Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith
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[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*
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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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[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*
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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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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Pursuing a Relationship With Jesus: Susie McEntire-Eaton & Emily Ley
On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we?re talking to mom, author, and entrepreneur Emily Ley, who?s the queen of organization. She walks us through how we can set ourselves up for success and get closer to the Lord in the process.
Guest?s Links
Facebook: @emilyley
Twitter: @emilyley
Instagram: @emilyley
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Link to episode
God Is In the Details: Tamera Mowry-Housley and Mike Kinney
Ephesians 2:10 says, ?For we are God?s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.? We all long?at some point in life?to have that moment of clarity where we know exactly what we?re supposed to do and which way we need to go, and everything feels like it clicks into place. Those ?aha!? moments can be hard to come by, but we can rely on God to reveal clues to us about where He wants us to be?and often it?s in those little details that we ourselves might not even notice. Taking time to be still, read God?s Word, and watch for those signs that He?s working goes a long way to making the most out of the short time we have on earth.
When she was a little girl, Tamera Mowry-Housley knew that she wanted to be an actress, and with the support of her family, dove in headfirst. But navigating a life in the spotlight at such a young age presented a unique set of difficulties. Mike Kinney was miraculously rescued from a tragic car accident, which led him to consider, Who am I and where do I go from here? After healing from the accident, Mike came to realize that God was organizing the details for him to lead others to see what God has for them, and help them find their own ?aha!? moments in life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Inky Johnson
Upcoming interview: Andy Dooley
Out of the Fire: How an Angel and a Stranger Intervened to Save a Life
Interview Quotes:
?I used to struggle with the spirit of perfection. I thought that if I was perfect, all the problems would go away. All my insecurities would go away. And later I found out it was actually the more you think like that, the more you're imprisoned, because the Lord loves us without perfection.? - Tamera Mowry-Housley
?I've realized that prayer and reading the Word isn't something I want to do. It's something I need to do. It's a necessity to protect my peace, my spirit, and my mind daily?I've learned that if I don't feed my soul with the Word of God and talk to God daily, it's easy for me to kind of lose my step.? - Tamera Mowry-Housley
?Whenever I feel like I'm struggling, lost, uncertain, I go to the Word. I go to the Word of God. And there,I find my answers.? - Tamera Mowry-Housley
?It was kind of like I was on this journey to try to figure out what my purpose, what my calling could be.? - Mike Kinney
?The [car] accident had messed with some areas of my brain that could affect motor skills. And they didn't know if I'd be able to play music again because the area of my brain that was impacted by the accident should have affected my ability to play music. There was this need, and I feel like the Lord gave me this dream. It was a gift that He gave me and it became a symbol of hope over the next, you know, eighteen plus years.? - Mike Kinney
?That's been part of the anthem of my story is that you're never too broken to be used by God.? - Mike Kinney
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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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There?s No Box Big Enough To Contain God: Jesse Bradley and Tovares & Sofa Grey
Sometimes our plans in life can be misdirected and net us emptiness. When we decide to live selfishly and aren?t open to where God is leading us, we effectively put God ?in a box? by limiting ourselves from the vast potential for light and goodness He wants to bring to our lives. Each of our guests this week had life experiences that required them to let go of their ideas of what their lives were supposed to look like so that they could grow into the plans that God had for them. Jesse Bradley admits he never thought he'd ever be a pastor. His goals were professional sports, and he achieved that success. But when his body had an allergic reaction to some medication he was taking, he had to make a shift and found God transforming him for new pursuits and new passions. Tovares and Safa Grey have?in a very short time?helped many young people navigate the world of dating and relationships. They understand that many young people feel the pressure of being in a relationship. They feel the key to staying open to what will unfold in our lives is letting go so that we don't put God in a box. This place of compromise is a scary place?a mental battleground?but it holds tremendous potential for God?s goodness to manifest itself in our lives.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Nate Pyle
Upcoming interview: Tamera Mowry-Housley
Thank you to our sponsor, Samaritan?s Purse!
Interview Quotes:
?The inside story is the real story and the full story. And sometimes you're the only one who knows it and God knows the inside story as well. And the outside looked like success, but the inside for me, there was emptiness.? - Jesse Bradley
?Pain has been a big part of my transformation.? - Jesse Bradley
?You want a godly marriage, you want a healthy marriage. But there are some people who desire a marriage because everyone else on their timeline is married.? - Tovares Grey
?My advice to other young people who are dating today, don't limit God to your idea of who you think you should be with.? - Safa Grey
?[God's] concerned about every single aspect of our lives. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to have a relationship.? - Safa Grey
?At the end of the day, everything points back to God, and so we have to date with that intention in mind.? - Safa Grey
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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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Believing God?s Promises When Your Plans Fall Apart: Dr. Elizabeth Stevens & Daniel and Noell Jett
Pursuing our God-given dreams can lead us into unexpected places, whether it?s climbing mountains, building homes, or sharing your story with those who need encouragement. God?s beautiful purpose remains steadfast, but sometimes we can?t see past the setbacks or the trials that confront us first. Learning to trust God in everything puts us in a posture of peace and allows for His grace to define our days. These are the moments that can hold deep meaning for us when we look back and see that God never left our sides.
Our guests this week share with us what happened when they believed for something better when their own plans were sidelined. Dr. Elizabeth Stevens had dreams of joining the Air Force and becoming a psychiatrist, responding to the spark in her heart which told her she could help people in this way. Faced with deeply difficult events and setbacks to her health, she questioned if God had abandoned her when she truly just wanted to live for Him. Daniel and Noell Jett shared a mutual desire of building their dream home together. Proving to be more difficult than they expected, they share how God showed them that it wasn?t about having their dream home, but enjoying the journey as a family together?no matter where they laid their heads at night.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview:
Upcoming interview:
Thank you to our sponsor, Samaritan?s Purse!
Advancing Warriors International
Order Elizabeth?s book ?Unshackled? at 10% off until 11/17/22 with the discount code UNSHACKLED-JESUSCALLING https://www.drelizabethstevens.com/order-unshackled
Create Your Dream Home on a Budget
Interview Quotes:
?My whole life I really tried to be the person people thought I needed to be, be the person God needed me to be. And I wore these masks of trying to prove my worth, trying to cover and hide any vulnerabilities or failures or darkness within me because I didn't want to see it and I didn't want anyone else to see it.? - Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
?I blamed everything on my traumatic brain injury because I didn't realize that that deeper trauma, that soul trauma, was actually what needed to be healed primarily in order for me to recover from my traumatic brain injury.? - Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
?Once I realized that even in my darkest state, even in my rebellion, God loved me the same, and I could actually feel it more, that empowered me to really stop trying to protect myself, stop trying to hide, stop trying to cover up.? - Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
?When someone is hurting, a lot of times in the field of psychiatry and psychology, the spiritual aspect of things is neglected. But a lot of people are dealing with a lot of spiritual struggles, whether they've been burned by a religion, burned by the church, burned by other Christians?And so I've provided that space where they can talk through spiritual struggles, any struggles that they have, and they don't feel judged.? - Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
?God redeems all wounds. God's great enough and powerful enough to provide a way out." - Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
"I was finally able to learn about a real relationship with God and discover a life with love and the way I believe that Jesus meant for it to be lived." - Noell Jett
?True happiness is found within yourself, within God, within your family.? - Noell Jett
?Happiness and true contentment and peace are not found in external circumstances. If you're not happy where you are in the moment of this time, you're not going to be happy when you get a new house.? - Noell Jett
?We didn't need the material things. What we needed was our relationships and the time that we got to spend together and the closeness and the bond that we had as a family, as one unit?that was really the most important thing to us and still is.? - Daniel Jett
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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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Facing Storms & Finding Solace in God: Kelley Earnhardt Miller & Hayley Arceneaux
?Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,? sings the Psalmist, ?I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (NKJV) This is not just beautiful poetry. These were the fervent prayers of David (Psalm 23) as he tended to his father Jesse?s sheep. At any moment, a lion or wolf could attack. Within the line, ?I will fear no evil,? there?s a cry for help and a statement of faith. We can all go to this prayer, just as David did, when the storms of life threaten us?filling us with fear for our lives and our future.
Our two guests this week faced such storms and found solace that God was comforting them through their most desperate times. Kelley Earnhardt Miller lost both of her parents prematurely: her father?the famous NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr.?died in a car crash, and her mother from cancer. Through it all, she kept God at the center and found her calling in her caring for her little brother, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., not only as a troubled teen but as a successful adult. Hayley Arceneaux's childhood was hijacked by a cancer diagnosis, yet she found inspiration from the medical professionals at St. Jude's Children's Hospital where she was being treated. Her decision to become a physician assistant not only saw her return to St. Jude's to work with leukemia and lymphoma patients, but she also became the youngest American ever to orbit the earth. Both Kelley and Hayley found ways to dig deep into their relationship with God to fight through the hard times.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Sara Evans
Upcoming interview: Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
Thank you to our sponsor: https://higherbond.com/podcast/
Drive: 9 Lessons to Win in Business and in Life
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships
Interview Quotes:
"I'm so thankful for having faith because I had a place to put my questions and lay that with God, and just have a peace and comfort about it that you can feel." - Kelley Earnhardt Miller
?God is the center of everything.? - Kelley Earnhardt Miller
?I have just a lot of great people, a lot of great Christians in my world. I think that's important to keep your faith intact as we go through this earthly world, because those people inspire me and they continue to push me to grow as a Christian.? - Kelley Earnhardt Miller
?I kept screaming, ?I don't want to die. I don't want to die.? And I looked at my mom and I said, ?God must hate me.? Because I thought, Why else would this be happening? And she said, ?No, God loves you.?" - Hayley Arceneaux
?Those days going through cancer treatment, especially at such a young age, I had some really difficult days. But when I look back at that year, I just remember the beautiful moments and the good times and the other patient families and the staff that really felt like my family.? - Hayley Arceneaux
?It was just wonderful being around these really supportive adults because it helped me focus on something that was beyond just my own sickness and my own pain. They really encouraged me to feel like I had a purpose there and to be able to give back and show gratitude instead of just feeling like the sick one.? - Hayley Arceneaux
?It was about eight months from when I initially got the call to go to space before we launched, and I said a lot of prayers in those eight months for training, for my safety, and definitely for the space travel itself. And having faith, I think, really helped bring so much peace.? - Hayley Arceneaux
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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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Link to episode
Thriving Vs. Surviving?The Little Things That Bring Us Joy: Amy Hannon & Tara L. Cole
As so many of us go about our day to day, living what we might see as ?ordinary? lives, we might wonder, while we are working hard at our jobs, providing for ourselves or our families, and staying so busy with the many things that make up the basic details of surviving?how can we also begin thriving and really enjoy our lives beyond merely keeping it all together?
