Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Fear and anxiety often worm their way into our lives, and it is easy to give into them. But we have a mighty God on our side, who replaces fear with a beautiful peace that reminds us everything will turn out exactly the way He intends it. Country music artist Sara Evans knew as a young girl that she was “Born to Fly,” because God had called her to a music career. And as Sara looks back on defining moments of her career and her journeys with family and faith, she can trace the moments when fear would try to take over but God gave her the resilience to push through. Growing up in Los Angeles with a passion for helping others, actor and singer Caitlin Crosby learned early on that real beauty and character are found in our flaws. As she prayed for God to show her how to give to others, Caitlin met a talented couple who helped turn her heart for helping into a real-life mission: a jewelry-for-good business called The Giving Keys, which helps people transition out of homelessness. Caitlin believes that embracing the things that scare us can help us uncover our purpose. And as she shares in her new book You are the Key, she’s seen that paying forward a word of encouragement, whether you sleep in a mansion or a cardboard box, can go a long way in helping others—and ourselves—keep reaching for faith and courage. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Bible study Jesus Calling, from July 27th interview with heroic Southwest Airlines pilot Tammie Jo Shults and Vietnam POW Carlyle “Smitty” Harris TJ Stevens Beth Nimmo Rachel Scott Sara Evans Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Gideon's Bible Grand Ole Opry Born to Fly memoir Caitlin Crosby The Giving Keys You are the Key book LoveYourFlawz Lifehouse Flawz album Invisible Children documentary Interview Quotes: “We just have so many people to love and so many people to take care of. That is such a blessing.” - Sara Evans, on her blended family “I really, really, really believe in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I believe that God understands our hearts and He knows where we are.” - Sara Evans “God is the potter and I'm the clay, so I just need to trust Him every day, and really just have no fear.” - Sara Evans “There's nothing more comforting than having a relationship with Jesus.” - Sara Evans “The whole premise [of The Giving Keys] is you get a word that you need in your life, you embrace it, you own it, but then you're supposed to pass it on to somebody you feel needs it more than you.” - Caitlin Crosby “Our model [at The Giving Keys] is the more products we sell, the more jobs we can create, and the more people we can try and get off the streets.” - Caitlin Crosby “Everyone needs help. Everyone needs love. Everyone needs strength.” - Caitlin Crosby “The things that they feel kind of secretive or shameful about, those are the things that really can bring your purpose alive and bring it to another level.” - Caitlin Crosby ________________________ 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 ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

With each new day, God is blessing us with another chance—a chance to say yes to the things we might’ve said no to before, and a chance to embrace the people we love. Lori Allen, star of the TLC reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta and owner of Bridals by Lori, is adamant that the best days of her life are still ahead of her. From conquering challenges to keep her store open, to battling breast cancer and being the best working mom and grandma she can be, Lori has consistently said yes to savoring every moment, and grounding her life in her faith. Country music artist Raleigh Keegan was given a poignant second chance—a chance at life itself—when his mom gave birth to him while she was in prison, and then allowing him to be adopted into a loving family. Now, Raleigh seeks to demonstrate the love of God daily, thanking Him for the life he was given then, and the one he has now—which included eventually meeting and thanking his birth mom, too. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling website Life in His Presence: A Jesus Calling Guided Journal Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling Podcast episode with author and activist Cyntoia Brown-Long and designer Liz Marie Galvan Sara Evans Lori Allen TLC reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta Bridals by Lori Say Yes to What's Next book COVID-19 Raleigh Keegan Boy Scouts Eagle Scout Psalms Romans 8:1 University of Cincinnati Interview Quotes: “I've always had my faith, and I've always had a very strong will and conviction that I would succeed.” - Lori Allen “What for women after age forty-five motivates us? We are very smart women that have a lot of life ahead of us . . . I plan to savor every last crumb, and I want to motivate other women to do the same.“ - Lori Allen “I think that God wants us to live ‘till our very last day with meaning and hope.” - Lori Allen “Life's never easy, but with your attitude and showing your faith and your fortitude, you can make it a wonderful life.” - Lori Allen “I don't think the fact that I was adopted and came from a really hard start ever made me question God's love for me, that specific thing, because I always viewed it as, I had a chance.” - Raleigh Keegan “On my worst day and on my best day, because of what Jesus did for me, I'm viewed the same. That just changed me.” - Raleigh Keegan “My life's mission is just to be a Christian in whatever I'm doing.” - Raleigh Keegan ________________________ 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 ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s a great privilege to make an impact on others by leading a life worth emulating—and having mentors in our lives who once gave us the same gift. Motivational speaker Trent Shelton grew up in a family of faith who supported his dreams of becoming a professional athlete. After Trent worked his way to the NFL, he realized he was sacrificing his future by chasing temporary fulfillment. When he hit rock bottom, Trent decided to make God the rock of his life, and after his son Tristan was born, Trent worked hard to become a father his son would be proud of. And now, as he shares in his new book Straight Up, Trent tries every day to become the best version of himself so that he can impact his family and show them how to live well. Author Peggy Rowe—mom to Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs—was raised by loving parents who sacrificed time, money, and energy so Peggy could explore who she wanted to be. Now, Peggy seeks to impact others the way her parents inspired her through writing and sharing stories with millions of readers. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling Podcast episode ft. The Bachelorette’s Luke Pell and pastor Jack Deere Lori Allen, founder of the shop Bridals by Lori TLC reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta Trent Shelton Straight Up Rehab Time Saints player Gene Atkins Bengals player Geno Atkins imposter syndrome Peggy Rowe Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs Dirty Jobs The Discovery Channel "About My Mother" by Peggy Rowe 'About Your Father" by Peggy Rowe The Baltimore Sun Misty of Chincoteague Interview Quotes: “What I realized, once I hit rock bottom, was I never really built a solid relationship with God for myself.” - Trent Shelton “Oftentimes I feel like we place blame on God for situations we put ourselves in.” - Trent Shelton “If my son follows my footsteps, where is my life leading him? What's the path that I've created? What's the mindset? What's the faith? And I wasn't happy with the answers that I told myself.” - Trent Shelton “My prayers used to be asking God for things, and now my prayers are, ‘God, what do you need from me?’ And that has brought more clarity in my life.” - Trent Shelton “I feel like God leaves a void in each and every one of us that can only be filled by Him. And until He fills that void, you will never feel that overwhelming internal peace in your life.” - Trent Shelton “The most important work that you ever will do is the work that you do on yourself.” - Trent Shelton “Maybe that light that comes from my life, because I did the work on myself, could be the light that they need to light up their dark world or their dark times.” - Trent Shelton “We can't change the world if we don't change our households. We can't change our households if we don't change the way we think, if we don't renew our mind, if we don't renew our heart. And so it all starts with you. So, be the reflection of the change that you wish to see.” - Trent Shelton “I think probably the greatest gift my mother gave me was an ability to treat people the way that I would like to be treated.” - Peggy Rowe “[Mike Rowe] unfailingly respected and continues to respect the people that he worked with, the people that get up every day and do those less-than-desirable jobs. He treats those people and has treated them with the same respect that he would like to be treated.” - Peggy Rowe, on her son, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe “I think that we human beings need constant reminders that we are not alone.” - Peggy Rowe ________________________ 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 ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God puts people in our lives for a reason: to teach us, to inspire us, to allow us to be a blessing to them. There are no accidental encounters, only ones that shape us into who we were created to be. Victoria Damone grew up in a family of entertainment royalty, as the daughter of ‘50s crooner Vic Damone and actress Judy Rawlins. But show business wasn’t always kind to Victoria and her sisters, and they had to learn to survive by relying on each other through their parents’ absence and their mother’s struggle with addiction. As she grew older, Victoria forged her own path by working for a faith-based organization, OneShare Health, as a way to combine her love of people and God. Catherine Wood has always kept faith at the heart of her life, but that faith has been tested through the financial ups and downs she’s faced throughout her investing career. After Cathie tried to navigate the financial peculiarities leading up to the 2008 economic crash, a member of her church introduced her to Jesus Calling, which Cathie’s read every day since. In 2014, Cathie founded her own company called ARK Invest, to find and fund transformative technologies that could change lives and make the world a better place. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling App Jesus Calling on YouTube Interview with country music artist Josh Turner and NASCAR driver Michael McDowell Apple Podcasts Stitcher Jesus Calling Facebook Jesus Calling Instagram Victoria Damone Vic Damone actress Judy Rawlins OneShare Health Catherine Wood ARK Invest Art Laffer Jennison Associates Reuters and Telerate Ark of the Covenant Upcoming guest: Trent Shelton Interview Quotes: “I know that God was watching over me in my younger years.” - Victoria Damone “Even though we all fail miserably, we can aspire to do the best we can. But I think that's when God walks in.” - Victoria Damone “I love what I do, but I also love the thought that we're part of something that can really help people emotionally with their health care needs, but also that we can help other organizations and we can make a difference.” - Victoria Damone, on working at OneShare Health “When I think of Jesus, I think of Him sitting at the table and ministering and teaching people that were perhaps the unsavory characters, the people that were abandoned. And yet those are the individuals that need the most love and understanding.” - Victoria Damone “I never felt that God was leaving me or deserting me. I felt like I had to hold on a little tighter.” -Catherine Wood “I would kneel down and say, ‘Okay, God, You're in control. Even if this company fails, I know I've done the right thing. This is a walk of faith for me. Your will be done.’” - Catherine Wood “I believe that in starting ARK Invest, I was fulfilling His will for me here on Earth and that if I had not done it, that I would have died an unhappy woman not having not fulfilled my promise here.” - Catherine Wood ________________________ 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 ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our stories are a combination of pain and beauty, of grief and love, of despair and wonder. In the moments when pain and isolation threaten to engulf us, God is there to lift us up and, as our guest Mattie Jackson Selecman says, sprinkle “tidbits of joy” along our darkest paths. Growing up, Mattie watched her dad, country music superstar Alan Jackson, sing songs that connected with people across the country, and she knew she was born to tell stories just like him. But Mattie never could’ve imagined one of the stories she’d tell would be a tragic story of her own: losing her newlywed husband Ben in an accident. With God’s help, and with her Jesus Calling devotional by her side, Mattie began to put the pieces of her life back together and found healing in the very ministry that she co-founded to heal others, NaSHEville. Music journalist Deborah Evans Price passionately chased her dream to tell stories behind some of country and Christian music’s biggest stars, becoming a full-time journalist at Billboard Magazine. But Deborah learned firsthand that just because part of your dream works out doesn’t mean your whole life will fall into place. As Deborah tackled an unexpected cancer diagnosis, she learned there’s true joy in allowing others to come alongside us and care for us when we’re at our lowest. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling Peace for Everyday Life video series Jesus Calling Magazine [FREE!] Jesus Calling Podcast Episode with Dawn Barton: Joy: God’s Antidote to Pain Mattie Jackson Selecman Alan Jackson UT [University of Tennessee] NaSHEville Human trafficking Deborah Evans Price Billboard Magazine Billboard.com First for Women Magazine Redbook Woman's World Sounds Like Nashville LSU [Louisiana State University] Victoria Damone 1950’s Big Band crooner Vic Damone Interview Quotes: “Jesus is the only hope, not because He's the only thing left to turn to, but because He's the only thing that will bring light in the dark.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “You kind of take [faith] for granted until you have real reason to buckle down and understand and evaluate, Why is this my faith, and why is this not just what I've been told and taught?” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “Don't feel like it's your job to plan out every step of your life—go live it. And what happens to you will be the story that you'll end up telling.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “He walked the way Jesus walked. He saw people for who they were, and not for what they did, or for something that he expected or wanted from them.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman, on her husband Ben “On paper, we did all the things we were supposed to do, you know, to “get the miracle.” But we didn't. And part of understanding and processing and finding joy amidst the pain doesn't come from having that question answered.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “Wherever you are in your faith, He'll find you.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “God will bring tidbits of joy. That's what I've learned above all else. And I tell people, pain and joy are not mutually exclusive. They can dance in the same scene together.” - Mattie Jackson Selecman “God's put me here to help tell people stories. That's a privilege.” - Deborah Evans Price “It’s hard to be vulnerable and let people see when you're when you're hurting.” - Deborah Evans Price “I just wake up every day thinking, You just don't know what God’s going to bring in your life or what exciting door He’s gonna be opening. Every day is a new adventure.” - Deborah Evans Price ________________________ 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 ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We all value connection: to our loved ones, to the world around us, to the principles that matter to us. And our most important connection is with God, which can feel so powerful through our praise. Worship leader Matt Redman shares how music became his escape from the darkness he endured in his youth—his father’s suicide early in his life, then abuse in his teen years. But when Matt was introduced to Steven Curtis Chapman’s music in college, he found a path that would draw him near to God through living in a state of constant wonder. Singer/songwriter Mark Schultz was struggling to make it big in the Nashville music scene when he met a youth pastor who would change his life. After working with kids and singing songs from the heart, Mark landed a record deal, and today, he’s built a beautiful life by putting praise for Jesus above everything. Plus, after being adopted in his childhood, Mark finally understood the heavenly meaning of that word when he adopted his own little one. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling Prayer Call Jesus Calling Kids/Childrens Jesus Calling Podcast Episode with Steven Curtis Chapman: "A Father's Love Is Special" Matt Redman BibleGateway.com Psalms 10,000 Reasons song Let There Be Wonder album If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, there’s help. