Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

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.

The concept of identity is a lofty one to wrap our minds around, and we are often encouraged to make sure our identity aligns with who God has called us to be. But how do we do that in real life? It often takes a situation beyond our control, where we feel over our heads, to get us to a point where we realize we have to realign our priorities. It’s there, in that space, that we often find God, and we see clearly what He wants for us. All Elite Wrestling star Brandi Rhodes is the wife of Cody Rhodes and daughter-in-law of the legendary Dusty Rhodes and is a star herself in American Elite Wrestling, talks about how faith and family played a role in forging her into the strong woman she is today. Renowned cardiac anesthesiologist and TedX speaker Dr. Sasha Shillcutt discusses the difficulties of juggling the roles of mom and a physician, how she found the balance by developing a spiritual practice of seeking God daily for 30 minutes.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Peace For Everyday Life video with Rolene Strauss Upcoming guest: Christine Caine Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith TV Show Host: Susie McEntire-Eaton How to watch: Circleallacess.com   Brandi Rhodes Cody Rhodes Dusty Rhodes All Elite Wrestling Christopher Bowman   Dr. Sasha Shillcutt Brave Enough Jesus Calling app https://www.becomebraveenough.com/ Between Grit and Grace Interview Quotes: “I had a really, really core upbringing in church and Christianity. And I love that because it was a situation, at least back then, where everybody was okay with everybody. We had all kinds of people across the board at that little school. Everyone was accepted, and we learned so much. I think that alone is the reason why I continue to pursue faith today.” - Brandi Rhodes “I remember I just prayed that whole time that I was just warming up around, God, please be my legs. I can't feel them. This is important. I really need You right now. And that was the best I ever skated in my entire life.” - Brandi Rhodes, on prepping for one of her biggest skating competitions as a young adult “I felt like I was failing as a mom. And when I would spend time trying to be the best mom I could be, I felt like I was failing as a physician. I think this is something that happens to a lot of women. I recognized how isolated I was, how I had really drifted away from the person God had called me to be.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt “When you bring women together from diverse backgrounds, you recognize that so many of our trials and tribulations are similar, and we may be in different stages of our life or different phases, different states, different countries even. But we often face the same struggles.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt “There's times as a doctor that it’s 3:00 in the morning and I'm in the operating room, and I don't know the next thing I should do to help a patient. I don't know the best thing. I'm not sure we're gonna make it out of the operating room. I'm struggling. And I can tell you in those moments, what I lean on is Christ.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt “I pray that when I show up, I will affect the people in the room--sometimes that's two people, sometimes that's a thousand people--but that God will just help me bring kindness and clarity wherever I go, because the world is hard right now and there's a lot of anger and anxiety. And I just want to be a person that can bring clarity and kindness.” - Dr. Sasha Shillcutt ________________________ 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’re having a bad week and it seems like everything is going wrong, it’s nice to be able to have one constant to look to—something that never changes, is always reliable and there for us when we need it. This week two men of faith share how God’s love has been that constant in their lives; Grammy award winning country singer from the group Rascal Flatts, Gary LeVox and pastor, speaker, and evangelist—and the personal pastor of Dr. Billy Graham, Dr. Don Wilton.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Sarah Young Past interview: Lauren Akins Upcoming interview: Brandi Rhodes   Gary LeVox Rascal Flatts Board of DD, Developmental Disabilities “Someone Else's Star” Hebrews 11 NIV One On One   Dr. Don Wilton Dr. Reverend Billy Graham Saturdays With Billy Africa Inland Mission theencouragingword.org   Interview Quotes: “I was like, ‘Lord, I think you've given me the gift of a gift to sing,’ and I just felt so convicted, I was like, ‘I'm so sorry that I have not used it.’” - Gary LeVox “I really trust and believe that He's got everything laid out, His purpose and His plan for me is going to be perfect, even though I don't see it, sometimes I get so frustrated that I have no other choice but to trust Him.” - Gary LeVox “There's so many times I look back through my musical career and just my life and being a husband and a dad that I've looked and have just [seen] where God has shown up, where I have fallen short, where He's picked it back up and, you know, God has always been with me at times I didn't even know to help me get through things.“ - Gary LeVox “I came into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. And my life has never been the same again, because the Lord gave to me a fresh purpose and a new meaning, and He changed my life and my perspective forever. And I will forever be grateful to the Lord and the influence of people in my life.” - Dr. Don Wilton “To describe the impact of Mr. Graham on my life is almost impossible for me to do. Mr. Graham didn't just talk to me about how to live. He showed me, up close and personal. I didn't just watch him. I sat with him. I didn't just listen to him. I conversed with him. And we became so close. He enabled me to see my own life in a fresh way. He challenged me at the deepest level of my soul spirit.” - Dr. Don Wilton “The very love with which he [Billy Graham] loved me was in and of itself the greatest reflection of [the way] God loves you, which he said over and over and over again to peoples and nations of every tongue and of every tribe and of every race and of every culture.” - Dr. Don Wilton ________________________ 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.

