how he dove into his family’s origins and how he ultimately found healing from what he calls “toxic faith.” After nearly thirty years of marriage, author Mike Nappa lost his dear wife, Amy, to cancer. Mike turned to scripture to help him get through the day and to cope with processing his grief—and even today, he sees how grief and joy can coexist.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Eddie Montgomery
Upcoming interview: Leslie Schilling
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
What's So Amazing About Grace?
American civil rights movement
Reflections of the Grieving Soul
Interview Quotes:
“When you grow up in a church environment, it's easy to learn how to behave, how to give a testimony, how to pray, how to do the things that look spiritual. And then one day you wake up and wonder, Is this just a learned behavior pattern that I have, or is it genuine? Am I really connecting to the God of the universe?“ - Philip Yancey
“I started looking for people who were made larger by their faith.“ - Philip Yancey
“Don't just give up on God because of the way God may have been presented to you. It's worth that quest to try to find who God really is and to find that God loves you. And God indeed does imagine a role for you on this earth that no one else has. That's why we were created. We were created in God's image to reflect something of God back to others.” - Philip Yancey
“There's nothing that you can do to get God to love you more. No amount of spiritual calisthenics, no amount of trying to be more spiritual than everybody else—there's nothing you can do for God to love you less.” - Philip Yancey
“God wants to remake us in a way that's good for us. God wants to restore us. God wants to give us a calling, a reason for being, a reason to live on this planet, and grace is the attitude that God has toward us all the time.” - Philip Yancey
“I understand that God is really who He said He was, just like I thought He was before, in the moments of great joy and in the moments of great sorrow. And He is always near in the moments of great joy, and when it gets hard, He doesn't step back and run away. He'll just stand there and stay with you.” - Mike Nappa
“The grief that we have is not something to be thrown aside any more than love would be thrown aside. The grief that we have is something to visit and understand and take value and take benefit from.” - Mike Nappa
“I don't have to be consumed by grief. It can just be part of who I am as I also experience joy and happiness.” - Mike Nappa
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 20 Jul 2023 - 32min - 444 - Country Music & Faith: The Stage, the Songs, and the Soul
In celebration of CMA Fest 2023—a country music festival that takes place in Nashville, Tennessee—we’ve got a special episode showcasing country music and faith. We’ll revisit some favorite episodes from country singers who share their stories of heartache, joy, struggles and success–—and how they trusted God through it all, including interviews with Brett Young, Lathan Warlick, Tayla Lynn, Granger & Amber Smith, Reba McEntire with her sisters Susie and Alice, and Travis Tritt.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interviews: Larry Fleet, Lauren Alaina, Randy and Mary Travis, Aaron Tippin, Gary LeVox
Upcoming interview: Philip Yancey
Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt
Reba McEntire with her sisters Susie and Alice
Interview Quotes:
“I moved to Nashville and God said, ‘Here you go, here's your career.’ And from that moment on, I made writing songs important and I made being authentic in my songwriting important, because I feel like that is the only way to connect with your fans.” - Brett Young
“God was calling me to be a light out into the world.” - Lathan Warlick
“I never felt abandoned. I never felt like God wasn't there. I always knew any time that I wasn't feeling God, it was because that was of my own doing. God is everything to me. Jesus is everything to me. You know, it's always been that way.” - Tayla Lynn
“If you believe like we do that God is sovereign, then [our son] River had three years on this Earth and all of our days are numbered and we have to surrender to that and accept that. And then just do the next best thing to try to move forward to still continue to grow our faith.” - Granger & Amber Smith
“I'm one of those people that can look back and say, honestly, my dreams have more than come true.” - Travis Tritt
“When I don't have anything else to pray about, I just stop and I say, ‘Thank you, God, thank you. I don't know what's coming next. I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I just want to say thank you.’” - Susie McEntire-Eaton
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 13 Jul 2023 - 39min - 443 - Believing In The Impossible: Chapel Hart & Andy Partington
Our guests this week speak to living a life where they’re seeing things they never thought possible come to fruition, and how faith factored into those events. From singing in small town church choirs to receiving the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent, country trio band Chapel Hart never thought they’d be where they are today, playing music for audiences all over the country and sharing their faith. Andy Partington, author of Hope in Addiction, grew up in a rehabilitation center where his parents worked. He discovered from a young age that recovery from addiction is possible no matter your story, and found his passion for helping addicts see there is hope in Christ for a better future.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Chang
Upcoming interview: Brett Young, Lathan Warlick, Tayla Lynn, Granger & Amber Smith, Travis Tritt, and Reba McEntire along with her sisters Susie and Alice
Interview Quotes:
“It's been a joy for us to watch God bless people through our music and through our presence because we prayed before every show, ‘God just allow us to be the vessels, may nothing that we say be to glorify us, may all be to glorify You, but more than that, make people hear You through what we do and what we say.’” - Danica Hart
“Every day won't be perfect, but we know that it's all a part of the journey, and that it makes the glory days what it is.” - Devynn Hart
“You're in your glory days and because these are the times of your life, it doesn't exempt you from loss and grief and disappointment and heartbreak. All of those things still happen while you're in your glory days, and our faith has been instrumental in being on this journey.” - Danica Hart
“Even in the things that you don't understand, trust that He's got your path laid out, that the path is there ,and everything you need for your journey is already inside of you, but you've just got to trust that He'll lead you there.” - Danica Hart
“Really, addiction is this experience of losing the power to choose, and recovery is discovering again that that power to choose addiction lives on a continuum.” - Andy Partington
“We live in an age of addiction. Let's talk about addiction. Let's think about addiction, and let's work together, really, to create communities where we have the depth of relationship with one another and the depth of relationship with God, where actually we have a recovery promoting, and an addiction-preventing environment for one another.” - Andy Partington
“When we're in addiction, it's not about pleasure…it's about the avoidance of pain. It's about getting away from something, not moving towards something else, and I think that helps us as we walk alongside those who are in addiction. It helps us to understand what's making them take, what's keeping them in the addiction.” - Andy Partington
“We're not made to be alone. We're made to be together. At a societal level, if we want to ask ourselves why we are seeing so much addiction, those are the kinds of things we need to think about.” - Andy Partington
“A relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is absolutely transformative for our experience of life, as well as our eternal hope…whether you're in addiction or you're leaving addiction, God wants to hear from you. He wants to enjoy spending time with you.” - Andy Partington
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 06 Jul 2023 - 23min - 442 - A Time to Grieve, A Time to Heal: Jimi Cravity & Leslie Means
There are no guarantees that we won’t face heartache and disappointment in life. But God guarantees that there is deep meaning in all the seasons of our life, and that grief can eventually give way to joy. This is reiterated in scripture, where in John 16:20, it says “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” Whether we are grieving the loss of a person, or experiencing disappointment that we haven’t found what we’re looking for in life, God will find a way to bring us beauty from the ashes.
Singer and songwriter Jimi Cravity is a two-time Dove Award nominee whose music has made its way into the hands of artists like Ludacris and Usher. Cravity faced the tragic loss of his son and made a stunning discovery about God and music during his deepest sadness. Leslie Means thought she was living her dream as a news anchor, but always felt that she was made for something more. With the encouragement of her husband Kyle, Leslie stepped away from her news job and went on to create an online community that helps women in times of need—Her View From Home—and found what she’d been meant to do all along.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Luke Weaver
Upcoming interview: Chapel Hart
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Interview Quotes:
“Of course, as a parent, you never want to become a bereaved parent. You never want to deal with loss, but what I can say now on the other side is that God has given me beauty for ashes, that He's given me a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness, that He has turned despair into dancing, and I'm thankful for that.” - Jimi Cravity
“I remember there were Sundays where all I could do was just go into the service and I would just go to the altar and kneel and weep. And it was in those moments that I felt very near to Christ, that I felt very near to God, that I felt the nearness of His Spirit, that I felt strength, that I felt Him in those moments of bowing and kneeling at the altar there.” - Jimi Cravity
“The Bible says that God is near to those who are brokenhearted. And I think it's really clear to feel that when you feel blessed, when everything is going your way, when you feel like you're on top of the world–but it's challenging to feel that and remember that when you are experiencing loss and when you're experiencing some of the darkest days that you could possibly experience.” - Jimi Cravity
“I remember driving around for my lunch breaks and I would call my mom. I would call her every day and I'd say, ‘Something is missing. I'm not where I'm supposed to be.’” - Leslie Means
“I knew that God had such a bigger plan for this [Her View From Home website], something that I could never even fathom. And I remember specifically being like, ‘Okay, God, I'm going to keep going on this site as long as you want me to.’” - Leslie Means
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 29 Jun 2023 - 24min - 441 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Resting on Faith During Seasons Of Waiting: Aaron Watson
On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to country music singer/songwriter Aaron Watson, who shares how an injury to his vocal chords necessitated a need for him to come off the road and rest his voice–with no guarantees that his voice would return. Aaron tells us how scary it was to consider that he may not sing again, but how he chose to trust that God would provide for him, and how he was motivated to tell others about God’s grace in a new way.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @aaronwatsonmusic
Twitter: @aaron_watson
Instagram: @aaronwatsonmusic
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 27 Jun 2023 - 13min - 440 - Hope Can Come From Our Broken Stories: Alice Marie Johnson & Christina Zorich
Sometimes the people we least expect to make a difference in the world are the ones that show up in ways we never thought possible, and are used by God in big ways to draw others to Him.
Alice Marie Johnson had been sentenced to life in federal prison, but she didn’t let it define her. She consistently clung to her faith and then became a minister to other prisoners—despite the tragic circumstances—and she is now an active criminal justice reform advocate. While following anti-human traffickers in Southeast Asia to film a documentary, Christina Zorich witnessed the crippling heartache victims faced, and saw how God can bring hope and healing to anyone, anywhere.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Aaron Tippin
Upcoming interview: Jimi Cravity
Interview Quotes:
“I knew that the Lord was with me, because I had peace even standing there [in the courtroom] that I can't even explain to this day how I could be calm hearing that sentence, that executed sentence of death being pronounced over me.” - Alice Marie Johnson
“I asked the Lord, ‘Please show me my purpose in this. Show me what you have for me in this. There's got to be more than this. If You could use me in prison, use me wherever I am, Lord. Let my life stand for something.’” - Alice Marie Johnson
“I know that it was a sovereign hand of God. For someone to see me as a human being worth a second chance, worth redemption, I know that it was God.” - Alice Marie Johnson
“Going on the journey [following anti-traffickers in Asia] was actually in some ways so simple, because I had to be so dependent on God. I had to be so dependent on just getting every little opportunity, appreciating it, and if I made a mistake, I had to learn from the lesson.” - Christina Zorich
“I realized the simplicity of the experience really helped guide me and made my life just simpler in a way. Because when you're doing something for the first time, that wide-eyed openness makes you appreciate things and value things. And the experience and the journey changed me in many ways.” - Christina Zorich
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 22 Jun 2023 - 32min - 439 - Trusting The Father Who Will Always Be There: Kirk Cousins & Jay and Rae Anne Payleitner
Fathers can be quite the influence in our lives—sometimes positively, and sadly, sometimes negatively. No matter where we stand with our earthly fathers, we can know that we matter to God the Father. There’s a verse in 2 Corinthians 6:16 that contains this promise from God: “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people… and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty.” This promise is available to everyone who calls out to their Father God.
