The Unfolding

Scott Hamilton is one of the most recognized male figure skating stars in the world, winning four World Championships and Olympic gold in 1984.  He is a three-time cancer survivor, television broadcaster, motivational speaker, and more.  Scott says failure is the thing that has fueled much of his success. God used the challenge of Scott’s journey with cancer to get his attention and to grab his heart.   

Long before Page Turner began transforming houses on HGTV shows like “Flip or Flop,” “Rock the Block,” and “Fix My Flip,” she experienced the transformation of her own heart.  Raised by her agnostic mother, she was exposed to many different religions as a child.  But at 19, she met Jesus.  As a single mother and sole provider for 3 young daughters, she desperately needed God to transform her life.  Along the way she became a real estate broker, entrepreneur, and TV host, as she learned to follow God wherever he leads. 

Austin French grew up in church, but for a long time he despised Christians.  It seemed religion was all about pretending your life was perfect, and Austin’s life was anything but that.  Living with an abusive father, he learned to hide his bruises and put on a smile.  He swore when he was old enough, he would run as far as his cynicism would take him.  But an encounter with Jesus at 13 changed Austin’s heart, and he committed to using his musical talents to telling people about Him.  After appearing on national television shows like The Voice and Rising Star, Austin has become a successful singer and songwriter with songs like “Freedom Hymn,” “Born Again,” and “Jesus Can.” 

Helen Smallbone and her husband David were living in Australia when David’s business unexpectedly collapsed.  With 6 kids, they took an enormous leap of faith and moved to the United States with everything they owned packed in 16 suitcases.  Within a couple of months, David’s new job fell through.  They were forced to live by faith and to trust God in ways they never had before.  Helen is the mother of Rebecca St. James and Joel and Luke Smallbone of For King & Country, along with 4 other amazingly talented children.  She is the author of “Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family. 

In 2006, 18-year-old Katie Davis traveled to Uganda for the first time.  The people captivated her heart and within a year Katie was back in Uganda. Over the next 13 years, Katie founded Amazima Ministries, became a mom to 13 beautiful girls by the time she was 23, and married her husband Benji Majors.  Her books, “Kisses from Katie” and “Daring to Hope” became New York Times best sellers. Her story of taking baby steps of faith and seeing both the mountain-top highs and heartbreaking lows of ministry will inspire you to believe God can do anything. 

Susie Larson is a bestselling author, speaker, and host of the popular radio show/podcast Susie Larson Live on the Faith Radio Network.  She is a woman known for her wisdom.  That wisdom has come through challenging life experiences.  The trauma she faced as a child left her feeling afraid and bracing for the next bad thing. But God had a plan for healing her wounds and equipping her to share her story, helping thousands along the way.  Susie is the author of more than 20 books and devotionals, including her latest, “Strong In Battle.”

In early 1970, a small group of hippies walked into a church in Costa Mesa, California and helped change Christian music forever.  The Jesus Movement had begun on the West Coast, kicking off a spiritual awakening that swept the nation. Chuck Girard was at the center of it. He was a talented musician looking for answers to the meaning of life. He threw off traditional religion, became a hippie, and embraced drugs as the path to finding spiritual truth.  Chuck is one of the founding members of Love Song, a band that changed Christian music. If you’ve seen the movie Jesus Revolution, you’ll love hearing this first-hand account of a fascinating time in American history. 

When there is deception in marriage, how can you rebuild trust? For more than 20 years Mark and Jill Savage had served in ministry; Mark as a pastor, and Jill as the founder and director of Hearts at Home, a ministry for moms.  Their marriage had good seasons and hard seasons. But in what the Savages describe as their darkest year, they faced infidelity and were headed for divorce.  How could the pieces of their shattered life be put together again?  Today Mark and Jill are passionate about encouraging marriages and families. Jill is the host of the No More Perfect Podcast and has authored twelve books.  Together Mark and Jill have authored two books and provide marriage coaching and resources at JillSavage.com. This episode contains adult content. 

Tarn Cross believes God has hard-wired us for adventure.   When Tarn and her husband Matt had a young family in Australia, they began to grow restless.  Their church experience seemed more like dry religion than a relationship with the Creator of the Universe. That’s when God led them to their first mission experience in Uganda.  Within days of arriving, they realized what they thought would be an adventure was actually going to require radical faith and trust.  Today Tarn is a leader who has traveled the world speaking and helping people discover their God-given identity and purpose. 

As co-founder of She Reads Truth, Amanda Bible Williams has helped women around the world read God’s Word every day.  She believes in the power of the Bible to transform lives and sustain us through difficult times. A few years after launching She Reads Truth, Amanda and her husband David began the process of adopting their son Toby, who was born with a heart defect.  That journey has included both amazing miracles and exhausting suffering, and seeing how God is close through it all.