Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Grief, death, and loss are an inevitable part of life, though knowing that doesn’t make the pain any easier to bear. Whether you’ve faced unexpected loss time and time again or are navigating grief for the very first time, the waves of difficulty can be drowning. But the good news is that God can offer us a life raft. Isaiah 57:18-19 says, “I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near.” This week’s guests, Holly Singletary and Andy Griggs, share the holes left in their hearts, and how God has helped heal them, and they share how we can find comfort in the legacies of loved ones passed, and also know deep in our hearts that one day, we will see them again in heaven.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Isaiah 57:18-19 NIV Jesus Listens Past interview: Eddie Montgomery Upcoming interview: Travis Tritt   Holly Singletary Daryle Singletary Hope With Holly Podcast Hope With Holly Blog Merle Haggard  George Jones  www.hopewithholly.com   Andy Griggs Job 1:10 NIV www.andygriggs.com   Interview Quotes: “I came home that weekend after meeting Daryle and told my mom and dad that I found the man I was going to marry.” - Holly Singletary “It was really sweet to watch [Daryle as a dad] because I think our role of waiting so long prepared us for a different kind of parenting. I felt like we had a lot more patience and we appreciated some of the moments maybe that we would not have appreciated earlier on in life.” - Holly Singletary “It's okay to cry. We have good and bad days and some days we miss [Daryle] more, especially on those special days or special moments or just an everyday moment. I'm like, ‘It's okay to be sad.’ But one thing I tell them, ‘It's not okay to stay there. I don't want you to stay there. I don't want that to turn into bitterness and anger and madness.’” - Holly Singletary  “Legacies don't die. They don't die very easily. It takes a long time to see the sunset of a legacy. Yeah, because everybody's life is a sunset, that's a beautiful thing at times. Life is a beautiful thing. Beautiful thing. how God made this.” - Andy Griggs “I think it is instilled into man that outside of our heavenly father and His sovereignty, the most powerful thing in this universe is my words and my prayer, I really believe them. I think prayer, it changes. It changes the future, it changes everything I'm looking at.” - Andy Griggs “I have learned that when you grieve through the Spirit, there's a healing that takes place. And it's supernatural. It's godly.” - Andy Griggs “As a true believer in Christ, I think that one of our biggest assets in all of life is having that Comforter with us, and that gets me through the valleys.” - Andy Griggs ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The best news we could ever receive is that in the middle of our most broken, painful moments, there is Someone who will reach out to us—no matter what we’ve done, who we’ve hurt, or the mistakes that we’ve made. God does not care what you look like, or the road that you’ve traveled—all He cares for is your heart and where you’re headed. Sharon Jaynes is an international conference speaker and author. Time and time again, Sharon has seen the power of forgiveness in her life, and has seen how your worst, most heartbreaking moments can be the springboard for positive change. Christine Soule grew up in a broken home, struggled with drug addiction, was a victim of sex trafficking, and had nowhere to turn. Eventually, Christine found God and she did a 180 on her lifestyle—boldly making different life choices, relying on nothing but the goodness of God to heal her broken soul and spirit. Christine is now the the founder and CEO of Providence Heights, a nonprofit organization that was created to house women and children in need, as well as providing counseling, jobs, and education.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Past interview: Zach Williams  Upcoming interview: Holly Singletary   Sharon Jaynes When You Don’t Like Your Story Proverbs 31 Ministries  Girlfriends in God, Inc. sharonjaynes.com   Christine Soule Providence Heights Benny Hinn Broken and Beautiful   Interview Quotes: “I always felt as a little girl that I wasn't good enough, I wasn't smart enough, I wasn't pretty enough. I wasn't a good enough daughter. And if I could be, then maybe my parents wouldn't be so angry and fight all the time.” - Sharon Jaynes “I said, ‘Dad, none of us can be good enough. If we could be good enough, then Jesus wouldn't have had to die on the cross.’ But he could not understand that kind of grace for a man like him.” - Sharon Jaynes “I want to encourage you that getting from that place to being able to tell your story of redemption is a process.” - Sharon Jaynes “We have to stop and think, Who is it that I am not forgiving? Because as long as we have unforgiveness in our heart, we will get stuck in a bad chapter in our story. So the first step is deciding you want to get well, the second step is to forgive those people who have hurt you.” - Sharon Jaynes “If someone steps in that church and they look a little different than you, they're seeking God. They need a savior and you know what? Grab a hold of them because they have made the scariest, most bold step, probably up to that point in their life. So love them. It's a huge deal to let them know that they matter.” - Christine Soule “Don't expect people to change overnight, just one step at a time so that they can really allow God to cultivate them. It's not our job just to fix them. It's God's job to cultivate them.” - Christine Soule “Just know friends, that He is for you. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, He's for you. He's with you. He loves and adores you, and allow that to turn your life into something truly beautiful.” - Christine Soule ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many of us feel called to serve others in some way—and often when we think about what that could look like, we feel paralyzed by too many options. There are so many needs all across the world that must urgently be met, so how do we know where to start? This week’s guests, CEO of Convoy of Hope Hal Donaldson and CEO of Haiti Made Will McGinniss share how they found a way to make real change in lives and in hearts—spreading the word of God and caring for His people at the same time.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith Susie McEntire-Eaton   Circleallacess.com Past interview: Brian Tome Upcoming interview: Sharon Jaynes   Hal Donaldson Convoy of Hope Mother Teresa Golden State Warriors San Jose State University Disruptive Compassion Your Next 24 Hours   Will McGinniss Audio Adrenaline Hands and Feet Project  Haiti Made “Hands and Feet” song James 1:27 NIV www.haitimade.com   Interview Quotes: “I met Mother Teresa. And during the course of that interview, she asked me, “What are you doing to help the poor and the suffering?” And I figured it was probably not a good idea to lie to Mother Teresa. So I told her the truth. I said, “I'm really not doing much of anything.” And she looked back at me and she said, “Everyone can do something.” And she began to talk to me about doing the next kind thing that Jesus put in front of me.” - Hal Donaldson “When you're obedient to God and you do the things that are important to God, God takes that step of faith and He grows it. He makes it something larger than we ever dreamed.” - Hal Donaldson “We can allow the images of despair to paralyze us or the enormity of the problems to paralyze us, or we can roll up our sleeves and say, “Let's get to work.” Jesus used me to make a difference.” - Hal Donaldson “The key to life, the key to fulfillment, purpose, it doesn't come from exceeding others. It comes from elevating others.” - Hal Donaldson “The very first week I got into this Christian rock band and God had a different plan, He would be like, ‘Yeah, I'm going to take your heart to help people and I'm going to give you a platform to do that. And you're going to reach a lot of people who come from all different walks of life and your music's going to bless them and encourage them.’” - Will McGinniss  “What we've learned through time is that there has to be a cultural exchange and we both learn from one another, you know, not that we come in with all the right ideas and completely, you know, just save them, because Jesus has been there for centuries, you know, and decades. But we often come in and feel like we know what's best for these people. And we want to help and have great intentions, but our helping can often create more problems. And so we want to do that in a way that's an equitable exchange.” - Will McGinniss “And as He's entrusted more to me, running Haiti Made now, I don't always feel qualified every day, but I know if I show up every day with a good effort and a good work ethic and just with God's spirit and His help, I call on Him daily to help me lead this team and to be able to get in the right doors, get the right doors open to sell these goods. And we're just continually trying to be creative and having this work grow and to create more jobs and touch more and more families through that.” - Will McGinniss ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we face life experiences that hurt us, that drastically alter the way things go, it can cut deep and cause us significant pain. But as the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Remember that even in the most daunting of circumstances, Jesus took your wounds as His own so that you may know peace and hope in salvation. Our guests this week have experienced their own personal wounds. Former mafia member Michael Franzese shares about growing up in one of the most notorious crime families, how he himself descended into the darkness, and how ultimately, God healed every element of his past and made him a new person. Michele Wilbur-Christiansen shares the tragic story of her parents’ heartbreaking death, and how her and her siblings found peace in knowing that one day, they will be reunited with them in heaven.