Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Sometimes the people we least expect to make a difference in the world are the ones that show up in ways we never thought possible, and are used by God in big ways to draw others to Him.  Alice Marie Johnson had been sentenced to life in federal prison, but she didn’t let it define her. She consistently clung to her faith and then became a minister to other prisoners—despite the tragic circumstances—and she is now an active criminal justice reform advocate. While following anti-human traffickers in Southeast Asia to film a documentary, Christina Zorich witnessed the crippling heartache victims faced, and saw how God can bring hope and healing to anyone, anywhere.      Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Aaron Tippin Upcoming interview: Jimi Cravity   Alice Marie Johnson  Psalm 23:4 NIV John 1:5 NIV Yale University University of Washington Clemency Project 2014 Kim Kardashian  Ivanka Trump Jared Kushner Receiving & Discharge   Christina Zorich  The New Abolitionists Olympia Dukakis  Louis Zorich Our Town Unlikely Heroes Polaris Project  Extreme Love Ministries  Tamar's Center   Interview Quotes: “I knew that the Lord was with me, because I had peace even standing there [in the courtroom] that I can't even explain to this day how I could be calm hearing that sentence, that executed sentence of death being pronounced over me.” - Alice Marie Johnson  “I asked the Lord, ‘Please show me my purpose in this. Show me what you have for me in this. There's got to be more than this. If You could use me in prison, use me wherever I am, Lord. Let my life stand for something.’” - Alice Marie Johnson  “I know that it was a sovereign hand of God. For someone to see me as a human being worth a second chance, worth redemption, I know that it was God.” - Alice Marie Johnson  “Going on the journey [following anti-traffickers in Asia] was actually in some ways so simple, because I had to be so dependent on God. I had to be so dependent on just getting every little opportunity, appreciating it, and if I made a mistake, I had to learn from the lesson.” - Christina Zorich  “I realized the simplicity of the experience really helped guide me and made my life just simpler in a way. Because when you're doing something for the first time, that wide-eyed openness makes you appreciate things and value things. And the experience and the journey changed me in many ways.” - Christina Zorich  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Fathers can be quite the influence in our lives—sometimes positively, and sadly, sometimes negatively. No matter where we stand with our earthly fathers, we can know that we matter to God the Father. There’s a verse in 2 Corinthians 6:16 that contains this promise from God: “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people… and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty.” This promise is available to everyone who calls out to their Father God.  This week’s guests were blessed to have loving relationships with their fathers, and in turn have become fathers who pray for their children, and teach them about the love of their heavenly Father. NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins shares about the challenges and triumphs of his NFL career, and also about the challenges and rewards of being a father—and how he prays for his children daily. Author Jay Payleitner and his daughter, Rae Anne, open up about how to navigate seasons of change in the father/daughter relationship to maintain a strong and loving bond over the years.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Dionne Warwick and Damon Elliott Upcoming interview: Alice Marie Johnson 2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV   Kirk Cousins  Matthew 7 NIV Minnesota Vikings Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Michigan State Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation www.kirkcousins.org   Jay Payleitner  Rae Anne Payleitner Girl Dad   Interview Quotes: "I look back now and see that God is so much bigger than our circumstances. What I thought was a dead end ended up being really a tremendous path that set me on a dream course to go where I was hoping to go. So I look back now and realize, Lord, you've got a plan. It's not always going to be as straight and easy as I would like it to be, but I’ve got to trust you." - Kirk Cousins “It had to be God's hand leading my life, which is what it should all be about, that He gets the glory and not us.” - Kirk Cousins “I found that what's so powerful about the Jesus Calling resources is that no matter what you're walking through circumstantially that's unique to you, so many times the message of that day's word can apply to what you're dealing with. It's powerful the way that it can speak so specifically to people's situations. “ - Kirk Cousins “When I pray for opportunities to share my faith, God answers and provides those opportunities. So between praying for it, being ready for it, and then