Our guests this week offer some simple suggestions toward ways to bring some peace and joy to our daily existences. Tara L. Cole is a writer, educator, and mom raising school-aged kids during what can often be seen as turbulent times. She offers a few simple ways she helps guide her kids through this season of their lives through spending time with them, providing boundaries for the media they consume, and introducing prayer into their daily routines. Amy Hannon, the founder of Arkansas kitchen boutique Euna Mae?s, finds that simple hospitality brings joy to herself and others. And although she has turned it into a beautiful business, she encourages us that hospitality doesn?t have to be a show and gives us easy steps to welcome gladly and serve faithfully in ways that fill our hearts and others.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dawn Barton
Upcoming interview: Kelley Earnhardt Miller
Thank you to our sponsor: https://higherbond.com/podcast/
Arkansas kitchen boutique Euna Mae?s
Gather and Give, Sharing God's Heart Through Everyday Hospitality and Gathering
Everyday Prayers For The School Year
Interview Quotes:
?It was at [Euna Mae?s] house where I have some of my favorite memories of watching her cook for and serve the ones that she loved. And I really didn't realize it then, I realized it later, but her love for gathering people around food was leaving a really long lasting impression on me.? - Amy Hannon
?We have to remember more than anything to seek the Lord and ask Him to find favor with our invitation and to fill us with His love and to radiate His life through us, because that's what we want. We need to be completely honest with the Lord about our worries and our concerns and ask Him to stir up joy and delight as we seek to love and service people.? - Amy Hannon
?Just keep things simple because the hospitality of the Bible isn't fancy and the purpose isn?t to show off your life. The purpose is to share your life with others.? - Amy Hannon
?Jesus knew better than anybody that a simple invitation for connection and community over a shared meal created the perfect opportunity for emotional, relational, and spiritual transactions to take place. And that's the hope of our hospitality.? - Amy Hannon
?I would really encourage you to just start making space in your day and praying to God and asking Him, ?What can we let go of here in this season, the stage we find ourselves in??? - Tara Cole
?The best guidance I can give as we introduce our kids to a healthy prayer life is to look at the season or stage that you find yourself in, because every season and stage of life with your kids is going to look different.? - Tara Cole
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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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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] God Hears Our Prayers
This month, as part of the Jesus Calling Podcast, we?re featuring multiple guests who have previously appeared on the show who share what it means to know a God who hears our prayers and wants to know us by our communication with Him. We hope you find inspiration from these stories of praying people, and how the very act of incorporating prayer into our lives has the ability to change our outlooks for the better.
Links To Full Episodes
Danny Gokey
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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Every Single Body is Wonderfully Made By God: Dr. Amy Kenny and Anna Lind Thomas
Where does the human body fit into our theology? In Scripture, humans are said to be "created in the image of God,? but overall the creation of our bodies is a great mystery, and we cannot say it has been created in the image of God without trying to understand what that phrase means. We don't get to choose its color, its height, or even the basic functionality of its parts. It remains largely an unpredictable, dynamic space that we must learn to inhabit, love, and enjoy as the most basic gift we?ve been given.
Both of our guests this week learned to love the bodies that they were given. Dr. Amy Kenny is a disabled scholar and lecturer in Shakespearean studies at the University of California Riverside. She celebrates the beautiful vulnerability of her disabled body within the theology of the image of God and she advocates for disabled and unhoused people. Anna Lind Thomas is a comedian who overcame perceptions of being the "ugly duckling" when compared to her sister by taking time to hone her comedic craft, learn radical self-compassion, and celebrate the unpredictability of our human bodies.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Miles McPherson
Upcoming interview: Tara Cole
My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church
Interview Quotes:
?I started to realize that if the invisible qualities of God's divine nature can be clearly seen in that crookedness of trees, in the bouncing kangaroo, in the languishing lion, and the waddling penguin, then why can't I see it in myself, in my own disabled body?? - Dr. Amy Kenny
?I practice really acknowledging the beautiful vulnerability of my life. I listen to my body and acknowledge that she is a temple and I try to behold those invisible qualities of divine nature throughout creation as a practice every day to make sure I am rooted.? - Dr. Amy Kenny
?My disabled body declares the truth that we are from ash and we will one day return to ash. And that day might be sooner than we plan. But my disabled body also declares what the Creator can do with a little bit of ash. And so I give thanks for that.? - Dr. Amy Kenny
?I realized that not taking yourself so seriously is a gift, and having a healthy sense of humor about yourself, it really is a skill and it's kind of a nice way to live.? - Anna Lind Thomas
?There is something about that deep belly laugh that makes us be like, Okay, I can handle this. You know, I can do this, I can handle this, let's go for it. There's really true power in that, and it's such an important thing.? - Anna Lind Thomas
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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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Moving Where God Leads, Even When It Feels Uncomfortable: Carlos and Alexa PenaVega and Michael Phillips
***Content Warning: This episode mentions eating disorders.***
Most of us can recall times in our lives where we've felt lost, confused, or unsure of how to move forward. It can be easy to shy away from these moments?to hide them and put on a smile to pretend as if our road has always been an easy one. But what if instead of striving for perfection around every corner, we stop and lean into these uncomfortable moments? What would happen if we looked at our moments of feeling lost and vulnerable as opportunities to become closer to God? To strengthen our faith and use these stories as testimony? Our guests this week explore these questions as they share their stories of faith and healing.
Carlos and Alexa PenaVega share the honest and vulnerable moments that strengthened their relationship with God and taught them the lessons that would inform the rest of their lives. Michael Phillips grew up in Baltimore and was told from an early age that he would not become the lawyer he dreamed to be. As administrators, teachers, and principals told him he would inevitably end up incarcerated, Michael fought a deficit narrative that hung over him for much of his young life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kristin Smedley
Upcoming interview: Amy Kenny
What If Love Is the Point?: Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World
Interview Quotes:
?I was really pursuing that deeper relationship with God. I grew up semi-Christian, but the craving that there was something deeper was there. And I just knew that I wanted to see God or experience God on that next level. I didn't want to have this surface level relationship with Him anymore.? - Alexa PenaVega
?Whenever something's going on, we pray about it.? - Alexa PenaVega
?It was just so cool to see God use our testimony on that level to really impact the world.? - Carlos PenaVega
?When you jump into being somebody of faith or when you jump into Christianity, I feel like a lot of times it's painted as like your life is going to be so perfect after you become a Christian. And what actually happened for us was like life actually got way harder when we became Christians, but everything was more peaceful and everything made more sense to us, like, we actually felt more complete.? - Alexa PenaVega
?From first grade on, that deficit narrative about what I could and could not do continued to be spoken over my life by certain adults, teachers, administrators in my school.? - Michael Phillips
?When trauma goes unacknowledged, tragedy often goes uninterrupted.? - Michael Phillips
?It took some time to become untethered from the things that I did as part of my identity. I was very loyal to my mistakes, and it took some time for me to realize those are just some things I did. That's not who I was, and I finally came to a place where I was tired enough of wrestling with all of that pain.? - Michael Phillips
?I think with a deep focus on some of those things for children in our communities would completely change the game for our young people. And so instead of a culture that says, ?What's wrong with you?? It will become a culture of ?What happened to you?? Or, ?How are you doing??? - Michael Phillips
?To say that children are at risk seems as if their expectation of who they can become or what they can accomplish will be nothing more than a failure. Right? And so to reverse that stigma, that label placed upon them, we need to say that they are at promise.? - Michael 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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Come Just As You Are, You Matter to God: Chris and Nik Nikic & Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer
So many of us are running a race to win the affection and approval of those around us. Did you ever stop to consider how much of your own identity you might be sacrificing to live up to some standard that others have prescribed for you? If we are solely living to ensure that other people love us, we give them the power to determine our self worth. There?s a better way. When we recognize that our identity is rooted in our status as wholly created by God, we can enjoy the spiritual benefits of forgiveness, a personal relationship with God, and the knowledge that our life matters, not because others say it does, but because God says it does.
Our guests this week share about the goals and expectations they had for happiness and fulfillment, laced with presuppositions about what would actually bring them that happiness?only to find that God was showing them that their happiness and worth would ultimately spring through their identities as His beloved children.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Amanda Jane Cooper
Upcoming interview: Carlos and Alexa PenaVega
1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential, and You Can Too
Interview Quotes:
?Everybody else was so hung up with whether or not he could finish [the Ironman]. We just were pursuing God's will in our life, and we thought that that's what God put into our hearts and in Chris?s heart when he set that goal for him to be a world champ.? - Nik Nikic
?Everybody, no matter what their means are, can achieve amazing things, whether it's work or education or a better marriage or whatever it is. It's a process and it is just about being happy about getting a little bit better each day and just becoming a better version of yourself every day.? - Nik Nikic
?I became so disheartened by those false messages, that unless our makeup, hair, body are perfect by culture standards, only then am I worthy. And I found myself very entrapped in that culture of trying to meet that internal longing to be worthy of the space I take in this world with external means.? - Brittany Maher
?When I lost that job, it really felt like I had lost myself, if I'm being totally honest, and God really met me in the middle of that.? - Cassandra Speer
?Prayer and reading the Bible is like breathing in and breathing out. You can't have one without the other. And we have to partner with God's Word and His truth so that we can write it on the tablets of our heart and know just exactly what He says about us.? - Brittany Maher
?We're created by God to actually need affirmation. When we look for that affirmation in other places is where sometimes we allow our worth and our value to rise and fall on if we're being praised or not.? - Brittany Maher
?People's opinions change, seasons change, relationships change, social media algorithms change. We cannot place our value and our identity in these things because they're movable. If we place our value and our worth in the affirmation of others and not in God, we will fall when their opinions shift.? - Cassandra Speer
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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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When God Is For Us, No One Can Stand Against Us: Cynt Marshall and Samuel Rodriguez
All of us have faced times in our life that felt like a battle. Maybe you?ve had moments of disappointment and pain where you felt like no one understood you, or you had no support system. Perhaps someone hurt you with their words or planted a seed of doubt in your mind that you?d never get to where you want to be in life, and that trying to reach for more would be impossible. Here?s some comforting news: we?re not alone when we face battles in our lives. We?re not left to fight by ourselves. God is greater than whatever we?re facing and He has promised?He will never leave us.