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast 1 Peter 2:24 NIV Jesus Listens Sarah Young Jesus Calling  Past interview: Lecrae Moore Upcoming interview: Hal Donaldson   Michael Franzese New York Cosa Nostra  Joe Colombo Rudy Giuliani Book of Proverbs   Michele Wilbur-Christiansen Capital University in Columbus, Ohio   Interview Quotes: “The night I went back into prison, they told me I'd never see the street again, I'd never seen my wife and children, they were going to try and indict me on new charges. The government was upset with me because I wouldn't cooperate. They threw me in a hole, I was in solitary, and it was probably the worst night of my life. I thought I was going to lose everything that was dear to me, never see my wife and kids again, I was in my mid thirties. I was still a young guy. So it was a very difficult night. And I was lying on the cot, honestly, I just wanted to close my eyes and not wake up.” - Michael Franzese “The Bible became my Bible. It became true to me.” - Michael Franzese “The heroism of my life kind of transferred from my father to Jesus. I was enamored with the personality of Jesus, the character of Jesus as a man. He was a true man's man.” - Michael Franzese “When times are at their worst for us is when Jesus is the most powerful in our lives.” - Michael Franzese “I did stray away from God, but never really from family. And then over time, I saw how God was working for me in my life, I became a born-again Christian. So I was able to see how God was working for me, even if I kept Him behind the scenes. And then eventually I came to know Him as more than just a religion, but more as my personal friend and Savior.” - Michele Wilbur-Christiansen “Knowing our parents were in His presence gave us comfort through our pain. And a reminder that He always has our best interests in mind, even in the worst moments of our lives.” - Michele Wilbur-Christiansen “This tragedy has caused me to question God at times. I've asked, ‘Why them God, why now?’” - Michele Wilbur-Christiansen “God continually reminds me that we are to trust Him with all of our heart, not just some or not just the parts that we decide to give Him.” - Michele Wilbur-Christiantiansen “Take your anger, your sadness, and all your emotions and all your questions to God, He can handle it and still lovingly accepts you with open arms. He will meet you in your mess.” - Michele Wilbur-Christiansen ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Every Christian faces a time in their relationship with Jesus that is frustrating, that’s full of questions, full of doubt, full of wondering if God is even real, if He listens, or if He cares. But time and time again, the Lord has proven that He does hear your every prayer, as Psalm 66:19 reminds us: “God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.” God is also okay with our doubts—He gives us the space we need to figure out for ourselves that He is good, all the time, and He will be with us always. This week’s guests are two dreamers—the founder of IT Cosmetics, the largest luxury makeup company in the country, Jamie Kern Lima, who faced years of trials and God doubt but managed to find a way to keep the faith, and God rewarded her with the breakthrough she’d been longing for. And the creator of Black Liturgies, Cole Arthur Riley, a born skeptic who educated herself on a variety of religions before finding a home in the Christian church who held space for her questions.