The Unfolding

All throughout the story of Jesus’ birth, there are encounters with angels. But many of us are perplexed by these spiritual beings.  Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”  Do people still encounter angels today? In this special 5th installment of our Christmastime episode about angels, we hear from Jamie Winship, LaDonna VonHolton, Stephanie Davenport and Jeff Hanus, each sharing their own unique encounter. 

Kevan Chandler was the second of his siblings to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease. In 2016, he and his friends took a three-week trip across Europe, leaving his wheelchair at home while his friends carried him in a backpack. It was a crazy dream-come-true trip, where God began to show Kevan that he wanted to inspire others to deep friendships and adventures. An avid storyteller, Kevan Chandler is a writer and speaker worldwide about his unique life with a disability. Kevan is the founder of the nonprofit We Carry Kevan, where more than 1,000 families have received backpacks so they can experience their own adventures. 

What if the pathway to true joy, fulfillment, and living out your calling is in building deep friendships? Kevan Chandler grew up in a close-knit family that had a foundation of faith in Jesus. He was the second of his siblings to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease. But where he lacked physical mobility, he excelled in creativity, imagination, and forming deep friendships. He is a storyteller, writer, and speaker who has traveled the world as a featured speaker for TEDx, Google, and many others. His life has been a series of adventures, made possible by the deep relationships Kevan has formed with Jesus and his friends.  

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you do if you knew God was with you?  Ryan Leak is a teaching pastor, speaker, executive coach, and author.  He is widely known for his documentary, “Chasing Failure.”  He asked himself: What would he do if he knew he could not fail?  The answer was easy- he’d be in the NBA- and since the only way to know if that dream could be a reality was to try, that is exactly what he did. 

Despite what we often believe, success doesn’t solve the problem of insecurity. Mike Weaver is the lead singer of Big Daddy Weave. For more than 20 years, the band has experienced amazing success – awards, gold and platinum records, and number one songs.  They’ve toured across the U.S. and beyond.  But all of that affirmation wasn’t enough to quiet an inner critic. Mike Weaver believed he was never enough.   

When Miss Kay Robertson was a young girl, her grandmother told her one day she might have to fight for her marriage.  That seemed crazy to Miss Kay’s young ears, but her grandmother was right.  Long before Phil and Kay Robertson and their sons, Willie, Jase, Jep, and Alan became famous for making duck calls and the television show Duck Dynasty, Phil and Kay lived through ten hard years. The story of those early years is being told in a movie called The Blind.  Phil and Kay started a family and married as teenagers.  While Phil was in college, he began drinking.  Soon he was an alcoholic, staying out all night, leaving Kay to raise their three sons.  Everyone Kay knew told her to leave him. She knew if he was ever going to change, it would take a miracle.   

David Lapp loved the close-knit Amish community where he grew up.  When he and his brothers began to experience miracles, they knew they had to learn more about God.  But the more they learned, the more difficulties they experienced with their community.  They were forced to choose between their faith and their culture and cut off from the relationships and work they treasured.  It was a hard road, but God used it to teach them to walk by faith.  Today, David and his brothers lead Blessings of Hope ministries, where they share the love of Jesus while erasing hunger one box at a time.   

How do you deal with disappointment with life, and ultimately with God?  Mia Fieldes is a talented singer, songwriter and worship leader.  She’s co-written songs like Zach Williams’ Chain Breaker, Vertical Worship’s Yes I Will, and many more.  She learned early in life to exercise the muscle of faith and to follow God’s lead.  She began writing songs in high school, then wrote for Hillsong, before moving to Nashville.  But there was one area that she had struggled to trust God.  She longed to be married someday, and for years she wondered when, or if, that would happen. 

From a very young age, Jeremy Rosado knew he was going to sing.  As he grew in his faith, he also began to understand that he not only had a gift, but that God wanted to use that gift. When he made it on Amercian Idol, it seemed like doors were finally opening.  He finished in the top 13, but his family was struggling. His sister had battled addiction for years and his niece needed a father.  At 21, Jeremy adopted his niece.  For 10 years, he focused on being the best dad, while we honed his craft as a worship leader.  Then, out of the blue in 2022, producers of The Voice called. 

Philip Yancey is a best-selling author, the writer of Christian classics like The Jesus I Never Knew, and What’s So Amazing About Grace. After more than 40 years and 17 million books in print, Philip says much of his writing is about suffering and grace- two things he has experienced in great measure.  Growing up in a strict, fundamentalist church, Philip learned to think of God as a giant who was waiting for a chance to crush him. His widowed mother presented much the same picture of God and reinforced it with her own anger and disappointment.  As Philip grew, he was confused by the contradictions at church. They spoke about love and grace but rarely gave either. He began to see the lies he’d been taught at church and at home, and he walked away from faith.