This week’s guests were blessed to have loving relationships with their fathers, and in turn have become fathers who pray for their children, and teach them about the love of their heavenly Father. NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins shares about the challenges and triumphs of his NFL career, and also about the challenges and rewards of being a father—and how he prays for his children daily. Author Jay Payleitner and his daughter, Rae Anne, open up about how to navigate seasons of change in the father/daughter relationship to maintain a strong and loving bond over the years.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dionne Warwick and Damon Elliott
Upcoming interview: Alice Marie Johnson
Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation
Interview Quotes:
"I look back now and see that God is so much bigger than our circumstances. What I thought was a dead end ended up being really a tremendous path that set me on a dream course to go where I was hoping to go. So I look back now and realize, Lord, you've got a plan. It's not always going to be as straight and easy as I would like it to be, but I’ve got to trust you." - Kirk Cousins
“It had to be God's hand leading my life, which is what it should all be about, that He gets the glory and not us.” - Kirk Cousins
“I found that what's so powerful about the Jesus Calling resources is that no matter what you're walking through circumstantially that's unique to you, so many times the message of that day's word can apply to what you're dealing with. It's powerful the way that it can speak so specifically to people's situations. “ - Kirk Cousins
“When I pray for opportunities to share my faith, God answers and provides those opportunities. So between praying for it, being ready for it, and then trying to walk it out on a daily basis, I think it becomes a great opportunity to treat a locker room almost like a mission field, if you will.” - Kirk Cousins
“I think it's important that you shine your light in such a way that other people would start to think about how they can be generous as well.” - Kirk Cousins
“I think the key to all relationships that span the course of decades, which of course a father daughter relationship will, is understanding that both people are going to evolve and change. And the key is to evolve together, and to embrace that you're evolving.” - Rae Anne Payleitner
“It should be as if your faith runs through you like a thread through a needle, so that everything you do is stitched with it.” - Rae Anne Payleitner
“You want your daughter to have her own faith, because she can't get to heaven, she can't be her best self, if she is piggybacking on your faith. She has to own her own faith.” - Jay Payleitner
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 15 Jun 2023 - 28min - 438 - You’re Valued in God’s Eyes, No Matter What: Lynn Cowell, Michelle Nietert, & Donnie Griggs
Regardless of the career path you chose, the level of education you have, who you married or didn’t marry, or what you’ve accomplished in life, you hold priceless value in God’s eyes. The timeless verse from John 3:16 brings us comfort that God gave His Son for us—and that no matter what, He died for our sins, and because of that sacrifice, we will have eternal life.
This week’s guests remind us that God’s unconditional love applies in all circumstances. Professional counselor Michelle Nietert and Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Lynn Cowell have written a new book called Managing Your Emojis where they encourage young people to explore their God-given emotions toward a healthier mental space. Donnie Griggs has experienced the unique challenges of being a pastor in a small town, and has felt the pull toward something he perceived as bigger or better. But the years in small-town ministry have changed his heart, and he’s seen how it’s possible to make a huge impact in small spaces.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ronnie Martin
Upcoming interview: Kirk Cousins
Interview Quotes:
“I truly believe that when God is involved in the healing process with trauma and when we can use His Word, there's just an additional life-giving factor that a counselor can bring. Because we can bring the presence of God, we can bring the hope of God in the form of the Holy Spirit to someone who's hurting.” - Michelle Nietert
“David expressed feelings of anger, rage, depression, distress, fear, as well as joy and happiness and thankfulness. He expressed so many emotions, and God called David—this man expressing how he felt—a man after His own heart. So if David can be a man after God's heart and express his emotions freely to the Lord, so can I. “ - Lynn Cowell
“There's such a spectrum of emotions, and we want children to learn that they can turn to God to share their emotions with Him—and teaching children that God made these emotions and He can help them to process these feelings, even the most uncomfortable ones.” - Lynn Cowell
“I think one of the healthy coping skills we have to teach our kids before they ever encounter trouble is how to hold on to hope, how to become resilient, and how to persevere through difficult times.” - Michelle Nietert
“There is nothing you are going to face that you and God can't handle together.” - Michelle Nietert
“I think settling that this is where God's put me for the foreseeable future has really helped me stop looking for greener grass somewhere else and helped me stop complaining about where I was, either internally or out loud. It just helped me to resolve, to be content that this is where God wants me.“ - Donnie Griggs
“What we model is that the community we have is because of what Jesus has done for us. And when you look around the room on a Sunday morning, it should feel like nothing about this makes sense except for Jesus and the way that we care for each other.” - Donnie Griggs
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 08 Jun 2023 - 22min - 437 - Creating New Habits Toward a Better Life: Tara-Leigh Cobble & Dr. Jackie Greene
Creating new habits is hard. Oftentimes, we don’t even notice when we’re stuck in how we’ve always done it, and don’t realize how this can sometimes hold us back from something bigger. But when we’re willing to take a chance by seeking God’s heart in the day to day, He can help us break out of old habits that haven’t been serving us, into a new way of living.
Tara-Leigh Cobble is the host of The Bible Recap Podcast. She shares with us how reading the Bible was a routine habit, until she started to approach it with the mindset of looking for God—and when she did, it became transformative. Dr. Jackie Greene is the co-pastor of Forward City Church with her husband, recording artist Travis Greene. In the early years of her marriage, Jackie struggled with her identity and often compared herself to others, but once she tried to stop negotiating with God about the things she didn’t like, she started to live in the power of her individuality.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tamera Mowry-Housley
Upcoming interview: Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert
Interview Quotes:
“I wanted God to tell me what I could do so that I could be a good Christian and earn His approval or figure out what promises I could use to back Him into a corner to get what I wanted from Him…He's not this transactional God, and that really frustrated me because I wanted the Bible to be about me.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble
“Instead of trying to beat myself into submission and trying to conform myself to the image of God, it was Him conforming me to His image.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble
“God doesn't just want you to be resilient, He wants you to be healed. And so it's not just for you to power through these things. It's for you to find the healing that He has available to you.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble
“To feel so loved and seen by my pastor, to feel so cared for—I know that was the kindness of the Lord to just reach into that space and say, ‘I see you and I want you to talk to me about your heart.’” - Tara-Leigh Cobble
“What I have found is generally, people on Earth show up late to the thing that God already knows about us. And so for me, it took a lot of having to push out there to find my own voice and find the affirmation of the Lord to be the thing that I was looking for, rather than waiting for people to affirm a thing that maybe oftentimes I wasn't even showing yet.” - Dr. Jackie Greene
“I recognized that what I had been looking for outwardly, I could find inwardly in my relationship with the Lord. It started to help me progress beyond looking for that, beyond the voices of people having to say it, and allowing God to say it for myself.” - Dr. Jackie Greene
“I think we leave a lot on the table, not recognizing that we already have—on the inside of us—so many hidden treasures. All we have to do is be bold enough or even brave enough to dig for them.” - Dr. Jackie Greene
“I was allowing culture to be my mirror rather than God to be my mirror. And as I began to actually look at Him and see that I wasn't reflecting power or freedom or fearlessness, I came to recognize that, Oh, this really isn't who I am. And so I came to know myself the more I came to know the Lord.” - Dr. Jackie Greene
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 01 Jun 2023 - 22min - 436 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Intentional Prayers for an Intentional Life: Gabriel Conte
On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to YouTube sensation Gabriel Conte, who shares how he approaches big decisions in his life by seeking God. He walks us through a few ideas on how to pray, and what to do when we're not sure how to approach those big crossroads in our lives, and how to trust God through that sometimes very scary process.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @gabrielconte
Twitter: @gabrielconte
Instagram: @gabrielconte
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 30 May 2023 - 20min - 435 - Hope—God’s Unbreakable Lifeline: Ali Landry & Carley Summers
We’ve all experienced situations that might seem hopeless—and the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to turn when things look bleak. Our guests this week have experienced traumatic situations that found them at the ends of their own means, when all they could do was breathe a prayer to God in desperation—searching for a glimmer of hope to cling to.
Author and TV host Ali Landry shares her moving story of overcoming a heartbreaking betrayal in her marriage, and on top of that, finding herself facing health issues that made her feel like she was living half a life. Interior designer Carley Summers battled addiction for several years in her young adult life, and at her darkest moment, felt the presence of God guiding her to ask for one more chance—opening the door to a brand-new world.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jon Gordon
Upcoming interview: Tara-Leigh Cobble
Interview Quotes:
“My prayer has always been, Lord, let them see Your light in me.” - Ali Landry
“I've done a lot of things over the years and always the grounding force for me has been my relationship with God, 100%.” - Ali Landry
“Here I am with this job that I'm supposed to love and it's supposed to serve me and my life and my family, and I feel like I'm sitting on the sidelines in my life and I feel like I'm kind of having half a life because I'm not a player in my own game. And that's when I decided I deserve more than this.” - Ali Landry
“I always knew that if I was able to lean on God and He was able to pull me through these situations in my life, that it was my responsibility to share it.” - Ali Landry
“I will say my relationship with God 100% is the foundation, it got me through to the other side every time. When you put gratitude in your life, it really shifts everything. It completely shifts your mindset. It completely puts you in a different mood.” - Ali Landry
“We're so busy with our lives that sometimes we forget to stop and recognize God working in our lives.” - Ali Landry
“It was not until my second DUI when I was at the age of twenty-two, when I finally realized that I needed some help and I was ready to surrender my life over to Jesus.” - Carley Summers
“I realized that something was going to have to change. Jesus tried to reach me in that moment because He had a plan and a destiny for me to use my story to give Him glory.” - Carley Summers
“I let the root of Scripture take a hold of my life, and it gave me this unexplainable joy, even though I was in one of the lowest circumstances you can be in.” - Carley Summers
“I think that my life verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘If I am a new creation and Christ, all those things that have been are now gone, let the new come.’ And so I have to wake up every day and recognize that I am healed from those things.” - Carley Summers
“I always thought that I had to work in the church to do ministry, but I realized that through stewarding people's money well and creating homes where people walked in that they could do life with and have Bible studies and host and work as a family together, I realized that I could create something sacred for other people.” - Carley Summers
“God started to use my story to help set other people free.” - Carley Summers
“We've curated a space to help people feel safe, I think that's how our homes can impact us and help tell our stories.” - Carley Summers
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 25 May 2023 - 29min - 434 - What Anxiety Can Teach Us About God: Curtis Chang & Kim Gravel
At one time or another in our lives, we are bound to experience bouts of anxiety. The Bible does not teach that lack of faith is the cause of anxiety. In our world today, it is almost impossible not to experience anxiety to some degree. We just can’t avoid it. What if instead of running away from our anxiety, we name what is happening, and develop ways to support ourselves through it while leaning on God in the present moment?
Curtis Chang is a pastor and a non-profit director. He remembers early moments of anxiety that were a response to his fears of being in an empty house after school, waiting for his parents to come home. He shares how he developed early coping mechanisms which exacerbated anxiety later in his life, and how through that anxiety, he was able to draw closer to God. Kim Gravel is an author and TV personality who shares about the early anxiety she had while competing in pageants as a young girl and opens up about her journey to find self-confidence.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Janine Reid
Upcoming interview: Ali Landry
Interview Quotes:
“Anxiety is the fear of some potential loss. We all carry that around with us. We all carry around some fear of potential loss.” - Curtis Chang
“Our anxieties have a lot of wisdom contained in them, they tell us a lot about who we are, about our experiences growing up, and what we fear losing.” - Curtis Chang
“What I believe human experience and Scripture tells us is that anxiety itself is not a problem to be eliminated, that in fact, it is actually a fundamental condition of what it means to be human—that to be human is to be vulnerable to loss.” - Curtis Chang
“I know full well the nature of anxiety is a problem, but I also have experienced firsthand the promise of anxiety as an opportunity for spiritual growth, because it takes us to our core beliefs and our core fears about loss, about God, about who God is in Jesus, about what we are actually promised by Jesus in terms of our future.” - Curtis Chang
“My calling is to see people rise in all that God has for them. And for me, the adventure of this life is sharing His message with others. Jesus is probably the reason why I do everything that I do and why I am who I am.” - Kim Gravel
“I did have to deal with a lot of pressures and stress, but it was such a learning ground for me. It's those times of growth that God puts us in so that we go to new levels.” - Kim Gravel
“Get still, because God is constantly wooing and speaking and guiding and leading us. We just get too busy or too broken to hear it or see it or feel it.” - Kim Gravel
“My philosophy on confidence is probably a little different than what the world tells you it should look like. It's truly a Christ-centered confidence, but it's also a confidence that I know whose I am and why I'm here.” - Kim Gravel
“When God calls you to do something, nothing can stop it, damage it, alter it, or prevent it, except you. And that's the reason I want to share this message, because I know without a doubt, true confidence comes with a relationship with Jesus. True calling comes from Him.” - Kim Gravel
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 18 May 2023 - 25min - 433 - A Mother’s Love and A Parent’s Prayer: Dionne Warwick, Damon Elliott, & Andy and Sandra Stanley
It’s been said that parenting is a lifelong job that doesn’t end when your children grow up. Our guests this week know firsthand how hard it is to be a parent, and they’ve done the work to build the kind of relationship with their children that is returning dividends in their adulthood. And now, their kids really appreciate them as people, and the influence they’ve had in helping them become who they are today.