Our guests this week held on to the promise that they could stand strong in God?s power when people or circumstances might have crushed their spirits. Samuel Rodriguez experienced situations in his young life where discrimination threatened to divert him from the path he was meant to follow to become a pastor, author, movie producer, and advisor to three of the last four U.S. presidents. Cynt Marshall endured the abuse and abandonment of her father, but her faith in the Lord and the guidance of her mother led her to thrive despite her circumstances, ultimately becoming a highly successful business woman and the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dedee & Greg Lhamon
Upcoming interview: Chris Nikic
University of California at Berkeley
Teenagers protesting in Parkland, Florida
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Interview Quotes:
?I always saw myself as the person to help everybody and to provide resources and to be there for people.? - Cynt Marshall
?My leadership philosophy is around three Ls, and it's ?listen to, learn from, and love the people.?? - Cynt Marshall
?With faith in God and with standing on His promises, you can truly thrive?not just get through it?but truly thrive through the unexpected.? - Cynt Marshall
"I've learned bad things do happen to good people. And so we have to accept adversity and never give up and let the Lord guide us through it." - Cynt Marshall
"Love expels fear, mercy triumphs over judgment. All things are possible." - Samuel Rodrigez
?We had this crazy dream that the church can be both Billy Graham and Dr. King, and that it can be both righteousness and justice, truth and love, sanctification and service, conviction and compassion.? - Samuel Rodriguez
?If you look at the cross as two pieces of wood, one vertical and horizontal, the strongest part of the cross is the nexus. The point of convergence where they intersect. This is the place where we marry the optics of redemption with the metrics of reconciliation.? - Samuel Rodriguez
"If our commitment is to be light in the midst of darkness and not just whine about the darkness, doors will continue to open." - Samuel Rodriguez
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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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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Being Salt & Light
This month, we?re featuring multiple guests speaking to ways we can be like ?salt and light" in the world wherever we go?and how living a life that puts others first can also bring peace and light to our own lives. Every good deed that we put out into the world builds off one another to help make the world a better place. Whenever we can be a light to others, or bring tangible resources to people who aren?t in a place to provide it to themselves?we are following Christ?s command to ?love others as He first loved us.? Being charitable, loving, and giving are traits we can all strive for?and our guests this month demonstrate how they?ve been inspired to instill these traits in their own lives as they pursue to serve others out in the real world.
Links To Full Episodes
Ben Higgins
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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When We Stumble, God Catches Us: Ainsley Earhardt & Ryan George
Isn?t it amazing how uniquely God created us? How He gave us different desires, skills, talents to fulfill what it is we are to do in the world? We are ?fearfully and wonderfully made,? [Psalm 139:14] the scriptures tell us, but by no means are we perfect. We sometimes stumble on the way to what it is we?re supposed to be doing in this world. But that?s where God comes in. We can talk to God about what we want, what we need, what we?re passionate about. Because we?re His beloved creation, He?s listening, He?s guiding, and He?s there for us when we turn to Him for help to figure it all out.
Our guests this week each have made choices as to how they will show up in the world. News anchor Ainsley Earhardt believes she has been uniquely gifted to show others?especially children?that they are unique, special, and made for amazing things. Adventurer Ryan George has traveled the globe to skydive, surf, and climb mountains all for the thrill of adventure and showing others how they can experience adventure in their own lives?big and small.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Kristin Smedley
Upcoming interview: Samuel Rodriguez
Interview Quotes:
?I look at children, especially now that I'm a mother, and I know that for each of them, God has a purpose and a plan for their futures and for their lives.? - Ainsley Earhardt
?I tell my daughter all the time, ?you are such a blessing. I am so glad to have you. I'm so glad God made you perfectly for our family, for me.?? - Ainsley Earhardt
?I call it digital courage, because as soon as I hit that record button, I was able to do things that scared me because I knew that I can show it online. And so what I did was I turned social media into a platform to seek the approval that I didn't get growing up, to try to get affirmation. And my working theory was, If I were interesting, people would be interested in me. And it's empty.? - Ryan George
?Part of my process of being able to use social media healthily is to celebrate other people and to call out what's adventure in their life.? - Ryan George
?What I learned is that vulnerable leaders are the most attractive and they're the ones that people want to follow.? - Ryan George
?We're all called to live an extraordinary life. And so I look for adventure, not just on these massive trips that end up on social media, but in my daily life.? - Ryan George
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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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Deepening Our Connection with God and Each Other with Jodi Benson and Deb Liu
Connection is one of the most important components to having a satisfying and full life. Connection to our family, our friends, through our work, and what we bring to others in the world has the effect of making us feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. Since God created us for connection, it is His desire that we connect with Him too. In Jeremiah 29:12, God beckons us to connect with Him simply because when we do, we can know that He hears us?and knowing that God?s ears are always open to us is the bedrock from which we can move forward confidently in life.
Our guests this week have made it their life?s purpose to connect with others in important ways?and recognize their desire for connection comes from their own connection to God. Jodi Benson is best known as the voice actor of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. She has had the honor and privilege of creating a character that has been known by several generations of parents and children, building connection to millions through her artistry. Deb Liu is a second generation Chinese immigrant. Connection with a community that was somewhat foreign to her when she was growing up was something Deb always longed for, which eventually she found when her family was embraced by their first real church home. She?s stayed mindful of how to build those connections all throughout her career at places like Facebook and eBay and at her current position as the CEO of Ancestry.com.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Tim Atwood
Upcoming interview: Ainsley Earhardt
Interview Quotes:
?Just to be able to feel like God had given me these gifts, and I just wanted to use them to the best ability that I could and be able to support myself and try to make a living doing this crazy business. So definitely God just really created the path very, very clearly for me.? - Jodi Benson
?Divine orchestration is truly the key because we can have this plan in my mind, you know? I can have this, I'm seventeen years old and I'll have this plan. And my plan was just blown up because God's plan was a thousand times better.? - Jodi Benson
?That's very hard for a planner like me to not be able to have this big, huge picture. But honestly, if He did, He knew I couldn't handle it. I mean, if He showed me at seventeen or at twenty-one or at twenty-five things that were five years in advance, He knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. That's how gracious and loving and kind He is. So He gives me just enough that I can handle.? - Jodi Benson
?He can handle me in any way that I present myself to Him.? - Jodi Benson
?If I get myself all wrapped up in the past or I get myself all wrapped up in tomorrow, I kind of lose what it is that He wants me to do today. So I try to keep it simple.? - Jodi Benson
?The work I do at Ancestry; it's really about connecting people with their own history. The work that we do is to really help people discover their own past, to discover new family members, discover something about themselves that they never knew. We're one human family and we're way more interconnected than you could ever imagine.? - Deb Liu
?I think each moment you have in life is a choice. It's a choice to lift others up or to tear others down, to create value in the world or to consume value in the world.? - Deb Liu
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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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Great Moments Can Happen In Seasons of Uncertainty: Dr. Myron Rolle and Inky Johnson
What comes to mind when you hear the word "catalyst"? A short cut? A dynamic experience? A transformative idea? The ancient roots of this word comes from a verb that means to unloose, to set free. Think of a horse hemmed in a barn stall. A catalyst would be an open door. This week, both of our guests today had dreams involving football. Both, however, had other gifts and talents they would see come to the fore, and realized that the disappointing situations and tough choices that happened to them while on the way to their dreams were catalysts for broader horizons with bigger pastures.
Dr. Myron Rolle is a neurosurgeon who has traveled the world; making it a better place using primarily his gifts, as he puts it, "from the neck up." By choosing a path toward medicine, Myron?s football dreams were cut short, but was able to see the wisdom in having his dream diverted. Inquiros "Inky" Johnson nearly died while playing football, but the spiritual mentoring he received during his years at the University of Tennessee set him on course to be a motivational speaker who uses his platform to travel the world and make it a better place, too.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jason Brown
Upcoming interview: Jodi Benson
human mesenchymal stem cell research
Interview Quotes:
?[Our family] had to stick together. We had to lean on each other, to lean on our relationship with Christ. And if we did that, then maybe success would follow.? - Dr. Myron Rolle
"I'd be a student first, an athlete second, [but FSU promised] to grow me as a leader, as a Christian, as a man, and eventually as a role model." - Dr. Myron Rolle
"One thing that Coach Bowden said was that he was excited about his players getting into the NFL. But he's more proud and more pressed to see all of his players? names written in the Lamb's Book of Life and joining him in heaven one day." - Dr. Myron Rolle
"I knew that football had an expiration date. If I had my way, I would not have had it as early. But again, it worked out how it did. And it is a blessing to be able to be in this field now, waking up every day, doing surgery, helping patients in the hospital, teaching young medical students." - Dr. Myron Rolle
?My junior year, the second game, 2006, September 9th, I went to make a routine tackle. It ended my career, and it changed my life forever. I thought I was in a bad dream. I didn't think my career would not only end that day, I didn't think I would be left with a paralyzed right arm and hand, from that day moving forward.? - Inquoris ?Inky? Johnson
?When I look back on it, God was preparing me all along before [my career ending] injury ever happened.? - Inquoris ?Inky? Johnson
?I think one of the common mistakes we make as people is thinking where we meet people is where they've always been.? - Inquoris ?Inky? Johnson
?Some of the greatest forms of growth happen in uncertain moments.? - Inquoris ?Inky? Johnson
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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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Take A Step Of Faith Toward Your Purpose: Emily Chang & Jodi Stuber
Are you facing a crossroads in your life where your next move involves taking a step that feels unfamiliar or hard? None of us really knows what the next minute, days, or weeks might bring, but God does. And when we trust that He is in charge of our future, taking those leaps of faith leads us ever closer to where we?re living in the fullness of who we?re meant to be.
Emily Chang is the CEO of the McCann World Group advertising company. As a successful executive who has headed up initiatives at Starbucks and Apple, it would seem Emily?s legacy might be secured?but her corporate achievements simply were the springboard for the legacy she really wishes to establish?which is to personally make a difference for good in people?s lives by opening up her home to youth in need. Jodi Stuber grew up with a love of horses, always dreaming of having one of her own. When Jodi found out about equine therapy, she knew this great love of horses was just a stepping off point to her true calling of serving people?including children and veterans?by connecting them to animals at the Hopewell Ranch, which she co-founded in 2004.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Brian Tome
Upcoming interview: Dr. Myron Rolle
Interview Quotes:
?It's a privilege to know our God. And it's a privilege to understand that we can thrive, we can live in abundance and in joy, and especially when we put others before ourselves, when we put God at the center of our life, everything changes.? - Emily Chang
?Faith is taking a step without knowing exactly the outcome, but having absolute conviction that God is at work and you get to be a part of what He is doing.? - Emily Chang
?It's like an incredibly freeing thing when all we have to do is say, ?Okay, whatever you want, let me go try and be obedient and do the best I can.? And God is amazing and always surpasses your wildest imagination.? - Emily Chang
?I think these small and regular habits become a lifestyle. And then our lifestyle strengthens our beliefs as well as our beliefs strengthen our lifestyle. And ultimately, that combination shapes who we are.? - Emily Chang
?It was such a blessing to see how the Lord took the things that I desired and manifested them so that we could start with that healing presence of the Lord through animals. And it was just really special.? - Jodi Stuber
?I like to think that when He formed the Earth and the people and the animals, that's creation. And so I believe that when you have somebody who's creative, God shares that piece of His heart with us, to give back to those around us. And I just think that's a beautiful gift and I love it.? - Jodi Stuber
?I feel like there's so many people feeling lonely because they don't think anybody sees them. We know God sees them. And what I love is when He shines a spotlight on people that we can then minister to and try to help things be a little better. And that's so rewarding.? - Jodi Stuber
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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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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Faith Around The World
This monthly special edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how faith impacts people all over the world. As Christians, we have the ability to be the hands and feet of Jesus wherever we go?whether that?s in our home country or while we?re traveling abroad. Each of us are longing for the same type of close relationships with God, even though our lives may look very different. All around the world, people are seeking to know and connect with God in different ways, giving us the perfect opportunity to see Him move no matter where we are?and be changed because of it.