Have you ever asked God to send you a sign? Just a little signal that you’re going in the right direction, or maybe a big red warning sign when you’re not? Whether we see them every day or not, God has a way of showing up and showing His love for us in the simple things—and in the complex things of life. Whether it’s a beautifully composed song that brings tears to your eyes, or the faithful wagging tail of a beloved canine companion, God has a way of delighting us by filling our world with little signs every day of His love and care for us, and if we stay on the lookout for those signs, we’ll begin to see His presence much more clearly. Harry Connick, Jr. recognizes the power of music, and loves to use his talent for singing, writing, and performing to bring joy to others—and now, through a new collection of gospel songs, he’s sharing the faith that has carried him through the ups and downs of his life. SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt are the authors of the bestselling books Godwinks—and now a brand new book called Dogwinks that tells the true stories of how God has used our canine companions to show His love for us in simple and profound ways.     Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Jesus Calling Podcast Season 2 of the TV Show Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith Circleallacess.com Past interview: Bradley Walker Upcoming interview: Dr. Don Wilton   Harry Connick, Jr. When Harry Met Sally The Memphis Belle “Alone with My Faith” single Alone With My Faith album   SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt Godwinks Dogwinks Schoolhouse Rock The Carol Burnett Show Sandi Patty Nicole C. Mullen www.godwinks.com   Interview Quotes: “I've always been someone who really wanted to try as many things as possible. I really love life. I love living life. I love—this sounds a little strange, I guess—but I love the potential to fail, I like taking risks, I like the potential to succeed more, but I don't mind failing.” - Harry Connick, Jr. “I'm a work in progress. I'm imperfect. I have a long way to go, so I feel like my purpose is to try—quotes around the word “try”—to be the best person that I can be every day. I don't always succeed, but if I can continue to try to emulate what I believe to be true, I think that's my most powerful way of getting the message of my faith across.” - Harry Connick, Jr. “My faith is what continues to get me through these tough times. But I just thought about how complex it is and how it's a gift, I think, from God to really compel us to want to communicate with Him.” - Harry Connick, Jr.  “We may forget our prayer, but God never does.” - Louise DuArt  “God had a plan and a purpose the whole time.” - Louise DuArt  “A dogwink is simply God using that vessel to just love us through them.” - Louise DuArt “I just love how God uses everything in nature. He uses everything. He's sovereign.” - Louise DuArt  “It's very logical that if you have a conversation daily with your own earthly mother or father or children or boss or neighbor, the more conversation that you have on a regular basis, the better your relationship. So it stands to reason that if we have a great conversation, a relationship every day with our Father in heaven, He's going to be listening to us as much as we're listening to Him.” - SQuire Rushnell ________________________ 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.

Sometimes when we pray, we really want answers, and sometimes we don’t always get those answers we’re seeking. However, our faith tells us that when we ask for help, whether we see it or feel it, God is there. When we ask for guidance, He leads us, not always on the path we would choose, but one that shapes who we are to become; and always to a place where He knows we can be used well. Lathan Warlick is a positive musician who had a near-death experience one night when he was confronted by two men with a gun. Lathan did the only thing he could think of—ask God for help—and when he was inexplicably saved, he decided to dedicate his life and career to spreading God’s word and encouraging positivity. Growing up in poverty, Dr. William Cooke shares how he wanted to truly make a difference by helping others. That desire led him to begin a practice in a community that was dealing with a devastating opioid crisis that was so overwhelming, after several exhausting years, Dr. Cooke questioned God as to if he had pursued the right path. Just as he was ready to throw in the towel, the answer to his question came from a very unexpected place. Both men looked to God for what roads they should take next, and God was faithful to lead them to the next season of faithfulness to Him, and better equipped to serve others.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith  Circleallacess.com Jesus Calling book Past interview: Carlos Whittaker Upcoming interview: Harry Connick Jr.   Lathan Warlick Luke 15 NIV lathanwarlick.com   Dr. William Cooke National Physician of the Year Canary in the Coal Mine Community Health and Economic Prosperity Hepatitis C HIV   Interview Quotes: “It was like something was sitting on my shoulders. It was like something was holding me, you know, and the feeling was so powerful that it made me start weeping for no reason.” - Lathan Warlick “God was calling me to be a light out into the world.” - Lathan Warlick “It was like God put me out of my comfort zone to put me over here in order for something else to happen. God will make stuff so uncomfortable for you for Him to get your attention.” - Lathan Warlick “I felt my calling was to try to work with individuals, families in a community that didn't have access to health and opportunity and hope.” - Dr. Willam Cooke “As I started working with patients and families, I started to realize that there was something really dark there, that there was this sense that the American dream was not available to everyone.” - Dr. William Cooke “We had to treat people, not diseases. So this seemed like the opportunity to do something new that, you know, this had never happened before. No one really knew how to respond to this.” - Dr. William Cooke “I had this idea that if I had enough faith and I fought hard enough for the people of Austin, [Indiana] that God would come in and fill in the gap and make the change. And I'd done my part. I had done my part. The people of Austin had tried. Why was God not doing what I thought was His end of the bargain?” - Dr. William Cooke ________________________ 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.