Dionne Warwick is a six-time Grammy Award-winning singer who raised her son Damon—who is also a musician—as a single mother. Despite her status as an international superstar, Dionne made it a priority to carve out meaningful moments with her children. Andy and Sandra Stanley are preachers, authors, and parents of three. One of their greatest prayers was that their relationship with their kids would evolve into a friendship and that as adults, they’d still appreciate their family time.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Reba McEntire and her sisters, Susie and Alice
Upcoming interview: Curtis Chang
“Peace Like A River” - song with Dionne Warwick & Dolly Parton
Parenting: Getting It Right - book by Andy & Sandra Stanley
Interview Quotes:
“One of the greatest things that I've learned is just to truly be who I am.” - Damon Elliott
“All the things that [God] does for me, I am truly thankful and grateful for. He's given me a path to follow and a plan He has for me. And I'm following that plan and that path. So whatever comes within the realm of that, I'm supposed to face. I have no problem with that.” - Dionne Warwick
“We prayed with our kids at night when they were young, but we continued to pray with them through every season of life.” - Andy Stanley
“Our parenting goal with our kids was to end up with kids who wanted to be with us and with each other, when they no longer had to be.” - Sandra Stanley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 11 May 2023 - 20min - 432 - When We’re Connected to God, We Can Make It Through Anything: Cleere Cherry Reaves and Larry Loftis
Do you struggle with how to fit a faith routine into your life? It’s hard to prioritize time for prayer and reflection in our busy, over-scheduled lives, but when we come up against those moments that stretch us beyond our normal limits and make us question the very foundation of our faith, turning to that connection that we have already been establishing day by day to God can be crucial for us to lean on when nothing else makes sense.
Author and podcaster Cleere Cherry Reaves clung hard to her relationship with God when her son Sledge, who was born three months premature, fought for his life. Author Larry Loftis shares about the incredible bond Corrie ten Boom had with God, and how she bravely trusted His guidance to do what was right as she helped hide Jewish people in her home who were fleeing Nazi oppression during World War II. The relationship these women built daily with God informed their responses to heartache and tragedy.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Cam Ayala
Upcoming interview: Dionne Warwick
Interview Quotes:
“I feel like when we were in the hospital, before Sledge came home and that daily experience, I felt like the veil between heaven and earth was thinner than a sheet. It was so obvious to me that God's presence is the miracle.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“We learned how to walk through waves that once fell like tsunamis. We learned how to operate and say, ‘Lord, this is not our preference. We would love to take [our son Sledge] home, but we know that Your ways are higher, Your plan is greater, and You are working miracles all around us. Help us see those miracles.’” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Life really is a gift, it's pure grace. And I think when we operate from that, we really can fight for contentment in any circumstance.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Miracles are not always water into wine, or the healing that we had expected. Miracles are a million different things in a million different ways.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“Fight for a life that operates in contentment and peace that isn't based on what's happening in the world or what's happening to us… I know that good is happening here because God is here.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves
“When we think of people that have to go through things like [what Corrie ten Boom faced], we think Well, they're superhuman. But these were regular people. And what's inspiring is that you have these normal people that rise to the occasion.” - Larry Loftis
“Lots of people hid Jews in the Netherlands, so [Corrie ten Boom is] not unique in that sense. She's not unique in that she suffered, where she's unique is this: Corrie forgave everybody.” - Larry Loftis
“[Corrie ten Boom] traveled the world sharing the gospel, sharing her message of peace and forgiveness and what had happened to her and her family and how the answer was in Christ and He will give you the strength to forgive as He's done for her and her family.” - Larry Loftis
“Corrie is unique in that she was able to forgive the hardest people to forgive, people who were cruel to you, people who betrayed you, people who were responsible for the death of your family. Corrie realizes that, I can't do it on my own, but with God's grace and God's help, I can do it. That’s the big takeaway, because we're all called with the great commission to share the gospel.” - Larry Loftis
“We can look at what Corrie did to forgive the hardest people in the world, to forgive what she [forgave], and use that as our inspiration—with that example and with God's grace, we can forgive, too.” - Larry Loftis
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 04 May 2023 - 24min - 431 - Bearing Each Others Sorrows and Sharing Each Other's Joys: Karen Kingsbury, Tyler Russell, & David Emmanuel Goatley
It’s a blessing to be able to celebrate with others when joyful things happen in their lives. But it’s also an honor to be able to stand by someone when they are heavy with sorrow and joy seems nowhere to be found.
Popular Christian writer Karen Kingsbury and her son Tyler Russell help others celebrate the joy of their faith by writing stories for families through their Baxter Family children’s books. Pastor David Emmanuel Goatley, the sixth president of Fuller Theological Seminary, has traveled all over the world as a minister and has been inspired at how Christians from all walks of life hold each other up and bear each other's burdens, no matter how much or how little they have.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Nikki DeLoach and Pat Bradley
Upcoming interview: Cleere Cherry Reaves
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Interview Quotes:
“The family that God puts you in are the ones who are going to be with you forever, so really foster those relationships and pour into those relationships.” - Tyler Russell
“I had a beautiful relationship with the Lord, but I was still seeing pain. I was still seeing people going through hard things. And I just didn't think that Christian fiction would be able to handle that. I want to tell stories that are real and true.” - Karen Kingsbury
“We really do both want to serve the Lord first. That's kind of our top thing in everything we do, we want to please God first.” - Tyler Russell
“Prayer is an all day, everyday thing for me. I am so thankful to be able to walk through this life not alone, but with Jesus, and knowing that I have His presence beside me.” - Karen Kingsbury
“I believe that we need to love and laugh often and look for the miraculous in the everyday and lean hard into our relationship with Jesus.” - Karen Kingsbury
“My father's orientation was that you always talked about church and community together. You never spoke of church in isolation from the community because the church should be embedded in community, and the community was informing the life of the church.” - David Emmanuel Goatley
“We were taught to be salt for the earth and light for the world, and so you have to engage the world that God puts you in so that you can bear good and faithful witness. I think that that kind of nurture helped to inform who I have become and how I see the world.” - David Emmanuel Goatley
“I think it's important for students to listen to and learn from the testimonies of people in the global church.” - David Emmanuel Goatley
“I don't recall ever feeling like the hard work of Christian leadership has not been worth it. There have been times where the weight of it has been heavy and wearisome and draining and fatiguing. There have been those times where it's been a headache, but I have not felt that it's not worth it. I've been fortunate to sense that I am where the Lord has sent me.” - David Emmanuel Goatley
“If we don't try to get out in front of Jesus and we let Jesus lead us, then we'll make it through the sleepless nights and we'll make it through the anxious moments, and then we will be able to look back on it and say, ‘The Lord both led me through it and taught me something in it.’ The Lord has been exceedingly kind. And for that, I'm grateful.“ - David Emmanuel Goatley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 27 Apr 2023 - 32min - 430 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Seeing Ourselves Like God Does: Kym Douglas
We’re back with another Jesus Listens Stories of Prayer special bonus episode and we’re talking with Hollywood beauty expert and reporter Kym Douglas who makes it her mission to bring laughter and positivity to the world, but is also candid about the tough seasons she’s been through recently. The loss of her husband of 37 years and a recent cancer diagnosis led her to rely on her faith even more–and also reshaped her sense of her own beauty; by seeing herself through the eyes of her Creator.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @hollywoodbeautyexpert
Twitter: @kymdouglas
Instagram: @kymdouglas
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 - 19min - 429 - True Connection - The Antidote to Loneliness: Walker Zimmerman & David Kim
In the very beginning of the Bible, God stresses the concept that we were created for community: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for a man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18 NIV) People were designed to better one another, to look out for one another, and to be a support system in good times and bad.
This week’s guests, professional soccer player Walker Zimmerman and author David Kim, are both the sons of pastors—an experience which guided them early on to care deeply about other people, and to prioritize cultivating supportive communities that stimulate growth in both themselves and in others. Walker seeks to be authentically relatable and present in his interactions with teammates, fans, the kids he’s mentoring, and in his family. David Kim’s story of loneliness in his early years shaped his desire to help people find connectedness. He walks us through a five-step system to help us open up to the idea of true connection, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Seth and Heather Thompson Day
Upcoming interview: Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell
Interview Quotes:
“I think one of my biggest passions has always been making other people feel welcome—or trying to bring in different groups of people who might not normally all hang out together—and bringing them together for the same purpose or cause.” - Walker Zimmerman
“When I think about soccer and I think about having a bad game, I'm like, Well, my identity isn't wrapped up in one game or being a soccer player. There's something that I'm playing for that's way bigger. I want to honor the Lord with what He's blessed me with on the field.” - Walker Zimmerman
“It doesn't matter what we do. It's who we are as people that matters most at the end of the day.” - Walker Zimmerman
“I think what I was trying to do was just distract myself from experiencing all the pain of what it means to be alone in America, and navigating all the different ways in which I had to face my new world.” - David Kim
“When I'm talking to people, instead of getting easily distracted and being self-focused and self-centered about what I need to get through throughout the day, I try to see what they're sensing, what they're feeling, what might be something that they may need. And I try to lean in, and as I do, I believe that they are met with an incredible sense of belonging and care.” - David Kim
“In this culture where we're so busy and hyper mobile, and we can tend to be easily isolated, many of us long to belong, but we just don't know how.” - David Kim
“[The priority practice] is a reminder to intentionally prioritize relationships that God has given in our lives and for us to intentionally reach out and build friendships." - David Kim
“There is a way in which we can build and love and care for our entire community and still forge the few that God is bringing greater connection, whether that's through shared values or shared interests and things like that, we are able to lean in and build chemistry.“ - David Kim
“The invitation from God is to be honest and real. And as we do, we are able to truly open up and be seen for who we are.” - David Kim
“I'm often self-centered and self-focused, but if I spend time with Jesus, Jesus gives me the eyes to see that I live in this world not for myself, but for Jesus and this world.” - David Kim
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 20 Apr 2023 - 27min - 428 - God Makes All Things Beautiful, In His Time: Aaron Tippin, Isaiah and Jude Kofie, & Bill Magnusson
One of the greatest markers of our adult life is when we fully come to realize that we were designed with intention, created for a specific purpose and mission. Nothing God has ever done has been an accident, and He knows every part of you, even the talents you might not have realized yet. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” No matter where life takes you, you can trust that He knows where you’re headed, and is guiding you through every step.