Links To Full Episodes
Angus Buchan
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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God Works With Who We Are to Shape Who We?re Meant to Be: Tayla Lynn & Hannah Dasher
Michelangelo famously said, "The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material." This quote creatively and non-judgmentally describes the process of removing unwanted traits, polishing gifts, and working raw materials to create something memorable. Like the artist, God is always shaping us until we eventually realize what emerges from that process reveals the beauty of who we are as God?s creation.
This week we talk to two people who understand this sometimes difficult and loving sculpting process. Tayla Lynn is the granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn, and she understands the perils of chipping past substance addiction to find her true, beautiful self. Hannah Dasher tells of working through the pain of her parents' divorce to find her dream of becoming a country musician materialized on social media. Both stories highlight the fact that we are all in the process of becoming complete.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Chris Janson
Upcoming interview: Emily Chang
Interview Quotes:
?At times it was literally me and God in a closet. I knew nobody else would protect me, and I knew that He would somehow, and I would be okay with Him, hand-in-hand.? - Tayla Lynn
?I think as a mama, it's a little bit harder to let go and forgive yourself when you feel like you've maybe done something to your kid. You just feel that kind of guilt any time you're not being the best mom you can. I still have shame that I'm working on from that.? - Tayla Lynn
?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. It's always been that way.? - Tayla Lynn
?It's so important to spend quality time with the Lord each day. It holds me accountable. Lord knows I need it, and it really makes me sensitive to opportunities that He's put in my path.? - Hannah Dasher
?I?m not in this [music] career for me. I'm here by His design, and I'm a vessel for Him to further His Kingdom, not my own. And when I finally started to realize that it removed so much pressure from me and really turned it into purpose.? - Hannah Dasher
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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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Your Time Is Now?Let God Help You Make the Most of It: Jeff Henderson and Jonathan Evans
There's an African proverb that pairs well with John 14:6 where Jesus proclaims Himself "the way, the truth, and the life." It goes like this: "We make the road by walking." What comes to the fore in both of these statements is the thought that life is not necessarily stretching out in front of us well-paved and easily discernible, but that life is an active endeavor requiring learning, maturing, and adapting. Jesus emphasizes His nearness to us in the process, but the implication is to step forward confidently even while the unknown confronts us with every step we take. We don't have to know where we'll be exactly twenty years down the road, but only where we are now and what we?ll do next.
This week, we talk to two people who have learned to navigate their callings in the now and the next. Jeff Henderson is a pastor and businessman who talks about the thumbprints of God that mark our lives, giving us clues to living out our purpose. Jonathan Evans is the son of Dr. Tony and Lois Evans. With numerous efforts to become an NFL player thwarted, Jonathan reshifted his expectations and began to see how God was getting him to his dream?just not exactly in the way he thought.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: John Maxwell
Upcoming interview: Tayla Lynn
Your Time Is Now: Get What God Has Given You
Interview Quotes:
?The path to your dream job often leads through your day job. So God's thumbprints on you, the way He's created you, God?s thumbprints on you are clues about His plans for you. And so I think the purpose of our lives is a lot closer than we might think.? - Jeff Henderson
?You don't know what door God will open up if you're faithful in the small things. So be faithful in the small things. Be faithful where you are, because God's paying attention.? - Jeff Henderson
"I think it breaks God's heart that so many of His sons and daughters go to work and they're mistreated. Everyone deserves to be led well because they are a son or daughter of God." - Jeff Henderson
?If I'm in a difficult situation, I'm trying to change that prayer to, ?God, I want to get out of this. But if you choose to leave me here, help me to learn the lesson that you're trying to get me to learn right now. What is the lesson in this season of suffering that you're trying to teach me that a season of comfort would not??" - Jeff Henderson
?I'm excited to be selected to be on the team and be out running plays that He's calling.? - Jonathan Evans
?I got called back by the Cowboys to be the chaplain. It wasn't until I was obedient that I got the call to come back to the NFL.? - Jonathan Evans
?I've been cut, I've been traded, I've been hurt. I've been not wanted. I've been rejected. I've experienced all those things, which makes me even better as God's player, as the chaplain for the Cowboys.? - Jonathan Evans
?Jesus got everything done in thirty-three years, and He didn't run anywhere. He walked.? - Jonathan Evans
?I believe everyone has a calling on their life. And a lot of times we're looking at the barriers, looking at the problem, looking at the loss, looking at the grief, looking at the pain as the reasons why we're not called to go forward instead of the catalyst that shoots us off into the calling that God has for us.? - Jonathan Evans
?I think that people must realize that your faith, your calling, your purpose, your destiny is unique to you, and it's on you to connect with God so that you can find you.? - Jonathan Evans
?Whenever you're looking at your own insufficiencies to determine whether you can go do what God keeps begging you to do, then you know that you're saying, ?You know what? I'd rather be comfortable than be called.? And that's how you know.? - Jonathan Evans
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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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Just When We Need It, God Sends Help: Walker Hayes, Craig Allen Cooper, and Evan Dougoud
Have you ever been in a desperate situation wondering how you will make it to the next day? Perhaps there isn?t enough money to pay that one bill, or perhaps your health hasn?t been the greatest and you wonder if you?ll ever feel better, or maybe you?re in a dire situation and you just can?t see your way out of it. During these times, one person?s kind gesture or offer of help is sometimes the way we?re able to make it to the next day?turning a corner away from a turbulent season of our lives. So often these ?angels? appear in the form of friends, family, and sometimes even strangers who act as God?s agents to lift us up into a better place. This week we will hear two touching stories that speak to how God sends his help through others?right when we need it most. We?re talking with singer Walker Hayes and his friend, Pastor Craig Allen Cooper, and founder of the Be Heard movement, Evan Dougoud.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Krispin Mayfield
Upcoming interview: Jeff Henderson
Interview Quotes:
?I?d just been beat up by Nashville and wasn't really excited to be known or know people. I was not a very approachable person when I met Craig, at all. And a lot of that was by choice, and just that was kind of comfortably where I lived.? - Walker Hayes
?I said, ?Lord, I try to encourage other people, you know that. I need you, please, to encourage me. Is anything I'm doing to make a difference in anybody's life? Please show me that you have me where you want me.?? - Craig Allen Cooper
?I think God was kind to show me Christ in another human, and I'm so grateful for that.? - Walker Hayes
?It was just very, very tough to try to focus on school when you're trying to focus on surviving.? - Evan Dougoud
?I'm standing here today only as a walking miracle, but most importantly, God saved me and I want to help and go and do the same for somebody else.? - Evan Dougoud
?What if I didn't move to Tulsa? There's people on the street I would've never met, who may have died on the street if I didn't move, if God didn't use my story, if God didn?t redirect my steps.? - Evan Dougoud
?I stopped putting God in a box of how He will provide for us.? - Evan Dougoud
?I learned that trust is gained in buckets, but lost in drops. By us being consistent, by us being a man of our word, by us just showing up, it created a unique, trusting relationship to those who are unhoused.? - Evan Dougoud
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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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What Failure and Mistakes Teach Us: Todd Hoffman and Adam and LaVon Hamilton
When we feel we are falling short, failing, or generally losing, it?s important to remember that when we don?t fail, we may not learn, we won?t have the experience of recovering, and we may not try again. Some Christians are deluded into thinking that because they are in a relationship with God, failure is not an option. However, scripture tells us in multiple places that God uses suffering and failure to build strength and character in our lives.
All three of our guests today know what it?s like to fail. Discovery Channel?s Todd Hoffman has had highs and lows in his mining career. He's learned as much?if not more?from his mistakes navigating the world of gold mining as from his successes. Pastor Adam Hamilton and his wife Lavon know what it?s like to serve the Lord and their family as best as they possibly can, but that sometimes, they don?t meet the mark as spouses and parents. They speak about the challenging transitions of parenting kids as they become adults.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Meg Meeker
Upcoming interview: Walker Hayes and Craig Cooper
Gold Rush on Discovery Channel
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
Interview Quotes:
?I don't care about fame, but I do care about the reach when it comes to my faith.? - Todd Hoffman
?I was kind of depressed and coming out of that and trying to fix things in my marriage. And that's when God kind of met me. I said, ?I need a good idea and I need something new to believe in.? And that's when I got that vision of Gold Rush.?
?We try to serve the Lord the best we can and we fail, but we get back up and we ask for forgiveness and we carry on.? - Todd Hoffman
?I would hope that as long as we're still alive, that we're finding ways to parent, that you're still finding ways to show [your children] love and care. And I know as we age, the tables kind of turn and they start helping take care of us. But I think that no matter how old you are, you can still look for ways that you can be a mom or dad to your children.? - LaVon Hamilton
?I feel like all of our best years were way after our thirties. You know, there were some things that were great at that time, I'm not denying that, but I feel like we have more joy. There is more satisfaction in life. I think we feel more in love with each other today than at any point in our past.? - Adam Hamilton
?You have to figure out how you transition together, or how you learn the dance steps for this phase in your life. Because dance music doesn't stay the same throughout your whole life. It changes as you go through life.? - LaVon Hamilton
?There's a direct correlation between our spiritual life and our time with God and how we live out our faith towards the people that are closest to us.? - Adam Hamilton
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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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Embracing Emotions for a More Christ-Like Perspective: Dr. Gary Chapman and Jason Wilson
Emotions can be a sticky topic for Christians. While most of us know having a healthy range of emotions is good for us and those we love, we are often dissuaded from leaning too much into our emotions or feelings for the fear of becoming swept away by them, and distracted from our calling. But Jesus shows us a true picture of how emotions can give us perspective and language for relating to ourselves and others. He shows the gamut of emotions from anger to those who are exploiting the things of God for their own gain, to compassion for the Samaritan woman at the well who had been discarded by her people (John 4 NIV). Jesus exemplified how our emotions can inform us as to how we show up in the world, and having a healthy balance of emotions keeps us in touch with ourselves and others.