Ministry has many layers—it must be adaptable, malleable, able to meet the needs of whoever needs serving the most. It requires a lot of creativity, and often, it means stepping outside our comfort zone, stretching our abilities to fill the gaps. Number 1 Billboard-charting artist Lucas Hoge has integrated his faith and his music for years, and has gotten to travel all over the world experiencing God’s creation. But when he and his bandmates faced seasons in which they weren’t able to get to church, they came up with a creative solution to a common problem: virtual Sunday sessions that cater to those who can’t attend a brick-and-mortar gathering, enabling them to fill their souls with a good word regardless of location. Pastor Brian Tome has seen firsthand how the church often does not cater to men’s learning styles, and has dedicated his life to speaking guys’ language through movement, camping, and connection in a way that effectively reaches the leaders of the household and inspires them to walk in the Christian way. He shares about the concept of understanding our identity, and how to take the one small step that will make God’s heart smile, even if it scares you.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling  Life in His Presence Past interview: Angus Buchan Upcoming interview: Lathan Warlick   Lucas Hoge Sunday Sessions Sunday Sessions album Golden Knights https://www.lucashoge.com/   Brian Tome  Crossroads Church Move Matthew 3:16-17 NIV www.briantome.com   Interview Quotes: “God is the center of my relationship with Him and with the world, I feel we can get through this if I know that He's there guiding me.” - Lucas Hoge “I feel like God put songs and ideas into my heart so that I can put them out there. And even if it's one person that hears that song that resonates for them and maybe helps them or gets them through a tough time or might even change their life, that's what that means to me.” - Lucas Hoge “I came into a relationship with Jesus, which I found a relationship with Him is different than a relationship with religion. And that changed everything.” - Brian Tome “I couldn't have predicted that God would do those things in and through us. But what I found, is if you take just one faithful step every day, if you actually do the thing, whatever the thing is that God is putting before you, that thing will snowball.” - Brian Tome “Most men feel very disconnected from their church. Most men, if they go to church, they feel like they are in an environment that is foreign to them.” - Brian Tome “Jesus didn't come to hold class. He came to change the world. He came to move you and me out of the place of apathy and into a place of challenge.” - Brian Tome ________________________ 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 Bible shows time and time again that Jesus was near to the broken. He was close to those that society discarded, He brought healing to the hopeless, and He reached into the pit of sin and rescued those who didn’t even believe themselves worth rescue. That is our call as Christians, to provide that same type of love and support to those who need it the most, rather than turning our backs on them. CEO of the Sanctuary Project, Holly Hayes, was saved from a life of violence and trauma by turning to a stolen Bible. Now, Holly uses her company, which creates jewelry, to employ women coming out of violence, trafficking, and addiction, giving them a place to start fresh, a place to feel loved, and a place to develop a relationship with Christ, free of judgement. Founder of Better Life Bags Rebecca Smith thought God had made a mistake calling her to move to a little town in Michigan, thinking she’d never feel at home. But after Rebecca’s bag company grew too big for her to handle by herself, she found that there was a large community of women who desperately needed employment and a place to connect with other women. Holly and Rebecca have both experienced the call of God in their lives, and now hope to make that same difference for the people they help by meeting them in their pain and needs.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Mark 2:17 NIV Jesus Calling Life in His Presence Past interview: Tammy Arnold Upcoming interview: Lucas Hoge   Holly Hayes The Sanctuary Project Oprah’s book recommendations  John 8:7 NIV SanctuaryProject.com   Rebecca Smith Better Life Bags Kiva www.betterlifebags.com A Better Life   Interview Quotes: “I went from this really normal, healthy young girl who had trauma but didn't know it to someone who began acting out in every sense of the word and in every way. And all of the sudden my inward trauma became very outward.” - Holly Hayes “I was homeless, addicted, completely lost, completely broken. And I was on the floor of a public bathroom just crying and watching my tears hit the floor one day and three words fell out of my mouth. I said, ‘God help me.’” - Holly Hayes “You would think I cried out to God and then I was all better, right? It took years for me to even realize who that God was that I cried out to.” - Holly Hayes “I was desperate to know who this God was that saved me all those years ago on that bathroom floor, because at this point, I knew I had been so miraculously rescued and everything