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Psalm 66:19 NIV Jesus Calling TV show Jesus Calling Stories of Faith Susie McEntire-Eaton Circleallacess.com Past interview: Dominic Done Upcoming interview: Michael Franzese   Jamie Kern Lima IT Cosmetics Believe It Jesus Calling app Rosacea QVC Cosmetic Executive Women Miss Lisa Mason. QVC show host jamiekernlima.com  itcosmetics.com   Cole Arthur Riley Black Liturgies Chesterton House Blackliturgust.com Instagram   Interview Quotes: “I think so many of us learn that sometimes God's setbacks are really set ups for what we're supposed to do next.” - Jamie Kern Lima “Truthfully, there are nights when I’d get these really hard rejections and I’d end up crying myself to sleep. And the one thing that kept going as I would literally pray and be like, ‘God, I feel like you put this dream on my heart and I don't understand why it's not working, am I wrong?’” - Jamie Kern Lima “All of us have had people reject us or tell us we're not enough or we need to change who we are to fit in or we don't belong. And I think so many times learning to turn down the volume on that and not let it take root in our spirit is so important, because I believe our calling is always stronger than our opposition.” - Jamie Kern Lima “I would rather show real women all ages, shapes, sizes, skin challenges, skin tones. And if the single mom in Nebraska is going to give me two seconds of her time and she turns on her television, even if she buys nothing, I would rather have her see women who look like her and me calling them beautiful and meaning it, than sell a ton of product and stand for nothing.” - Jamie Kern Lima “I was really fortunate to have spiritual mentors early on that allowed me to have a lot of agency over my seeking even as they were teaching me things that probably felt really basic to them in many ways.” - Cole Arthur Riley “Words do have tremendous power, both their presence and their absence. I think our task as Christians is to be really honest and faithful discerners of what any given moment calls for, voice or silence. Both can be oppressive, but both can be beautiful disciplines of rest, hope, and solidarity.” - Cole Arthur Riley “It can be a real gift for us to join voices with other people across space and across time to say, ‘This is who God is, this is who we are,’ and to tell the story.” - Cole Arthur Riley ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many of us have had a moment in our lives that define us as people and as servants of God—and sometimes that moment comes at a fork in the road. Which path will you take? The one you’ve worked hard for and the world tells you you should want? Or the one God wants you to take? It’s almost guaranteed that every time you decide to take the Lord’s path, you will encounter mountains of blessings that you’d never have expected. ABC News reporter Paula Faris was at the height of her career when she faced a devastating series of tragedies that forced her to slow down and recognize that God was calling her to go in another direction. Former NFL lineman Jason Brown had worked hard to make his way up the football ladder, eventually becoming the highest-paid center in the sport. It seemed he had everything he wanted, but the luxurious lifestyle he pursued took his focus off his family and marriage which began to suffer, causing him to reassess what he really wanted out of life.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Sarah Young Jesus Listens jesuscalling.com/jesuslistens Past interview: Zim Flores Upcoming interview: Jamie Kern Lima, IT Cosmetics   Paula Faris Morning Star Christian Community Good Morning America Weekend The View Joshua 5-6 NIV Journeys of Faith at ABC  Faith & Calling Podcast The Paula Faris Show www.paulafarisofficial.com Called Out   Jason Brown First Fruits Farm Lunsford Bernard Brown II UNC Chapel Hill 2005 NFL draft wisdomforlife.org  Centered   Interview Quotes: “And at the end of the day, I think what's most important is that we don't get caught up in the differences, but that we can unite on some of the main tenets of the Bible...the most important thing at the end of the day is that if we are Christians, they'll know it by our love for one another.” - Paula Faris  “I think we owe it to not only ourselves, but we owe it to unbelievers to have a reason for the hope that is within us.” - Paula Faris “Trying to keep a positive mindset when you're in that valley, when you're circling that city, that this is where the growth is happening and God is getting ready to start a new chapter and write a new chapter in your life.” - Paula Faris “I don't want to just have five, ten minutes out of the day where I'm talking to God, I try to talk to God throughout my day, and I'm the type of person where I need encouragement throughout the day. So for me, it's a daily conversation. God is always by my side.” - Paula Faris “Once you ask the spirit to come into your life and to allow you to see things in a new way, you will. And it'll transform your relationship with God. It will transform your belief in God, it’ll transform the way that you see God. And you'll start seeing Him in the sunsets across the sky. You'll start to hear Him in the voices of loved ones and in the faces of loved ones. And you'll feel Him in that gentle breeze and you'll hear Him speaking softly in the depths of your spirit.” - Paula Faris “What do you want people to truly remember you by at