Today's guests discuss emotions from two different perspectives. Dr. Gary Chapman looks at his seminal work, The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, not only as it relates to human relationships but also in our relationship with God. His discussion comes as the book celebrates its 30th anniversary, having sold over twenty million copies world-wide and being translated into fifty languages. Jason Wilson is a writer and non-profit CEO who advocates emotional intelligence among men. He shows the example of Jesus as the ?comprehensive man,? in the fact that He was not only bold, strong, and aggressive, but compassionate, nurturing, and caring.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. Daniel Amen
Upcoming interview: Todd Hoffman
The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
Interview Quotes:
?There's an ancient Hebrew proverb that says life and death is in the tongue. We can kill people by the way we talk to them or we can give a light. And for some people, affirming words really communicates a love to them or an emotional level.? - Dr. Gary Chapman
?Each of us has a primary love language. And if you don't speak [your loved one's] primary language, they will not feel loved, even though you're speaking some of the other languages.? - Dr. Gary Chapman
?One of our deepest emotional needs as humans is the need to feel loved by the significant people in your life.? - Dr. Gary Chapman
?My life has never been the same, it was almost like God was saying, ?I have something for you to do, but I don't know if you're ready for it yet.?? - Jason Wilson
?Like Moses, when his desire was to free the Israelites, he did it his way at first and it almost cost him his life. That's the majority of us. When I became a follower of Christ, I had the t-shirt, hat, bumper stickers, you know, everything Jesus, okay? But it was really my way, not His way.? - Jason Wilson
?When you make mental health as important as this world says we should maintain our physical bodies, it becomes a part of the culture, so we have to change our culture.? - Jason Wilson
?As the scriptures say, the power of Christ is perfected through our weakness. But what do we always say to each other? ?Stay strong.? So when we fear being weak, now the power of Christ can't really be perfected through us.? - Jason Wilson
?[God] never said, ?Do not be concerned about anything.? So, we will always have concerns. We will always be nervous. And it's okay, you know, allow yourself the freedom to be human, but also allow yourself to walk by the power of His spirit to move through those fears, those anxieties, nervousness, depression, etc.? - Jason Wilson
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Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Relationships That Last
This monthly special edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they formed relationships that last. The relationships God has given us in this life bring us joy, connection, and safety. Whether it be a spouse, our family, our friends, or even a beloved pet?much like our relationship with God?the bonds we foster with others carry us through good days and tough times. Through tragedy and loss, our treasured relationships leave an imprint on our heart that will last beyond the time we have together here on earth.
Links To Full Episodes
Jeremy Miller & Dr. Brandon Lane Phillips
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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We?ll Never Walk Alone: Kristin Smedley and Donovan Carter
The statement "God works through people in our lives" could be thought of as just a cliche?until we start to really take notice of the people around us and begin to identify what they bring to our world. This realization provides a comforting perspective that shifts us from feeling alone in the world to a grateful understanding that God shows up through the people he uses to walk alongside us through the worst and greatest times of life?and in that, we see a little bit of the divine in the faces of our friends and family. Our guests this week articulate with great clarity how special people have helped them find their paths forward when it didn?t seem possible to get there on their own. Kristin Smedley became an advocate within the blind community after becoming a mother to three children, two of whom are blind. She has given a TED talk about her experiences and also hosts the podcast Brilliantly Resilient. Donovan Carter is a former NFL player turned actor who makes it abundantly clear that his successes would not have happened without those who stood by him before he ever threw a football or landed an acting role.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Derek Evans
Upcoming interview: Gary Chapman
Braille Literacy International Challenge
Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight
Interview Quotes:
?I was raised in a firm foundation of faith and that God is good and He wants good things for you in this world. And I thought to myself, What kind of a god does this? This is hard. And honestly, I thought, It's mean. I mean, I'm looking at this perfect little person and all of my hopes and dreams for him were extinguished.? - Kristin Smedley
?It was like God took a freight train and hit me in the head and said, ?Kristin, look at this little person. Blindness is not bothering him. It's bothering you. He is figuring everything out.?? - Kristin Smedley
?I was just trying to figure out how to make it. And I just kept staying in the Word, kept praying, kept talking to God, you know, ?Whatever you got for me, Lord, just let me know.?? - Donovan Carter
?God made me fearfully and wonderfully. I could do anything in this world if I wanted to and if I had the right mindset, and I'm just so appreciative of Him in my life.? - Donovan Carter
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Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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Creatively Bringing Hope & Joy Toward a Brighter Day: David and Tamela Mann and Laura Story
We humans are, by design, creators. We build. We write. We cook. We adapt. We learn. Hardship tends to bring out the best in our creative abilities. The first book of the Hebrew Bible describes in poetic brilliance the story of God creating order out of supreme chaos, bringing light out of darkness, and life from lifeless spaces. We praise our Creator in no greater way than when we take what is before us in our skills, our desires, and our time to create beautiful things where there was nothing. Today's guests found that difficult times and their unique life stages gave fertile soil for their creative ideas. The husband and wife team of David and Tamela Mann turned to their music and comedy sketches to bring joy and hope; Laura Story turned to writing and penned a book about courage not being the absence of fear but the strength to take another step.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Alex Seeley
Upcoming interview: Kristin Smedley
Tyler Perry show Assisted Living on BET
So Long, Normal: Living and Loving the Free Fall of Faith
Interview Quotes:
?I thank God for Him living in me and giving me the opportunity to represent Him, and my thing is always to represent Him well.? - Tamela Mann
?I try to use my platform to bring more light to [God]." - David Mann
?A lot of us need help, but we're afraid to ask for help, and we all need a touch from the Lord.? - Tamela Mann
?I'm just praying that we can all just unify somehow, see each other as people and not skin color and not political affiliation.? - David Mann
?Don't seek to be famous. Seek to be faithful.? - Laura Story
?I'm great at being a person of faith until whatever chapter of my story actually requires faith.? - Laura Story
?God didn't create us for normal. He created us for extraordinary lives that are completely and utterly dependent on Him." - Laura Story
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Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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Living in the Present Moment with God: Jim Sonefeld and Sara Gruber
Recent attention to mindfulness through the popularity of prayer and meditation apps reminds us how important it is to stay in the present with God. Our perspective is transformed when we are more able to recognize God in each moment. Scripture backs up this premise with the statement ?pray without ceasing.? [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV]. When we open our hearts to the presence of God in every moment, we begin to look at life differently. Today's guests both pay special attention to the present by emphasizing the importance of a daily walk with Jesus. Both wrestle with conditions that require ongoing attention. Jim Sonefeld, drummer for the rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, addresses his alcoholism on a daily basis, noting that his spiritual growth blossomed, "When [he] made that decision to practice a daily surrender, a daily prayer, [and] a daily devotion." Our second guest, Sara Gruber, deals with chronic disease. After the initial and very scary discovery, she has found that the daily impact of an ongoing illness presses her into a complete dependence upon God.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: John Hill
Upcoming interview: David and Tamela Mann
Interview Quotes:
?My first experience meeting Hootie and the Blowfish [was] a great enactment of love?unconditional love, giving, and using their position on stage to influence--giving to somebody who really needed it.? - Jim Sonefeld
?In a rare moment of motivation, I decided to face the truth, the truth that I was not in control of my life. And I needed to ask someone else for help.? - Jim Sonefeld
?I needed to go out and follow Jesus. And that led me to bringing my spiritual music to audiences?smaller audiences than I was used to?and giving them a message of hope and redemption.? - Jim Sonefeld
?All of that busyness, I couldn't do it anymore. And it was just me and God and John and the girls and we had to figure out a new life, a new way to approach things, a shift in our household.? - Sara Gruber
?Nobody understands what it's like to live inside my body except God and I, and it led me to this complete dependance on God. I could explain all of my symptoms. I could explain what I felt and what I was going through. But I felt like God was the one I was living it with.? - Sara Gruber
?I've spent a great part of my life being a caretaker and now I have to learn how to receive care and receive it with grace and know that in some way I am gifting others by allowing them to care for me.? - Sara Gruber
?Isn't it so amazing when you have those moments, those little brilliant moments where you have these small miracles that maybe aren't so small, and you realize that God worked this just for you, all these little things that we take for granted?? - Sara Gruber
?I absolutely believe in the power of prayer. You just kind of feel like your body and everything is wasting away and you're looking for purpose and you're so frustrated and I started thinking, You know, there's not a lot I can do physically, but I can pray.? - Sara Gruber
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Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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Finding the Beauty in God?s Creation: Amy Kennedy & David Degler and John Sowers
As we celebrate the origins of America with 4th of July events, it?s a great time to reflect on the beauty of God?s earth, the people He created, and the ways we are gifted to serve and be served by others. Amy Kennedy and David Degler are part of a ministry called A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, formed to meet the faith needs of national park employees while also helping visitors find the most beautiful manifestations of God?s creation in the parks. John Sowers is an author who developed a love for writing when his grandmother wrote him weekly letters while he was away at college. He carried that legacy forward by writing special letters to his daughters, which he shares in his latest book entitled Say All the Unspoken Things.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Rick Steves
Upcoming interview: Sara Gruber
A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
Interview Quotes:
?That summer, I learned so much about who I was, what God was calling me to, how to love people, and just really opened my mind for a bigger world.? - Amy Kennedy
?The heartbeat of [the ministry] is that we would provide a space for people to use the national parks landscape and the beauty that's there to reflect the love of this great Creator.? - Amy Kennedy
?Our team members are intentionally working on their own leadership development while trying to be a great example of Christ in the place that they live, work, and serve.? - Amy Kennedy
?I left that summer, and I realized what ministry should be. It's not sitting behind a pulpit and speaking to people that you never interact with. It's being a part of a community, showing up daily, interacting with them, getting to know them, and figuring out how to share Christ's love through your actions on the smallest level.? - Amy Kennedy
?Writing to me has just been a real blessing and a real fulfilling thing that I feel like that's why I was put on the earth.? - John Sowers
?I have a whole stack of these beautifully cursive written letters from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. And so it's been really neat to be from a family of letter writers and then get to carry on that tradition to write these letters to my daughters.? - John Sowers
?Do my friends know how much I love them? Am I holding on to grudges? Have I expressed my full heart to my children or to my spouse or parents? Have I said all the unspoken things to them?? - John Sowers
?[When I lost my mother and grandmother] I had some really great friends who showed up for me and who helped point me to God and, in some ways, helped be the hands and feet of God to me.? - John Sowers
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Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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[MONTHLY SPECIAL] Letting Go
This monthly special edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they learned to let go, start over, and find healing from difficult situations. Sometimes we may not understand why we face times in our lives when we need to move on and begin anew. Letting go of something we?ve been a part of for a long time?good or bad?can be painful. Letting go of relationships, whether through a loss or through changing circumstances can be especially heartbreaking. Many of the stories you?ll hear in this episode are from those who responded to either dire situations where letting go was required, or who purposefully chose to start something new that led them to a place where they could fully discover who God wanted them to be.
