The Unfolding

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.

When Carson Sellers was young, his family's faith seemed superficial. But then Carson was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic condition that limited his life to being stuck at home or long stays in the hospital. For more than ten years he suffered intense pain that kept him from experiencing normal life. Eating food, driving a car, and even going to school became nearly impossible. But then Carson's mom, and soon many others, began to believe that God was going to heal him.

Content Advisory: This episode contains elements of sexual trauma, exploitation, and suicide. Jennisue Jessen has been working in the fight against human trafficking for more than 25 years. She has a unique perspective on both the trauma and the incredible resilience of survivors. Jennisue was first sold into the sex trade at the age of four by her grandfather. The abuse and exploitation lasted more than 10 years. She believed Jesus was real and He was with her, but she struggled to understand why her abuse continued. Today she is the founder and CEO of Compass 31, an international counter-trafficking organization that has impacted thousands of lives. She has served on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and has helped shape federal counter-trafficking policies. More than anything, she is a living example of God's power to rescue, restore, redeem, and to use her story to help others. Learn more about a project to buy a portable x-ray machine for Kijabe Hospital at www.FriendsOfKijabe.org

For the first time, we're sharing an update on a story from The Unfolding. We first told Michael and Shanaree Muzinich's story on Page 135. They were successful physicians, chasing things they thought would bring happiness – a dream home, prestigious careers, and big incomes. But their relationship was a mess. It was filled with conflict, and they were miserable. They didn't believe in God, but one night 6 years ago they had an encounter with Jesus that changed everything. When they met Jesus, they surrendered everything. When we left Michael and Shanaree in August of 2022, they were preparing to move with their four children to Kenya to become medical missionaries. Learn more about a project to buy a portable x-ray machine for Kijabe Hospital at www.FriendsOfKijabe.org