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Mark Schultz Remember Me Mission Kansas State University Ryman Auditorium Grand Ole Opry Mattie Jackson Selecman Interview Quotes: “I needed to talk to God. I needed to cry out to God. Music seemed like a really powerful way to do that.” - Matt Redman “I loved that we weren't just singing about Him, but we were singing to Him.” - Matt Redman “One of the challenges of trying to portray God through music is to do with trying to paint the biggest picture of Him that you can.” - Matt Redman “He's the lion and the lamb, He is the God who thunders and whispers. He's a God who terrifies, and yet He befriends. He's the one who knelt down, washed the feet of His disciples, even though He's the one whose footstool is the earth.” - Matt Redman “There's something special about hearing a father's words speak over you, that they believe in you, and cast a vision for you, and I think there's something about that that you kind of grow into that as your story unfolds.” - Mark Schultz “That would be one of those moments that I look back on that I feel like it was a dad's vision and a belief in me, just following that.” - Mark Schultz, on a dream fulfilled to play at Ryman Auditorium “God doesn't want something from us—He wants something for us.” - Mark Schultz ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We have a tendency to see black and white in our stories. We believe we’re doing the right things because we don’t seem to be encountering many problems. We think we’re loving others well because we don’t see any evidence that says otherwise. But the truth is that no matter how hard we try, we will face hard problems and tough situations. We will face division and anger. But God will equip us with the tools we need to navigate life with profound faith and great love. Pastor and author Scott Sauls asks us to think about what our world would be like if we approached others with compassion and gentleness like Jesus, to try and heal a hurting world. Advocates Jay and Katherine Wolf faced the unimaginable when Katherine, a twenty-six-year-old mother of a six-month-old son, suffered a brain stem stroke that turned their world upside down. Now a full-time caregiver, Jay shares how God brought them closer to Him through each other, and how sometimes healing and despair go hand in hand. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling: What’s Good? (YouTube video series)Jesus Calling Podcast Episode - The Broken Road to Joy: Ann Voskamp & Emily Stroud Gary Sinise Foundation Scott Sauls A Gentle Answer: Our Secret Weapon in an Age of Us Against Them book Christ Presbyterian Church (Nashville, Tennessee) BibleGateway.com (Luke 7) Fred Rogers (Jesus Calling podcast interview with wife Joanne Rogers) Jay and Katherine Wolf Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything Samford University (Birmingham, AL) Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Bel Air Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, CA) CaringBridge BibleGateway.com (Isaiah 45:3) Matt Redman Interview Quotes: “What could it look like for followers of Christ, especially, to give ourselves to a gentleness movement or a kindness movement in a climate where kindness is so scarce?” - Scott Sauls “Cynicism and negativity are very contagious, but so are love and kindness.” - Scott Sauls “Every single square inch of the universe—people, places, and things—belongs to God, is created by God, and is entrusted to our care.” - Scott Sauls “Everybody's job is an opportunity to serve God in the same way that a pastor's job is an opportunity to serve God.” - Scott Sauls “Christians have that resource to be more difficult to offend, because Christ chose not to be offended by us. He chose instead to love us and to forgive us and to draw us into His family and adopt us.” - Scott Sauls “Looking back on your story, it's important and it's profound to see some things you didn't see in the moment because it was up close, and to see how God was putting those pieces together.” - Jay Wolf “The idea that God had spared her life was the beginning of hope for me.” - Jay Wolf ”We thought [Katherine’s being on life support] was really just a sign and a little sort of glimmer that God was saying, ‘I'm still here. I haven't abandoned you, even if I'm silent.’” - Jay Wolf “I think we want to say it's one or the other, ‘Oh, you're in this healing mode,’ or, ‘You're in this despairing mode.’ Sometimes they're right in the same place together.” - Jay Wolf “‘You get to put into practice everything you believe, and I'm going to supernaturally supply you. My divine power will give you everything that you need to do this. And it is going to be hard. It's going to be good’.” - Katherine Wolf speaking how she believes God rallied her husband Jay “We knew the presence of God would sustain, and His power would make a way for us to move forward.” - Katherine Wolf ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dreaming, planning, preparing for the future—it’s in our nature to map out where we’d like our lives to go. But in the midst of our dreaming, it’s important to take a step back and ask God, “What do You want for my life?” Because He might have a different—and better—answer for us. When Christian music artist Jaci Velasquez was pregnant with her son Zealand, she knew he’d have a ministry of his own one day. But when Jaci discovered Zealand had autism, she wondered how he’d ever spread God’s love if he couldn’t communicate. Over time, Jaci learned to shift her perspective from “Why me?” to “Why not me?” and she began to see how God can use anyone or anything for good. Worship pastor Andy Harrison was raised in a Christian home, but never really felt connected to God. After attending a youth camp and a Planetshakers conference, Andy was struck by how passionate the people around him were, and he wanted to discover this Jesus that had everyone so shaken up. Today Andy’s a mentor to youth and shows them how to be strong in faith while growing up, and how, even when we don’t know where to turn, we can find everything we need in Jesus. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Gary Sinise Foundation Jaci Velasquez When God Rescripts Your Life: Seeing Value, Beauty, and Purpose When Life is Interrupted book IEP—Individualized Educational Program Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder - pervasive developmental delay Andy Harrison Jesus Over Everything album Jesus Over Everything: Notes for the Next Generation of Planetshakers book Planetshakers Youth Ministry Planetshakers Music Planetshakers Conference BibleGateway.com (Psalms 139 & Matthew 6:33) Jay and Katherine Wolf Interview Quotes: “I stopped asking the question, ‘Why me?’ And I started asking the most important question, which was ‘Why not me?’” - Jaci Velasquez “Sometimes what He wants for our lives and what He wants for our families looks different than what we had pictured.” - Jaci Velasquez “We have to continuously dive into what God is trying to show us.” - Jaci Velasquez “He forgives you sooner than you forgive yourself. So why do we continue putting ourselves on the cross? “ - Jaci Velasquez “Listen for His interpretation. Our dreams and God's calling are not always the same thing.” - Jaci Velasquez “[Growing up] I knew a lot of things about God, but I didn't know Him for myself.“ - Andy Harrison “I'm really passionate about seeing young people encounter Jesus, because that was the season in my life where I came to know Him, and I want to see other young people come to know Him, too.” - Andy Harrison “Everything that we need is found in Jesus.” - Andy Harrison ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If there’s one thing our world needs at this moment, it’s love—the kind of 1 Corinthians 13 love God asks us to show each other. TBN host Cynthia Garrett walks us through how to understand that love is not found only in words—love is an action. She explains how, when we learn to release society’s distractions, we can truly listen to the hearts of those around us, learn from their experiences, and work together for what is good and right. MMA fighter Paige VanZant turned to fighting as a coping mechanism for the horrific bullying she faced in high school. And when fighting turned into her career, Paige began to use her platform to help others facing emotional trauma, letting love heal both her heart and theirs. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Always devotional The Joy of Spreading Love, One Heart At A Time: Delilah and Gary Thomas episode Gary Sinise Foundation Cynthia Garrett Cynthia Garrett Ministries The Sessions with Cynthia Garrett on TBN Cynthia Garrett Ministries YouTube BibleGateway.com - 1 Corinthians 13 Paige VanZant Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life book UFC Jaci Velasquez Interview Quotes: “One of the things that I think that we can all do is to listen. We have to listen more. I think we are here because we stopped listening to each other.” - Cynthia Garrett “There's someone you know who’s different from you, and the best way to have understanding and wisdom is to ask them questions about their experience in life and to listen.” - Cynthia Garrett “When you love your neighbor, racism does not exist.” - Cynthia Garrett “If we examine our hearts and seek righteousness in our hearts, we can make a difference.” - Cynthia Garrett “Love is an action. Love is messy. Love is inconvenient. But love is also the most powerful word in the Bible.” - Cynthia Garrett “I know that I can stay positive because it's all in God's plan.” - Paige VanZant “God's given you all these talents. Why waste them?” - Paige VanZant “I think it says, “Do not be afraid,” 365 times in the Bible. So that means every single day you need to be reminded, don't be afraid.” - Paige VanZant “I'm still working every day to try to use my platform to connect to people and help people grow and help people through these emotional times.” - Paige VanZant “In every fight I go through, both in the cage and outside of the cage, I know that there is somebody who is on my side and is fighting with me the entire time, and that's God.” - Paige VanZant ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There comes a point when our faith has grown strong enough that we can turn outward and put it to work serving those who need it most. Gary Sinise comes from a long legacy of supporting the military, from brave family members who served as far back as World War I, to portraying wounded Vietnam vet Lt. Dan Taylor in the iconic movie Forrest Gump. After the events of 9/11, Gary was inspired to find more ways to serve those who sacrificed for our nation, which he details in his book Grateful American. Dr. Derwin Gray created a successful life for himself in the NFL, desperate to escape the dysfunction that surrounded him in childhood. But after achieving his career dreams, Derwin realized he wouldn’t ever be satisfied without a greater purpose. He bravely stepped into God’s calling for his life and founded Transformation Church, a multi-ethnic church seeking to help others live a Jesus-centered life—what Dr. Gray calls in his new book The Good Life. These two men have grown their faith and been encouraged by the people they serve, and they demonstrate the beautiful things that can happen when we use our gifts and talents to bless those around us. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Courage to Use Your Voice: Mark & Danielle Herzlich episode Gary Sinise Gary Sinise Foundation Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service book Vets Night Disabled American Veterans Organization Lt. Dan Band Battle of the Argonne Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago Forrest Gump Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance Dr. Derwin Gray Transformation Church The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness book Paige VanZant Interview Quotes: “September 11th, 2001, our country is attacked and our men and women start raising their hands to deploy in reaction to that terrible event. And I just felt compelled and called in a certain way to serve. And so you go from this singular focus on self to this broader focus on serving others.” - Gary Sinise “I am a grateful American. I'm grateful for so many things.” - Gary Sinise “Having veterans in my family, having been involved with supporting Vietnam veterans, I just knew where I was going to employ my services, and it was going to be to help our men and women get through the next phase of deploying to the war zones and helping them and their families get through that. And that just that lit a fire under me.” - Gary Sinise “The more I got active, the more I gave, the more I healed, the more I wanted to do.” - Gary Sinise “I've seen the needs in all these different places and I want to try to continue to help fill those needs.” - Gary Sinise “When Jesus called me, when Jesus loved me, when Jesus met me, He literally put things in me and brought gifts out of me that I didn’t even know was possible.” - Dr. Derwin Gray “By my third year in the NFL at age twenty-five, I said ‘There's got to be more to life than this.’” - Dr. Derwin Gray “It was like I was chasing my shadow and I finally caught it, but realized it went right through my hands, and I was looking for things that only Jesus can give.” - Dr. Derwin Gray “He gave me unconditional love. He gave me a new identity: beloved child of God. He gave me a new purpose, and that is to know Him and to make Him known through every facet of my life.” - Dr. Derwin Gray “Jesus's blood not only forgives our sins, but He gives us a family with different colored skins.” - Dr. Derwin Gray ”So often we are so self-sufficient that we can't be God sufficient. So often we're so centered upon ourselves that we can't be Jesus-centered.” - Dr. Derwin Gray ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We spend so much time trying to choose a path for our futures, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in what *we* want versus what *God* wants. Artist, musician, writer, and creator Morgan Harper Nichols struggled to find her purpose, her identity, and her place to belong. By pushing herself to go deeper into connection and following God’s nudges to use her artistic gifts, Morgan found hope in showing up for others, and she realized the true definition of “grace.” Actor and producer Kel Mitchell spent most of his childhood in the Nickelodeon spotlight on shows like All That and Kenan & Kel. As he suffered through mistakes in his young adulthood, Kel realized he needed to discover who he was outside of television—and that instead of leading his own way, he needed to let God show him the way forward. Kel came back to his spiritual roots, where Jesus showed him his true calling: youth ministry. Today, Kel reminds us that we can never be too busy for God, because it’s only when we hand over our time and our plans that we see our lives begin to fall into place. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young products at Target.com When Dream Are Far From Reach, Trust God’s Vision: Matthew Barnett and Richard Cowdrey Morgan Harper Nichols Morgan Harper Nichols’s Pinterest All Along You Were Blooming book Kel Mitchell All That Kenan & Kel Nickelodeon Kel Mitchell’s Facebook Dr. Derwin Gray Interview Quotes: “What does it mean to serve and to love and to give to others while also simultaneously feeling like you're not enough?” - Morgan Harper Nichols “But all along, [my purpose] was just about how I can be present to other people with what I have, with what I've been given, even though I don't feel good enough.” - Morgan Harper Nichols “We're still being called to go deeper. We're still being called to come out on the water and to not be afraid of engaging with what's bigger than us.” - Morgan Harper Nichols “One single word can really, really impact someone in a way that matters in their life, whether they tell you or not. Connection happens through the imperfections and it happens through the broken places.” - Morgan Harper Nichols “I decided to say, ‘Hey, I'll figure this out on my own. I'll figure this out.’ And when I did that, it put me on the wrong path a lot of times.” - Kel Mitchell “As Christians, there are troubles you're going to go through, because we live in a sinful world. But at that same time, you have to know that God knows the way of getting you out of trouble.” - Kel Mitchell “It's awesome to be an ambassador of Christ and lead [kids] to the Lord as they see the light within you.” - Kel Mitchell “I feel like you have to learn and you have to go through those setbacks so you can have an amazing and beautiful, divine comeback.” - Kel Mitchell ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Fathers play a lasting role in our lives, and we learn countless lessons from them, like who we want to be and how we want to lead. Master communicator and motivational speaker Dr. Rick Rigsby grew up with a father who, despite being a third-grade dropout, sailed across the world, learned multiple languages, and instilled in a young Dr. Rigsby the basic life lessons that profoundly impacted the way he viewed himself and his potential. Above all, Dr. Rigsby’s father helped him see how living with faith and keeping our word can grow our influence to impact other people for the better. From the time he was a young boy, Jerrad Lopes couldn’t wait to be the dad he never had. But as an adult, when Jerrad hit a wall of professional setbacks that sent him into depression, he knew he wasn’t being the best dad and husband he could be. After a bitter fight with his wife, Jerrad turned to God to help show him how to lead. Now, Jerrad ministers through his organization Dad Tired to other men who face shame and a lack of confidence, so they can become dads and husbands who help their families grow more rooted in faith. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Dr. Meg Meeker: Seeking the Love of a Father Jesus Calling Large Deluxe Orange, available exclusively at Barnes & Noble Jesus Calling Small Deluxe Blue, available exclusively at Barnes & Noble Dr. Rick Rigsby Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout: How the Timeless Wisdom of One Man Can Impact an Entire Generation book Texas A&M California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football coach John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach Jerrad Lopes DadTired.com Dad Tire Podcast Dad Tired: Stumbling Your Way to Spiritual Leadership book BibleGateway.com Psalm 1 Kel Mitchell Interview Quotes: “How you do anything is how you do everything. It's never wrong to do the right thing. You tell somebody you're gonna get there at five, get there at four. Be ready to work.” - Dr. Rick Rigsby quoting his father “[My parents constantly raising the bar was] something I hated as a kid, something I couldn't stand as a teenager, but something that brings water to my eyes as an adult.” - Dr. Rick Rigsby “If you don't learn character in the trenches, if you don't learn the basics in the trenches, what in the world makes us think that when we get to the big stage, it's all of a sudden going to happen?” - Dr. Rick Rigsby “Faith encourages me to go beyond my comfort zone and to have a visceral reaction for the people of Jesus and encourage them.” - Dr. Rick Rigsby “Your ability to influence people within the sphere of your periphery will determine the impact that you make.” - Dr. Rick Rigsby “Think for a moment about the person who led you to the Lord. Was it that person's words, or was it that person's lifestyle?” - Dr. Rick Rigsby “I’m going to have a bunch of titles on my business card one day, [but] the thing that will go with me to the grave are the titles of husband, father, and disciple.” - Jerrad Lopes “If you believe you're too sinful or you're not equipped or you're not spiritual enough to lead your family, you're not believing in the God of the Bible.” - Jerrad Lopes ‘I'm just reminded that for me to be filled with life, to give life, to see the goodness of God used and fruit come out of it, I just have to be in the Living Water, which is the Word and Jesus Himself.” - Jerrad Lopes ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Everyone is placed in our lives for a reason. God intentionally chooses to put people in our path to teach us and to mold us into who He created us to be, and sometimes those relationships are not what we would expect. Dr. Dharius Daniels was studying to be a lawyer, until a mentor in college helped him realize that his true calling was ministry. As he began to study the Bible more intently, Dr. Daniels realized how we as individuals (and our relationships) have the ability to change lives, and that adding value to someone’s life is a calling of the highest kind, which he shares in his book Relational Intelligence. Ron Hall had one goal in life: to get out of poverty and create a life that matched his definition of success. He worked hard and achieved his goals, but his pursuit of success led to challenges in his relationship with his wife, Debbie. After reexamining his priorities, Ron committed himself to pursuing God the way Debbie did, and it led him to work with the homeless. On the streets of Fort Worth, Texas, Ron met a remarkable man named Denver, who would teach Ron more about life than he ever expected, as chronicled in the movie and New York Times bestselling book, Same Kind of Different as Me. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Always devotional promotion at Lifeway.com Dr. Dharius Daniels Relational Intelligence book Ron Hall Same Kind of Different as Me book Same Kind of Different as Me movie Texas Christian University Ecclesiastes 9:15 (BibleGateway.com) Dr. Rick Rigsby Interview Quotes: “What I began to see is the need for an expression of the gospel that did more than address people's morals, but addressed people's lives.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels “You cannot have a high quality of life without doing relationships well.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels “There is no area of our life that is not directly or indirectly impacted by our relationships: our physical well-being, our financial well-being, our relational well-being, our spiritual well-being.” - Dr. Dharius Daniels “God knew what He was doing when He put [my wife Debbie] in my life.” - Ron Hall “I told people that my wife and I at the time, we were both living purpose-driven lives. My purpose in life was chasing the almighty dollar and her purpose in life was chasing the Almighty God.“ - Ron Hall “‘God is checking you out to see what kind of person you really are,’ Denver said, ‘because most of you folks look at the homeless as a problem. But through God's eyes, He sees this as an opportunity for the faithful to show the love of Christ. We’re all homeless. We’re just working our way back home.’“ - Ron Hall “I witnessed the miracle of a homeless ex-con known as Suicide, who did not know how to read and write, become a number-one New York Times bestselling author . . . My good friend Denver, who was my homeless mentor, taught me more about life than anyone.” - Ron Hall ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s a hard truth that none of us is exempt from the pain of losing loved ones. And while Jesus tells us that, “In this world, you’ll have trouble,” He also promises that no matter what, He will never leave our side, and that He’ll remain a rock we can lean on through the pain of loss. Our two guests, country music artist Eddie Montgomery and Jesus Calling reader Kacie Clousing, have experienced tragic losses. But as they reached for God, He paved the way to survival and healing. Eddie Montgomery, of the award-winning duo Montgomery Gentry, talks about the deep bond he had with his music partner of three decades, Troy Gentry. When he lost Troy in a devastating helicopter crash, Eddie learned how to cope with his pain by remembering the good memories they made together, and turned to “the Man Upstairs” for strength. After battling infertility and having two healthy miracle babies, Kacie Clousing was thrilled when she and her husband discovered she was pregnant again. At a routine twenty-week ultrasound, Kacie learned that although she could feel her son kicking and moving within her, he wouldn’t survive the pregnancy. As she grieved the shattered dreams of what could’ve been, she kept reaching for God during her darkest days and held on to the belief that He would take care of her and her family, no matter how difficult the outcome. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Always devotional promotion at Lifeway.com Jesus Calling podcast episode: God Brings Life After Loss: Jonathan Pitts and John Hill Eddie Montgomery Montgomery/Gentry John Michael Montgomery Kacie Clousing Dr. Dharius Daniels Interview Quotes: “Me and Troy put this duo [Montgomery Gentry] together, Nashville did not. And I think that’s why it was different, because we’d get each other in and out of trouble, we had each other's back. We knew who we were.” - Eddie Montgomery “There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about [Troy].” - Eddie Montgomery “Before we go on stage, we get together and thank the Man Upstairs that He’s let us live this long and let us do what we do.” - Eddie Montgomery “That's how you get through [loss]. You remember all the smiles and the good times.”- Eddie Montgomery “In a second, our life went from, Oh, my goodness, things are fine. We're having a boy. We're so excited, to just nothing but complete sorrow and grief.” - Kacie Clousing “I started to have a mantra, where when I would start to think about the bad, I would just say, ‘I trust in you, Lord, to stop my negative thoughts and to not fall into the dark hole again.’” - Kacie Clousing “God will take care of you and your family, and bring to your life what is meant to be.” - Kacie Clousing ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Through all the highs and lows that life throws our way, there is one constant: God. Despite uncertainties, despite pain, and despite hurt, God is always there, longing for us to rely on Him to become our source of Joy. Author and joyologist Dawn Barton has faced more fall-to-your-knees pain and loss than most can imagine. And after every setback, Dawn shares she found the secret to moving forward: choosing to stand back up and look for joy. Singer/songwriter Ashlyn Grayce was raised in a home filled with music and faith, and now she’s branching out into a career of her own. Ashlyn dedicates every performance to the One who got her there, and shares her faith and life story to write songs that she hopes will bring healing to people of all ages from the inside out. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotionalJesus Calling for KidsJesus Always Jesus Calling and Jesus Always available exclusively at Costco.com Peace in Uncertain Times YouTube Series with Alena Pitts Dawn Barton Mary Kay Cosmetics Laughing Through the Ugly Cry: And Finding Unstoppable Joy book Ashlyn Grayce Alan Jackson Lifeway Christian BibleGateway.com, Isaiah 41:10 Eddie Montgomery Montgomery/Gentry Interview Quotes: “I've had so much that I think gives me every excuse in the world to be not joyful. But I really want to scream from the mountaintops why we should be joyful and why it's a choice.” - Dawn Barton “It’s no one's job to make you feel better but yours.” - Dawn Barton “I think it's important to have a friend that will say, ‘This is enough. It's time for you to get up.’” - Dawn Barton “I think that's that little gift God gives you, sometimes just that feeling of, ‘Don't let go. Hold on a little tighter, a little longer, this time.’” - Dawn Barton “I'm so glad that I used tragedy as the fuel for something that was beautiful.” - Dawn Barton “It's just so powerful that one three-minute song can really change the life of a listener or someone writing it.” - Ashlyn Grayce “I just think that it's so important to not be afraid and know that Jesus is right there with you every step of the way.” - Ashlyn Grayce ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In observance of Memorial Day, veteran and country music artist Craig Morgan and the First Lady of Louisiana, Donna Edwards, join the Jesus Calling Podcast to share how their faith, families, and a dedication to public service have shaped their lives in incredible ways. Craig Morgan served in the Army for 17 years before pursuing a country music career, which now allows him to serve military members via USO shows and special tours. After losing his 19-year-old son Jerry in a tragic accident, Craig felt moved by God to share his pain through a song called “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost,” which has touched countless lives. First Lady Edwards shares why she and her husband, Governor John Bel Edwards, were inspired to dedicate their lives to serving the public. As part of that service and in devotion to God, First Lady Edwards felt led to share Jesus Calling with incarcerated women in her state, and visited them in person to deliver the books, which had an enormous impact on her and women in the facility. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Today devotional Sarah Young products at Target Jesus Calling Podcast episode: Becoming an Everyday Hero: Neal McCoy & Rodney D. Bullard Craig Morgan Grand Ole Opry Video: The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost Craig’s World on Circle TV Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards See Donna at Work: Governor’s Mansion Dawn Barton Interview Quotes: “It was when I left home and joined the military, I think that's when I developed the aspirations for writing. Being away from home, creating a sense of appreciation for all the things that I had left and got away from.” - Craig Morgan “I thought I was exempt from something like that [when my son died], because our faith was so strong. We were a good Christian family, and I thought that something like this would never happen to us.” - Craig Morgan “When I lost Jerry, I felt like I didn't know enough about God because I needed to know more to understand what was going on.” - Craig Morgan “God wrote this song. I did not write this song.” - Craig Morgan, on his song "The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost" “I can't hug people that aren't standing before me, but I still very much feel their presence. Everybody talks about these God moments, you know, where you feel something and you feel the presence of God. That's what that is. I still feel that I have those moments with my son.” - Craig Morgan “We’ve always been firm in our direction and what we felt were our morals and values.” - Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards “We don’t necessarily have to agree — but I’m called to love you regardless.” - Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards “150 women who were imprisoned stood up and applauded the fact that I stepped into their life that day,” - Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards “Only with God’s help and praying and asking for God to help you, can one truly forgive.” - Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We don’t have to be perfect to receive God’s love. He longs to meet us in our brokenness so that He can be a part of our healing. Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson East and her husband, NFL player Andrew East, share their love story that’s now blossomed into parenthood. And in their young marriage, Shawn and Andrew have weathered highs and lows, including a painful miscarriage, and they remember how sharing with their online community and hearing stories from thousands who had experienced the same pain helped them heal. Jewelry designer Lisa Leonard was juggling so much—a loving marriage, being a mom to two sons (one with special needs) and a passion for her burgeoning business—that she worked herself into a burnout, which took a toll especially on her marriage. As she began to work through these hard feelings, Lisa realized God didn’t require her to be perfect and put together all the time. Slowly but surely, Lisa’s zest for life returned, and she began to build a peaceful life that allowed her to keep creating new resources and loving others the way she always wanted. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotionalJesus Today Jesus Calling exclusives from Barnes & Noble online The Next Door Treatment Facility interviews on Jesus Calling podcast Andrew & Shawn Johnson East YouTube channel, The East Family Shawn Johnson East website Andrew East website London Olympics Dancing with the Stars Lisa Leonard Be You book Brave Love book Your Spark book Gary Sinise IMDB - Gary Sinise as “Lieutenant Dan” in the film Forrest Gump, Interview Quotes: “I remember going to the Olympics, winning an Olympic gold medal, standing on the medal podium with a gold medal around my neck and feeling almost empty.” - Shawn Johnson East “Shawn's career was just kind of ending when we met, and my career was about to begin in the NFL. It's such a unique position, and I'm so thankful that Shawn is very uniquely qualified to be a part of the ups and downs of the NFL.” - Andrew East “[Sharing about my miscarriage with my online community] helped me heal so much, just seeing how many thousands of stories came back of people who had gone through the same thing.” - Shawn Johnson East “There's so much power in the community.” - Andrew East “I'm excited about the marriage aspect of parenting, but I'm also excited about the responsibility of what it means to be a thoughtful parent and how you do that well.” - Shawn Johnson East “I felt like I wanted to do something different and bring beauty into the world.” - Lisa Leonard “I felt like as a mom with two boys, one with special needs, and my husband and my friends and my extended family, the easiest way to simplify things was to take my needs and wants and put them way up high on a shelf.” - Lisa Leonard “God can handle our brokenness. He is not surprised by it. He's not scared of it. He's enough to fill that space.” - Lisa Leonard “This is a journey. We don't have it all figured out. And there's grace, so this is love, right? We don't do everything perfectly, but we're in it together.” - Lisa Leonard ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God is the restorer of all, and He often works through us to rebuild lives, to touch hearts, and to transform people here on earth. Stars of HGTV’s “Restored by the Fords” brother-and-sister-duo Leanne and Steve Ford share how their supportive parents paved the way for their creative careers, encouraging their kids to try new things, even if they made mistakes along the way. When they understood failure is a normal part of life, Leanne and Steve learned to push their creativity to new heights, and today they inspire others to create homes that help them feel safe and loved. Dr. David Vanderpool has also taken part in rebuilding, but in a different way: by living in Haiti and serving others through his relief organization Live Beyond, Dr. Vanderpool has discovered that living simply and focusing on connecting with others has brought his family closer to God and allowed him to share God’s love with those in need. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Today devotional Jesus Calling, the new botanical edition Jesus Calling podcast episode: God Lifts Us Up to Our Full Potential: Philanthropist Melinda Gates & Pastor Tony Evans HGTV Show Restored by the Fords (Leanne & Steve Ford) Work in Progress bookCountry Living Magazine Dr. David Vanderpool Live Beyond relief organization Britannica, 2010 Haiti Earthquake Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson East Interview Quotes: “I realized that it was our family and our faith that created this life where we didn't care what anyone else thought.” - Leanne Ford, remembering her childhood “We are in a society where if you mess up, it's looked down upon. And the problem with that is that the fear of failure kills creativity.” - Leanne Ford “I really believe that when you love your home, it really translates into the rest of your life.” - Leanne Ford “The ability to bring joy and happiness to people, whether it be a giggle or a laugh or a house they're proud of or an idea that gets them inspired, what an awesome gift that we’re able to do that.” - Leanne Ford “Jesus came to fill the gap between this disparity.” - Dr. David Vanderpool “When you divest yourself of material things and Plan B starts to fade away a little bit, I think what happens is the Lord becomes nearer and He becomes a whole lot more apparent.” - Dr. David Vanderpool “There's nothing that is more gratifying or supporting than knowing that you're walking exactly where God wants you to walk.” - Dr. David Vanderpool ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Whether or not we see Him, whether or not we feel Him, God is always near, walking beside us no matter where we go. YouTuber and mother of eight Angela Braniff shares how she checked all the boxes to gain a “perfect” life, until she realized Jesus’ life was about far more than giving her what the world considered “perfect.” By warily trusting God’s plan, and learning that she didn’t have to please others, Angela stepped out in faith and discovered a life more fulfilling than she’d ever imagined for herself. Jennifer Greenberg was a victim of abuse for twenty-one years, and in her darkest moments, she cried out to God, wanting to know if He was there. When she clearly heard God say that He would never forsake her, it all changed for Jennifer. She learned to trust God with her anger, moving forward into freedom and healing. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotionalJesus Calling Prayer Call Jesus Calling® for Graduates Angela Braniff, founder of the popular YouTube channel This Gathered Nest Love Without Borders book Jennifer Greenberg BibleGateway.com (Hebrews 13:5) Not Forsaken book PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 HGTV Show Restored by the Fords (Leanne & Steve Ford) Work in Progress book Interview Quotes: “I just thought that if I did all the right things, then my life would turn out how everyone told me, and it would be happy and fulfilled and everything would be great.” - Angela Braniff “I cried out to God and said, ‘I need you to give me Your eyes. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. If there's more to this life, I need You to show me.’” - Angela Braniff “They will grow up and have questions, things I can't answer, things I can, and wounds that I, in my humanness, no matter how much I love them as their mother, cannot fix or heal. But the one thing I can do is point them to Jesus, who loves them and who can heal those wounds for them.” - Angela Braniff, on her adoptive children “Trust that the plan He has is just so much better than any plans we could have ever made for ourselves.” - Angela Braniff “I knew that no matter what happened, God would never forsake me. He would never abandon me.” - Jennifer Greenberg "When you grow up with abuse, that is your normal. And so when you start to leave that environment, you're going to come to new realizations for how dysfunctional your past environment was." - Jennifer Greenberg “I was able to come to a place in my life where I realized that the reason I was angry at my abuser was because I was angry at evil...I realized that I could trust God to be angry for me.” - Jennier Greenberg “I realized at one point that sometimes we talk about clinging to faith in God, but really, it's God who clings to us.” - Jennifer Greenberg ”Not only do we have a Savior who redeems us from our sins, we have a Savior who can relate with us in an extraordinarily personal and profound way.” - Jennifer Greenberg ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