Links To Full Episodes
Brett & Brad Warren
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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Faith Amidst Uncertainty: Janine Urbaniak Reid and Megan Smalley
When we face scary situations in life, it's easy to wonder if our faith?especially the amount of faith we have?makes a difference. But is it healthy to quantify faith, to think If I just had more faith, my problem would go away! Though tempting, that line of thought doesn?t square with the faith-filled greats all throughout history who followed God despite the fear and uncertainty of their experiences. They practice what the poet John O'Donohue argues we must learn: to "Hold nothing back [and] learn to find ease in risk." God's grace can empower and sustain our faith, too, just like Abraham?s, Rahab?s, and David?s.
Our guests this week are Janine Urbaniak Reid and Megan Smalley. Both tell stories of faith in the crucible, of being pushed to their breaking points only to find God's grace remaining alongside the fear, suffering, joys, and the triumphs. God's grace powered Janine through her son Mason's cancer battle and Megan through an arduous journey to reach her dream of having children.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Michael Jr.
Upcoming interview: Amy Kennedy and David Degler from A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
The Opposite of Certainty: Fear, Faith and Life in Between
Interview Quotes:
?If I could just do what I needed to do, then I was sure that God would bless me. And the plans would go according to what I thought was acceptable. Now, the only thing that we know for sure is that, as some people say, God laughs when you tell Him your plans.? - Janine Urbaniak Reid
?Every time I've been emptied out in my life, I don't love it. But it's a place of miracles, too.? - Janine Urbaniak Reid
?Sometimes we have to push past our self-imposed limits. But there's a time when crisis goes too deep and long that we just have to take care of ourselves.? - Janine Urbaniak Reid
?The point was never to be a perfect mom. The point was always to just be a human mom and love these people through it all.? - Janine Urbaniak Reid
?There are some things that we walk through that are earth-shattering that we did not choose and we would never choose. And it is so hard?God doesn't promise us an easy life. He promises us hard things. And we have to figure out how to walk through those hard things. And then when we get to the other side, how to look back and recognize what God did and how He brought you through it.? - Megan Smalley
?A lot of times in the season of grief, it's hard to find the words. I can't even tell you how many times I prayed for a baby. And it's like, Okay, God, I don't have any more words.? - Megan Smalley
?I think when you can step outside of yourself and serve somebody else, it gives you a very healthy perspective.? - Megan Smalley
?I think it's a learned skill to focus on what Grace is and then learn how to accept it and apply it in your life.? - Megan Smalley
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What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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Spreading Love Over Hate: Anthony Ray Hinton & John M. Perkins
This week we are celebrating Freedom Day, or what is more commonly known as Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Anthony Ray Hinton is an American activist, writer, and author who was wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for twenty-eight years. During that time, he befriended a member of the Klu Klux Klan and through that friendship, that man moved from a life of hatred to a love for people of all races, and a love for God. Ultimately, Anthony was found to be innocent of his charges and was released from prison.
Dr. John M. Perkins has been a counselor to six presidents, community development leader, and civil rights legend. Dr. Perkins grew up in Mississippi and was born during the height of Jim Crow and the Great Depression. The loss of his mother due to malnutrition and his brother, who was killed by police after his return from World War II, shaped Perkins? life and ultimately inspired him to pursue civil rights issues, particularly around racial violence in the U.S. Today, at ninety-two years old, Dr. Perkins continues his work by shedding light on injustices and drawing Christians into the work of social justice and civil rights.
Both of these men give us a picture of the trials and tribulations they?ve had to endure in this life?exacerbated by issues of race?and how they?ve dedicated their lives to spreading love over hate and the joy that comes in the freedom they?ve found in Christ.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Sadie Robertson
Upcoming interview: Janine Urbaniak Reid
Interview Quotes:
?I'm just so thankful that my mother brought me up to be blessed, be thankful for what I have, and to love even those who don't love me.? - Anthony Ray Hinton
?I learned how to pray. And I learned how to ask God to do whatever needs to be done for that person to bring love into their heart because I had learned something. It's not about me. It's about them.? - Anthony Ray Hinton
?I was determined to be a voice for those who don't have a voice. I have to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.? - Anthony Ray Hinton
?God created one human race in His image to reflect His love and His compassion in the world.? - Dr. John M. Perkins
?Redemption is not of ourselves, our redemption is a gift of God is a gift of God. That's why we should love one another. Love is eternal. Isn't that beautiful?? - Dr. John M. Perkins
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[BONUS] Reflecting on God?s Promises During Fearful Times: Cade Thompson
As the world mourns after another school shooting, parents and children are navigating how to deal with the fear and trauma that follows these tragedies. Times like these can fill us with despair, but we can cling to the belief that God is still present, even in dark times. In John 16:33, the scripture tells us ?to take heart, for [God] has overcome the world.? Our guest this week is Christian musician Cade Thompson. At 21 years old, Cade dealt with the fear and trepidation that many students have? wondering if they will be safe at school. He shares his experience, how he turned to God during this time, and how that inspired him to write a song to encourage others who are dealing with the fear, anxiety, and pain these events can cause in their lives.
Quotes
?I believe ultimately that a new normal can truly come from the power of Jesus Christ.? ?Cade Thompson
?John 16:33, ?Take heart for I have overcome the world.? And that right there is one of the most beautiful messages, and when I see these tragedies hit our world, that's what I can rest in.? ?Cade Thompson
?I'm praying that we, as believers and as Christians, can show the world what it means to be a light in the season that we're living in, to truly reflect Jesus Christ in all that we do.? ?Cade Thompson
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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Speaking Light Into Darkness: Kristoffer Polaha and Scott Sauls
When Jesus set about gathering His disciples, He chose people from very different backgrounds. His disciples included fishermen, a tax collector, perhaps one of royal blood, and a revolutionary. Not only did they find a working commonality, they were united and transformed through their relationship with Jesus. After Jesus? ascension, this same rag-tag twelve took the good news that Jesus taught to the farthest reaches of the world. Today's guests, like Jesus? disciples, have come from very different backgrounds and taken Jesus? love and message to very different destinations. Kristoffer Polaha lives in Hollywood with his wife Julianne Morris and their three children where he is an actor, producer, director, and writer. Scott Sauls is the senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, where he and his wife Patti have two daughters. Scott has also written six books.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Jason Sautel
Upcoming interview: Anthony Ray Hinton
Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN
Beautiful People Don't Just Happen
Interview Quotes:
?I had to just give my acting over. I had to literally just say, ?God, it's in your hands. If you want me to be an actor, you open up doors, and if you don't, you will close them. I am no longer going to try to control this thing.?? - Kristoffer Polaha
?If you believe there is a God in the universe who created the universe and everything in it, everything that is seen and unseen, and that the hairs on our head are numbered, then why wouldn't you just want to constantly be in contact with that?? - Kristoffer Polaha
?We become more and more the people that God has created us to be through the crucible of hard things...You can't take contentment for granted based on your circumstances.? - Scott Sauls
?We are supposed to use our emotions as part of the stewardship of the lives that we've been given by God.? - Scott Sauls
?The secret of contentment can be found in any and every circumstance and in any and every outcome.? - Scott Sauls
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When The Unthinkable Happens, We Can Turn to God: Kechi Okwuchi and Anne Wilson
When the unthinkable happens in our lives, a tragedy or a loss so great, we may not know how we could ever move forward. Perhaps we can find comfort in these words from the Psalms: ?The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.? [Psalm 34:18] Though our lives may be changed irrevocably from events so dark we can?t fathom a way out of our pain, when we turn to God, He listens and brings solace in our most desperate hours.
In this week?s episode, unthinkable tragedies weren?t the end of the story for our two guests, but the beginning of hard and beautiful work they would do toward bringing comfort and healing to survivors and those experiencing deep loss. At sixteen, Kechi Okwuchi was one of two survivors of a plane crash that claimed the lives of 59 of her classmates and friends. Her will to survive, and her subsequent journey toward becoming a finalist on America?s Got Talent as well as becoming an advocate for burn survivors and for victims of bullying was driven by the desire to do something meaningful with her life in honor of her friends and the families they left behind. Singer/Songwriter Anne Wilson lost her brother in a devastating car accident, and ever since then, her songs have been crafted toward bringing healing to others who have also suffered great loss. Both of these women stand in the place of their hurt and heartache to comfort other survivors in finding hope for another day.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Coping with Grief bonus episode
Upcoming interview: Kristoffer Polaha
Interview Quotes:
?I just remember saying in this faraway voice that didn't even sound like me; ?I don't know, maybe we should pray.?? - Kechi Okwuchi
?The parents of those kids?my friends and my classmates?they were praying for me and they saw my life as the one good thing that came out of [the accident].? - Kechi Okwuchi
?I really didn't care about winning?I never did throughout the show. It was just a matter of gratitude that I even made it this far, and I ended up with a more, I think, substantial gift than just being on [America?s Got Talent].? - Kechi Okwuchi
?We all have it within us to access the strength needed to overcome obstacles that are before us.? - Kechi Okwuchi
?To be able to know and have the truth that Jacob is with Jesus, that's what got us through. And that's what is our anchor, especially now, knowing that God is using his story for good, has been such a blessing to our lives.? - Anne Wilson
?I wanted to write songs that specifically spoke to people walking through deep pain and loss.? - Anne Wison
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What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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[BONUS] Trusting God Through Fear and Doubt
This special bonus edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they deal with doubt and fear in their lives. Doubt is a normal part of our experience as humans. When something doesn?t line up with the facts as we know them, or when something unforeseen wrecks carefully laid plans, we might find ourselves wondering if God?s promises really are true. Many of the stories you?ll hear in this episode are from those who faced doubt and the fear that comes from not knowing if what you believe is true?and what happened when they took those doubts to God.
Links To Full Episodes
Craig Groeschel
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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What If Our Weakness Is Our Biggest Strength?: Natalie Grant & Mary Marantz
Maybe you?ve discovered yourself so aware of your apparent weaknesses that you couldn?t imagine how your weaknesses could be strengths. Throw in things like financial difficulties, an unexpected diagnosis, or loss of someone close to you, and it?s easy to think that life is nothing more than different shades of failure. Moments like these invite us to hear Jesus? words to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9: ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.? Our guests this week know weakness in its various forms.