Our guests this week each have beautiful abilities that they consider to be gifts from God. Aaron Tippin is a country music star who enjoyed great popularity in the 90’s, but before that, grew up on a family farm, where he learned to fly planes with his father and absolutely fell in love with being in the air, and being “closer to heaven” as he likes to describe. Eleven year-old Jude Kofie, who experiences autism, surprised his family—especially his father Isaiah, who worried about his future—when he walked in to hear Jude playing their portable keyboard like a seasoned pianist, though he’d never played before in his life. When piano tuner Bill Magnusson heard their story on the news, he was compelled to help this family and gave a gift that would allow Jude to realize his potential in a bigger way, and a beautiful relationship was born that has been a gift to them all.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jodi Stuber
Upcoming interview: Walker Zimmerman
"You've Got to Stand for Something"
Bob Hope Show Christmas in 1990
"Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly"
Local news segment on Jude and Isaiah
Interview Quotes:
“From four years old, I first put my hands on the controls in an airplane. And when I looked out the window and I saw those cars on the ground looking like Hot Wheels toys, I said, ‘This is it. There's nothing greater.’” - Aaron Tippin
“Getting close to Christ during those [early days in Nashville], was very, very comforting. You find out you're not as alone as you think you are.” - Aaron Tippin
“I don't know where my next blessing is going to be. I'm not sure I want to know or need to know. I believe that He does have a plan. God's not through me yet.” - Aaron Tippin
“I know how important it is to have a good instrument to practice on and how lovely it is to have a wonderful piano to play on to make beautiful music.” - Bill Magnusson
“That wonderful gift [of a piano], that selfless act, is what secured Jude's future. It was taking all our worries away.” - Isaiah Kofie
“We seem to live in a world where people are utterly desperate for a little bit of good news and to feel a little better than they feel right now.” - Bill Magnusson
“I just bought a piano and that was all I did. All the rest of this stuff is God, it's not me.” - Bill Magnusson
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 13 Apr 2023 - 24min - 427 - Because He First Loved Us, We Can Face Almost Anything: Akbar Gbajabiamila and Kristian Stanfill
There’s an element to having a relationship with God where you feel compelled to tell others about His love. Because when we’re in a loving relationship, we thrive. It brings us joy, and it gives us stamina to face whatever’s in front of us. Our guests this week had circumstances in their lives that could have made their lives go in directions that might not have been optimal. Having God’s love as a foundation for how they saw themselves in the world was key to giving them that “push” they needed to believe they were made for something more.
Akbar Gbajabiamila is a former NFL player turned television host who almost didn’t take the leap of faith that led him to the career he has today, but it was advice from his father to finish what he started and to be an ambassador for God that motivated him to keep going. Kristian Stanfill is a worship leader of the Passion movement who vulnerably sought sobriety in order to overcome the tough emotions that he was burying and hiding from others.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: The Power of Love
Upcoming interview: Aaron Tippin
Passion’s new album I’ve Witnessed It
Interview Quotes:
“I felt like an outcast. I felt like an outsider. But I had to learn how to persevere. I remember something that my father told me, and I never forgot this: ‘Make them say your name.’ Whenever they say your name, it should be in a favorable light. You're doing things that people are going to remember you by.” - Akbar Gbajabiamila
“What's the story here? The story is sometimes you have no idea. You have your mind set on something else, and sometimes others see something special in you that you can't see in yourself.” - Akbar Gbajabiamila
“The better you understand the playbook, the more comfortable you are on the football field. And this is how God was starting to work in my life. As I started to become taught, I started seeing the Lord ordering my step in a certain way. And that right there was the beginning of my journey as a Christian.” - Akbar Gbajabiamila
“The point of that story is that sometimes you do have to create your own opportunities. Sometimes you have to step in faith, and sometimes it looks scary. My father used to say, ‘You're an ambassador for the family, and you're an ambassador for God.’ And I never, ever, ever forgot that.” - Akbar Gbajabiamila
“I thought, Man, if I could be a part of helping people see Jesus and encounter the presence of God with my life, that would be pretty cool.” - Kristian Stanfill
“Alcohol became something that I used to numb these feelings of inadequacy or failure or I'm not good enough or I'm not measuring up. And I think we all feel similar emotions and similar things, and we all live in the same world and feel a lot of the same pressure. I just wasn't dealing with it in a healthy way.” - Kristian Stanfill
“The first step that everybody took was toward me and not away from me.” - Kristian Stanfill
“God started to help me understand things about who He is and His love for me. I started to understand my community's love for me, and it was just transformative.” - Kristian Stanfill
“I've grown up hearing about grace and God's love. But you have to understand that it's real for yourself and that God's grace flows down into the deep, dark place that you're at and meets you there, but it doesn't leave you there. It changes you. It transforms you.” - Kristian Stanfill
“God uses these things in our life, even these broken things, these struggles that we go through, to refine us and make us more like Himself.” - Kristian Stanfill
“If you want a resurrection, then a dying has to happen. But this death is not the end. It's where your life begins.”- Kristian Stanfill
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 06 Apr 2023 - 26min - 426 - Taking a Journey Back to Move Forward: Andrea Bocelli & Debra Fileta
As human beings, we’re all on an individual journey, a walk that is all our own. Perhaps you grew up in a family of faith that laid the groundwork for the beliefs you have today, or perhaps you discovered your faith later and can mark the moments where God made Himself present on your journey. No matter how we got to our faith, or where we’re headed, the faith that lives inside us will guide us on a beautiful journey that will take us to the place we’re meant to be.
Andrea Bocelli, the world’s most beloved tenor singer, joins us this week to talk about his faith journey, along with his wife Veronica, who closes the interview with a prayer from Jesus Listens. Speaking in his native Italian, which has been translated to English for this podcast, Andrea recounts how his love for his family and his faith have kept him centered during all the years his career had him jet-setting across the globe to perform on the world’s most iconic stages. Licensed counselor and national speaker Debra Fileta specializes in relationships and mental and emotional health. In her new book, Reset, Debra walks readers through a journey to transform their old habits and bring about lasting change in their lives.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kristin Smedley
Upcoming interview: Akbar Gbajabiamila
Interview Quotes:
“I realized that there can't be a clock without a clockmaker…this convinced me right away that between the idea of God and fate, I was going towards the first one, and from that moment everything I had done so far—going to the mass, all these things—wasn't something abstract anymore, instead it was extremely serious, tangible, and important.” - Andrea Bocelli
“I must say that faith has always been very important to me to keep myself down to earth, to remember that everything I've done wasn't my merit, but a gift from God.” - Andrea Bocelli
“The problem is when we approach change from the outside in, it doesn't lead to lasting change.“ - Debra Fileta
“Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're healthy. We have to take a journey of healing with Jesus by our side." - Debra Fileta
“There is no trauma that is more powerful than the power of Jesus at work in me.” - Debra Fileta
“Your thoughts ultimately affect how you feel, which then affect how you behave and what you choose to do and how you act.” - Debra Fileta
“Many times, the Lord needs to take us on a journey of going backward in order to heal some of those hurts and insecurities and fears from the past, in order to replace them with God's truth so that we can begin getting unstuck in our present.” - Debra Fileta
“When God reveals a struggle, when God reveals something in your life that's a weakness or a sin, and He's bringing it to the surface of your life, it's not to shame you. It's to invite you into a deeper level of healing.” - Debra Fileta
“It is hard to heal, but it's also hard to stay the same. It's also hard to live with struggle and sin and addiction and bondage.” - Debra Fileta
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 30 Mar 2023 - 24min - 425 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Dad, How Do I Pray? With YouTuber Rob Kenney
On this special monthly episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, hosted by Susie McEntire, we’re talking with YouTuber Rob Kenney, the man behind the “Dad, How Do I?” Channel that provides encouragement, practical advice, and tips to anyone who might not have a key parental figure in their lives. Rob’s made all kinds of knowledge accessible as the “Internet Dad,” In this episode, he shares the story of how he started this channel, why it’s important to him to provide a place that people can go for advice and encouragement, and a few tips on how to strengthen your relationship to God through prayer.
Guest’s Links Facebook: @dadhowdoi
Instagram: @dadhowdoi
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 28 Mar 2023 - 13min - 424 - Give and Get Joy By Asking for Help: Nazareth and Michele Cushatt
Are you one of those people who finds it hard to ask others for help? Though we might find ourselves facing things alone or maybe we just want to tough it out and not burden anyone else with our problems, we should remember when we ask for help—including help from God—we honor those in whom we place our trust—giving them a chance to joyfully give of themselves to support us in whatever we’re facing.
Our guests this week each had moments in their life where they had to face that they couldn’t rely only on their own strength, they needed help to overcome the problems in front of them. Nazareth is a Christian comedian who actively looks to bring laughter to places all over the world that need it most. Michele Cushatt is an author and speaker who knows the lonely places of suffering and is passionate about sharing ways to find joy on the other side.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tammy Bullock
Upcoming interview: Andrea Bocelli
squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue
A Faith That Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build up Your Faith when Your World is Falling Apart
Interview Quotes:
“I'm going, Wow, I didn't know I can push myself to do that. And I asked myself the question, What do I want to do in life that if I never get paid for it, I will still do it to the best of my ability? I loved seeing people laugh. So I said, ‘This is what I want to do.’” - Nazareth
“I sat there [in church] and I don't know what the message was about, but I heard that God loves me. I can come as I am. I don't have to fix myself. And that He has a plan for my life.” - Nazareth
“The Holy Spirit gave me the go-ahead to become an evangelist, to bring people to Christ through comedy, to encourage believers.” - Nazareth
“I started going to places where it's going to be a tough audience. Prison would be a tough audience. How about IRS agents? How about homeless shelters? I want to go where laughter is needed.” - Nazareth
“The doctors told me clearly, ‘We threw everything but the kitchen sink at you in the hopes of maybe saving your life.’ But in the process, I almost died.“ - Michele Cushatt
“Honestly I didn't know a human being could endure that much physical suffering and still survive.” - Michele Cushatt
“What do you do with your faith in a God who doesn't always behave the way that you expect Him to?” - Michele Cushatt
“He takes the things that look like our biggest devastation and somehow, by some miracle of grace, He goes, ‘I know you think this is going to destroy you. I'm actually going to use it to save you.’” - Michele Cushatt
“I cannot deny how many sweet moments and sweet conversations and sweet experiences and relationships have come not in spite of my suffering, but as a direct result of it.” - Michele Cushatt
“Lament is as much a part of worship as praise is.” - Michele Cushatt
“Even if you have nothing to give, God still has everything to give you. He didn't come and save you because you were so strong and faithful. He came and saved you because He loves you, and that's enough.“ - Michele Cushatt
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 23 Mar 2023 - 27min - 423 - Look for the Helpers God Sends Our Way: James Patterson, Luke Sherman, & Rachel Faulkner Brown
As we figure out how to navigate the various things that life puts in front of us, we may question whether we’re always doing the right thing. When we don’t know what to do, it’s good to remember what Jesus says that can help put us on the right path: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” [John 13:34] “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” [John 15:13] Some people do literally lay down their lives on a daily basis for others. But the rest of us can choose to lay down our lives and love extravagantly in smaller, every-day living type ways. Those moments when we go out of our way to help someone in need are always something we can know is the right way to go.