trying to walk it out on a daily basis, I think it becomes a great opportunity to treat a locker room almost like a mission field, if you will.” - Kirk Cousins “I think it's important that you shine your light in such a way that other people would start to think about how they can be generous as well.” - Kirk Cousins “I think the key to all relationships that span the course of decades, which of course a father daughter relationship will, is understanding that both people are going to evolve and change. And the key is to evolve together, and to embrace that you're evolving.” - Rae Anne Payleitner   “It should be as if your faith runs through you like a thread through a needle, so that everything you do is stitched with it.” - Rae Anne Payleitner “You want your daughter to have her own faith, because she can't get to heaven, she can't be her best self, if she is piggybacking on your faith. She has to own her own faith.” - Jay Payleitner  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Regardless of the career path you chose, the level of education you have, who you married or didn’t marry, or what you’ve accomplished in life, you hold priceless value in God’s eyes. The timeless verse from John 3:16 brings us comfort that God gave His Son for us—and that no matter what, He died for our sins, and because of that sacrifice, we will have eternal life.  This week’s guests remind us that God’s unconditional love applies in all circumstances. Professional counselor Michelle Nietert and Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Lynn Cowell have written a new book called Managing Your Emojis where they encourage young people to explore their God-given emotions toward a healthier mental space. Donnie Griggs has experienced the unique challenges of being a pastor in a small town, and has felt the pull toward something he perceived as bigger or better. But the years in small-town ministry have changed his heart, and he’s seen how it’s possible to make a huge impact in small spaces.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Ronnie Martin Upcoming interview: Kirk Cousins John 3:16 NIV   Michelle Nietert Lynn Cowell  Managing Your Emojis  Proverbs 31 Ministries Psalms Jeremiah 29:11 NIV Psalm 118:24 NIV Jesus Calling for kids   Donnie Griggs  Pastoring Small Towns Romans 12:15 NIV 2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV   Interview Quotes: “I truly believe that when God is involved in the healing process with trauma and when we can use His Word, there's just an additional life-giving factor that a counselor can bring. Because we can bring the presence of God, we can bring the hope of God in the form of the Holy Spirit to someone who's hurting.” - Michelle Nietert “David expressed feelings of anger, rage, depression, distress, fear, as well as joy and happiness and thankfulness. He expressed so many emotions, and God called David—this man expressing how he felt—a man after His own heart. So if David can be a man after God's heart and express his emotions freely to the Lord, so can I. “ - Lynn Cowell  “There's such a spectrum of emotions, and we want children to learn that they can turn to God to share their emotions with Him—and teaching children that God made these emotions and He can help them to process these feelings, even the most uncomfortable ones.” - Lynn Cowell “I think one of the healthy coping skills we have to teach our kids before they ever encounter trouble is how to hold on to hope, how to become resilient, and how to persevere through difficult times.” - Michelle Nietert “There is nothing you are going to face that you and God can't handle together.” - Michelle Nietert “I think settling that this is where God's put me for the foreseeable future has really helped me stop looking for greener grass somewhere else and helped me stop complaining about where I was, either internally or out loud. It just helped me to resolve, to be content that this is where God wants me.“ - Donnie Griggs “What we model is that the community we have is because of what Jesus has done for us. And when you look around the room on a Sunday morning, it should feel like nothing about this makes sense except for Jesus and the way that we care for each other.” - Donnie Griggs ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Creating new habits is hard. Oftentimes, we don’t even notice when we’re stuck in how we’ve always done it, and don’t realize how this can sometimes hold us back from something bigger. But when we’re willing to take a chance by seeking God’s heart in the day to day, He can help us break out of old habits that haven’t been serving us, into a new way of living.  Tara-Leigh Cobble is the host of The Bible Recap Podcast. She shares with us how reading the Bible was a routine habit, until she started to approach it with the mindset of looking for God—and when she did, it became transformative. Dr. Jackie Greene is the co-pastor of Forward City Church with her husband, recording artist Travis Greene. In the early years of her marriage, Jackie struggled with her identity and often compared herself to others, but once she tried to stop negotiating with God about the things she didn’t like, she started to live in the power of her individuality.