Natalie Grant faced big hurdles to becoming a successful, award winning Christian musician only to find herself battling thyroid cancer in her forties. Would cancer take away her ability to sing?and if it did, was that really what defined her? Author and speaker Mary Marantz is grateful for what her childhood in rural West Virginia taught her, and carried on the ethic passed on to her from the hard-working logging community where her father made ends meet. In writing her story, Mary hopes that others will find themselves in some of the struggles she had, and that they may also find their weakness might be their biggest strength.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Emily Ley
Upcoming interview: Janine Urbaniak Reid
Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots
Interview Quotes:
?I began to notice when I would sing, there was something that happened in the atmosphere and I could tell it was deeper than just a song and a voice.? - Natalie Grant
?I think that God is consistently calling us to small steps of obedience. And when we choose to say yes in the small, it's often when people begin to trust us with the big.? - Natalie Grant
?Oftentimes in my own life of faith, my experience is that God asks for the yes before He gives the details.? - Natalie Grant
?I can remember being very little, being four or five, and feeling like I knew God as the best friend. He was the green of the grass down to the very pigment. He was a bird stepping into flight. He was the feel of cold, hard ground. How when you broke it up in your hands, you couldn't forget how it felt. He was color and freedom and fire and dirt.? - Mary Marantz
?We might know or get a glimpse of where we're headed when we're little, but we're not ready for it until there's time.? - Mary Marantz
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God Has Everything We Need: Dianne Derby & Jordan Wilson
Perhaps you?ve found yourself in a time of desperation?feeling like you?ve come to the end of your rope. When you didn?t think the bottom could be any farther down, and you plummet a little more, who do you reach for when all the things you?ve relied on to give you strength and satisfaction come up empty? In the Bible, it says this, in Philippians 4:19-20: ?And my God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in the Messiah Jesus. Glory belongs to our God and Father forever and ever! Amen.? Our guests this week share how God came through by putting people in their lives that helped them in their most desperate hours. Journalist Dianne Derby found hope and inspiration from spending each Tuesday with a ninety-nine year old Pearl Harbor survivor who taught her how to slow down and comforted her through a pregnancy crisis. Minister Jordan Wilson was at a low point in his life due to a drug addiction, when he learned his mother had been praying unceasingly for his recovery, and decided to take his father up on an invitation to a church service that would change the whole course of his life.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Derek Evans
Upcoming interview: Natalie Grant
Two Hundred Tuesdays: What a Pearl Harbor Survivor Taught Me About Life, Love, and Faith
Interview Quotes:
?It was so captivating because here [Jim Downing] was in this major, major event at Pearl Harbor. And yet he was turning the focus on to the heroes of today. He said, ?We only had to endure the bombs for a little while. The heroes today are up against that every day.?? - Dianne Derby
?It was just remarkable to hear this man run towards danger, memorize the names of the dead, put out fires on this ship so he could help save others, and then write those letters to the families who lost their loved ones. It was just such a beautiful testimony of faith in one of the darkest, scariest moments of their lives.? - Dianne Derby
?I knew that focusing on Jesus and sinking into His love and sinking into my faith were the only ways out of the depths of despair that I faced.? - Dianne Derby
?I tried to get out [of addiction] for so long. I did long term rehab, short term rehab, I [saw a] medicine therapist, the whole nine yards, and nothing ever worked. And the reason that nothing worked was I refused to surrender my heart to Christ.? - Jordan Wilson
?I am a new person in Christ Jesus, and I feel obligated to share what God has delivered me with the next person to show that there is hope, there is freedom from addiction, and that freedom is Jesus Christ.? - Jordan Wilson
?Nothing in this world will ever be able to truly satisfy you. Popularity won't satisfy you. Social status won't satisfy you. Thousands of followers on social media won't satisfy you. You are created by God and for God and outside of a relationship with Him, you'll never be complete.? - Jordan Wilson
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Depend on God and He Will Carry Your Burden: Jon Gordon & Andrew F. Carter
Life as a journey is almost cliche now, but there?s a reason why the metaphor persists. Journeys are difficult. We fight through injuries, claw our way to the tops of mountains, and endure the elements. We enjoy the completion of one segment only to find another looming ahead with its own set of obstacles. Journeys are visions of life?s failures and triumphs that emphasize the importance of keeping on. Our guests this week share how they?ve persisted and how Jesus has carried their burdens with them on their journeys. Jon Gordon overcame a negativity learned from childhood to become a highly sought after motivational speaker. But even with his success, he felt empty, and his search for meaning led him to an unlikely source who told him that Jesus could take his soul-pain from him. Andrew F. Carter grew up in a family plagued with drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. After being in and out of jail multiple times, Andrew turned to Jesus long enough to be called to the ministry, but then had what he calls ?a Jonah moment? when he ran the other direction. Eventually, he found his way back to that calling as a social media influencer on platforms like TikTok and YouTube where he shares the gospel with millions. For both Jon and Andrew, life has been a journey that?s best done with Jesus.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Dave Pittman
Upcoming interview: Dianne Derby
www.andrewfcarterministries.org
Interview Quotes:
?I started these thank you walks where while you're walking, you say what you're thankful for. And those walks of gratitude also turn into walks of prayer.? - Jon Gordon
?I believe in a God that would actually want to take my burden, want to take my soul pain.? - Jon Gordon
?I needed a Savior because I couldn't save myself. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't good enough. It wasn't about my power. It was about transferring my power to the Creator of the universe.? - Jon Gordon
?Jesus believes in people more than they believe in themselves.? - Jon Gordon
?Jesus came to forgive. He came to love. He didn't come to condemn the world. And so once you understand that love, I think it makes you want to know more.? - Jon Gordon
?People need more encouragement today. They need more hope. They need more light. It's what Jesus came to do.? - Jon Gordon
?It was like the Holy Spirit coming over me, just like; This is what you were called to do. You have words of gold. You've been called to ministry, and you're going to speak to millions of people, all three of those things. And at that moment, I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing.? - Andrew F. Carter
?All of the things that I thought would bring me happiness, the money, the travel, the girls, all of those things that I thought would bring me true happiness, they failed to fulfill?.I was so fulfilled, I was so satisfied, so on fire and driven when I was actually serving God, when I was walking in the purpose that He had for me.? - Andrew F. Carter
?I've tried to do things my way. I've taken the wheel. I thought I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and I clawed and fought my way to the top, only to lose it all. And I realized that in my weakness, God is my strength.? - Andrew F. Carter
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What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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God Helps Us Find The Missing Peace: Sonya Curry & Sheila Walsh
Does it ever feel like you?re searching for something in life beyond what your everyday existence is bringing? Maybe you?re a parent who is devoted to your family, but you wonder if there?s something you?re missing. Maybe you?re in the second half of your life and wondering if there?s more beyond the days of your youth. Perhaps you are just lonely, and wondering why you haven?t been able to connect with others who share your outlook on life. We all want the assurance that we?re doing it right?the peace that comes from knowing where you?re going. Our guests this week share that there is an answer to finding that missing peace?and His name is Jesus. Sonya Curry raised three amazing children who became successful in sports and in life, but she still kept thinking something was missing, and found what she was looking for in a closer relationship to God. Sheila Walsh is a spiritual leader to many, yet she battled depression at the height of her success and realized that she needed God?s love through other people to help her find herself again.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Michael Guillen
Upcoming interview: Jon Gordon
Life Today with James and Betty Robertson
Interview Quotes:
?I wanted for nothing materialistically, I just wasn't fulfilled. And so I was searching for some of that fulfillment in the world.? - Sonya Curry
?I went from just being religious and going to church to really having a personal relationship with God. And it saved my family, it saved me, and got me more focused on living out the potential that God had placed in me to get to the purpose that He had for my life.? Sonya Curry
?I was already raising my children and taking them to church because that's how I was raised. But then they started seeing the transformation in me. They started seeing me praying more. I wanted to train them in how to put God first. You can fit God into your schedule, is what I wanted them to see.? - Sonya Curry
?I felt how God's hand was always in every decision that was made regarding them...we need to be intentional and purposeful because we are the gatekeepers to their souls.? - Sonya Curry
?Doing my daily devotions and prayer time grounds me, it really helps me to set the standard for the day. It reminds me who I am, where I came from, and who I'm here for.? Sonya Curry
?I have tried so many things and ways to find fulfillment within myself to then have that pour into my role as a mom. And some things worked, some things didn't, but the things that were built on the foundation of God never failed.? - Sonya Curry
?God's antidote to shame is grace.? - Sheila Walsh
?Rather than viewing the Word of God through what I just heard on the news, I reverse everything now so that whatever I watch at some point to catch the headlines, I view them to what I've just read and the Word of God.? - Sheila Walsh
?Don't isolate yourself from God when you're hurting. Bring everything that's true about you to Him, just as Christ did.? - Sheila Walsh
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Forgiveness Can Heal Our Deepest Wounds: Jeanne Lakin & Randy Hartley
Forgiveness can be a difficult concept?especially when we?ve been harmed in ways that have long-lasting effects. However, unforgiveness can end up doing even more damage. Our guests this week have stories of pain and harm done by people filled with hatred that was so traumatic, forgiveness seemed like an impossibility. Jeanne Lakin, a writer and speaker, endured the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide as part of an ethnic group who were targeted for massacre. Randy Hartley, a Tennessee businessman, traveled with his daughter to Rwanda and befriended a man whose own aunt was responsible for the death of his mother, sister, and nieces. Forgiveness didn?t seem like an option in their stories, yet through prayer and faith, it became the only choice that would bring wholeness and restoration to those involved.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Casey, CJ, and Tucker Beathard
Upcoming interview: Sonya Curry
Interview Quotes:
?We went from being from this home, a beautiful home, to being in the bushes, hiding for our lives and watching our neighbors, our loved ones, our families being basically killed because of how God had created us.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?I knew I could access that peace with God through prayer. I know I had God, who was seeing me through this chaos.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?God created us with a choice, so people could choose to do good.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?He's a God who sees details that we might not see.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?When I was able to forgive, when I was able to say, ?I forgive you for the rape, for raping me. I forgive you for killing my family. I forgive you for all the pain, all the nights I spent thinking about all the pain you caused in my life,? that was God's gift.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?Once everything is taken away from you and all you have is God and prayer, He really puts you in a humbling place where nothing else matters. It's you and God, no matter what happens at the end of the day.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?When you have such hatred and bitterness and anger and resentment in your heart, there's just no way to enjoy the simplest thing that God has created for us when we're holding on to that kind of pain.? - Jeanne Celestine Lakin
?If you've ever been a dad driving at 3:00 in the morning and trying to find out where your daughter is, it just doesn't get any darker than that.? - Randy Hartley
?God could take a Rwandan refugee and a national financial planner and a Rwandan genocide perpetrator, and weave their lives together through this divine tapestry in a way that they were all saved.? - Randy Hartley
?When you're broken and you're in a dark place, sometimes it feels like you can ever move forward. But I'm here to tell you, that's just a chapter in your life. That's not the end of your story. That's just a chapter.? - Randy Hartley
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[BONUS] Motherly Love
This special bonus edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast sharing inspiring stories about mothers?either their own or others who have influenced their lives by showing them motherly love. It is a blessing and a responsibility to nurture others?whether it be those in our own family, or those outside our family who may not know the love of a mother. So many lives have been positively influenced by women?mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, or friends who took it upon themselves to love and care for someone?modeling God?s unconditional love for us all. We hope these stories will encourage you and remind you of that special person in your life that hoped for you, prayed for you, and believed in you when you needed it most.