I had searched for had come up empty.” - Holly Hayes “I stood face to face for the first time with this God who had rescued me off the floor of that bathroom those years ago. And so it was so clear in that moment that Jesus was the God that would rescue someone in the pit of sin and give them a whole new life.” - Holly Hayes “I know there is only one way to get needs met, and that is through prayer.” - Holly Hayes “He is so faithful to the people He loves, especially the vulnerable.” - Holly Hayes “When it comes to meeting the needs of his Beloved, of His people, He is so faithful.” - Holly Hayes “Anything that's different than what we grew up with or are used to is scary if you're just entering it. But my challenge to myself and to people who are scared, I think any time we are confronted with fear of any sort of race, religion, like any sort of difference, is just meet somebody. Like, get a face and a name and shake their hand, get to know their story.” - Rebecca Smith “If we're hurrying through life and rushing, we can't hear those [whispers from God]. We're just too loud and too busy to be able to hear His still, small whispers.” - Rebecca Smith “God has a plan for each one of our lives. He has it laid out for me. He has this pathway laid out. And my only job is just to take one step at a time. I don't have to run down the path. I can simply walk and God reveals the next step as it comes.” - Rebecca Smith “To me, the goal in life, in business, in parenting, in any of it is not winning. The goal is not to finish first, the goal is to finish and to finish well in the lane that God has given us to run.” - Rebecca Smith ________________________ 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.

Outcomes in our lives are comprised of both decisions we make and things that happen to us. Some we can control and others we can’t, but what we do have a say in is how we respond to the events that take place. We can allow our experiences to pull us into darkness, or we can use them as a catalyst for good change—getting us closer to the lives God intended.  Former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry had a difficult childhood full of abuse and violence at the hands of his alcoholic father. Those difficulties left him unable to handle the stardom that would come his way once he entered the professional sports world, and he found himself down a path paved with sin. Darryl’s mother prayed fervently that God would knock him from his throne, and God saved Darryl when he couldn’t save himself. Now, Darryl has been called to spread the message of God’s forgiveness and redemption all over the country through Strawberry Ministries.  Amy Downs was just an average girl who found herself in a tragic situation: she was a clerk at a bank that was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing, which claimed the lives of eighteen of her coworkers. Amy was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble, and once she saw the sunlight, Amy told God that she wanted to live her life differently. That sparked a myriad of changes, including improvements to her health, her spiritual life, her education, and her career—and now Amy is the CEO of the very same bank where she was once a “math challenged” teller who saw no hope in her future.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling for Graduates Jesus Calling Past interview: Kurt Angle Upcoming interview: Holly Hayes   Darryl Strawberry Strawberry Ministries MVP of the Texas League Findingyourway.com Turn Your Season Around   Amy Downs Murrah Building https://amydowns.org   Interview Quotes: “I wore a baseball uniform for seventeen years and I identified myself as a baseball player. And it wasn't until I came to Christ that I was able to identify myself as a man.” - Darryl Strawberry “Everybody was praising me for this great baseball player I was about to become. But I always say it was my pain that started to lead me to my greatness and my greatness would lead me to my destructive behavior.” - Darryl Strawberry “God was doing for me what I couldn't do for myself because of my mother’s prayers to cover her children.” - Darryl Strawberry “God made me understand that the forgiveness was not for [my father]. It was for me.” - Darryl Strawberry “When God does His transformation, He does it for you, but He does it to get through to you so He can get somebody else to have the same revelation that you have had.” - Darryl Strawberry “I remember looking up at the gray sky and just taking that first breath of fresh air and promising God I will never live my life the same.” - Amy Downs “I thought, if I had an issue with drugs, I would go to rehab. I'm going to have to do what it takes for me to get free [from obesity] and just not worry about judgment from others. So I did.” - Amy Downs “Having that experience of facing death at twenty-eight and just sort of realizing, like, I want to live my life with intention, and whether that's doing things purely for my own selfish enjoyment, like a triathlon, you know, or whether that is wanting to serve people in a very difficult role and position, like being CEO of an organization.” - Amy Downs ________________________ 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.