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Tamera Mowry-Housley Upcoming interview: Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert   Tara-Leigh Cobble  The Bible Recap Podcast Genesis  Old Testament PTSD www.taraleighcobble.com Israel   Dr. Jackie Greene  Forward City Church  Travis Greene Georgia Southern University Permission to Live Free   Interview Quotes: “I wanted God to tell me what I could do so that I could be a good Christian and earn His approval or figure out what promises I could use to back Him into a corner to get what I wanted from Him…He's not this transactional God, and that really frustrated me because I wanted the Bible to be about me.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble  “Instead of trying to beat myself into submission and trying to conform myself to the image of God, it was Him conforming me to His image.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “God doesn't just want you to be resilient, He wants you to be healed. And so it's not just for you to power through these things. It's for you to find the healing that He has available to you.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “To feel so loved and seen by my pastor, to feel so cared for—I know that was the kindness of the Lord to just reach into that space and say, ‘I see you and I want you to talk to me about your heart.’” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “What I have found is generally, people on Earth show up late to the thing that God already knows about us. And so for me, it took a lot of having to push out there to find my own voice and find the affirmation of the Lord to be the thing that I was looking for, rather than waiting for people to affirm a thing that maybe oftentimes I wasn't even showing yet.” - Dr. Jackie Greene “I recognized that what I had been looking for outwardly, I could find inwardly in my relationship with the Lord. It started to help me progress beyond looking for that, beyond the voices of people having to say it, and allowing God to say it for myself.” - Dr. Jackie Greene “I think we leave a lot on the table, not recognizing that we already have—on the inside of us—so many hidden treasures. All we have to do is be bold enough or even brave enough to dig for them.” - Dr. Jackie Greene “I was allowing culture to be my mirror rather than God to be my mirror. And as I began to actually look at Him and see that I wasn't reflecting power or freedom or fearlessness, I came to recognize that, Oh, this really isn't who I am. And so I came to know myself the more I came to know the Lord.” - Dr. Jackie Greene  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to YouTube sensation Gabriel Conte, who shares how he approaches big decisions in his life by seeking God. He walks us through a few ideas on how to pray, and what to do when we're not sure how to approach those big crossroads in our lives, and how to trust God through that sometimes very scary process.   Guest’s Links Facebook: @gabrielconte Twitter: @gabrielconte Instagram: @gabrielconte  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’ve all experienced situations that might seem hopeless—and the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to turn when things look bleak. Our guests this week have experienced traumatic situations that found them at the ends of their own means, when all they could do was breathe a prayer to God in desperation—searching for a glimmer of hope to cling to.    Author and TV host Ali Landry shares her moving story of overcoming a heartbreaking betrayal in her marriage, and on top of that, finding herself facing health issues that made her feel like she was living half a life. Interior designer Carley Summers battled addiction for several years in her young adult life, and at her darkest moment, felt the presence of God guiding her to ask for one more chance—opening the door to a brand-new world.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Jon Gordon Upcoming interview: Tara-Leigh Cobble   Ali Landry Reshape Your Life Breaux Bridge, Louisiana Crawfish Capital of the World University of Louisiana Oprah Winfrey   Carley Summers ADHD Alcoholism  Addiction DUI Christian Faith Rehab  2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Interior design Port-au-Prince, Haiti Goodwill www.carleysummers.com Sacred Spaces   Interview Quotes: “My prayer has always been, Lord, let them see Your light in me.” - Ali Landry “I've done a lot of things over the years and always the grounding force for me has been my relationship with God, 100%.” - Ali Landry “Here I am with this job that I'm supposed to love and it's supposed to serve me and my life and my family, and I feel like I'm sitting on the sidelines in my life and I feel like I'm kind of having half a life