James Patterson is considered the world’s bestselling author, and he’s the creator of beloved, enduring fictional characters like Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, and is also known for his critically-acclaimed narrative nonfiction, including works like Walk In My Combat Boots, and E.R. Nurses. When James started writing his new book, Walk the Blue Line, he was astounded, despite recent events that reflect poor choices by police officers, by the good so many other police officers are doing out there, and the challenges they face each time they put on their uniform. Luke Sherman, a former police officer, has experienced thirty years of some of the scariest situations imaginable. Now, he’s taken a new role at the nonprofit organization Folds of Honor, founded by Dan Rooney, and has helped expand their scholarship program from military families to also include the families of America’s first responders. Rachel Faulkner Brown is a gold star wife whose children were scholarship recipients from Folds of Honor, and now as one of the organization’s speakers, Rachel shares how she is passionate to help the families of first responders move from tragedy to hope for the future.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Gary Sinise
Upcoming interview: Nazareth
Interview Quotes:
“I don't expect things to come to me, and I'm grateful when they do.” - James Patterson
“What can we do that's the most valuable to everybody else and to ourselves and to our own family?” - James Patterson
“These policemen and women, they really need your prayers too. They need them every day.” - James Patterson
“Now, more than ever in my lifetime, people just need to go somewhere where they can be at peace and believe that somehow it's all going to turn out in a good way, you know? And the crazy thing [is] the truth will set you free. I think it does.” - James Patterson
“Education can never be taken away from us. There are very few things in this world that can't be taken away, and that is definitely one of them, which is why I'm so passionate about having a good education for my children and any other child, because I do think it is the gift that never stops giving.“ - Rachel Faulkner Brown
“I look back and I'm like, Oh, my gosh, what You have done with something the enemy meant to take me out, honestly, to take out me and my children. Look what God has done and flipped it on its head and said, ‘Don't worry, Rachel, I've got people that are going to take care of you and your little children, just like Joseph told his own brothers.’” - Rachel Faulkner Brown
“The work that you do sometimes you don't see the results of. But if it's done with good intentions and the foundation of our faith behind it, it'll change lives. It'll bring mountains down.” - Luke Sherman
“Everybody has fear. But what are we going to do? Because there's something more important. And from every crisis and tragedy, I think there's an opportunity.” - Luke Sherman
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 16 Mar 2023 - 31min - 422 - Created on Purpose, For God’s Purpose: Erica Campbell and Crystal Paine
Maybe one of the most beautiful and affirming passages in the Bible are words written by David in Psalm 139: “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all are written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:15-16). Whenever we wonder what we’re doing with our lives or when we’re wading through a new difficulty, we can know that we were lovingly created on purpose by God to live out a purpose that it could take us our whole lives to discover. Even when our lives seem to be in shambles, we can live in the truth that we’re made by Him for so much more, and He is constantly pointing us toward our ultimate destiny. GRAMMY winning gospel artist Erica Campbell had success from an early age as a singer, but still struggled with whether or not she was enough to carry out God’s purpose. Writer and mother of six Crystal Paine shares how a difficult period of her life influenced how she guides others to make order of their similarly messy lives.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Chang
Upcoming interview: James Patterson
Evangelistic Church of God in Christ
DCS [Department of Children’s Services]
Interview Quotes:
“A lot of times when God gives you something amazing, the work is the tough part, but the work is where you learn who you are. The work is where you learn who God is, your ability to endure.” - Erica Campbell
“Once I learned to accept who I am and make the best of who I am and what I am, He gave me everything I need to be everything I need.” - Erica Campbell
“There is no error in His creation. And then also there's no error in you. If He didn't make a mistake, then I can't be a mistake. If He knows what He's doing and He's an intentional God, then there's not something I'm missing. I don't have to take something away to be what He wants me to be. It's all inside.” - Erica Campbell
“God was allowing me to learn how to stand on my own two feet.” - Erica Campbell
“When I am worrying, when I am feeling stressed, when I am feeling frustrated, it's usually an indication that I'm not resting in the Lord, that I'm trying to micromanage and control my life on my own instead of recognizing how much I have been given in Jesus.” - Crystal Paine
“I want to live from a posture of prayer, of understanding that all I have and all I am is because of Jesus and leaning on Him and relying upon Him and looking to Him and recognizing that I cannot do this life well in my own strength.” - Crystal Paine
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 09 Mar 2023 - 22min - 421 - Life’s Changes Are Inevitable, God’s Love Is Forever: Sister Jean Schmidt and Tara Sun
Change is constant in life. Sometimes the wave of change runs its course over your life slowly, and sometimes change creates a 180-degree turn in a moment’s notice. Whatever the circumstances, learning to be adaptable and trusting that God is in the middle with us during those changes is key to us navigating life’s turnarounds. Sister Jean Schmidt was ready to retire from her role as an educator at Loyola University when she was 75 years old. But God had different plans—and Jean was called to stay on in a role to help student athletes keep their grades up. This evolved into a position as team chaplain for the men’s basketball team, which led to her renown as the “basketball nun” who accompanied the team on their improbable road to the Final Four. Now at 103 years of age, Sister Jean shares her story and her great purpose in life which is to serve God, be faithful to Him and to help people, no matter how much that impacts where she “thought” she would be at this stage in life. Tara Sun had a plan for her life—med school, marriage, and then ministering to her community. At a very young age, though, Tara’s life took a major turn with an unusual medical diagnosis. She had to reframe her entire life as she dealt with her illness. What she discovered at this time became the focus of her writing and the message she wants to share with others.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Meg Apperson
Upcoming interview: Erica Campbell
Wake Up with Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years
Interview Quotes:
“Having a sense of humor is part of life. I think one has to enjoy life, and I do. I have a lot of fun.” - Sister Jean
“In my early days of teaching there was no connection [for girls] with sports because boys had most of the attention at that time. But then as things grew and women were getting their place in sports, it showed that these women can do many things that men can do." - Sister Jean
“Don't let anybody ever spoil your dream. Do whatever you can to fulfill that dream and take the steps necessary to do that. If the dream is not for you, you'll find out.” - Sister Jean
“That's my great purpose in life, is to serve God and to be faithful to Him and to help people, to do my very best in that and to just know that I enjoyed life and I continue to do that. I've had a good life so far, 103 years.“ - Sister Jean
“It's really cool how I used that because looking back, I just didn't think much of it. But now I can see how God used that love for writing. It is really awesome to see it now because I would have not told you this is how things would have played out.” - Tara Sun
“There were so many times that I dwelled on my circumstances in self-pity, and I even got bitter and frustrated with God because things weren't going my way. This wasn't a part of the plan.” - Tara Sun
“When that diagnosis came and the rest of my life started unfolding, I realized I'm not in control. And that's actually okay, God had something better for me. He just took me completely off of path and completely on a different blueprint than I could have ever come up with on my own. So that's when I had to learn to surrender my story and instead trust where God was leading.” - Tara Sun
“God is still good even when your circumstances are not…your weakness is a beautiful testimony for His strength. Just imagine what God may have you do and the lives He may have you change through sharing your stories of illness and weakness.” - Tara Sun
“We burden ourselves when we try to grasp control instead of surrender.” - Tara Sun
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 02 Mar 2023 - 32min - 420 - [MONTHLY SERIES] It’s Okay To Get It Wrong: Stephen Miller
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Faith, we’re talking with creator, entrepreneur, and father of nine Stephen Miller about the joys and challenges that come with raising children, and what Stephen’s prayers looked like during a particularly hard season.
Guest’s Links
Facebook: @themillerfam
Twitter: @TheMillerFam2
Instagram: @THEMILLERFAM
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 - 23min - 419 - God Is There, Even At Your Breaking Point: Luke Weaver and Talaat & Tai McNeely
Life throws a lot of stuff our way, both good and bad. But have you ever found yourself at that wall when you know that if one more thing comes your way you’re going to explode? We don’t fully understand why God allows us to reach those breaking point moments, but we can know that He loves us and we can trust that He is a refuge from the worst of storms in our life.
Luke Weaver is a newly-signed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, after recently playing for the Kansas City Royals. Luke got attention beyond his athletic talents in the league for the special glove he wears designed to look like an old-school Bible. It reminds him of God’s promise to stand by him in any situation. Talaat and Tai McNeely are a married couple who faced a fork in the road when Talaat came clean about his less-than-ideal financial situation just before they were married—and how they had to rebuild trust with each other in their understanding and communication, and now, how they help others facing the same mountain.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Janine Urbaniak Reid
Upcoming interview: Sister Jean Schmidt
Interview Quotes:
“Every ballpark came with new feelings and new moments and taking pictures and just really soaking it up, along with facing guys that you've watched on TV for so long. And you just kind of add all that in together and then you're just like, Man, this is really cool.” - Luke Weaver
“There’s these moments where it's like I'm being challenged, but God won't let me get to the breaking point.” - Luke Weaver
“God's really doing a lot in my life right now.” - Luke Weaver
“I'm proud of the words that were able to flow through me. I'm proud of the way I can handle these situations because I know the long term effect is much more impactful, not only for me, but hopefully for the person across the room and how they handle things going forward with other players or with other moments.” - Luke Weaver
“It got to the point where the mess that I was trying to clean up on my own silently, the plan wasn't working because God wasn't going to allow it to work because we couldn't build the foundation that we were about to embark on with the lie. And so really, I was backed into a corner.” - Talaat McNeely
“It took a lot of prayer and a whole lot of conversation for us to come back together and walk down that aisle and continue to move forward with our lives together after the truth of the situation came out.” - Talaat McNeely
“I went to God in prayer. I involved the Lord in our decision making. “Lord, what should I do? How should I walk this out?” And then once God began to deal with my heart, I was able to embrace the journey.” - Tai McNeely
“We began to dream really, really big and ambitiously, as though the God of the universe that we serve could do anything.” - Talaat McNeely
“If you take the time to dream and give yourself concrete goals and benchmarks that you're trying to hit, the hard work becomes less hard because you know that the progress that you're making is actually leading you somewhere.” - Talaat McNeely
“If He allowed me to overcome this mountain, there are some other mountains that He can help me with as well.” - Talaat McNeely
“With God, all things are possible. So it starts with your level of faith, not in yourself, not in your talent, skills, or ability, but your level of faith and the faithfulness of the God that you serve. He doesn't want you to be bound. He doesn't want you to be shackled. He doesn't want you to be full of anxiety about your finances. He wants you to be free. But there is work that you have to do.” - Talaat McNeely
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 23 Feb 2023 - 27min - 418 - Our Pain Is Not Meant to Be Carried Alone: Jimmy and Irene Rollins & Rebecca McLaughlin
When we think about our problems, it can sometimes look like things are only happening to us. Our struggles may appear one-sided or like God has left us to deal with it on our own. But when we draw near to God, He plants people in our lives to show us that our pain is not meant to be carried alone. And when He does that, we have a comforting reminder of a God who will never leave us nor forsake us.
Pastors Jimmy and Irene Rollins have a passion to reach all people for God, no matter their background, ethnicity, or life circumstances. As they dreamed of building a diverse congregation, the stress of being leaders of a growing church began to negatively impact them both, and Irene took to coping with alcohol. They share how together, they faced her addiction and the problems that made it come to a head. Author of Confronting Christianity Rebecca McLaughlin shares why it’s important to encourage young people to dig into the Word of God. She believes that reading the Bible with her children and helping them work through their questions helps them make sense of their faith, and also teaches them a way to live that is steeped in compassion for others.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Deb Liu
Upcoming interview: Luke Weaver
PTSD [Post-traumatic Stress Disorder]
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity
Exploring the Earliest Gospel: A Kids Bible Study on Jesus and His Good News
Interview Quotes:
“We felt like God put on our hearts that if we were going to reach a diverse city, we were going to have to have a diverse church.” - Jimmy Rollins
“We got accountability that helped us get to the space of needing to get healthy and to get help. And then as we began to get healthy, we stopped doing the dance of shaming one another and judging one another. And we started to embrace the fact that we both needed grace.” - Jimmy Rollins
“We began to look at addiction as not something that I was doing to Jimmy, but rather something I was doing to really medicate pain. And as we began to develop new ways of communication, new ways of embracing pain and grief. We began to approach healing and we did it together.” - Irene Rollins
“Connecting with God on a daily basis, a moment-by-moment basis, was a lifeline for me in the beginning of my recovery. And as a leader, as a mother, as a child of God, it is my lifeline still. It was a non-negotiable and still is in my recovery journey.” - Irene Rollins
“Divorce has no color. Alcoholism has no socioeconomic temperature. Grief is colorblind. And what we've discovered is that as we begin to stay transparent with our story, as we begin to steward the path of where we are to this greater purpose, pain has been the unifier.” - Jimmy Rollins
“It seemed like Jesus provided the most satisfying way of looking at the world, the most satisfying way of understanding my relationships, my intellectual life, my personal life. And I just never looked back from that point.” - Rebecca McLaughlin
“Every seeming roadblock to faith in Jesus, when you look more closely, becomes a signpost.” - Rebecca McLaughlin
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 16 Feb 2023 - 25min - 417 - Every Shadow Has A Gift: Terry Bradshaw and Toni Collier
When we’re going through a particularly tough time in life, we might find ourselves shaking our fists in the air and asking, “Why God? Why this, why me?” But what we night not realize is that God knows the answer to our questions, and though it may not be clear to us now what meaning that time of pain or struggle had in our lives, we have to trust that God is with us as we work through it, and that He’s got something greater for us on the other side of it.