the end of your life?” - Jason Brown “Everybody on the outside thought that we were this picture perfect family, but on the inside, behind closed doors, we weren't. We were still going to church every single Sunday, and we knew the talk and the lingo of how to put on the fakeness and the front of being a good Christian. Right? But when we left church and came back home, you know, there was no true mission. There was no true obedience to Christ.” - Jason Brown “Because of my success and my pride in sports and football, it developed an arrogance that I thought I was strong enough and smart enough to be in control and to fight hard enough in my flesh and figure this thing out. And Jesus simply told me that there's nothing that you can do in and of yourself that can bring about the faithfulness that He desires for me.” - Jason Brown ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

At this time of year, as we celebrate the brave men and women who fought for the freedom of our country, it’s a good time to reflect on what it actually means to be brave. Sometimes, as in the case of our military heroes, bravery means laying down your life for a greater good, or for your fellow man. Sometimes bravery can mean stepping into something new, apart from everything you’ve known before, to pursue something greater for your life. And sometimes bravery is the simple act of pushing through something hard, something painful, in order to climb out of the darkness to step back into the light. Our guests this week have each shown acts of bravery in their lives—one in service to our country as a Marine, and in his own personal battle with PTSD, and another who faced addiction and fights each day not to be pulled back into its grip; we’re talking with Chad Robichaux, a former Force Recon Marine who served in Afghanistan, and Tim Atwood, a touring musician who has shared the stage with some of country music’s biggest legends.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Calling armed forces edition Christianbook.com Past interview: Sara Evans Upcoming interview: Paula Faris   Chad Robichaux PTSD United States Marines Recon marine  TS-SCI clearance Mighty Oaks Foundation www.mightyoaksprograms.org National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255   Tim Atwood Mel Street Lynn Anderson Jim Ed Brown Grand Ole Opry’s staff band Taylor Swift  Carrie Underwood Vince Gill Inspirational Country Music Awards Who I Am www.timatwood.com   Interview Quotes: “I'll be forever grateful for the Marine Corps for giving me that second chance, a clean slate of life and to escape that childhood that I was in and have a chance to build a life.” - Chad Robichaux “What I discovered is that the Bible has a very clear blueprint on how to navigate each and every situation.” - Chad Robichaux “During that time, I really dove into martial arts as a professional fighter and won a world championship, ranked number six in the world as a flyweight. And so on the surface, everything looked really good. But I was spiraling personally. And I was still dealing with panic attacks. I was still dealing with a lot of anger issues in my life. And my marriage was falling apart.” - Chad Robichaux “I surrendered my life to Christ. I began to find restoration in my marriage and my relationship, in my own brokenness, and the PTSD. And so I was able to get hold of my life again. So I found restoration. I found hope again for the first time in a very long time.” - Chad Robichaux “We really have to seek our purpose to find out what His purpose is. And I think when we find that we find a role in His purpose, that's when we find our contentment, our joy, and then we are able to tap into everything we're created for.” - Chad Robichaux “One day I just decided, you know, I've played behind everybody I can think of, just enjoyed it. But I think that I would be better served at the front of the stage. And by watching all these entertainers over the years, I kind of learned exactly how to do it.” - Tim Atwood “I’m really just enjoying the opportunity to get out front and entertain because I feel like I'm more of an entertainer than anything. It gives me a platform to talk at most of the shows I do. I've mentioned to everybody that I'm a Christian and that God gave me the gift and I've given the gift back to God.” - Tim Atwood “You have to believe that you've got what it takes, but you also have to listen to the Voice.” - Tim Atwood “I thank God that there’s servicemen and women out there fighting for our freedom.” - Tim Atwood “I pray for Him to give me guidance and show me the way that I should go and the things that I should do to be a blessing to other folks.” - Tim Atwood ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The idea of loving others doesn’t seem too difficult when we put it in the context of those closest to us, the ones who support us, care for us, and who give love in return. But the love that God commands us to have as Christians goes beyond that love we have in small circles—and it demands that as Jesus first loved us, we must love others in return. In the Bible, we’ll find in I John 4:20-21, it says: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. Our guests this week have committed their lives to showing the world that there isn’t anyone who isn’t worthy of love—both God’s love and the love of their fellow man. We’re talking to singer, speaker, and social advocate Cece Jones-Davis, and digital artist Danielle Coke.