because I'm not a player in my own game. And that's when I decided I deserve more than this.” - Ali Landry  “I always knew that if I was able to lean on God and He was able to pull me through these situations in my life, that it was my responsibility to share it.” - Ali Landry “I will say my relationship with God 100% is the foundation, it got me through to the other side every time. When you put gratitude in your life, it really shifts everything. It completely shifts your mindset. It completely puts you in a different mood.” - Ali Landry “We're so busy with our lives that sometimes we forget to stop and recognize God working in our lives.” - Ali Landry “It was not until my second DUI when I was at the age of twenty-two, when I finally realized that I needed some help and I was ready to surrender my life over to Jesus.” - Carley Summers “I realized that something was going to have to change. Jesus tried to reach me in that moment because He had a plan and a destiny for me to use my story to give Him glory.” - Carley Summers “I let the root of Scripture take a hold of my life, and it gave me this unexplainable joy, even though I was in one of the lowest circumstances you can be in.” - Carley Summers “I think that my life verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘If I am a new creation and Christ, all those things that have been are now gone, let the new come.’ And so I have to wake up every day and recognize that I am healed from those things.” - Carley Summers “I always thought that I had to work in the church to do ministry, but I realized that through stewarding people's money well and creating homes where people walked in that they could do life with and have Bible studies and host and work as a family together, I realized that I could create something sacred for other people.” - Carley Summers “God started to use my story to help set other people free.” - Carley Summers “We've curated a space to help people feel safe, I think that's how our homes can impact us and help tell our stories.” - Carley Summers ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

At one time or another in our lives, we are bound to experience bouts of anxiety. The Bible does not teach that lack of faith is the cause of anxiety. In our world today, it is almost impossible not to experience anxiety to some degree. We just can’t avoid it. What if instead of running away from our anxiety, we name what is happening, and develop ways to support ourselves through it while leaning on God in the present moment?  Curtis Chang is a pastor and a non-profit director. He remembers early moments of anxiety that were a response to his fears of being in an empty house after school, waiting for his parents to come home. He shares how he developed early coping mechanisms which exacerbated anxiety later in his life, and how through that anxiety, he was able to draw closer to God. Kim Gravel is an author and TV personality who shares about the early anxiety she had while competing in pageants as a young girl and opens up about her journey to find self-confidence.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Janine Reid Upcoming interview: Ali Landry   Curtis Chang Duke Divinity School Redeeming Babel latchkey kid The Anxiety Opportunity   Kim Gravel Atlanta Olympics WATC TV57 Kim of Queens on Lifetime Collecting Confidence   Interview Quotes: “Anxiety is the fear of some potential loss. We all carry that around with us. We all carry around some fear of potential loss.” - Curtis Chang “Our anxieties have a lot of wisdom contained in them, they tell us a lot about who we are, about our experiences growing up, and what we fear losing.” - Curtis Chang “What I believe human experience and Scripture tells us is that anxiety itself is not a problem to be eliminated, that in fact, it is actually a fundamental condition of what it means to be human—that to be human is to be vulnerable to loss.” - Curtis Chang “I know full well the nature of anxiety is a problem, but I also have experienced firsthand the promise of anxiety as an opportunity for spiritual growth, because it takes us to our core beliefs and our core fears about loss, about God, about who God is in Jesus, about what we are actually promised by Jesus in terms of our future.” - Curtis Chang “My calling is to see people rise in all that God has for them. And for me, the adventure of this life is sharing His message with others. Jesus is probably the reason why I do everything that I do and why I am who I am.” - Kim Gravel  “I did have to deal with a lot of pressures and stress, but it was such a learning ground for me. It's those times of growth that God puts us in so that we go to new levels.” - Kim Gravel “Get still, because God is constantly wooing and speaking and guiding and leading us. We just get too busy or too broken to hear it or see it or feel it.” - Kim Gravel “My philosophy on confidence is probably a little different than what the world tells you it should look like. It's truly a Christ-centered