One of God’s greatest gifts is the healing we can find in forgiveness, whether we’re learning to to love and accept others or even ourselves. April 19, 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, when Bud Welch’s 23-year-old daughter Julie was tragically killed in the blast. Bud shares how he turned his grief into compassion for Bill McVeigh, father of the bomber Timothy McVeigh. Bud is joined by Jeanne Bishop, who recounts how these two fathers shared losses and became the unlikeliest of friends in her new book Grace from the Rubble. After years of struggling to find her way as a young adult, Christine Carter found herself trying to fill the hole in her heart with food. After a heartbreaking encounter with a family member, Christine embarked on a journey to learn how to change from the inside out. Along the way, Christine learned God loved her just as she was, she began to love herself too—and now she’s striving to help others learn to love themselves and cultivate a healthier mindset and lifestyle in her brand-new book Weight-Loss Hero. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotionalJesus Always devotional Jeanne Bishop, Author Change of Heart book Grace From the Rubble book Bud Welch 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing Timothy McVeigh Marquette University St. Charles Borromeo Church in Oklahoma City Communicant at her Catholic Church, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City OK Christine Carter, founder and CEO of Weight Loss Hero Weight-Loss Hero: Transform Your Mind and Body with a Healthy Keto Lifestyle Mayo Clinic, weight loss surgery Bible Gateway Matthew 22 Angela Braniff, founder of the popular YouTube channel This Gathered Nest Love Without Borders book Interview Quotes: “What I learned that day about Bill McVeigh was that he and I had the exact same thing in common: we had both buried our children.” - Bud Welch “There’s such a hunger out there for these stories of people who found a way to get out from under that burden of hate and bitterness, and found this freedom and the grace and mercy and compassion.” - Jeanne Bishop “I wanted to uplift these two men, these extraordinary men, these two fathers who should have been enemies and instead became these unexpected friends precisely because they were willing to see in one another that they had this common ground.” - Jeanne Bishop “When your parents die, you go to the hilltop and you bury them. When your children die, you bury them in your heart. It’s forever. It never goes away.” - Bud Welch “To have that redemption come from such tragedy is just a way of doing what God calls us all to do, which is to forgive others as we've been forgiven.” - Jeanne Bishop “I thought I had a weight problem, and I didn't know the weight I was carrying was a symptom of what was lurking beneath the surface.” - Christine Carter “I think that if you've ever overcome something in your life, I feel that part of what God calls us to do is to help someone else, even if it's just one person, help somebody else do the same.” - Christine Carter “I think a lot of our habits that we have and a lot of our mindsets are really what's holding us hostage.” - Christine Carter “We put ourselves last—and certainly there's something to be said about having a servant's heart—but you can never pour from an empty cup.” - Christine Carter “It's easy to fall into that temptation of picking the things that satisfy in the moment. But those things rarely satisfy for a lifetime. I've learned to put my eyes on Christ, put my eyes on God, to say, ‘What does He want for me?’” - Christine Carter ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sometimes we have to take a step back and reevaluate, taking a different approach to the things we can control—such as nutrition and wellness—in order to open our hearts and minds to spiritual connection with God. HGTV’s Christina Anstead shares how her stressful career and crumbling marriage took a toll on her emotional, mental, and physical health, and how she fought her way back to wellness by seeking God’s help. Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian has always seen food as a base for connection, realizing that God has always held space at the table for every single one of us, no matter our differences. By pursuing a higher calling than just being the next Food Network Star, Melissa has discovered the power of seeking daily time with God, and the realization that we can never be fully whole and at peace without connection to the Father. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling Family Devotional Jesus Calling®: 365 Devotions for Kids Jesus Calling Peace in Uncertain Times Series (YouTube) Emily Stroud Dr. Henry Cloud HGTV’s Christina Anstead HGTV’s Flip or Flop HGTV’s Christina on the Coast The Wellness Remodel: A Guide to Rebooting How You Eat, Move and Feed Your Soul book Cara Clark Nutrition WebMD: Naturopathic Doctor Mayo Clinic: Hashimoto's thyroid Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian Ten Dollar Dinners Next Food Network Star (Melissa d’Arabian - Winner of Season 5) Tasting Grace: Discovering the Power of Food to Connect Us to God, One Another, and Ourselves book Christine Carter, the founder and CEO of Weight Loss Hero Interview Quotes: “I was able to mentally refocus and know there was a bigger purpose in all this, which was huge for me.” - Christina Anstead, on growing closer to God “Every night before bed, I just pray that doors that need to be shut, that don't bring me something to my greater good, shut them and lock them. Doors that need to be open, that are better for my spirit, then open those up.” - Christina Anstead “When you go back and focus on the Lord and focus on peace, joy will come.” - Christina Anstead “Food saved me, which is not something I say lightly.” - Melissa d’Arabian “That school cafeteria was that first peek into the compassion and the unifying and the equalizing power of food.” - Melissa d’Arabian “I think our life mission statement is a bigger thing, that we might be called to show up for and be open to the details of how that plays out.”- Melissa d’Arabian “I love the beauty of us trusting God and getting our daily bread, our daily fill. I love how generous that God is.” - Melissa d’Arabian “What if all of these features of the food system aren't flaws, but actually invitations into a greater joy and into a greater connection with our Maker and with each other?” - Melissa d’Arabian ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sometimes our dreams seem so far out of our reach, we don’t know if we’ll ever achieve them. And sometimes we’ve been chasing dreams for so long, we need to remember why we began the chase in the first place. Matthew Barnett, pastor of the Dream Center, shares how the organization is serving the people of Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about how, over the course of the center’s twenty-five year legacy, he’s learned God has placed the Dream Center in LA as a steady force for change in the community, and how little things we do for others have a big impact. With a few strokes of his pencil, Richard Cowdrey can bring to life whimsical children’s book characters like Marley from “Marley & Me” and Fiona the Hippo. Richard shares how, during a troubled adolescence, two teachers helped unveil the artistic dreams he’d always held in his heart and even led Richard to faith. Today Richard is paying it forward by speaking to students and helping them reach for their own passions. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling for Easter Jesus Calling: The Story of Easter on special at Books-A-Million.com Jesus Calling episode, God’s Perfect Purpose for Our Imperfect Lives: Rita Wilson and Lisa Osteen Comes Matthew Barnett Los Angeles Dream Center Coronavirus epidemic Queen of Angels Hospital One Small Step: The Life-Changing Adventure of Following God's Nudges book Richard Cowdrey Fiona, It's Bedtime children’s book Fiona books Gray's Anatomy books Columbus College of Art and Design Bad Dog, Marley children’s book Melissa D’Arabian (Food Network) Interview Quotes: “Just staying in the neighborhood, not leaving, and being there for people is one of the best things you could do at a time of crisis. [Let them] know that you're not going to run, you're not going to leave. You're still going to be a steady force of change in the community.” - Matthew Barnett “In the twenty-five years of feeding fifteen hundred hot meals every day, we really believe that we were born for this era that we're facing right now.” - Matthew Barnett “Every program that we build at the Dream Center is one year, and the reason why it's one year is because we want to give people the luxury of time to change.” - Matthew Barnett “You're doing the urgent, but you're not responding to the important.” - Matthew Barnett, on times we wander away from God "I still cannot actually come up with the words to describe what happened. I knew the answers. I knew who I was, why I was." - Richard Cowdrey, on reading the Gospel of John in college "I have a real love for nature . . . even at a young age, I was aware there must be a God who created the animals and the woods." - Richard Cowdrey “I'm looking for the ones that look like me, who weren't the straight-A students, who weren't the quarterback, who weren't the star students. They're the ones on the edges, on the fringe. I try to encourage them that they have a gift.” Richard Cowdrey, on speaking in schools ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In our weakest hour, when all hope is lost and we don’t feel like we can pick ourselves back up, God is there, waiting for us to release our burdens and ask for help. Writer and speaker Lisa Bevere had to overcome a hurt she didn’t even realize was holding her back: a difficult relationship with her mother. Lisa spent years trying to find a female mentor, only to discover God wanted Lisa to be the mentor to other young women she’d always wanted. Lisa had to learn that God had given her strength, and as she let go of the excuses she had made for herself, she stepped into the strength that was always there. Former WWE wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle had it all—he was in the spotlight on the world’s stage. But Kurt struggled as he followed a pattern of drugs and alcohol his dad set before him. He realized that he would never be strong enough to break the cycle on his own: he needed Jesus. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling for Easter Jesus Calling: The Story of Easter on special at Books-A-Million.com Jesus Calling episode, A Pilot & a POW Cling to Faith During Crisis: Tammie Jo Shults & Carlyle “Smitty” Harris Lisa Bevere Messenger International Strong: Devotions to Live a Powerful & Passionate Life book BibleGateway.com Kurt Angle Kurt Angle (Facebook) ESPN Interview Quotes: “I have such a heart to see women empowered, to be strong, and to understand they don't have to take their strength from somebody else—they get their strength from God.” - Lisa Bevere “God said to me, ‘I don't want a mentoring of pride. I want mentoring of brokenness. I want you to pour out of your longing, because this is what is going to actually bring healing.’” - Lisa Bevere “When we think in the back of our mind that being a woman is a weakness, being a woman is a problem, when we think, I could be more powerful if I was a man, then we're actually buying into the enemy's lie, and we're devaluing who God created us to be.” - Lisa Bevere “I didn't know how to do the, "I'm upset. I'm going to step back so that we can sit down together." What I did is I attacked people instead of problems. I attacked character instead of the crisis.” - Lisa Bevere, on her struggle with anger “There are a whole lot of reasons that people can give on why they're broken, why they are wounded, why they are hurt. And I have so much compassion for that, but I have good news: what Jesus did for you is more powerful than what anybody did to you.” - Lisa Bevere ”I think it's important for women to have friendships with women that are older than them, women that are their same age and in the same season, and then women who are younger.” - Lisa Bevere “Too many people think that God has somehow gone mute, and yet Jesus still speaks. He speaks love. He speaks redemption. He says, “I do not condemn.” He says, “I am your light. You don't have to walk in the realm of shadow anymore.” - Lisa Bevere “One thing I did think about was, I don’t want to become that guy. And, you know, twenty-five years later, I was much of the same guy, my father in every aspect.” - Kurt Angle, on his father “I had this love affair on the side with alcohol and drugs. And I also had my relationship with God, but I never mixed it. So I was like, “God, I'm going to turn off right now. I'm going to go to my drinking and my drugs and I'll get back to You in a few hours.’” - Kurt Angle “So every day in rehab, I kept praying, ‘God, please, I don't want to be a screw up. I don't want to come out of here and go back to where I was. I want to progress. I want to move forward.’” - Kurt Angle “I'm always changing and always asking, ‘What's the next step for me? Where do I go from here and how do I make it?’ And, you know, a lot of it is prayer and my relationship with Jesus, and asking Him, ‘Where do I go?’ I listen to Him quite a bit.” - Kurt Angle ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The more we work and serve alongside people who are different from us, the more readily we see the image of God in everyone. Former San Diego Chargers player Miles McPherson shares how he got mixed up in drugs and the wrong lifestyle in the NFL, but was saved by God when he called out to Him in his lowest moment. Today Miles pastors the Rock Church in San Diego shares that we all have one very important thing in common: God made us in His image, which means we’re all neighbors regardless of skin color. Since he was a little boy, Derek Evans knew he wanted to lend a helping hand to many. After a series of obstacles led him to question his purpose, God helped Derek discover how a small t-shirt company he’d started called Project 615 could change the lives of not only his neighbors at home, but across the world. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling for Easter Jesus Calling episode, Heavenly Connections: Kristin Chenoweth, Joanne Rogers, & Montell Jordan Miles McPherson Rock Church in San Diego, CA The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation book Pop Warner football The Good Samaritan story Derek Evans Project 615 The Bridge Ministry Made to Change the World book Interview Quotes: “Every NFL team has a Christian contingent. They all have chapels. They all have chapel before the game. They all have Bible study during the week. And so there was a group on our team, and I watched them and knew that what they had, I wanted.” - Miles McPherson “The big difference for me was having people in my life to hold me accountable and just be there to be an example.” - Miles McPherson, on life after becoming a Christian ”Every race conversation is about us vs. them. And the third option is that we honor what we have in common.” - Miles McPherson “Every time you see someone, rename them neighbor. You know, the greatest commandment is to love God with your heart, mind, and soul. And the second is just like it, to love your neighbor as yourself . . . If we would just start there and talk about people through the lens of a neighbor or brother or sister, we wouldn't say a lot of the things we say.” - Miles McPherson “Anytime there's change in my life, I'm more excited than fearful because I know that God always uses those opportunities to really strengthen us.” - Derek Evans “The beautiful thing about being at rock bottom is that God truly uses that time to mold you, to really speak to you, to really transform your life.” - Derek Evans "As we're praying over [this homeless man], for the first time in my life, I felt God say, 'You're no different than this man you're praying for.'" – Derek Evans “God calls us to different things, and not only does He call for different things, He plants different gifts and talents inside of us that He uses to further His kingdom.” - Derek Evans “We must be the light, as Jesus calls us to be.” - Derek Evans ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In our darkest moments, when we’re searching for hope and healing, we can take comfort in this: we serve a God of restoration, and His greatest desire is to heal our hearts. And all around us, we can see God’s handiwork in the living testimonies of lives restored by Him. Husband-and-wife ministry team John and Stasi Eldredge share how they help others discover (and, for some, remember) the life-changing power of turning your focus back to God, which John outlines in his devotional Restoration Year. Chris Norton was a young college football player when he suffered a devastating injury that left him paralyzed below the neck. With grit and faith, he worked hard to overcome negative diagnoses and met the goal of walking across the stage at his college graduation. Chris and his wife Emily share how they’ve weathered some of their toughest times. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God works in mysterious ways. When we have the road mapped out, He can take us in an entirely different direction than where we thought we were headed. Auntie Anne’s Pretzels founder, Anne Beiler, shares how she was striving to keep up the pretense of a perfect life, but when her daughter was tragically killed and Anne was manipulated and abused by someone who should’ve been a counselor, Anne buried herself in secrets. Eventually Anne discovered the power of confession, and she decided to let go of guilt and live with transparency. And today God has taken Anne’s pain and used it to help her lead a life of compassion. Starting her entertainment career as a professional singer, Nancy Hicks felt God pulling her away from music to become a host at QVC, where she ministered to others on and off screen. As her life changed, Nancy felt God guiding her to a life in ministry, and today Nancy’s mission is to share God’s love with the world. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling for Easter Lifeway’s $5 Promotion on Jesus Always Jesus Calling episode, “Women Leading through Forgiveness and Grace: Nona Jones & Alex Seeley” Anne Beiler Auntie Anne’s Pretzels Anne Beiler’s new book, “The Secret Lies Within: An Inside Out at Overcoming Trauma and Finding Purpose in the Pain Bible Gateway Bobcat Equipment Nancy Hicks QVC Broadcast Programming Nancy Hicks’s new book, “Meant to Live: Living in Light of the Good News” Parsons Institute (Fashion) FIT in New York (Fashion) Wheaton College (Chicago, IL) Mayo Clinic (Colon Cancer) John and Stasi Eldredge Interview Quotes: “Secrets leave you powerless, they keep you in a place of darkness, keep you defeated. These secrets that talk to us inside do not allow us to live in freedom.” - Anne Beiler “Confession can change the trajectory of your entire life and your family.” - Anne Beiler “I had to experience all this pain so that I could be compassionate with those who are suffering in our world today. “ - Anne Beiler “Guilt says, ‘I did something wrong.’ Shame says, ‘I am something wrong.’ So in our pain, we believe lies.” - Anne Beiler “When I feel decisions are tough, and things don’t always turn out the way I prayed for or believed that they should turn out, that's my go to: Life is hard, God is good. ” - Anne Beiler “I was like, Where am I going here? At the end of this one event that I was singing at, I sensed the Lord saying, “Continue to use the gift to honor me.” - Nancy Hicks “If you call yourself a follower of Christ, you don't get to pick whether or not you get to be a minister of the gospel, or whether you're in ministry. Everything is ministry.” - Nancy Hicks “It didn't matter what time, I was in my car, I'd be praying and saying, “Abba, use me today. Use me in the green room. Use me in the makeup chair. God, use me as light and salt.“ - Nancy Hicks, on ministering while she was at QVC “I remember holding my arms wide out, tears streaming down my face, and just saying, ‘God, what are we gonna do with the next chapter of this one life? I am all in for the kingdom, and I don't have anything holding me back.’ I just begged God, ‘Spend me. Just spend me.’” - Nancy Hicks“I think there is no substitute for an authentic relationship which takes time with God.” - Nancy Hicks ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God will always be with you, supporting you in times of joy and carrying you through times of despair. This week’s guests tell how, after weathering success and loss, sharing their artistic talents with others have brought hope and healing: country music artist Lauren Alaina and hospitality pioneer Kreis Beall. Lauren traces her path as a young singer from the American Idol stage to Dancing with the Stars and beyond. After American Idol, Lauren remembers how, as a 15-year-old, the sudden pressure in the spotlight alongside horrific social media comments about her appearance spawned an eating disorder, and how her faith and family helped her through that dark time. And Lauren shares why she knows God is real, after her beloved stepfather described heaven as he slipped away from the earth. In the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Kreis Beall and her husband Sandy slowly built a luxury destination resort called Blackberry Farm, where Kreis’s talents soared as she shared her gifts for design and hospitality. Though she’s won considerable success, it wasn’t until she developed a relationship with God later in life that she truly felt successful—and she recalls how her new-found faith helped her through the devastating loss of her son, Sam, which she shares in her memoir called The Great Blue Hills of God. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling devotional Jesus Calling for Easter Lifeway’s $5 Promotion on Jesus Always Lauren Alaina American Idol (Season 10) Dancing with th Stars (Season 28) Mayo Clinic (Melanoma Cancer) “The Other Side” lyric video Kreis Beall Blackberry Farm The Great Blue Hills of God: A Story of Facing Loss, Finding Peace, and Learning The True Meaning of Home book Bible Gateway (Matthew 10:25) Anne Beiler, the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels Interview Quotes: “There are always going to be people who are going to have something to say that is not nice. But if I feel good about myself, and I have people around me that lift me up, that takes the power away from them.” - Lauren Alaina “We turn our back on Him, but He never turns his back on us. And [if] we're willing to go back to Him, He's always there.” - Lauren Alaina “I don't want some young girl out there looking at me and thinking that I'm just the most confident person in the world, because I choose to be confident. . . . I was very insecure for a long time, and I've had to work really hard on learning to love myself.” - Lauren Alaina ”I think the most important thing we can do is lift people up and love others and and know that someday we're all going to be reunited in the kingdom of heaven.” - Lauren Alaina “I'm constantly thinking about the next step, where we're going, what we're going to do. I love to set goals, but I think it's also really important to count your blessings where you are right now.” - Lauren Alaina “It's super important to find what God means to you. He means something different to everyone. He is my best friend and my Father and all of these things, but for me, He is just a source of strength, and someone that I can talk to when I'm weak.” - Lauren Alaina “I think having someone who totally believed in me fueled the fire. And it kept pushing me to dream and create.” - Kreis Beall “Sometimes the role of success can put a blinder on the things that are really important in life.” - Kreis Beall ”As I slowed down, I could experience more than in all the busyness and success that ruled my life.” - Kreis Beall “Once you uncover the joy that God provides for you, joy is always deep within. And it remains, whether happenings are good or bad.” - Kreis Beall “I don't know what I would have done without my faith if Sam had died five years earlier, if either one of my children had.” - Kreis Beall “I have had a lot of sorrow and loss in my life, but it's important for me to look at all the joy.” - Kreis Beall ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“Why me, God?” Sound familiar? We’ve all questioned why God has allowed bad things to happen in our lives, but this week’s guests, musician Dave Pittman and home designer Rachel Van Kluyve, have faced serious trials that caused them to question their purpose and how to move forward. Growing up, Dave faced bullies because of his Tourette’s Syndrome. After a deep, dark battle, Dave learned to embrace what made him different. As he’s built his music career post-American Idol, today Dave uses his music and experiences to help others find their reason to live. After Rachel had her first child, she grappled with postpartum depression that isolated her. As she began to post online about her decorating hobby, she began to build a supportive, close-knit online community that now helps women and girls around the world. Today Rachel shares her book She Built Herself a Home and how people can easily create spaces to build closer connections to God and to each other. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling for Easter Jesus Calling ‘What’s Good’ YouTube series featuring Dave Pittman Jesus Calling podcast episode with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Jeremy Cowart Davd Pittman “Crazy Brave’ song “Different Kind of Love” album Tourette Syndrome ABC’s American Idol Neil Patrick Harris Bible Gateway Rachel Van Kluyve CrateandCottage.com She Made Herself a Home: A Practical Guide to Design, Organize, and Give Purpose to Your Space book Facebook Marketplace Lauren Alaina Interview Quotes: “I was more afraid of living through that again than I was of dying.” - Dave Pittman, on being bullied as a child with Tourette Syndrome ”My mom—both my parents—just drilled into my head and my heart the importance of accepting yourself for who you are, and not just who you are, but who you are in Christ, your identity, who you've become in your walk with Christ.” - Dave Pittman “I think it's okay to ask why, even now, because Job did. We look at Job in the Bible, he asked God, ‘Why? Why is this happening to me?’” - Dave Pittman “Anyone can accept something they have to do, but when you can embrace something that you get to do, it’s different. It changes things.” - Dave Pittman ”After I had my first baby, it just kind of all fell apart. I got postpartum [depression]. I lost myself. You know, I was a smart magna cum laude graduate, and I just didn't know what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be, and it spiraled quickly out of control.” - Rachel Van Kluyve “When I started my Instagram journey, I felt the Lord specifically saying, ‘Everyone knocks social media for not being a good thing for this generation. But I want to use it for good.’” - Rachel Van Kluyve “We have the power to do so much as moms, as women. [We can] sit at home with a touch of a button and some ingenuity, and we can put together this great thing for people around the world.” - Rachel Van Kluyve “When we built this house, I prayed specifically that we'd always be hospitable. And it's really the home that's never closed. So because of that, our why has become hospitality, and letting people see Christ at all times, and that they're welcome here.” - Rachel Van Kluyve “It's all about creating that space that gives security and peace so that you can give it to others.” - Rachel Van Kluyve ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Fear of the unknown and fear of change are some of the greatest struggles we will ever face. How can we possibly leave behind what’s familiar to us? How will we know where to go next? What will happen to us and our loved ones? It can be terrifying, lonely, and confusing. Today’s guests share how they found the courage to make a change, which led them to freedom and joy like they had never experienced. Human trafficking survivor and activist Rebecca Bender opens up about the life she was manipulated into and how, by listening to God’s voice and the strong spirit that He gave her, she found a way out. Novelist Patti Callahan Henry shares how she left her job as a nurse to become a writer, and the story she wrote about C.S. Lewis’ wife, Joy, who also took a leap of faith that led her to a love that she never could’ve imagined for herself. If you’re considering making a change in your life, remember this: it is in the uncomfortable and the unfamiliar that we grow and have an opportunity to depend on God like never before. And He has plans for hope and a future for each one of us. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling: The Jesus Calling MagazineJesus Calling for Kids at Barnes & Noble (PINK and BLUE versions) Rebecca Bender Rebecca Bender InitiativeIn Pursuit of Love: One Woman’s Journey from Trafficked to Triumphant bookNational U.S. Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888 to get help today Patti Callahan Henry Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis book Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis [Podcast] C.S. Lewis Yale Younger Poets Award American Idol finalist Dave PittmanTourette’s Syndrome Interview Quotes: ”I felt like an outsider, which pushed me, I think, even further away from wanting to be a part of a community of faith.” - Rebecca Bender ”You can't imagine going back to hopelessness, so you choose to look the other way because you really want the dream that's being dangled in front of you.” - Rebecca Bender “I was so, so filled with knowing that I could hear the voice of the Lord, the voice of the Creator of the universe who chose to talk to me, and that really kept me through some of my darkest times.” - Rebecca Bender “This is my favorite part about God: how He breaks off chains, He breaks up shame. He can completely redo our lives.” - Rebecca Bender “You have to be real with God. He knows what you're thinking, and He knows even more than you do what's happening in your brain and in your mind and your heart. So just crying out to Him helps really shift and give you some revelation and helps you take your eyes off of your circumstance to see what He has in store.” - Rebecca Bender “What I love about the work that God allows me to do today is not only do we get to bring justice for the victim . . . but I love that it's also creating constant change in the community.” - Rebecca Bender ”You know, Jesus loves girls like me—we’re all over the Bible. Put the shame on who should own the shame, which is the perpetrators.” - Rebecca Bender “[My faith] transforms, and it transforms me. As long as it's always about the indwelling God, I feel fairly safe in my faith.” - Patti Callahan Henry “I do believe that it was the first time Joy ever truly loved, and it's because she first found her true self in God.” - Patti Callahan Henry ”We might need to pack up everybody's expectations and everybody's demands and everybody's definitions of us.” - Patti Callahan Henry “My favorite quote by Joy is, ‘If we should ever grow brave, what on earth would become of us?’" - Patti Callahan Henry ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’re able to share our hearts and to love others because God chose to love us first. Today’s guests, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of RUN-D.M.C. and his wife Justine, along with evangelist and founder of Think Eternity Matt Brown share how they’ve learned to develop qualities of pure, selfless love and how this love has profoundly changed their lives. When he was at the height of his music career, Rev Run couldn’t ignore the void inside him, and it wasn’t until he discovered Jesus that he finally felt whole. He and Justine share their marriage secrets and what it takes to make a relationship work (spoiler alert: put God first!). There’s one nagging thought that keeps Matt Brown up at night: how will the world ever feel God’s love if Christians don’t accurately represent it? If we want to experience the full love that God has for each of us and spread that love to others, we need to set our intentions of seeking that love daily. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling bookJesus Calling for Kids, Girls Edition devotional BibleGateway Patti Callahan Henry Becoming Mrs. Lewis book Rev Run & Justine Simmons Old School Love: And Why It Works bookJoseph "Rev Run" Simmons God, Can You Hear Me? Children’s bookRolling Stone Magazine Matt Brown Think Eternity Truth Plus Love: The Jesus Way to Influence book Interview Quotes: ”It's just funny how you can visualize and set your intentions, and things just come to pass.” - Rev Run “There's this void that success and money can't fill.” - Rev Run “You’d think that making hit records or money or cars or fame or people saying, "Oh, you're the greatest," people praising you for making your music would do it. But actually, when you start praising God, that's when you get happy.” - Rev Run “I love [my husband] so much, but I love God more.” - Justine Simmons “Spending and dedicating time with God leads to a better hearing ear.” - Rev Run “Enjoying each other's company is probably a big part of staying together.” - Rev Run “God has a way of making it clear to us where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. . . . To grow in the Lord, and to reflect God to the world around us, we need both truth and love.” - Matt Brown “How is the world supposed to see the grace of God if the people of God are not gracious?” - Matt Brown ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Jesus didn’t come for perfect people—He came to heal the broken and the hurting. Today’s guests, artist and author Amy Kavelaris and Christian music artist Austin French, share how God met them in their broken places and healed their lives and hearts. Amy draws inspiration from the awe-filled way her three little girls see the world, and it reminds her of the light God is in her life. When she gets overwhelmed by demands on her time or struggles to navigate life’s changing seasons, Amy remembers that God is creating opportunities for her. Austin French faced an internal battle with Christianity for years, only to realize he wasn’t hurt by a broken God, but by broken people. He finally found peace and healing when he learned that Jesus wants every piece of us. We are not defined by our scars—we’re defined by His. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling AppJesus Calling® for Easter. With 50 Jesus Calling devotions Jesus Calling interview with Mercy Me’s Bart Millard Amy Kavelaris Bloom Print Studio Harper Collins / Thomas Nelson / Tommy Nelson Good Night, My Darling Dear book Austin French ABC’s “Rising Star” NBC’s “The Voice,” Interview Quotes: “I just had this innate feeling that God existed and that I just wanted to follow Him with my life.” - Amy Kavelaris ”I think it's so important that we celebrate God's creation. It's fun to add a little whimsy and sparkle into the everyday, because our kids see the everyday as wonderful and extraordinary.” - Amy Kavelaris ”I get so much more from watching [my girls] and seeing how they react to [the world]. It's just this beautiful relationship that we have, where it 100 percent inspires what I do every day.” - Amy Kavelaris ”This is all about Him. He’s the only reason I'm doing any of this.” - Amy Kavelaris “I find that the only joy and freedom is when we gaze upon His light and His truth. It's then that we find that true, indescribable joy, and stop chasing after what the world tells us we need.” - Amy Kavelaris “I didn't understand why we had to change who we were at church and why we couldn't be who we were all the time. As an eight-year-old kid, I wrote down: I never want to be a Christian.” - Austin French “I realized that I had been hurt by broken people, not Jesus. Jesus is what He told me He was—He was the Healer of broken people.” - Austin French “We're very needy people, all of us. We need people. We need a God who's with us and working with us.” - Austin French ”I think the only way to find a relationship with Jesus and truly find freedom in Jesus is to understand that brokenness is a part of this story.” - Austin French “We're not defined by our scars or the scars that you're walking through right now— we're defined by His. - Austin French ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Life will give us our share of dark times, but we can choose to be the light. Today’s guests share how they use the power of story to share messages of hope and purpose. Award-winning ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis shares how she has taken lessons from her childhood in church, her time as a reporter, and the values she’s trying to instill in her young son to show that what’s important is loving people, not focusing on our differences. After several miscarriages, when Angela Rodgers discovered she was pregnant again, she was told the baby would have several health issues—but Angela loved her little girl and knew God had a plan for her life. Dynamic mother-daughter duo Angela and Grace Anna Rodgers are now sharing nine-year-old Grace Anna’s gift of singing with the world, spreading happiness and reminding others that what matters about people is who they are on the inside, not the outside. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling Family Devotional Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for KidsJesus Calling App Linsey Davis ABC’s World News Tonight ABC’s Good Morning America ABC’s Nightline The World is Awake: A Celebration of Everyday Blessings book One Big Heart: A Celebration of Being More Alike Than Different book Angela and Grace Anna Rodgers GraceAnnaSings.org Grace Anna Sings: A Story of Hope Through a Little Girl with a Big Voice book Who Do You See When You Look at Me? book Grace Anna singing the National Anthem (Facebook video) Conradi Hunermann Syndrome Sammy Kershaw Bobby Henline Contemporary Christian Music artist Austin French Interview Quotes: “[My mom was] very much responsible for my falling in love with storytelling and with writing and with the English language.” - Linsey Davis “When I look back now, I think [my time in church as a child] was so important to who I am today.” - Linsey Davis “I can see God's hand in other people's lives, for sure. But when truly catastrophic things happen, I don't know how to explain it. But I have to believe that God has a plan.” - Linsey Davis “My son's five, and when he comes home and he's met a new friend, he doesn't tell me about their race or their background or religion or culture. He just says what they have in common.” - Linsey Davis “Let's say, ‘Hey, we have different color skin and hair and features and likes and dislikes. But guess what? God gave us all this one unique gift. He gave us all one big heart and that's the most important part, because that's where love starts.’” - Linsey Davis “From the very beginning, we wanted Grace Anna, even when the doctors didn't give us a whole lot of hope.” - Angela Rodgers “What would touch my heart so deeply is you would see these colonels and these generals with all these medals be brought to tears when Grace Anna would sing the national anthem.” - Angela Rodgers “Sometimes you go through things that change who we become.” - Angela Rodgers “I think God made each of us with unique gifts. We’re all different in some way. So we can show love by being kind and trying to learn from each other.” - Grace Anna Rodgers ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our planet holds more than seven billion people, and each one reflects who God is—because He created every one of us in His image. Today we hear from two women who have learned the value of who God created them to be and now lead others into finding their own worth as they carve out new spaces to foster connection. Nona Jones, head of faith-based partnerships at Facebook, shares how she overcame years of abuse and trauma to learn that she’s more than what happened to her, and chose forgiveness as a way out of her shame. Today she connects with churches all over the world and people searching for God’s purpose for their own lives. Pastor Alex Seeley shares how difficult it was to uproot her life in Australia to follow God’s calling for her family in America, only to discover that churches in the US didn’t seem to have a place for her. Alex shares how she and her husband Henry created The Belonging Co as a place to help artists and musicians in Nashville without a church home to experience God’s presence, and the life-changing power of discovering His presence in our own journeys. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer Call Nona Jones Success From the Inside Out: Power to Rise from the Past to a Fulfilling Future Book Alex Seeley The Belonging Co Church The Opposite Life: Unlocking the Mysteries of God’s Upside-Down Kingdom Book Biblegateway (The Beatitudes) Planetshakers Ministry Interview Quotes: “The reason I was acting out [was] because of so much chaos at home. I was responding and reacting to trauma, and nobody ever asked me why I was acting that way. They just assumed I was a bad kid.” - Nona Jones “I have this scar on one of my wrists that's a constant reminder of what I tried to do [to end my life], but it's also a reminder of God's grace, because He determined that my life was worth living, even when I didn't see it.” - Nona Jones “Trauma really changes the way you see yourself. The thing I would like to encourage other people to know is you are not what happened to you.” - Nona Jones “Twenty-five minutes after I resigned from my job in faith, Facebook called me out of the blue.” - Nona Jones “If you look at the life of Jesus, He didn't tell people, ‘Hey guys, come see me at the temple on Sunday at 11:00, I have this amazing series that's coming up.’ He didn't do that. He ministered to people wherever they were.” - Nona Jones “Just like a healthy family needs both parents to bring balance to home life, I think a church so needs the balance of male and female attributes of the father heart of God.” - Alex Seeley “There are so many people that are hungry for an encounter with God, but they're being given a religious experience, but not this amazing encounter with the Holy Spirit and Jesus.” - Alex Seeley “To have an encounter where Jesus changes your life, and then people take note of the change that's happening.” - Alex Seeley “I think the world is confused, because people who call themselves Christians are not acting in an opposite spirit. They're acting like everybody else.” - Alex Seeley “I've been a Christian for thirty-five years, and I can't get past the fact that He loved me while I was a broken mess.” - Alex Seeley ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

None of us is guaranteed a pain-free life. But when we can’t see the right way to move forward, that’s where God steps in to take us by the hand and leads us out of the dark. On today’s episode, Army veteran and Bachelorette contestant Luke Pell and author/speaker Jack Deere share some of their painful moments—an unexplainable, near-death experience; watching a spouse slip into an alcohol addiction; losing a child—events that almost caused them to give up. But each man reminds us: when it feels like we have nothing left to cling to, God is there. And He’s ready to guide us through those experiences so that later, we can support others who may not be able to find their way out, either. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling book Jesus Always Family Prayer Calendar Luke Pell ABC’s The Bachelorette show West Point - United States Military Academy Mayo Clinic (PTSD) BibleGateway Jack Deere Dallas Theological Seminary Even in Our Darkness: The Story of Beauty in a Broken Life book Young Life C. S. Lewis John Snyder Oil Company Nona Jones, Facebook’s Global Faith-Based Partnerships Interview Quotes: “As you become an adult, you have to figure out what your faith really means to you.” - Luke Pell “If you're not growing and getting stronger and [going in] the direction of your goals, you're going to be digressing in the wrong direction.” - Luke Pell “One of the biggest victories in my faith was that I came back to a spot where I was completely surrendering my plans and my expectations back to God, and what purpose I was put on this earth for, instead of [wondering] what I could get out of this world and what people thought of me.” - Luke Pell “Only one thing does matter: it’s the legacy that you left, the inspiration that you left in the world, the people that you inspired, your faith that you were able to show to the rest of the world around you, and the lives that you were able to change.” - Luke Pell “Then God shows up and comes alongside you through somebody [who] gives you inspiration, or however that message comes, ‘You're gonna be okay. You're gonna make it through.’” - Luke Pell “I've really learned to appreciate those moments of uncertainty, when you're feeling more alone and you're feeling like you don't know what tomorrow holds. . . . Those are the times when I get the most direct purpose from God in my life.” - Luke Pell “We have to really stay true to ourselves and true to our faith, and keep that faith walk intact, regardless of what the rest of the world is throwing at you every day. The more we're thinking about the rest of the world and what they're thinking about us, the less we're thinking about what God has for us and where our faith walk should be.” - Luke Pell “[My] childhood produced this desire to keep really tight control in my life. I blocked out some of the stuff and thought, Feelings are bad. Stay in your mind. Don't go to your feelings. That was the hardening effect that my childhood had on me.” - Jack Deere “When you're seventeen years old and everybody you've ever loved has left you, to hear that God won't leave you is just too good to be true.” - Jack Deere “The only Person who never needed any help chose twelve helpers. Why? For the pleasure it gave Him to love those twelve apostles and to teach them to love what He loved.” - Jack Deere “Although I had plenty of my own shame, I didn't even think in those categories. I just thought, You have an unpleasant feeling. Just get rid of it. I lived out of my mind, not out of my feelings.” - Jack Deere “I began to see that the most important thing in life is feeling the affection of God, actually being friends with Him. We love Him because He first loved us.” - Jack Deere ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ever wonder exactly who you are and what you were made for? Today’s guests tell how, as they pursued ways to know God and themselves a bit more, He’s helped them understand their true selves—not what other people say they are. Enneagram coach Beth McCord shares how she and her husband, Jeff, used this popular personality test to understand each other and improve their marriage, finding out the attributes God gave them both along the way. Author Esther Fleece Allen explores the power behind the names that God gives us, and how this can help us shed labels others might give us so that we can hear who God says we are while discovering His purpose for our lives. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer Call True Connection with God and Each Other: Darlene Zschech and Margaret Feinberg episode Beth McCord YourEnneagramCoach.com The Enneagram Collection Book Series Becoming Us: Using the Enneagram to Create a Thriving Gospel-Centered Marriage book Esther Fleece Allen No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending book Your New Name: Saying Goodby to the Labels that Limit book Interview Quotes: “If we learn why people do what they do, we can have more empathy, understanding, grace, mercy, compassion, and love in ways that really reflect the heart of Christ.” - Beth McCord “God created us all differently, and each of the personality types have a beautiful way that we reflect in it.” - Beth McCord “So often my heart wants to do it myself, to figure it out myself, to pull myself up by my bootstraps. But only Christ can fix me. Only Christ can love me. Only Christ has everything accomplished for me.” - Beth McCord “Something that is very sacred and important to God is names.” - Esther Fleece Allen “[I ask myself,] ‘Who does He say that I am and how can I begin to believe the new names He's given me, apart from the labels that I've associated with for far too long?’” - Esther Fleece Allen “God does not speak to me in a condemning way like these labels are doing. God speaks to me in a new way, a language that I'm not even really familiar with, because we're so used to criticism in this life.” - Esther Fleece Allen “There's power in a name. There's power in what we name others, what we name future generations, and there's power in the name we take on for ourselves, of who we're going to become.” - Esther Fleece Allen ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

No matter where we grow up, no matter who our parents are or which zip code we live in, each of us will meet challenges. And in those moments, we have a choice: do we give up, or do we keep going? Today we talk with two athletes who, with God by their sides, have endured the sting of defeat and the joy of victory. Lolo Jones is one of only ten athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games. Lolo shares how some of the hardest moments of her childhood helped her to compete on the world stage. When he was growing up in Atlanta, Evander Holyfield found community (and a hint at his athletic future) at the Boys Clubs of America. He shares how his mother and his faith guided him into a storied boxing career, and why sometimes our defeats are more instructive than our wins. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer CallJesus Calling app Serving Our Savior in the Spotlight: Josh Turner and Michael McDowell episode Lolo Jones Salvation ArmyHurdles of Hope FoundationLondon Olympics Evander Holyfield Atlanta’s Boy’s Clubs of America Riddick Bowe Michael Moorer Mike Tyson Lennox Lewis John Ruiz Muhammad Ali Interview Quotes: “I definitely think that my hardships molded me for the life that I would have to go through later.” - Lolo Jones “This statistic of kids that have incarcerated parents—it tremendously increases their chance that at one point in their life, they will be incarcerated as well. I wanted to break that chain.” - Lolo Jones “I know my childhood strengthened me for a time to stand on the world stage and compete.” - Lolo Jones “If I go through hardships, I know to say, ‘Okay, this really, really hurt me. This is frustrating. I wanted this so bad, and it was ripped away,’ instead of being like, ‘How could you, God?’”- Lolo Jones “As Christians, we try to predict how God's going to use us, and when He doesn't use us in that manner, we become hurt.” - Lolo Jones “I became who I am because I really wanted to please my momma. My mom was so disappointed so much her life, and I wanted to be that joy.” - Evander Holyfield “Having setbacks paves the way to show you how good God is.” - Evander Holyfield “Every time you mess up, you've got to have Somebody who will give you another opportunity.” - Evander Holyfield ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Some of God’s greatest miracles come when He brings good out of dark places. In Ogden, Utah, pastor Matt Roberts felt he didn’t feel comfortable inviting his friends and neighbors to church as it didn’t feel like a place where people could be vulnerable, so he decided to create an open community he thought they—and he—would feel like they belonged. When his former youth pastor, Rob Cowles, came for a visit, Rob knew The Genesis Project was something special and decided to plant his own location in Fort Collins, Colorado—in, of all places, a former strip club. Carrie Stuart Parks was a young woman with a flair for art when her father, the head of the School of Law Enforcement in northern Idaho, decided to invite Carrie to use her talents on crime scenes. Carrie became enamored with the work, helping victims close the chapter on some of the darkest moments of their lives. She even began a second career as a thriller novelist—not knowing her mentor was a wildly successful author himself—and work to help reach not knowing her mentor was a wildly successful author himself—now reaches the world through stories and emotions we all can relate to. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling Large Text Cloth Botanical Cover God Can Redeem Your Struggles: Joel & Luke Smallbone and Sandi Patty Lolo Jones Olympic athlete The Genesis Project Matt Roberts The Genesis Project, Ogden, UT Rob Cowles The Genesis Project, Fort Collins, CO The God of New Beginnings: How the Power of Relationship Brings Hope and Redeems Lives book Gary Haugen International Justice Mission, founder Carrie Stuart Parks FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces book Frank Peretti author Unitarian Universalism HarperCollins Christian Publishing Interview Quotes: "It was really hard to invite [my friends and community] to church with me. It was such a cultural gap . . . " - Matt Roberts “That time in Portland was very monumental for us, really learning what it meant to be an embedded church in the middle of a culture that desperately needed a Savior.” - Matt Roberts “What does it mean to live bravely in the way of Jesus?” - Rob Cowles, on Gary Haugen “There was an authenticity about their worship [at The Genesis Project], because they really knew what it was to be brought back from darkness, brought back from death into new life.” - Rob Cowles “Community doesn't happen by accident. We have to actually cultivate and create a space where people can come in and be real, be open, and be honest.” - Matt Roberts “What happens is if you create a culture where it's not safe to talk about your brokenness, to talk about your failure, to talk about your pain, that then you naturally create a culture where you have to be fake.” - Rob Cowles “I pray that I will be salt and light to them as I speak to them. I wear a cross, I let them know, just by having that cross on the outside, where I'm coming from. I don't say anything to them. I just let the presence of that and my words be, hopefully, helpful.” - Carrie Stuart Parks ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Christmas can be a time for joy, but also for reflection—and for many, a reminder of lost moments and loved ones. This week’s guests, musicians Dailey & Vincent and Ernie Haase, remind us this season is filled with hope, because God loved us so much that He sent Jesus into the world. These artists tell us how they fell in love with music (from bluegrass to gospel) and why they center their songs and shows around positive messages. Dailey & Vincent recently released The Sounds of Christmas project, and share their warmest (and most hilarious) Christmas memories and family traditions. Ernie Haase gives a behind-the-scenes look at the way his new album with Signature Sound, A Jazzy Little Christmas, was born out of a fun-filled holiday trip to New York, and how we can still celebrate the holiday while honoring those who are no longer with us at Christmas. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling for Christmas Dolly Parton Belives with God, All Things Are Possible episode Celebrating the Power of Jesus’ Love: Mark Lowry and CBD President Ray Hendrickson episodeChoosing Christ Through Doubt & Fear: Bear Grylls & Rhonda Vincent episode Lifting Up Others Through Service: Country Singer Jimmy Fortune and US Army Veteran Jess Key episode Shining God’s Light Through Music: Oak Ridge Boys & Aaron Watson episode Dailey & Vincent The Sounds of Christmas album The Dailey & Vincent show on RFD Television “Jingle Bells” video International Bluegrass Music Association Ricky Skaggs BibleGateway (1 Timothy 6:12) Hallmark Channel Christmas Ernie Haase “A Jazzy Little Christmas” album Cathedral Quartet The Message Bible, Eugene Peterson New York Cares (Winter Wishes program) Interview Quotes: “The most important part about all the music, just boiling it down to the bare bones, is the way you speak to other people. The songs that we pick and the way the songs speak to their hearts and give them such peace and joy.” - Darrin Vincent “It's a universal language—music speaks to everybody.” - Darrin Vincent “We don't know what all these people are going through. But many people in that audience are going through something. It is our job to go out there and take them on a 90-minute ride that will make them forget whatever they're dealing with, and hopefully leave there feeling a lot better.” - Jamie Dailey “My testimony is that a perceived no might be just a not now from God.“ - Ernie Haase “What Sarah has done with the Jesus Calling book, for me, she’s made Jesus very personal, very relatable.” - Ernie Haase “Hopefully, by people listening to our music and enjoying our music, it'll make the season a little bit brighter for some people.” - Ernie Haase ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Whether our friends walk on two legs or four, connection gives meaning to our lives. God often uses these bonds to show how we can care for others, but what we don’t often realize is that those opportunities help us learn how to care for ourselves, too. Bull rider Cody Nance talks about how his faith and career blossomed through his family and through friends he met on the rodeo circuit. HIS Haven Ranch mentors Laurie Baer and Janice Larsen share how they serve kids who are hurting in their community through horse therapy by providing an additional support system to their lives, reminding us all how God's creatures, big and small, can bring joy to our lives. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling Weekly Prayer Call God’s Gift of Pets: Animal Rescue Advocate Lavonne Redferring and Country Singer Irlene Mandrell Cody Nance Paris, Tennessee Cody Nance Instagram Cody Nance Facebook Cody Nance Twitter HIS Haven Ranch Dailey & Vincent Interview Quotes: “I've been able to be used on a platform like I've never imagined before, and I'm just thankful that God is allowing me to do that.” - Cody Nance “I do believe that God saved me when I was young, but I believe I lost track of the most important thing, and that was being faithful in my love for Him and His worship.” - Cody Nance "[When] I'm strapped to the back of a [2,000 lb. bull] jumping in the air and kicking . . . sometimes it gets a little wild. But He's always there and He's always taking care of me." - Cody Nance “Our four-legged friends gave us a picture and a model of something that God could do on a greater level.” - Laurie Baer “Our mission was to make a place that would empower and transform lives through healing and the Savior.” - Laurie Baer “We pray that the perspective that [our riders] have will be an eternal perspective, so we'll use a horse and we use the Word of God. And they seem to work really well together.” - Laurie Baer “It's not our job to judge the growth. It's not our job to judge the fruit. It's our job to sow the seed, to water the seed, and that means giving God's Word and dispensing it freely.” - Janice Larsen “We're all at risk for something, if we're being honest with ourselves. We all have vulnerabilities.” - Laurie Baer ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God never leaves our side, no matter what. On today’s episode, 24-time PRCA rodeo champion Trevor Brazile shares how bull rider Cody Custer helped him rededicate his life to Jesus, and why he is instilling strong cowboy values of honor, respect, and faith into his children. Christian music artist Zach Williams shares how God reclaimed his story as a struggling rock star and transformed his life toward creating a different kind of music, touching more lives than Zach could have ever imagined—thanks, in part, to a surprise collaboration with Dolly Parton. Both Trevor and Zach show how God stuck by them in good times and bad, even if they didn’t feel His presence, and how they honor Him by using their platforms to spread His love to others. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling Textured Gray Leathersoft with Full Scriptures Trusting God to Fill the Gap: Rodeo Stars Tyson Durfey (w/ wife Shea Fisher) and Cody Custer Dolly Parton Believes in God, All Things are Possible Trevor Brazile Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Zach Williams Rescue Story album Rescue Story video “There Was Jesus” Live CMA Performance with Dolly Parton Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave His Haven Ranch Interview Quotes: "[My son] may not choose to be a rodeo cowboy . . . but I wanted him to grow up in a culture of respect, not only for people, but for animals." - Trevor Brazile ”Philippians 4:13—I like that [verse]. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Because we can't do everything under our own power. We need God's help sometimes—all the time.” - Treston Brazile ”Unconditional love is perfected when we love Him back, and that's why it's so important to spend that time in the Word and just build on that relationship.” - Trevor Brazile “The success that we've had has given me a platform to let people know that it wasn't all me. It was my Savior.” - Trevor Brazile “I just fell in love with this idea that I could start writing these songs and telling these stories in this season of life that I was going through.” - Zach Williams “I was thinking that I should be happy for all the things that I have, but nothing I was doing was filling this hole in my life.” - Zach Williams “My wife invited me to go to a prison with her and share some of these songs. And for me, that was like the first time that God had really spoken to me and said, ‘These are the songs. These are the people. These are places. This is the music that I have for you to write.’” - Zach Williams “To hear people share a story with me and be like, 'Hey, man, I heard your song, "Fear's a Liar," and it saved my life' . . . it's better than any award you're going to get or any kind of recognition." - Zach Williams “God has been doing some pretty amazing things in my life over the last few years.” - Zach Williams ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

As we walk unexpected paths in our lives, we’re joined by a God who never leaves our side and is involved in every step of our journey. On today’s episode, John Maxwell shares the joy of understanding the God who speaks in Jeremiah 29:11, who has “plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.” He also shows us that we all have leadership qualities if we’re positively influencing others’ lives. When he was a young husband, pastor Nate Pyle never imagined he’d have to face the “for worse” part of his marriage vows so early. As he and his wife experienced infertility and struggles with mental health, Nate began to think about the difference between giving up and letting go, and how God helps us move through grief and times of suffering. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling App Jesus Calling weekly prayer call T. D. Jakes and Don Moen: Where Is God When Our Dreams Are Crushed? John Maxwell Leadershift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace book The Leader's Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders book Nate Pyle More Than You Can Handle: When Life's Overwhelming Pain Meets God's Overcoming Grace book Bible Gateway Trevor Brazile Interview Quotes: “Everything I know about leadership is from the Bible.” - John Maxwell “I think God's Word is the ultimate leadership book.” - John Maxwell “God’s incredibly interested in all your junk.” - John Maxwell “If I'm 1000 steps from God, He takes 999 steps to my door.” - John Maxwell “The moment I ask questions, I start connecting with people, because now I'm valuing their opinion and I'm starting to influence and lead them from where they are, not from where I am.” - John Maxwell “This idea that God won't give you more than you can handle, I think, is a way in which we try to shelter ourselves from the world, because the world is more than you can handle.” - Nate Pyle “We read through the Bible, what we see, more often than not, is that the way God chooses to save His people is not to save them from the negative experience, but rather to save them through it.” Nate Pyle “We have to remember that sometimes God shows up through the people who show up next to us as we're walking through something difficult.“ - Nate Pyle “Suffering is the common denominator for all humans. It's the thing we have in common.” - Nate Pyle ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

One of God’s greatest blessings to us are friends and neighbors. And in fact, God designed us to care for each other, to learn from each other, and to support each other in life’s most difficult moments. In today’s episode, entertainer Kristin Chenoweth shares how good friends have mentored her and shaped her—and how actor/producer Rita Wilson sharing a copy of Jesus Calling strengthened her faith. As the wife of Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers saw firsthand how an open heart and a soft word can change a relationship, and she shares how important reconciliation and being a good neighbor was to her husband. R&B sensation and now-pastor Montell Jordan tells how, even in the midst of worldwide music success, a family friend saved him from the brink of losing everything he loved, including his marriage, by sitting him down to have a painful discussion. More than ever, we need connection with others who will walk alongside us through thick and thin—and God wants us to be that friend to others as well. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Always Jesus Calling weekly prayer call God’s Perfect Purpose for Our Imperfect Lives: Rita Wilson and Lisa Osteen Comes The Joy of Spreading Love, One Heart at a Time: Deliliah and Gary Thomas Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Chenoweth Arts and Education Fund Broadway Bootcamp Kristin Chenoweth Theatre Hallmark’s A Christmas Love StoryKristin Chenoweth’s Christmas Concert with the Tabernacle Choir For the Girls recording Art of Elegance recording Joanne Rogers A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood movie Montell Jordan Victory World Church Lecrae Interview Quotes: “Work hard, play hard, love what you do. Life's short. Don't live beyond your means. All those things—stay humble. A smile goes a long way. Don't sweat the small stuff. Those kinds of things that I heard growing up helped me a lot.” - Kristin Chenoweth “A lot of people say you should do your prayer or meditation or your quiet time, whatever that is for you, in the morning. But for me, it's a nighttime thing.” - Kristin Chenoweth “I believe that sometimes things happen to you so that God can speak, because sometimes you can't hear when you get too busy.” - Kristin Chenoweth “I think it's important, when you have been given opportunities and had success, you need to give it to the people behind you.” - Kristin Chenoweth “[Fred and I] did have a very good friendship, which I think is very important for young married people.” - Joanne Rogers “His program was his ministry.” - Joanne Rogers “Everything is so divisive right now. Someone said to me, ‘He would be on his soapbox,’ and I said, ‘Oh, no, I don't think so. He would just be walking the walk and trying to do what he could with reconciliation.’“ - Joanne Rogers “A lot of times I was in church, but church wasn't always in me.” - Montell Jordan “Everything changed for me, having a number-one record as your first record out of the box. I didn't recognize that great success did not come with an instruction manual.” - Montell Jordan “[My wife Kristin and I] are still regularly recovering to make sure that that we maintain what God restored.” - Montell Jordan ”When God closes the door, no man can open it. And when he opens the door, no man can close it.” - Montell Jordan “Maybe this is something that people need, and our story is something that makes sense to people who are navigating through landmines and fields that we've already crossed.” - Montell Jordan, on sharing his story ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We were not designed to be perfect; we were designed to be uniquely us. Today’s guests, authors Sally Clarkson and her son Nathan, and writer Hayley Morgan share their stories of struggling to accept their differences and imperfections. Though Nathan was discouraged because he didn’t fit into society’s mold, and Hayley feared she wasn’t perfect enough, God revealed His purpose for their lives and has helped them utilize their gifts in ways they never knew possible. Their stories remind us even if we can’t see it, God has a bigger plan ahead for each one of us, and He can use our differences to do all kinds of good. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call When Your Purpose Seems Unclear, Seek God: Jeremy Cowart & Elisabeth Hasselbeck Sally Clarkson Nathan Clarkson “Only You Can Be You: What Make You Different Makes You Great” book “Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him” book Hayley Morgan The Twig Goes Out On a Limb blog “Always Enough, Never Too Much: 100 Devotions to Quit Comparing, Stop Hiding, and Start Living Wild and Free” book Interview Quotes: “Even in the midst of my adolescent angst, I found a God who says He loved me as I was, and I found a God who said I was made for a purpose, and that all these differences could be used for His glory and for the story that He wanted to tell with my life.” - Nathan Clarkson “Let's rejoice in this place and find out how we can bring light to any of our dark corners, but also to learn to be content within the story that we've been given.“ - Sally Clarkson “Every single personality, whether they're loud or or whether they're shy, whether they like adventure or they like sitting at home reading—we wanted to give a book to parents that would imprint the minds of their children to say, ‘All of us are an incredible, magnificent reflection of the fingerprints of God as He made us each individually for His own glory.’“ - Sally Clarkson “I started to untangle the idea of grace and grace for every day, not just grace as a one time event.” - Hayley Morgan “Once I really understood grace, I had to apply the gospel to my life every day, to myself every day. I'm never going to grow out of needing it. That freed me up so much to then walk with the Lord, not just try to please Him and try to impress Him.” - Hayley Morgan “The Lord has used my failures in equal or greater measures than He has used my successes to draw me closer to Him.” - Hayley Morgan ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There is always light, even in the darkest times. Today’s guests faced the most unimaginable circumstances, but by clinging to faith, they survived and protected others. Southwest Airlines pilot Tammie Jo Shults saved the lives of 148 passengers when she safely landed a plane after an engine exploded mid-flight. In the middle of chaos, Tammie Jo’s conversation with God gave her peace during the crisis and helped reveal a solution to landing the plane. Retired Air Force pilot and former Vietnam POW Col. Smitty Harris spent years in prison teaching others a method of communication called the tap code, which helped boost morale and spread information among other prisoners. Smitty shares powerful stories of secret church services and moments that helped prisoners survive mentally, physically, and spiritually. Through the uncertainty of survival, Tammie Jo and Smitty realized that God will never forsake us—He will always provide a way. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call Becoming an Everyday Hero: Neal McCoy & Rodney D. Bullard Tammie Jo Shults Nerves of Steel (Young Readers Edition) book Holloman Air Force Base Jungle Pilot Book (Nate Saint) Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code That Changed Everything book Hanoi Hilton Ho Chi Minh Tap Code, Chapter 1 on audiobook Interview Quotes: “Whenever I dreamed about what I wanted to do in life, I dreamed without fences.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults “There are some times when we just have to take what's not fair and and work around it.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults “He asks us to pray for people that don't treat us very well, because He'll deal with them. But dealing with us, in our own heart, in that situation, is really the first step to overcoming it.” - Capt. Tammie Jo Shults “Hope doesn't have to change our circumstances to change us.” - Tammie Jo Shults “Our communication [with the tap code] became so fast and so good, and we were interested in so many things, between each other and trying to find out information. . . . We talked about God, religion, and how important it was, especially now. It turned out that we were all Christian.