Our guests this week will admit they’ve had disappointments, failures, and missed opportunities. But they both acknowledge that when they’ve been through painful experiences, they can look back and see how far they’ve come and what they learned toward creating a better future for themselves, and others. We’re talking with Hall of Fame Pro NFL football player and co-host of The NFL on Fox, Terry Bradshaw, plus author and founder of the non-profit Broken Crayons Still Color, which helps people deal with trauma and abuse, Toni Collier.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Upcoming interview: Jimmy and Irene Rollins
ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder]
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Grapevine
Interview Quotes:
“Going to Louisiana Tech, not passing the ACT, I'll just say was all a part of His plan for me. It all worked out—I ended up going into the Hall of Fame, ended up winning the Super Bowl.” - Terry Bradshaw
“It's okay to not view yourself as perfect. The fact that we can acknowledge our imperfections is good, that we seek a love and forgiveness from God, which He promised to give us if we ask for forgiveness. That’s like the greatest message ever, knowing that I can be forgiven of my sins.” - Terry Bradshaw
“I hear people talk about miracles all the time. I'm not a big miracle guy because miracles come at God's pace, not my pace. I don't like to wear God out.” - Terry Bradshaw
“I grew up way too fast, thought I was like a little adult at thirteen. And it just kind of opened up the really this unprotected state from the enemy just to come in and steal so much of my childhood and the light that God was really trying to put in it.” - Toni Collier
“If we really do believe that God is a redeemer, then we also believe that He can redeem relationships. He can redeem the time that was lost in relationships.” - Toni Collier
“[I] rebuilt my entire life by just believing that my brokenness and everything I had gone through didn't discount me. That God still had a real great plan and a purpose for me.” - Toni Collier
“In my moments of pleading is when I felt the presence of God the most.” - Toni Collier
“I think what someone needs to hear today is; maybe it's not the grief and the pain and the betrayal and the abandonment that takes you out, but the belief that you would have to feel it all alone. And you do not. We do not, because we have a God that's with us.” - Toni Collier
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 09 Feb 2023 - 26min - 416 - [MONTHLY SERIES] Jesus Listens Stories of Serving God During The What Ifs: Walter Hooker & Andy Kaup
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to two co-pastors whose lives intersected in a way that would have a forever kind of impact: Walter Hooker and Andy Kaup from Bellevue Christian Center in Bellevue, Nebraska. Walter worked at their church for many years, and knew Andy as a kid. When Andy became an adult, he decided to go into ministry. When a job for lead pastor came up, Walter and Andy were the top candidates. Andy was chosen for the position, and though Walter could have chosen to be resentful of the choice, he showed up fully to support Andy as lead pastor. Fast forward a few months later and Walter would find himself reaching a crossroads in his health after years long struggle. His prayers for healing were answered in a very unexpected, and personal way through his friend and co-pastor Andy, in this amazing testimony to the power of prayer and how God can bring good out of complicated situations.
Guest’s Links Bellevue Christian Center YouTube
Facebook: @bellevuechristian.ne
Instagram: @bellevuechristian.ne
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 07 Feb 2023 - 23min - 415 - Believing God’s Got Our Future in His Hands: Fox and Rob Richardson & Tanya Rad
When we make plans for the future, we often want God to sign on the dotted line and agree to everything we’ve laid out. Yet when those plans fail, we find ourselves turning to God as a last resort. And as our guests this week will attest, He is faithful to lead us back to a path that we’re meant to follow, whether we realized it or not. Fox and Rob Richardson, a couple from Shreveport, Louisiana, open up about the act of desperation that led to their incarceration, and what happened to their lives and the lives of their family in the process. Tanya Rad is the author of The Sunshine Mind and host of KIIS FM's On Air with Ryan Seacrest. She shares about the crippling anxiety she experienced over fear of the future, and how putting her trust in God allowed her to find peace in the midst of the unknown.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tim Brown
Upcoming interview: Terry Bradshaw
Time: The Untold Story of the Love That Held Us Together When Incarceration Kept Us Apart
KIIS FM's On Air with Ryan Seacrest
Interview Quotes:
“To be free is to free others.” - Rob Richardson
“There are moments you think you've got everything all figured out and that life is moving in the direction that you dreamed of, and then in just one second, everything changes for you. ” - Fox Richardson
“I believed that there was something that was operating inside of me and around me that would guide me and protect me and keep me safe.” - Rob Richardson
“God, if I'm still here, it’s for a reason. You created this life. I did not create this life. And if you have given it to me, even with the decisions—the foul decisions I have made—I am going to see this through.” - Fox Richardson
“Family is everything and everything is family. . . . We had love and each other. And nothing in this life is going to top that.” - Fox Richardson
“I think that long before Rob and I ever got outside of prison, God had set us free on the inside.” - Fox Richardson
“What gets me out of these moments of anxiety and stress is knowing there is always this bigger picture that God has. He knows the plans He has for me.” - Tanya Rad
“Whenever I do find myself getting stressed or anxious about things, I always kind of ultimately come back to that notion of like, God's got me. It's in His timing. “ - Tanya Rad
“We were meant to be in community and helping others.” - Tanya Rad
“I think that finding joy in your reality is what leads to a peaceful, happy life.” - Tanya Rad
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 02 Feb 2023 - 24min - 414 - [BONUS] Refuge from the Deadly Buffalo, NY Blizzard: Pastors Al & Vivian Robinson
When a blizzard struck western New York just before this past Christmas, pastors Al & Vivian Robinson were expecting the usual winter storm they’re used to living in Buffalo. But when their town of Lovejoy lost power and neighbors started getting stranded, Vivian felt God calling her to open their church, the Spirit of Truth Urban Ministry, to help shelter, feed, and tend to the masses. With rescue efforts underway, and small miracles piling on top of one another, Al & Vivian experienced the love of God operating in a way so powerful, so moving, that it still brings them to tears when they reflect back on the 6 days they spent ministering to those in need.
Quotes
“Lovejoy lost all electrical power, but our church did not lose power. And I distinctively looked at my wife and I said, ‘Vivian, why would the Lord let us have electricity while everybody around us has no electricity?’ And then within about 10 hours, we found out exactly why.” - Al Robinson
“That first group of people that came here, the wailing and crying and shrilling, it was terrible. And that's when you began to understand the gravity of what is going on. This isn't a traditional Buffalo snowstorm, it’s far more sinister than that.” - Al Robinson
“It was just incredible how how the the spirit of the Lord in my wife was vibrating with the people around them where they just fell in sync with what she was doing, what what she was telling them to do, how she was orchestrating things, how she was making things up a structured at this church. It was wonderful.” - Al Robinson
“Neighbors started bringing food out of their freezers so that we could feed the masses. It was literally a two loaves and five fish moment.” - Al Robinson
“This is nothing new to us when it comes to serving God's people. And when people are in need, we go over and above to make sure we're taking care of individuals and we make the sacrifices that God has given us to go out there to get the people that needs our help. And that's what we have been designed to do.” - Vivian Robinson
“God gave us this building. He gave us our lives. He gave us our health. He gave us our money. So in our opinion, everything we have already belongs to God. And so if God asks us to do something with what's His, we have absolutely no problem doing it. My life isn’t my own.” - Al Robinson
“It is a privilege I hold in high esteem that the Lord would pick His humble servants here in Lovejoy to be a part of an operation that saved the lives of 154 people during the most catastrophic storm known in the history of Buffalo, New York.” - Al Robinson
“I was just grateful and thankful that God had used His humble people just to say yes to the call and that we had the opportunity to love on these people and to see each and every last one of these lives that God allowed us to save.” - Vivian Robinson
LinksSpirit of Truth Urban Ministry
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 31 Jan 2023 - 16min - 413 - God’s Promises Can Lift Us Up in Times of Darkness: Tom Schueman & Alli Patterson
In life, we can't escape adversity; we are bound to end up with some bumps and bruises. Maybe it’s because of rough beginnings, difficult relationships with loved ones, or unexpected circumstances that inevitably come our way. Having faith in God doesn't mean you won’t face challenges and difficulties. Instead, it means we can know that we won't have to face those battles alone. Like the apostle Paul, who called upon God and rejoiced while being imprisoned, he constantly tried to find the blessing during the pain of being captive. Through his example, we can see that when we put our trust in God and focus on gratitude, we’ll find strength to get through the rockier times of our lives.
Our guests this week have each faced significant trials, and chose to trust God during those times. Each of them found that facing negative experiences in this way equipped them with the tools to face future challenges in a healthier way. Marine Veteran Tom Schueman, who served in one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Afghanistan, opens up about staring death in the face daily, and how reading the Psalms reminded him that he wasn’t alone. Teaching pastor Alli Patterson thought she had life figured out at an early age. She did all the “right” things, but quickly discovered early on in her career and her marriage that there were cracks in the foundation she’d carefully laid—and found herself searching for solace outside of her marriage. It was in the dark hours of almost losing everything that she left her future in God’s hands, giving her the courage to try to restore what had been broken.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Max Lucado
Upcoming interview: Fox and Rob Richardson
How to Stay Standing: 3 Essential Practices for Building a Faith That Lasts
Interview Quotes:
“It was my experience in combat where everything bad is happening all the time and you just have to figure out what you're going to do with two bad options. You know, it's a series of unfortunate events. And you have to make the best of all these unfortunate events.” - Tom Schueman
“I was never alone and I was never abandoned…In the midst of the violence, in the midst of the death that was abounding all around me, I still had something good that I could hold on to. And I don't think I'd make it through those periods in my life without [faith].” - Tom Schueman
“How can we be more resilient? How can we recover from these things? How can we get to a place where we have gratitude for adversity and say, ‘This adversity shaped me and made me a better man?’” - Tom Schueman
“You can take Paul as such a great example of the ability to be persecuted but still to rejoice. And I think that's something worth studying and trying to incorporate.” - Tom Schueman
“I started to see that maybe there were some things that weren't strong at the very foundation of my life. I started to see cracks in my ability to manage conflict, to tell the truth in all circumstances, to create relationships with people that were really different from me. I just saw that some things in my life—there were weak places, there were shifting sands under what I had built.” - Alli Patterson
“I said, ‘I want to be who you made me to be. I want a real life. I want a real marriage. I want a real relationship with you. And I've ruined it all. Break me. Come get me.’ And new life really began when I just kept walking that direction, no matter what it cost me.” - Alli Patterson
“I think I felt a sense that God was angry with me or disapproved of me before I actually started talking to Him. When it's in the dark and in the quiet, we can tell ourselves these stories. And definitely my story was, ‘You're a terrible person, you're a terrible wife, you're a terrible friend, you're a terrible employee.’ And I heard these loud, awful accusations all the time. But as soon as I began to actually engage God, as soon as I actually went to Him, surprisingly, He broke through that.” - Alli Patterson
“When I encounter someone today that needs desperately to know you are not your worst moment, you are not your darkest hour, you are not your greatest sin, the only thing that I have to offer them is to be honest about my own story.” - Alli Patterson
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 26 Jan 2023 - 20min - 412 - Finding Peace In Times of Turmoil: Cam Ayala & Tiania Haneline and Scarlett Smith
There is much talk of turmoil in our world, and we see it reflected in what we read, watch, and observe in the media. Sometimes this turmoil shows up directly in our lives—whether it’s negative words toward us from others, untruths about who we are and what we stand for, or other negative situations that undermine our self worth and identity. As we face words meant to harm and hurt us, we can know there is refuge when it feels like it’s “us against the world.” A verse in the Bible, from John 16, tells us that God is our source of peace, also reminding us “in the world you have tribulation. But take heart–God has overcome the world.”