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast John 4:20-21 NIV Jesus Calling devotional for kids  Jesus Calling Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith on Circle TV Circleallacess.com Past interview: Linsey Davis Upcoming interview: Chad Robichaux   Cece Jones-Davis Matthew 5:6 NIV Howard University Yale Divinity School Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Worship, and the Arts Sing for Change www.cecejonesdavis.com Alive    Danielle Coke Artivism Luke 10:27 NIV Good Samaritan Worthy https://ohhappydani.com/ @ohhappydani   Interview Quotes: “As a kid, I was curious, I wanted to know more, even though there was a lot about spirituality that was really scary to me. And the older I got, that yearning just never left me, it constantly chased me down. And it drove me into pursuing God.” - Cece Jones-Davis “God has had to do a lot of work with me over the years to say, ‘You are smart, you are enough, you're not just what other people have said about you.’” - Cece Jones-Davis “My ministry has from the beginning more so been about my public witness and about how I can outwardly face toward the world outside of the church. What can I do? And so I'm happy to be living in this time when I feel like my life can be used in some way to advance God's kingdom and to stand up for what I believe God is on the side of.” - Cece Jones-Davis “Sometimes I'm connecting as I'm sitting at my desk and I'm like, ‘Okay, now, Lord, I know we haven't had a long conversation today yet, but Lord, you saw the calendar. I'm going to need you to be with me every step of the way.’” - Cece Jones-Davis “I've witnessed what happens when diversity is not a priority.” - Danielle Coke “A big part of why I'm so passionate about justice is tied back to my relationship with God and how I view His calling for our lives.” - Danielle Coke “I encourage people to seek the scriptures about how God is consistently calling us to seek justice and love mercy, how He's giving us stories like the Good Samaritan and illustrating what it means to not just walk past by someone who is struggling, but to help them, lift them up, and be there in a tangible way.” - Danielle Coke “We are all worthy of love. We are worthy of being valued and we're worth fighting for.” - Danielle Coke ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Maybe you’ve heard someone say “Well, if you really knew me, you might not like me…” or maybe you’ve even said that to yourself. There can be much fear in being truly known—will I still be loved, despite my mistakes, despite my desperate thoughts, despite that I might not ever be enough on my own? The resounding answer to that question from God’s perspective is yes. God promises to love us with an everlasting love, and is continually drawing us to Himself with loving kindness, as we’re told in the scripture (Jeremiah 31:3). Our guests this week hit lows in their lives they didn’t know if they’d recover from, and just when they lost hope, they turned to God only to find that He was there, loving them despite their mistakes, fear, and pain. We’re speaking with television personality Rosie Rivera, the CEO of Jenni Rivera enterprises, and firefighter turned evangelist Jason Sautel.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jeremiah 31:3 Jesus Calling  for First Responders editions ChristianBook.com Past interview: The Next Door organization Upcoming interview: Cece Jones-Davis   Rosie Rivera Jenni Rivera enterprises Rosierivera.com God Is Your Defender   Jason Sautel The Rescuer California Conservation Corps California Department of Forestry https://jasonsautel.wordpress.com/   Interview Quotes: “I really, really loathed myself and I thought everyone else would, too, if they really, really knew me and that somehow transferred into God.” - Rosie Rivera  “I told God I was a mess. I was still hung over. I still smelled like alcohol and everything. And I was just at the front of the altar crying my eyes out, letting Jesus know everything that He already knew, that I didn't want