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris “We used our time [as POWs] productively. We had classes in almost anything you'd want. There would be someone in that group—it was pretty educated group, everyone had at least a Bachelor's degree and [there were] quite a few Masters.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris “The hardest part about those eight years being away from my family was just that—being away from my family.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris “And I knew, even in the darkest times, when things were at their lowest, lowest ebb, I knew I could always pray and I knew someone was listening, they could do something about it.” - Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Some days, it feels like we’re facing battles alone. But the truth is, God is always with us. And He shows His presence through the connections we have with others. Today’s guests share how cultivating strong friendships over time have transformed their lives. TV actor Jeremy Miller (best known as Ben Seaver on Growing Pains) and pediatric cardiologist Brandon Lane Phillips met when they were kids, and eventually, Brandon’s fight for Jeremy would end up saving his life. Indiana friends and contractors Josh Arnett and Aaron Gray were propelled to fame when they put aside their tools to record a spontaneous hymn of worship—and one Facebook video later, the viral singing sensations “The Singing Contractors” were born. With these stories, we remember that when we step outside our comfort zone and reach out to others, God can use those people and those moments for His purpose. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call NEW! Jesus Calling Magazine The Unfailing Kindness of Christ: Candace Cameron Buré and Kristin Fry Jeremy Miller & Brandon Lande Phillips When I Wished Upon a Star book IMDB: Jeremy Miller, ‘Ben Seaver on Growing Pains’ IMDB: Kirk Cameron IMDB: Alan Thicke Congenital Heart Defect Tetralogy of Fallot Starlight Children’s Foundation The Singing Contractors “How Great Thou Art” song “Working on a Building” CD Interview Quotes: “If I could go from my little town in Louisiana to meet these people in Hollywood, then as far as I was concerned, I could do anything.” - Brandon Lane Phillips “I started running from God. I wasn't angry at God, I was just ashamed. I knew I was doing everything wrong. I quit going to church. I quit praying. I quit everything. I just ran the other direction. And it was a miserable way to live, I can tell you that. “ - Jeremy Miller “My family, my faith, and my recovery are the center of my life every single day.” - Jeremy Miller “[I am] able to utilize all the hurts, all the problems, all the horrors that I went through in my addiction, and even growing up, to help others.” - Jeremy Miller “The fact that God gives us that opportunity to take that pain and those struggles and use them for something good and give them a purpose is such a blessing. And in my mind, it makes all of it worth it.” - Jeremy Miller “God's plan—good, bad, or indifferent as it's affecting our life at that moment—is exactly how He meant it to be. So wherever we are, whatever we're dealing with right now, at this moment, is exactly perfect.” - Jeremy Miller “What did Jesus do? He equipped the unequipped . . . I feel it's what He's doing with us. We're unequipped, but He's helping us every step we take.” - Aaron Gray, The Singing Contractors “What keeps us going is when we know that something as little as what we're doing can encourage somebody else—that encourages us to keep going and to keep pressing on. That's why we do it.” - Josh Arnett, The Singing Contractors “The ultimate friend and the ultimate encourager is Jesus himself.” - Josh Arnett, The Singing Contractors “When tools, beards, Jesus, and our music collide—it's fun to talk about the tools and beards and everything. But at the end of the day, we just want to uplift Jesus’ name.” - Aaron Gray, The Singing Contractors ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many of us spend our lives trying to match our talents with the world’s need. We want to feel useful, after all. But when we’re hustling to get dinner on the table, or shuttling loved ones to doctor’s appointments, or rushing to meet a deadline, “finding our purpose” feels like a task that’s way too big to check off the list. But even if we don’t feel it, God has a purpose for our lives, and is doing great things, even through imperfect humans. Our guests, actor/producer Rita Wilson and pastor Lisa Osteen Comes, remind us that God has put greatness inside each of us, and as we travel through our lives, He reveals new gifts we can use to reach others. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call Jesus Calling podcast - “Using Our Gifts for Good: Musciaian RaeLynn & Writer Kristy Cambron Rita Wilson Halfway to Home album The Spark song Throw Me a Party song My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie Mamma Mia! Movie Screen Actor’s Guild The Brady Bunch sitcom Lisa Osteen Comes Lakewood Church (Houston, TX) You Were Made for More: How to Become All You Were Created to Be book The Singing Contractors’ “How Great Thou Art” Interview Quotes: “We're works in progress. We're not really finished, and we are constantly trying to be better.” - Rita Wilson “But at the end of the day, you want to be remembered for making someone's life better.” - Rita Wilson “Having been blessed with an extraordinary life, you almost become more thankful. You can't take credit for it. In a way, I feel like everything that I do—anything good that is coming out of it, I believe—is from a higher power.” - Rita Wilson “Creativity is time independent.” - Rita Wilson “All these things come against us in life, and sometimes it looks like we're not gonna make it, we're not going to live out our dreams. But with God's help, we can.” - Lisa Osteen Comes “What did God put in you naturally? What are your gifts, what are your talents? Because whatever He puts in you, He's going to use for your destiny, for His purpose, for His glory.” - Lisa Osteen Comes "I am God's child and He has a plan for me. He will help me if He calls me. He will equip me and help me to do whatever He has called me to do." - Lisa Osteen Comes ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sometimes we picture our lives going one way, until we encounter impossible choices and painful struggles we never saw coming. But no matter your past, your pain, or your mistakes, when we give our stories over to God, He can write a new ending for us—one filled with potential and purpose. On today’s episode, author and activist Cyntoia Brown-Long is joined by her husband Jamie Long as she shares her redemptive story of an adolescence marred by trafficking and drug use that led to a murder conviction and a life sentence in prison. Despite the walls around her and no guarantee of freedom, Cyntoia determined to expand her horizons and better herself personally in prison. But Cyntoia found it was when she began to give her life back to God that a new chapter really started to unfold. Cyntoia’s husband Jamie tells how God miraculously brought the couple together, and how He’s using them to not only strengthen each other, but to help others find justice and mercy. Interior designer Liz Marie Galvan tells the story of a life seemingly filled with joy and opportunity. Married to the love of her life, she had a budding career in design and dreams of a family—until she was confronted with the harsh reality of infertility. Hesitant to share her pain with others, she eventually found community with those who were walking through the same issues. Now, through the work she does to create cozy homes and being open about her personal story, Liz Marie sees how God can be a light during our darkest of hours and how He can redeem our stories for a greater good. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith [Original Video Series] featuring Rita Wilson Cyntoia Brown-Long Simon Shuster Book publisher ‘Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System’ book Libscomb University PBS Documentary: Me Facing Life #FreeCyntoia hashtag (Twitter) Bill Haslam (Tennessee Governor) Liz Marie Galvan Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home The Found Cottage Christopher Lowell Trading Spaces Interview Quotes: “I knew that there was some way that I could live some type of meaningful life [in prison].” - Cyntoia Brown-Long “Jesus is always calling. He has a word for you 365 days every year. It doesn't stop. He's always there. He's there when you need Him. He's there just to say, "Hey, thank you." - Jamie Long “But to experience true freedom—whether in prison or out of prison—it comes through Him.”- Cyntoia Brown-Long “He is a God of second chances.” - Cyntoia Brown-Long “Even though I was in a physical prison, I was in prison within prison. I was in a prison of anger. I was in a prison of my past, constantly letting that anxiety hold me captive.” - Cyntoia Brown-Long “No matter what your prison is, you just have to submit to Him and cast all your cares on Him and let Him do what He does. That's who He is. He's God.” - Cyntoia Brown-Long “I was able to meet an entire community of people that were going through the same struggle [through my blog]. It was so helpful to be able to rally together and give each other hope and pray for each other.” - Liz Marie Galvan “I was starting to stumble a little bit and wonder why I was going through this. And I was looking to God, wanting to know why I was not able to bear a child. It was one of the darkest seasons of my life.” - Liz Marie Galvan ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we’re mired in shame, it’s hard to believe we could ever be worthy of God’s grace. But when we step aside and allow God into the pit, He can pull us out of our mess and use our lives to show His glory in ways we could never imagine. Today we hear from Lauren, Aja, and Natalie—three women who have traveled through The Next Door, a nonprofit, faith-based organization that helps women coming out of incarceration to rebuild their lives. With vulnerability and strength, these women remind us there is nothing we can do that can separate us from God’s love. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling weekly prayer call Jesus Calling interview with Next Door graduates Janie & Tammy The Next Door non-profit organization Nashville, TN Interview Quotes: “The Next Door has completely changed my life. I had to find me again.” - Lauren, The Next Door “There’s a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is, ;I feel bad for something I've done,” but shame is, “I feel bad because of who I am.’” - Lauren, The Next Door “God really shows up when we get out of the way and let Him.” - Lauren, The Next Door “[The Next Door] took me in. And I'll never forget walking in the building and taking the biggest deep breath, because it was like coming home again. You know, I didn't have a home. And that's what they've become for me.” - Lauren, The Next Door “When I finally stop trying to save myself, to let Him save me, He does it's much bigger than I could have ever done for myself.” - Lauren, The Next Door “You have no idea what you'll do until you're in the grips of [addiction]. It was really hard. But because it was so hard, it helped someone else, and it qualifies me to speak life into other women. That, to me, is all the hope I need.” - Lauren, The Next Door “When I came to The Next Door, I found a greater relationship with God.” - Aja, The Next Door “We would read Jesus Calling at the beginning of group every day, and it would just fall right in line with what was going on in my life. And today, it is still falling in line with what is going on in my life, right in the middle of my struggles.” - Aja, The Next Door “There is a God and He is real. AlI you have to do is hold onto His hand and He will do the rest. Hold on to Him. He will lead you where you need to go.” - Aja, The Next Door “I found that not only does He know broken people, but He loves broken people that can help broken people.” - Natalie, The Next Door ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We humans love to feel powerful and in control. But each of us has a handful of weaknesses, and we try desperately to hide them from the rest of the world. But time and again, God tells us when we’re weak, He is strong. And when we turn over our weakness to Him and make Him the hero of our lives, He can transform that weakness into our greatest strength for His glory. Our guests this week, pastor Derek Grier and publisher Wayne McKay, share how God’s used some of their pain points to reach others. As an introvert, Dr. Grier never expected to be a pastor. With God’s help, he’s learned how to refuel so he can lead the rapidly-growing Grace Church and reach others through new book When God Stops. When he was a child in Sunday School, Wayne McKay had a hard time understanding the Bible. As an adult, he developed BibleForce, a graphic novel brand that would help kids engage with the life-changing messages of God’s Word and show them heroes to look up to. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Calling (Textured Gray Leathersoft): Enjoying Peace in His Presence (with Full Scriptures) Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling interview with David Crowder & Francesca Battistelli Bishop Derek Grier Grace Church (Dumfries, VA) When God Stops: Faith That Gets God’s Attention Howard University Wayne McKay (Founder of BibleForce) BibleForce Graphic Novel The Next Door ministry organization Interview Quotes: “The way I have learned to describe it is that introversion versus extroversion is about how you refuel.” - Dr. Derek Grier “What captured me was [Jesus’] character. He became my hero, even before He became my Lord.” - Dr. Derek Grier “I don't really think I grew my church as much as my church grew me.” - Dr. Derek Grier “If you begin to really communicate God's truth caringly, consistently, and clearly, hungry people will beat a path to your door, because people want to know God.” - Dr. Derek Grier “Sometimes, we just stay in that place where God revealed Himself to us twenty years ago, and that's it.” - Dr. Derek Grier “We have to continue to step out in our faith journey and do things that we have not done before, in order for us to continue to get a growing revelation of who God is.” - Dr. Derek Grier “I wasn't a very good student of the Bible when I was a kid, because I just didn't understand it. If I'd had a picture story where I could’ve looked at something, then I would have been far more interested when I was younger.” - Wayne McKay “I think heroes should be displaying good moral code, standing up for others, unafraid to take on confrontation, and should be a good member of the community.” - Wayne McKay ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our journey of faith can be a long, slow process, or one where a single life event can jar us into discovering our true relationship with God. Singer Gloria Gaynor, the voice behind one of the world’s most powerful anthems, “I Will Survive,” knows what it’s like to be moved into a space where she needed to know about “this Jesus” she had heard about all her life and if she really believed who He said He was. Former physician Jeff Huxford also knows, all too well, what it was like to have a “comfortable” faith, until a devastating accident turned his world upside down and caused him to reassess everything. Through both their stories, we’ll see how they arrived at a place of deep trust in Jesus—when everything else was going awry in their lives—and how God’s grace, mercy and faithfulness helped them survive their toughest moments. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling Jesus Calling (Textured Gray Leathersoft): Enjoying Peace in His Presence (with Full Scriptures) Jesus Calling books Jesus Calling interview with NFL Mark Herzlich and his wife Danielle Gloria Gaynor Gloria's new gospel album, "Testimony" Jason Crabb, Bart Millard, & Yolanda Adams “He Won’t Let Go” ft. Bart Millard “I Will Survive” Video “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” by Frankie Lymon “Save Your Love For Me” by Nancy Wilson Isaiah 7:14 on BibleGateway Jeff Huxford Finding Normal: An Uninvited Change, An Unexpected Outcome “Traumatic Brain Injury” – The Mayo Clinic Interview Quotes: “Children don't know they're poor, as long as they're loved. So we didn't know we were poor, because we were very much loved.” - Gloria Gaynor “I just wanted somebody to hear me sing. I didn't care about accolades or applause, I just wanted somebody to hear me sing.” - Gloria Gaynor “So I was just leaving [my problems] up to Him. I was fully assured that God would do something, I just didn't know what.” - Gloria Gaynor “I like songs that are meaningful, that have lyrics, that touch people's hearts, and that have good melodies.” - Gloria Gaynor “My pastor AR Bernard says, ‘If you want to be successful in life, find out what God is doing and get in on it.’” - Gloria Gaynor “He is so faithful. It is incredible how He is always there for you.” - Gloria Gaynor “When God has a timetable, and you run out ahead of God, you end up out there by yourself.” - Gloria Gaynor “Hold on. Stay on the path. Keep the faith, and know that He won't let go.” - Gloria Gaynor “My head went through the open window, slammed against the concrete pole, and I suffered a traumatic brain injury.“ Jeff Huxford “After a brain injury, the [affected] person essentially becomes a new person. Who they were before is a thing of the past.” - Jeff Huxford “My faith was based more on the don'ts rather than the do's.” - Jeff Huxford “I like the way Jesus Calling seems to make you slow down, rest, and think about what Jesus is trying to tell you right now.” - Jeff Huxford “I grew up believing that it makes you uncomfortable, don't do it. But the truth is, there's a lot of things in the Bible that God calls us to do. And it's not always going to be comfortable, because He knows that when we do things that are uncomfortable, that's when we grow, and our faith gets stronger.” - Jeff Huxford ________________________ Enjoy these videos on Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast: https://bit.ly/2uCnNM0 Original Series video podcast: https://bit.ly/2WzFY0O ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.