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Jason Crabb
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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God Uses Us Through Our Scars: Tim Tebow, Merry Clayton, & Dean Cain
This week we celebrate a special landmark?our 300th episode. Many thanks to you?our listeners?for coming back to our show week after week to hear the stories of real people, just like yourself, who have found hope and peace in the word of God and in Jesus Calling. For this very special episode, we have three guests who have all experienced their share of scars from the hard parts of life, but have found a way to see their scars as badges of honor, and they recognize how God has strengthened them through their pain so that they can reach others with His message of love and healing. We?re talking with NFL and MLB star Tim Tebow, singer Merry Clayton, and actor Dean Cain.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Michelle Wilbur-Christiansen
Upcoming interview: Jeanne Lakin
Mission Possible: Go Create a Life That Counts
Interview Quotes:
?If I didn't know what God says about me, then it would be so easy to get caught up with the highs and the lows.? - Tim Tebow
?We are here to love God and love people. And He has made it possible through the blood of the cross to have a mission possible life, one that truly counts. Not one that is about one day, but one that is about this day. This day, it is a chance to make our life count.? - Tim Tebow
?It's so easy to get caught up in those emotions because they speak really loud. Ask for truth to speak louder.? - Tim Tebow
?We can choose courage, because even in the midst of the trials and the midst of a tribulation, the midst of the negativity, in the midst of the criticism, we know all we have to do is keep fighting because He wins the game for us.? - Tim Tebow
?We wanted His will to be done. Not me, not my will, but His will, because that's the way we live.? - Merry Clayton
?God is still here. He hasn't left us. He's still here. We're still in the palm of His hands.? - Merry Clayton
?I think being a parent changes you because you're no longer the most important thing. And then you start to sort of understand the whole idea behind faith and behind God.? - Dean Cain
?I humble myself before God every single day because life itself is humbling.? - Dean Cain
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When Life Gets Stressful, Look For the Blessings: Mark Wahlberg, Roma Downey, & Shauna Niequist
In the busyness of life, job, family, and activities, we can easily become caught up in the day to day routine of putting one foot in front of another. And sometimes, that very routine, instead of being comforting, can be something we feel dragging us down, making us feel like we?re just living life in an endless loop, with no real deliberation or purpose. Our guests this week have learned an important truth about taking deliberate steps to carve out moments for reflection and connection with God?even when their day-to-day existence is overwhelming. Actor Mark Wahlberg takes time each day to pray because he knows it will equip him to take on what?s next in a positive way. Actress and writer Roma Downey takes a moment at the beginning and end of each day to remember what she is grateful for and to identify that day?s unique blessings. Writer and speaker Shauna Niequist enjoys a ?breath? prayer practice where she thinks consciously about breathing in God?s peace, and breathing out her own anxiety. No matter which way you choose to deliberately connect with God?s presence in your life, you will likely find peace, strength and courage to take on stressful days that only He can give.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ruth Chou Simons
Upcoming interview: Tim Tebow
I Guess I Haven?t Learned That Yet
Interview Quotes:
?As a person of faith, I'm just trying to grow and be better every day, be an example to my wife and to my children and to the people that look to me as an example.? - Mark Wahlberg
?When I started focusing on my faith, good things started to happen.? - Mark Wahlberg
?No person is beyond redemption. As long as they are willing to repent and want to make real change. We cannot turn our backs on anybody. This is not about excluding people. This is about including people and opening our arms and our hearts and our homes and everything else to love people and care for them.? - Mark Wahlberg
?I think in life you reach a point where you think, If I only have forty summers left, what do I want to be doing with my life? And I thought, I really want to live a life of purpose.? - Roma Downey
?If you have a gratitude attitude, you can really change your life.? - Roma Downey
?I've almost trained myself to look for the blessings. And the great thing is, when you train yourself to look for the blessings, you find them, and then you start finding that they're everywhere. It's like the more you're grateful for, the more you have to be grateful for.? - Roma Downey
?I loved having a sense at a very young age that the world was big and beautiful, and people all over the world were kind and interesting.? - Shauna Niequist
?We felt like there was a lot of energy and direction, like God's graciousness was very apparent and it felt like the path was emerging before every step.? - Shauna Niequist
?There were so many new things to learn, and so we tried to build into our family language this idea that being new is good and starting again is good, and it's okay to be a rookie and it's okay to ask questions and it's okay to need help.? - Shauna Niequist
?My worth is not on the line. There's nothing I have to prove. My worth is given to me by the Creator. And then also, it's not something I can destroy. It's not in my power to do that. The love and worth that God bestows upon every person He creates is not ours to destroy or manage in any way.? - Shauna Niequist
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[BONUS] A Prayer for the People of Ukraine with Yuriy and Madison Perekotiy
This special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling podcast features missionaries to Ukraine, Yuriy and Madison. Yuriy and Madison Perekotiy share about the work they?ve been doing to help vulnerable people in Ukraine since 2018 and give us a glimpse of how Ukrainian Christians are opening their doors to those who have lost everything during the war. They describe how their community and church in Ukraine are stepping up their efforts to show God?s compassion to those who have been most affected by the conflict. Their prayers are for a hope and a future for the Ukrainian people that is free from war and that God?s healing can be found in the aftermath of this collective trauma.
Quotes
?Everybody has literally opened their doors, opened the doors of their churches, opened the doors of their apartments and said, ?Hey, come here and you know, stay with us for a little bit.? I've been proud for the Ukrainian church. They?ve opened the doors. And I think that right now it's a great opportunity to make friends with people who you've probably never met and plant the seeds of the gospel in their hearts.? Yuriy Perekotiy
?We've seen the church in Moldova, Romania, Poland?all the surrounding countries around Ukraine?Slovakia, Hungary, the churches there, as well as further into Europe, are rising up to take care of Ukrainians who are in need. And so I think God will use this tragedy of war to draw people closer to Himself through believers in so many different places that are not just in Ukraine, but all over the world.? Madison Perekotiy
?Continue to pray for those who are most vulnerable. Those who might have autism or special needs, or a child with Down syndrome or those in the deaf community. Those with a physical challenge that makes it difficult for them to get out or evacuate or those who can't leave at all because of those things, just to continue to pray God's mercy over the vulnerable.? Madison Perekotiy
Links
@theperekotiys
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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We All Need Somebody To Talk To: Bubba Watson and Jimmy Houston
Are you the type of person who won?t ask for help until you get to a place where you absolutely have to? Are you someone who thinks you can handle things on your own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness? Paul from the Bible is a famous example of someone who tried to carry the weight of his mistakes and misfortunes on his own. It took Jesus? words ?My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness? [2 Corinthians 12:9] for Paul to realize that he could ?gladly boast about my infirmities so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.? Jesus is there to listen when you need help, and He doesn?t despise our weakness?He demonstrates His strength in us through it. Our guests today are open about how they lean on God for their help and hope. Bubba Watson is a PGA golfer who has won multiple major championships who, even while at the top of his career, reached a low point where he wasn?t sure he could lift himself out of his depressed mental state. Jimmy Houston is a legendary fisherman who hosts the popular TV show Jimmy Houston Outdoors. When Jimmy found himself at low points over the years, he testifies that God was always able to pick him up and take him to that next step to where he needed to be.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ryan Casey Waller
Upcoming interview: Mark Wahlberg
Lake Genesis at the Sea of Galilee
Interview Quotes:
?Without faith, I wouldn't have gotten off the floor.? - Bubba Watson
?You have to find people that you truly trust. There's going to be one to five people that you can truly trust and share with. And they don't blink an eye. They're there to hug you. They're there to give you a high five.? - Bubba Watson
?When we stumbled and fell, when we hit those broken roads, when we got in those valleys, God was always able to pick us up and take us to that next step, whatever that next step might be.? - Jimmy Houston
?It's hard to be a hunter or a fisherman and not acknowledge God all around you.? - Jimmy Houston
?I continually pray for the things that I want God to be doing in my life on a daily basis. I ask God every day for Him to make me a blessing to other people that I come in contact with.? - Jimmy Houston
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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Showing Up For What God?s Got Next: Danny Gokey and Hosanna Wong
When life deals a tough blow, it can be challenging to know where to go next. Perhaps the plans you?d been working toward have been blown out of the water, or maybe you?re experiencing a loss that has made you wonder how to move forward. When it feels like nothing makes sense in our lives anymore, all we can do is continue to show up and look for what God has next for us. Musician Danny Gokey was encouraged by his wife to try out for American Idol, and while they worked toward that moment, she unexpectedly passed away and Danny wasn?t sure how to go on. Minister Hosanna Wong lost her father at eighteen and longed to follow his legacy and help others learn of God?s love, but realized that it would take being present for others and really showing up in their lives to be able to live out her faith in a way that was authentic and compelling.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Matthew West
Upcoming interview: Bubba Watson
Interview Quotes:
?I'm glad God kept pushing me because I just didn't see myself as the lead person or the lead singer.? - Danny Gokey
?In the most difficult time of my life, losing a spouse, all of a sudden there's a wide open door in the midst of that to fulfill a dream that God was giving me in that moment.? - Danny Gokey
?I think God was pulling away and resetting the foundation so that I would know and that people would know that [my music career] was God built.? - Danny Gokey
?People want to be seen, people want to be known, people want to know they're not alone. And there is no point in putting on a facade to impress the world Jesus called us to serve.? - Hosanna Wong
?Being a part of God's beautiful church all over the country, I realize the truth that the church was way more beautiful than I ever imagined.? - Hosanna Wong
?Let us also live and love others in the same way that God loves us, not giving people shame, but also telling them the truth about who they are too.? - Hosanna Wong
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What?s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
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[BONUS] Worry & Anxiety
This special bonus edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they?re overcoming worry and anxiety in our lives. ?Do not fear? is one of the most oft repeated phrases in the Bible. God knows that we as humans struggle with fear, worry, and anxiety and He gives us many reasons to believe that He will guide us through the unknown and help us move past our fears. We hope these stories will encourage you and remind you that you are not alone?and that a life plagued by anxiety and worry can be replaced with a life of assurance that things can ultimately work out for our good, according to God?s plan.
Links To Full Episodes
Sara Evans
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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