to live anymore without Him, and that day I just realized what the cross was, like, it just hit me in such a beautiful way that He had died for me. He already knew everything, and that He loved me. And it can still fill me with love.” - Rosie Rivera “Power comes with His word. I can trust that no matter what is going on with the world, as long as I am holding His hand, I am safe and I am on the right path. It reminds me that in the highs and the lows, He is the same.” Rosie Rivera “No matter what goodness of this world I'd try to throw into it, it would not seal it up and it would actually make things worse. So being a firefighter that was called to help other people but had no idea how to rescue himself, it was really challenging, especially at that point in my life.” - Jason Sautel “At the end of the day, all that is on that fire truck and under all that gear and behind that badge is a human being who just wants to help other people.” - Jason Sautel “I started recognizing Grace, even though I didn't realize what it was at the time, in the form of people being nice to me when I didn't deserve it.” - Jason Sautel “I'm just praying for people that draw closer to God and I'm praying for people to put their faith in Jesus. And for those who have, I'm praying that they will reflect on what their faith truly means, because I have learned over the many years of responding to the bad stuff of this world, I can't fix anything, nor can time. Time alone heals nothing. Time with Jesus heals everything.” - Jason Sautel ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s often been said that we shouldn’t live in the past, but sometimes, inevitably, our past mistakes can haunt us. Regret over decisions made, things we’ve said and done that impacted others negatively, or opportunities missed. But God calls us to a different reality—one that is based on the present with Him and the promise for a future that He lovingly prescribes. Our guests this week have all had events in their past that haven’t been easy to overcome. But each of them took a step forward, a step toward God, and stepped away from having their past define them. We’re talking to author and speaker Christine Caine and the members of the popular worship band I Am They—Matt Hein, Justin Shinn, and Abbie Parker.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Listens jesuscalling.com/jesuslistens Jesus Calling Past interview: Jamie Blane Upcoming interview: Rosie Rivera   Christine Caine Propel Women Romans 8:38-39 NIV 1 John 1:5 NIV Psalm 119 NIV Revelation 21:5 NIV Hebrews 12 NIV A-21 Campaign ChristineCaine.com How Did I Get Here?   I Am They Foursquare Church Vicodin  OxyContin Heroin Mennonite church Romans 5:20-21 NIV “Scars” https://www.iamthey.com/ Faithful God   Interview Quotes: “There are a lot of things in my life that, you know, it would seem naturally speaking, should have stopped me from fulfilling my purpose and destiny. But Jesus being the amazing God that He is, He not only saved me and healed me and restored me, but He used those broken fragments of my past to not only give me a future, but to help me give other people a future.” - Christine Caine “You are never too far gone for God not to be able to bring you back.” - Christine Caine “I have found in my life that prayer moves God, and when God is moved, God can move mountains.” - Christine Caine “I think that if we could trust the character and the nature and the goodness of God, we will get to the other side and find that our God was in control the whole time. I love that about God.” - Christine Caine “I went into an eighteen month drug court program, so I was doing outpatient rehab, I was doing counseling, all that stuff. But what really made the biggest difference in keeping me clean was getting back involved with my church.” - Justin Shinn “When you disappoint yourself, it can be really hard to believe that anyone else would not be disappointed in you, so that was a lesson that took a long time to relearn.” - Abbie Parker “We sort of flipped the narrative that shame would have cast in our lives and decided this is no longer going to be a shameful narrative. This is going to be a story of God's grace and forgiveness and goodness and redemption in our lives.” - Abbie Parker “It was just something that became the hidden addiction. And I never drank and I never got into drugs and that kind of thing, but [pornography] was kind of the thing that I could hide that was slowly but surely, in the same ways, eating me up from the inside.” - Matt Hein “[Sitting in my pastor’s office confessing my addiction] was the moment that I found and I realized Grace and who Grace was and what Grace was capable of.” - Matt Hein ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.