The Unfolding

Courtney Smallbone’s family has followed Jesus for generations.  But as a teenager, Courtney was unconvinced.  Then a pivotal experience changed her from skeptic to whole-hearted believer.  She saw God doing the impossible, and that marked her for life.  It changed her expectations and prepared her for a day when she would need to believe for something that seemed impossible.  Courtney and her husband Luke, who is half of the duo For King and Country, have four children and live in Columbia, Tennessee. 

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 #1 songs.  They’ve toured across the U.S. and beyond.  But all that affirmation wasn’t enough to quiet an inner critic.  For Mike Weaver, he was never enough.   

In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, Dareth Ly was 7 years old.  He spent most of the next 4 years in a work camp, barely surviving starvation and torture.  When he landed in the U.S. as an orphan, he forced himself to forget everything about Cambodia.  He knew he would never go back.  But God can take what others meant for evil and turn it for good.  (Caution for parents: this story contains episodes of violence and is not appropriate for children.)   

Nobody sets out to be a failure, but what if failure is exactly what we need? Dallas Jenkins is the director of The Chosen, the first ever multi-season show about Jesus. Long before The Chosen, Dallas wasn’t interested in making faith-based films. He dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. What God taught Dallas through failure became part of the incredible story that led to The Chosen.  

For missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham, a night to celebrate their wedding anniversary turned into a nightmare.  On May 27, 2001, they were kidnapped from a resort in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf, a militant organization with ties to al Qaeda.  Held hostage for over a year, the Burnhams were forced to live in the jungle with little food or water, endure gun battles, and witness atrocities by their captors.   

Sparkle Sanders was driven to succeed in everything she did.  One of her greatest fears was failure. Nothing made her feel more like a failure than motherhood. When Sparkle became a mom, it didn’t look anything like what she expected.   Every day was hard, and the struggle with postpartum depression made her feel miles away from God. Sparkle is the founder of Beautiful Truth, a for-profit, global ministry that aims to encourage, empower and teach others that through Jesus they can have and live a good, fulfilling life. 

When Anne Wilson was growing up, she wanted to be an astronaut.  She made plans, started taking classes, and set her hopes on traveling to space.  But one tragic summer night in 2017 altered the course of Anne’s life.  The death of her brother Jacob set off a series of events that made clear to Anne that God’s purpose was different than her plan.  Anne sang in front of an audience for the very first time at her brother’s funeral. That was also the moment God clearly called Anne to spend her life praising and worshipping Him.  Her first song, “My Jesus,” debuted at #1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel music chart.  

Nathan Sheridan experienced more tragedy as a young boy than many of us face in an entire lifetime.  Born to addicted parents, Nathan and his sister were passed between relatives.  The abandonment of his parents was followed by even more heartbreak, and that left Nathan carrying a heavy load of grief.  Sometimes that kind of heartache can make you believe nothing good could ever come of your story.  That was true for Nathan.  He dreamed of becoming a singer and songwriter, but he struggled to believe he would ever be good enough for that dream to come true.   

Karen Horne got really good at “pretend normal.”   Her husband was living a lie and she was pretending everything was fine. When you are married to a pastor, there is intense pressure to appear as if all is well.  Betrayal, deceit and hidden sin had eaten away at the foundation of their family. Karen would have to go undercover to find out the truth.  This episode contains references to pornography and sexual addiction.

Long before Hope Darst became a successful recording artist and worship leader, she believed God called her to lay down that dream. Surrender had become a theme in her life.  Giving up control to Jesus, letting go of her hopes for a career, and surrendering her dream to become a mother were all a part of her path.  Today Hope is known for powerful anthems like “Peace Be Still” and “Promise Keeper,” but in the years prior to that success, God called her to lay down dreams and follow Him wherever He might lead.