confidence, but it's also a confidence that I know whose I am and why I'm here.” - Kim Gravel “When God calls you to do something, nothing can stop it, damage it, alter it, or prevent it, except you. And that's the reason I want to share this message, because I know without a doubt, true confidence comes with a relationship with Jesus. True calling comes from Him.” - Kim Gravel ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s been said that parenting is a lifelong job that doesn’t end when your children grow up. Our guests this week know firsthand how hard it is to be a parent, and they’ve done the work to build the kind of relationship with their children that is returning dividends in their adulthood. And now, their kids really appreciate them as people, and the influence they’ve had in helping them become who they are today.  Dionne Warwick is a six-time Grammy Award-winning singer who raised her son Damon—who is also a musician—as a single mother. Despite her status as an international superstar, Dionne made it a priority to carve out meaningful moments with her children. Andy and Sandra Stanley are preachers, authors, and parents of three. One of their greatest prayers was that their relationship with their kids would evolve into a friendship and that as adults, they’d still appreciate their family time.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Reba McEntire and her sisters, Susie and Alice Upcoming interview: Curtis Chang   Dionne Warwick Gospelaires Hal David Billy Ray Cyrus Dolly Parton “Peace Like A River” - song with Dionne Warwick & Dolly Parton   Andy and Sandra Stanley  North Point Ministries Enneagram The 5 Love Languages Dr. Charles Stanley Parenting: Getting It Right - book by Andy & Sandra Stanley   Interview Quotes: “One of the greatest things that I've learned is just to truly be who I am.” - Damon Elliott “All the things that [God] does for me, I am truly thankful and grateful for. He's given me a path to follow and a plan He has for me. And I'm following that plan and that path. So whatever comes within the realm of that, I'm supposed to face. I have no problem with that.” - Dionne Warwick “We prayed with our kids at night when they were young, but we continued to pray with them through every season of life.” - Andy Stanley “Our parenting goal with our kids was to end up with kids who wanted to be with us and with each other, when they no longer had to be.” - Sandra Stanley ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you struggle with how to fit a faith routine into your life? It’s hard to prioritize time for prayer and reflection in our busy, over-scheduled lives, but when we come up against those moments that stretch us beyond our normal limits and make us question the very foundation of our faith, turning to that connection that we have already been establishing day by day to God can be crucial for us to lean on when nothing else makes sense.  Author and podcaster Cleere Cherry Reaves clung hard to her relationship with God when her son Sledge, who was born three months premature, fought for his life. Author Larry Loftis shares about the incredible bond Corrie ten Boom had with God, and how she bravely trusted His guidance to do what was right as she helped hide Jewish people in her home who were fleeing Nazi oppression during World War II. The relationship these women built daily with God informed their responses to heartache and tragedy.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Cam Ayala Upcoming interview: Dionne Warwick   Cleere Cherry Reaves Cleerely Stated  Apneic episodes The Miracle of You   Larry Loftis Corrie ten Boom The Watchmaker’s Daughter Gestapo Ravensbrück Mother Teresa  Darmstadt www.LarryLoftis.com Interview Quotes: “I feel like when we were in the hospital, before Sledge came home and that daily experience, I felt like the veil between heaven and earth was thinner than a sheet. It was so obvious to me that God's presence is the miracle.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves “We learned how to walk through waves that once fell like tsunamis. We learned how to operate and say, ‘Lord, this is not our preference. We would love to take [our son Sledge] home, but we know that Your ways are higher, Your plan is greater, and You are working miracles all around us. Help us see those miracles.’” - Cleere Cherry Reaves “Life really is a gift, it's pure grace. And I think when we operate from that, we really can fight for contentment in any circumstance.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves “Miracles are not always water into wine, or the healing that we had expected. Miracles are a million different things in a million different ways.