Our guests this week saw their lives—and the world around them—in turmoil, and found themselves turning to God for the peace that can only come from seeking to be in His presence. Cam Ayala, who starred on ABC’s The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise shares about how his struggle with a lifelong illness was used on the show to portray him in a negative light, and how after the show ended, his faith would uphold him through the biggest decision he would ever have to face about his health and his identity. Social media influencer Tiania Haneline and her five-year-old daughter Scarlett Smith started a positive affirmation routine that has taken the internet by storm. Tiania shares how speaking kind words to her daughter each day is creating a lifelong habit of facing negativity with positivity.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Trey Johnson
Upcoming interview: Tom Schueman
ABC’s The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise
Tiania Haneline and Scarlett Smith
I’m Going to Have a Good Day! Daily Affirmations with Scarlett
Interview Quotes:
“God always has a way of showing His way if you are opening your heart and seeking that light.” - Cam Ayala
“I knew that reigniting my relationship with Jesus was going to be the only way that I would make it through this [amputation] surgery and really through the rest of my life. I had tried doing things on my own accord, trying to be my own strong, independent man. But time and time again, I felt that my own personal strength was insufficient.” - Cam Ayala
“There's Scripture that says, ‘When we are weak, He is strong.’ And so really leaning on the strength of Christ in me was more than enough to get me through some of the toughest physical adversities that I had faced in previous surgeries.” - Cam Ayala
“I'm a firm believer that God gives His toughest battles to His toughest warriors, and that with a loss like this of a limb is going to come a great gain in what Jesus is going to do with me, through me, to me, and ultimately for other people to bear witness to.” - Cam Ayala
“When you seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be there to get you through some of the most difficult seasons or moments in your life.” - Cam Ayala
“I think it is very important for my children and myself to have these affirmations to instill in us. So whenever Scarlett has someone in her class that says that they don't like her hair, you know, she can come back with, ‘Well, I love my hair.’ So I just want them to be able to take what I have taught them and be able to use it in the real world.” - Tiania Haneline
“I got Scarlett to look at herself in the mirror while I was doing her hair, and I was like, This is going to be able to show her I love my curls, I love my brown skin. I am strong, I am beautiful.” - Tiania Haneline
“I'm beautiful. I'm strong. I'm not fearful. I love my curls. Jesus loves me. And I'm going to have a good day.” - Scarlett Smith
“My prayer right now is that I will raise my children up to follow Jesus and to be amazing women and men.” - Tiania Haneline
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 19 Jan 2023 - 27min - 411 - When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, God Will Provide Direction: Chris Tomlin and Kelvin McElroy
Have you ever been driving somewhere, or even walking in the city or on a trail, and found yourself hopelessly lost? In the era of smartphones and GPS, this has become a lot less likely, but we can all recall moments where we didn’t have the tools at our disposal to lead us back to where we needed to go, and we ended up wandering, trying to remember where we came from and how to get back to that spot. It’s a scary feeling not knowing where you’re going, and even more scary when life presents situations to us where we’re just not sure what to do or who to turn to to help us get where we need to be. When we feel lost in life, confused about what to do next, God promises that “He will stand by us and strengthen us, so that through us His message can be fully proclaimed.” (2 Timothy 4:18).
Grammy-award winning worship leader Chris Tomlin knew from a very young age that he wanted to connect with the people around him in meaningful ways by playing and singing music, but wasn’t exactly sure how that would pan out in his life. As a young man, he found himself speaking a prayer that he didn’t really understand at the time, but has been a constant throughout his life: “Whatever You want, for the rest of my life, I’m available and will follow you.” Brigadier General Kelvin McElroy was raised to believe that committing yourself strongly to anything you wanted to pursue would get you where you wanted to be, but still needed a nudge from others who believed in him when he himself couldn’t see his own potential. Both of these men would go on to powerfully lead others into lives of service and commitment to God, using what God gave them to point people in His direction.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kevin Olusola
Upcoming interview: Cam Ayala
Interview Quotes:
“I just like it when people sing. I don't really like standing up there and playing with everybody watching me. I like when people join in.” - Chris Tomlin
"I wasn't trying to [become a worship singer]. Never looked to do it. Wasn't something I set out to do. It was just God opening up the doors in an incredible way." - Chris Tomlin
"When you hear my songs, those don't come from just making something up. It really comes from God. Some of the prayers come out in public because they're my songs." - Chris Tomlin
"Our willingness is our wealth, our soul is the soil, and God's word is the seed." - Kelvin McElroy
"When you serve others, you will always find that no matter where you go, people are faithful and willing to pull you in and take care of you." - Kelvin McElroy
“God's Word is our one. Right? It leads us, it guides us, and if we take the time to listen and apply God's Word, the answer’s already there, and He's given us everything that we need.” - Kelvin McElroy
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 12 Jan 2023 - 24min - 410 - There’s No Faith Too Small To Move Mountains: Maggi Thorne & Don Wickstrum
When we think about life events that define our existence, what naturally comes to mind? Perhaps it’s finishing your education, or getting that first job, starting a family? Or maybe the tougher things come to mind, like facing an illness, losing a loved one, or struggling to make ends meet after a job has ended. There’s one common denominator in both the hard and joyful events of our lives—our faith. It’s in those defining life moments—even the ones where you crash and fail hard—that greatness, courage, and true purpose reveal themselves. That one act of taking the next small step on the way to our next big hurdle reminds us of how Jesus says, “All it takes is to have faith the size of a mustard seed, and mountains will move.” [Matthew 17:20]
Our guests this week have experienced the kinds of life events we’re talking about that make one take stock in who they are. From failing an obstacle course on national television to crashing a racecar on a winding track up a mountain, they’ve faced unusual challenges, but their stories don’t end in failure. Each of them chose to dust themselves off, take another small step of faith, and continue to do what they were meant to do. American Ninja Warrior Maggi Thorne shares how she battled with mild traumatic brain injury while racing up the infamous warped wall. She walks us through her decision to step away and heal and how she leaned on God to find the strength to never give up. Pastor and race car driver Don Wickstrum takes us on his path to racing to the clouds on a 12.42 mile intensive mountain course, amid a colon cancer diagnosis. He shares how he chose not to quit, but instead how he relied on God to make it to the finish line.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Todd Hoffman
Upcoming interview: Chris Tomlin
Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge
Madonna Rehabilitation Services in Lincoln, Nebraska
Interview Quotes:
“[My] experiences have actually led to my passion to serve the poor, the underprivileged, the underrepresented, and making sure my platform of American Ninja Warrior—what I feel like God has blessed me with—is used to advocate for those and specifically speak into the life of youth and tell them you have opportunity, it's not opposition, and anything is possible.” - Maggie Thorne
“I knew God had given me this role and responsibility and He can take this next path too. Because a lot of people, when I said, “I think I'm going to go out and build people and not buildings, and I'm going to quit,” they thought I was bananas and couldn't quite understand it and told me I was ruining my life, actually. And I'd never be successful again. But I really had faith and trust in God.” - Maggie Thorne
“How I train has shown up in competition because you're going to experience the unexpected, you're going to experience failure. And how you've trained as a whole, that's when it's going to be there and show up.” - Maggie Thorne
“[I realized], Okay, this isn't about saying ‘never give up.’ It's about becoming never give up. Can we become what we say? And what does that journey look like? And the first step was acceptance. I'm never going to be who I was again, but who can I be now and can I put that in God's hands?” - Maggie Thorne
“I began to realize that I didn't need to know the ending of the story. I just needed to tell it and where I was at because it would speak to someone.” - Don Wickstrum
“It was an absolutely incredible moment for me; realizing God's faithfulness and the fact that He didn't rescue me from adversity. He gave me the power and strength to endure it so that I could have a character built up in hope.” - Don Wickstrum
“There's still hope for you for your purpose. There's still hope for you to be reconciled through Jesus Christ. There is still hope for you to live another day fulfilling the will of God.” - Don Wickstrum
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 05 Jan 2023 - 31min - 409 - Walking In Another’s Shoes, Like Jesus Did For Us: Harris Faulkner and Omar Benson Miller
Perhaps you’ve heard the sentiment, “you can’t really judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes.” This thought goes beyond the idea of just a reprimand against being judgemental. It’s one that reminds us to have empathy and understanding of others’ experiences and actions with an open heart and mind. The greatest example of walking in someone else’s shoes is Jesus, being fully God, who stepped into humanity’s shoes by being born into this world—so we could know with certainty that He experienced the same kinds of trials and losses, wants and needs that we all experience as humans. When we tune into how Jesus lived, we in turn can begin to tune into others, and like Jesus, show them love even when we don’t understand or agree with them.
Our guests this week are people who’ve had experience stepping into other people’s shoes—one as a reporter who makes it her job to understand the people she is interviewing to best be able to tell their stories, and the other an actor, who has had to inhabit the lives of the characters, real and fictional, that he brings to life in TV and film. News anchor and author Harris Faulkner shares how the loss of her parents opened up a side of her that helps her relate to people in a more compassionate way—one that shows up when she’s interviewing people about their own experiences, good and bad. Actor Omar Benson Miller tells us how he walks into each role he’s given with the intention to gain the full experience of someone’s story and how each character he has played has shown him the value of giving kind consideration to everyone’s story.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ben Higgins
Upcoming interview: Maggi Thorne
Interview Quotes:
"When [my dad] prayed for me and my mom, he was very specific in saying, 'I want them to find peace, joy, and health when I am not with them. Lord, I need you to be a protector for them when I am not with them.' And that's especially true now in terms of how I walk out my own faith." - Harris Faulkner
“I believe God loves all of us.” - Harris Faulkner
“I leaned back into God and He leaned into me and I was able to go forward. And I prayed more. And things got better. But it was in His timing, not mine.” - Harris Faulkner
“My mom told me growing up, ‘Give all of your worries and sorrows in life to God. And don't forget to pray when things are going well, too.’ When I remembered that my mom had said that when I was praying less and crying more in my loss, what it reminded me of is that there will be days that will go well again. That this too shall pass. Loving our parents and losing our parents will never pass. But that point of anger with the Lord will. And we must work on that.” - Harris Faulkner
“What I've tried to do is utilize the platform that God has given me to lift up others.” - Harris Faulkner
“When the storms of life come, you know God's listening because you talk to Him every day, and He hears you.” - Harris Faulkner
“It takes a real deep understanding of your relationship with God to know how to pray for someone else.” - Harris Faulkner
“I don't know what happens and has happened to people. I don't know people's stories. I don't know what they believe. I don't know what they've been through. I don't know who they've hurt or who has hurt them. So I like to go in with a blank slate.” - Omar Benson Miller
“And the challenge is laid out that you are going to have a hard time doing the right thing, because that's what this world is. That's what this life is. So the closer you draw near to the Spirit of God, the closer, the better, and easier that will become.” - Omar Benson Miller
“I think that being a person is hard, being a human is hard. This is why it's so important to have kindness and so imperative to try to make allowances for other people, because at some point you're going to need allowances yourself as well.” - Omar Benson Miller
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 29 Dec 2022 - 24min - 408 - [MONTHLY SPECIAL] Prayers for Every Season
This month we’re featuring multiple guests who have previously appeared on the Jesus Calling podcast, speaking about prayer during times of sorrow and in times of joy. Christmas is the season to celebrate the love and hope of Jesus; but for some, it can bring difficulty. Our guests remind us that no matter what season we’re in, prayer can be a light in our darkness.
Links To Full EpisodesMargaret Feinberg
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 27 Dec 2022 - 34min - 407 - God Shows Up In Our Stories, Especially at Christmas: Danica McKellar & Matt Rawle
Whether you’ve been a Christian your whole life because you were raised in the faith, or you’re just curious about what Christianity is all about, there are many ways we can come to know God, sometimes when we’re not even looking for Him. In the Bible, the prophet Isaiah tells us in Romans 10:20 that “[God] is found by those who did not seek [Him], [He] became manifest to those who did not ask for [Him].” As we all enjoy our favorite stories of Christmas this year, and as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, everyone can pause and reflect on the ways God might show up in our lives and look forward to new ways we might uncover His goodness in the coming year as well.