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves “Fight for a life that operates in contentment and peace that isn't based on what's happening in the world or what's happening to us… I know that good is happening here because God is here.” - Cleere Cherry Reaves “When we think of people that have to go through things like [what Corrie ten Boom faced], we think Well, they're superhuman. But these were regular people. And what's inspiring is that you have these normal people that rise to the occasion.” - Larry Loftis “Lots of people hid Jews in the Netherlands, so [Corrie ten Boom is] not unique in that sense. She's not unique in that she suffered, where she's unique is this: Corrie forgave everybody.” - Larry Loftis “[Corrie ten Boom] traveled the world sharing the gospel, sharing her message of peace and forgiveness and what had happened to her and her family and how the answer was in Christ and He will give you the strength to forgive as He's done for her and her family.” - Larry Loftis “Corrie is unique in that she was able to forgive the hardest people to forgive, people who were cruel to you, people who betrayed you, people who were responsible for the death of your family. Corrie realizes that, I can't do it on my own, but with God's grace and God's help, I can do it. That’s the big takeaway, because we're all called with the great commission to share the gospel.” - Larry Loftis “We can look at what Corrie did to forgive the hardest people in the world, to forgive what she [forgave], and use that as our inspiration—with that example and with God's grace, we can forgive, too.” - Larry Loftis ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s a blessing to be able to celebrate with others when joyful things happen in their lives. But it’s also an honor to be able to stand by someone when they are heavy with sorrow and joy seems nowhere to be found.  Popular Christian writer Karen Kingsbury and her son Tyler Russell help others celebrate the joy of their faith by writing stories for families through their Baxter Family children’s books. Pastor David Emmanuel Goatley, the sixth president of Fuller Theological Seminary, has traveled all over the world as a minister and has been inspired at how Christians from all walks of life hold each other up and bear each other's burdens, no matter how much or how little they have.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Nikki DeLoach and Pat Bradley Upcoming interview: Cleere Cherry Reaves   Karen Kingsbury  Tyler Russell  Philippians 4 NIV NIV Bible  Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Los Angeles Daily News Baxter Family Children books Being Baxters John 16:33 NIV Colossians 3:23 NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 NIV www.karenkingsbury.com A Thousand Tomorrows   David Emmanuel Goatley Fuller Theological Seminary   Interview Quotes: “The family that God puts you in are the ones who are going to be with you forever, so really foster those relationships and pour into those relationships.” - Tyler Russell “I had a beautiful relationship with the Lord, but I was still seeing pain. I was still seeing people going through hard things. And I just didn't think that Christian fiction would be able to handle that. I want to tell stories that are real and true.” - Karen Kingsbury “We really do both want to serve the Lord first. That's kind of our top thing in everything we do, we want to please God first.” - Tyler Russell “Prayer is an all day, everyday thing for me. I am so thankful to be able to walk through this life not alone, but with Jesus, and knowing that I have His presence beside me.” - Karen Kingsbury “I believe that we need to love and laugh often and look for the miraculous in the everyday and lean hard into our relationship with Jesus.” - Karen Kingsbury “My father's orientation was that you always talked about church and community together. You never spoke of church in isolation from the community because the church should be embedded in community, and the community was informing the life of the church.” - David Emmanuel Goatley “We were taught to be salt for the earth and light for the world, and so you have to engage the world that God puts you in so that you can bear good and faithful witness. I think that that kind of nurture helped to inform who I have become and how I see the world.” - David Emmanuel Goatley “I think it's important for students to listen to and learn from the testimonies of people in the global church.” - David Emmanuel Goatley “I don't recall ever feeling like the hard work of Christian leadership has not been worth it. There have been times where the weight of it has been heavy and wearisome and draining and fatiguing. There have been those times where it's been a headache, but I have not felt that it's not worth it. I've been fortunate to sense that I am where the Lord has sent me.” - David Emmanuel Goatley “If we don't try to get out in front of Jesus and we let Jesus lead us, then we'll make it through the sleepless nights and we'll make it through the anxious moments, and then we will be able to look back on it and say, ‘The Lord both led me through it and taught me something in it.’ The Lord has been exceedingly kind. And for that, I'm grateful.“ - David Emmanuel Goatley ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.