Actress Danica McKellar always felt a tug at her heart that there was something out there she hadn’t quite uncovered yet. Not long ago, when her friend and fellow actress Candace Cameron Bure sent her a Bible, the switch flipped and she came to the realization that it had been God tugging at her heart all along. Now, she’s embarked on a new-found journey of faith and is eagerly anticipating this Christmas season with a new lease on life. Author and pastor Matt Rawle loves digging deep into our culture to find traces of God in places we’d least expect. He’s uncovered themes in beloved Christmas classics like The Grinch and has found joy and a new understanding of God and the way He presents Himself in the world.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Mark Lowry
Upcoming interview: Harris Faulkner
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Asbury United Methodist Church
The Heart That Grew Three Sizes
Interview Quotes:
“Jesus is something that I wanted my whole life, or had my whole life and just didn't realize it.” - Danica Mckellar
“Of utmost importance is not the religion, it's the relationship. And that is precious to me. And it's a journey of discovery.” - Danica McKellar
“I can let go and let God. I can find that peace that surpasses understanding, because I know it doesn't matter what's going on in this world now that I have this connection to True Peace." - Danica McKellar
"You know that childhood joy when you see how excited they are for Christmas? This year there's a whole new layer for me. It's the actual meaning behind the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ." - Danica McKellar
“We don't always use culture beneficially, but culture in and of itself certainly isn't bad, but it can, I think, powerfully communicate to us who God is." - Matt Rawle
“If we believe The Incarnation [of God in the form of Jesus] to be true, then culture is a vehicle through which we can discern God…Scripture says that God created all things through Christ and God was pleased to reconcile all things through Christ. Therefore, there is a hint of God in everything.” - Matt Rawle
“Jesus taught using pop cultural references of the time. Of course, we're 2,000 years removed from that, so they don't seem to be so popular in terms of pop culture today. But in Jesus's time, they absolutely were.” - Matt Rawle
“Christmas in particular is a great time to explore that intersection between culture and our shared lives together in spreading the gospel.” - Matt Rawle
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 22 Dec 2022 - 25min - 406 - Restoring Our Relationships and Reconnecting to God: Kevin Olusola & Seth and Heather Thompson Day
Theologian and monk Thomas Merton once wrote, “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” We were designed by God to live life with and surrounded by people. But to successfully do so, we have to learn what makes others tick. We have to know how they move, and how we can speak love and understanding into their lives. Truly loving people comes with knowing that they are flawed, but resisting the desire to “fix them” to some standard of our own. When we choose to let others be perfectly themselves, we begin to understand God’s unconditional love toward all of us.
Our guests this week are people who’ve truly come to the realization that in order to make a relationship thrive, acceptance and resiliency are so important. Beatboxer, cellist, and singer/songwriter Kevin Olusola from the acapella musical group Pentatonix talks about what it takes to make space for his bandmates through their differences, and how they move beyond those differences to make beautiful harmonies together. Husband and wife duo Seth and Heather Thompson Day speak about the tensions they’ve experienced with their individual families and how as a couple, they are committed to the hard work of living relationally with others and with God.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tauren Wells
Upcoming interview: Matt Rawle
Celebrate and Collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma
Pentatonix’s performance of “E.T.” by Katy Perry
Interview Quotes:
“I said to God, ‘I think you're absolutely crazy. This doesn't make any sense, but I can't deny that I feel like you're leading me here. I don't know if it's forever, but I know I at least have to follow this right now.’” - Kevin Olusola
“I don't think any of us knew that it was going to lead to all this. We're five such different people in such a beautiful way. That's what makes the sound interesting. We're all bringing our different ideas of musicality to make one joyful noise.” - Kevin Olusola
“If God Almighty is the one that has put the plan in place for you to be successful so that His glory is known, you better believe that God will create a way for you to have success not just in your career, but also in your family, also in your health. He's created a way because God wants a holistic, loving, joyous life focused on Him.” - Kevin Olusola
“I don't know why we struggle to speak life into ourselves. But when I met Heather, I was able to speak life into her. And she was able to speak life into me.” - Seth Day
“I think the beauty of the Christian experience is we actually can allow our spirits and our brains and our bodies and our hearts to be transformed in the hands of God. And I've seen that firsthand in my own family.” - Heather Thompson Day
“One of the things that Heather has done by willing the good for me is that she's valued my pain. But she's also definitely valued the promise that God has over my life.” - Seth Day
“I think that's what all of us need to do in our lives, is to look to people who have done it when things weren't ideal, to build our confidence, and go, ‘Well they did it. So can I.’” - Seth Day
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 15 Dec 2022 - 26min - 405 - [BONUS] Lives of Service and Gifts of Impact
As we approach Christmas, it’s nice to reflect on the gift God gave us through Jesus and how He served the people in his circle and beyond–and how He shows up for us through others in ways we’d never expect. Have you ever received a gift that was so intentional it brought you to tears? Or maybe you’ve given a gift that ended up having a profound effect on someone else’s life. This holiday season, we’re talking to several people who know a few things about meaningful gifts, and what it means to them to provide a place of business in the community for people to find gifts and resources that lift others up, and what it’s like to be in service to the people around us—especially at this time of the year.
Quotes
“What we're about is encouraging faith, inspiring change, and sharing life, not just our personal lives, but the life that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.” - Donna McCullough, Dove Christian Supply
“We've been told over and over again by our community how important and how vital we [Logos Bookstore] are. People come in with all kinds of prayer requests and needs and we are there to love on them. And we count it as a privilege.” - Susan Lewis, Logos Bookstore
“For me personally, as we own and operate these Christian bookstores, we are constantly on our knees before God depending upon Him to supply so that we can keep the stores alive and open with all the challenges that we've faced. So prayer is critical. And Sarah [Young] is communicating to her readers how important it is to have a powerful dependance in our God.” - Kevin Furgusen, Willamette Valley Christian Supply
“Jesus Calling, it's the right words at the time that you need them. It's the Lord speaking to you, it just speaks to your heart and it comforts you. It soothes your soul.” - Vickie Achord, Olive Branch Bookstore
“I think with all the craziness that's going on in the world around us, I think people are recognizing the importance of direction from God. And I think it's making people spend more time praying for their personal lives, for their decisions that they make. We understand the importance of prayer for the people that we care about.” - Dennis Lovvorn, New Covenant Bookstore
Willamette Valley Christian Supply
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 13 Dec 2022 - 18min - 404 - Trusting God and Your Intuition: Nikki DeLoach and Pat Bradley
All of us have experienced what we like to call “gut feelings.” At various times in each of our lives, it’s been that deep intuition that perhaps moved us to make a decision that was good for us—choosing one thing over, or avoiding a situation that didn’t feel quite right. Other times, perhaps we didn’t follow that quiet tug on our hearts, and pursued a different route—maybe ending up in a less than ideal result. However we view those gut feelings, the message is the same; God will always find a way to reach us. He is that "still small voice" that Elijah heard (I Kings 19:12), and in our lives often presents itself as that deep intuition about who we are and what we should do.
Our guests this week had those “gut feeling” moments that they ended up following that led to some pretty amazing things in their lives. Hallmark actress and producer Nikki DeLoach tells about her singularly-focused dream to become an actress and how she felt the pull to learn how to “tell stories” by learning how to produce projects as well. Pat Bradley worked for Crisis Aid International ministry for years, helping people all over the world. But it wasn’t until he felt the unexplainable tug toward helping people in a place no one else wanted to go that he had to trust where his heart was leading him. They both found that the more time they spent in conversation with God, the more they could trust the “still small voice” of their intuition to lead them to the right place.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Chang
Upcoming interview: Kevin Olusola
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
International Christian ConcernColin Powell
Interview Quotes:
“I spent a lot of time looking up at God saying, 'Why, why not me? Did you forget about me? And what I didn't realize in those moments was that I was actually very deeply being taken care of by God because I just didn't know what fame would have done to me at such a young age." - Nikki DeLoach
"I don't care about the color of your skin. I don't care about your gender. I don't care about your socioeconomic level. I don't care about what religious faith you're in. What I care about is; are you in need? Can I help you? Can I pray for you? Let's be in community together. That's how Jesus lived his life." - Nikki DeLoach
"Christmas is really about remembering what's most important. Are we alive? Are we breathing? Are we honoring the ones we've lost? Are we being good to other people? Are we giving back? That's Christmas." - Nikki DeLoach
"Somebody had to do something in these hopeless situations. God really did put it on my heart that doing nothing was no longer an option." - Pat Bradley
"The 'no go' zones were areas where no one was going to help people. And we found ourselves to be the only ones in there doing something." - Pat Bradley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 08 Dec 2022 - 24min - 403 - [BONUS] Good Samaritans Give Help To Communities Devastated By Hurricane Ian
In the hours before September 28th, 2022, as Hurricane Ian roared toward the Florida coast, no one knew the level of devastation that would occur in its wake. With 147 deaths, multiple homes and buildings decimated, and over 60,000 people displaced from their homes, volunteers from all over the world streamed into Florida communities to lend their help toward healing and rebuilding. We talk to two of those Good Samaritans who gave of their time and resources to offer refuge and hope after devastating loss.
Quotes
“God had been preparing me even before I knew He was preparing me.” - Rev. David Acton
“If you have a heart to share hope and a heart to love on others, God figures out the rest.” - Rev. David Acton
“A lot of times we just sit and we just cry and pray together because there are no answers sometimes.” - Rev. David Acton
“I knew right then I had to do something to help. I didn't know what that looked like. I just prayed that God would show me some guidance and what do I need to do? How can I help?” - Krista Kowalczyk
“In my everyday prayers, what I was saying is, ‘Okay, I'll do this while I'm waiting to hear what you want me to do.’ It took me a long time of helping people with their photographs to realize that I'm actually helping people more than I realized.” - Krista Kowalczyk
“I have really relied on prayer to get me through this time. It has been hard, just seeing so much devastation and so much loss. I've prayed every day that I have the strength to continue to help people.” - Krista Kowalczyk
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 - 18min - 402 - Embracing Our Differences to Serve God Faithfully: Lil Mike and Funny Bone & Andy Dooley
Each one of us is uniquely made by God and given a specific life path. God wants us to celebrate the way He made us and serve Him with our different abilities. By embracing our differences and bridging our unique stories with our faith, we can help connect God’s love to more people.
Our guests this week share with us how they’ve used their unique life paths to share God’s love with others—whether it’s with their communities or their family circle. Stars of the TV show Reservation Dogs, Lil Mike and Funny Bone are Indigenous entertainers who have delighted audiences with their humor and talent on television and on stages across the country. Their personal stories of the challenges they’ve faced and their talent for the creative arts has helped create a bridge between their Christian faith and their culture. Andy Dooley is a fitness influencer and author who found a way to connect his seemingly disparate gifts of athleticism and artistry to share his brand of hope and faith with the world. By allowing God to shape his life and embracing his differences, Andy found his purpose in teaching fitness to others through videos online and is beginning a newer journey of leading his family through a faith-filled life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Derwin Gray
Upcoming interview: Nikki DeLoach
Interview Quotes:
“We like to be living examples of what we speak about in our music. You know, we talk about not drinking, not smoking. And when you see us out in public, we are not drinking and not smoking…Something that's real cool in the Indigenous community; a lot of the beliefs line up with the Word, to be thankful in all things and to pray in all things.” - Funny Bone
“Just being able to watch [our kids] ask questions and find relationship with God in their way is just cool. And it starts with us as parents just modeling it, exposing them to it, and having time together and just showing them how cool God really is.” - Andy Dooley
“Prayer isn't just one time. You know, prayer can be throughout the day. You can just talk to God while you're driving. You could just talk to God while you're at the gym. Or you have thoughts or decisions or you're going through a certain situation in a season in your life, God wants to hear from you on a regular basis.” - Andy Dooley
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Thu, 01 Dec 2022 - 21min
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