Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

We’re celebrating one of God’s most special gifts: our pets. Animal rescue advocate Lavonne Redferrin and musician Irlene Mandrell have been deeply touched by God’s creatures and share sweet stories of how animals have impacted their lives. Lavonne Redferrin is the founder and executive director of Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, which not only matches animals up with loving families, but works with local organizations, like prison ministries, to provide the therapeutic benefits of being around animals. Lavonne tells us about the earliest days of the organization and why she thinks God blessed us with the gift of pets. Growing up, Irlene Mandrell saw her fair share of miracles as she watched her sister Barbara rise to country music fame, then saw her sister Louise’s star rise alongside her own as the three formed the group Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters. Irlene reflects on everyday miracles and special relationships she’s had with her family, her pets, and with God.   Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Devotional “6 Things Pets Teach Us” download   Proverbs 12:10 Rescue Chewy Pet Food & Supplies Davidson County TN Second Chances (Offender Dog Program)   Irlene Mandrell’s “God Rains Miracles” book Interview Quotes: “Proverbs 12:10 is an organization dedicated to saving as many of His helpless as we can.” - Lavonne Redferrin   “[The] animal has blessed [inmates] or taught them patience or given them something to wake up for inside those bars.” - Lavonne Redferrin, on the Second Chances program with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office   “[Proverbs 12:10 is] at the point that we place an average of a thousand animals a year.” - Lavonne Redferrin   “We truly are dedicated to all [animals] in our care.” - Lavonne Redferrin   “The best way to show your animals that you love and care for them is to give them a proper home in which to live.” - Lavonne Redferrin   “We've had animals surrendered to us, and they will literally sit and watch for hours and days for that person to come back.” - Lavonne Redferrin   "Push back the demands pressing in on you, and create a safe space around you, a haven in which you can rest in Me." - Jesus Calling   “I truly believe that [animals are] everything God meant for us to be.” - Lavonne Redferrin   “You’d wish God would just slow down time a little bit because everything's so wonderful. And I just find myself thanking Him.” - Irlene Mandrell   “God rains miracles all around us—we just have to look for them!” - Irlene Mandrell   Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jesus Calling Website Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio podcast Original Series video podcast Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Former WWE wrestlers Ted DiBiase and Marc Mero learned just how powerful our choices could be: they can either leave us empty, or allow us to be used by God for His good. Wrestling fans may know Ted DiBiase as “The Million Dollar Man,” but today, we get a look at the man behind the persona. Ted looks back on how his father, who was also a wrestler, influenced Ted to pursue the sport he loved. As Ted rose through the ranks and became a world-famous wrestler, he reveals how he got caught up in a destructive lifestyle that led him to the brink of losing everything that really mattered to him. A talented athlete from an early age, Marc Mero always had dreams of being in professional sports. As he acquired all the things he had dreamed of since he was a little boy—fame, wealth, status—he quickly realized his choices had consequences. After he recognized he’d been dreaming of the wrong things, Marc took a long, hard look at what he was living for.   Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young   Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase Heart of David Ministry   Marc Mero Champion of Choices Ministry   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Text Line   Interview Quotes: “But before you can commit your life to Christ, you have to surrender it first. And you're either all in or you're not in.” - Ted DiBiase   “Be a leader, not a follower. Be the head, not the tail. If you're willing to sacrifice, if you're willing to pay the price, you can be anything you want to be in life.” - Mike DiBiase, Ted’s father   “I had been so faithful to my convictions until God gave me what I wanted.” - Ted DiBiase   “I want to tear up and cry because of the realization that there's a God that big who could love me that much.” - Ted DiBiase   “I'm at the height of my career. I've got everything I ever dreamed, I ever wanted. Plus I've got this unbelievable wife and these three beautiful children, but I have no character. I have no integrity. I don't have the stuff that counts. And wow, that was a wakeup call.” - Ted DiBiase   “God, I don't know where we're going. All I know is this: I don't ever want to feel like this again. I don't ever want to feel this lost, this low. I know You have a plan for me, and I know You’ll help me figure it out. . . . You take the helm of the ship. . . . I'm giving You my world to take care of.” - Ted DiBiase   “You always want to be a part of things. You always want to be liked. You want to be a good teammate or a good person. And I think because I wasn't good at first in sports, it made me work that much harder.” - Marc Mero   “I often tell kids that failure's not aiming high and missing. Failure's aiming too low and hitting. And I just say, ‘Dream big, aim high.’” - Marc Mero   “When you realize it's you that has to change, everything around you starts to change.” - Marc Mero   “We all go through hard times. We all go through storms in life. . . . Don't give up because I promise you, after every storm, the sun will eventually shine brighter than you could ever imagine.” - Marc Mero   “Many people are guilty of just being too hard on themselves. And when you're hard on yourself, you have to learn to love and value yourself because you can't give away what you don't have.” - Marc Mero   Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Jeremy Cowart and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are driven by their faith to find a greater purpose for their lives, and use their talents to help others and reflect God’s glory in our world. Jeremy is a renowned photographer and the founder of The Purpose Hotel. As an artist, he endeavors to use his creativity to spotlight situations of need. Today Jeremy discusses his mission to create an intersection between empathy and creativity, and finding his true purpose.  Elisabeth rose to prominence as a contestant on the second season of the reality television show Survivor, where she finished in fourth place. In July 2002, she joined the daytime talk show The View, and after ten years, she went on to join Fox & Friends. Elisabeth shares her experiences in each of her roles in television and relates how, in looking for her “calling,” she found herself running ahead of God. During these seasons of change, she related how she’s learned to wait for God’s guidance as He’s helped her identify her unique purpose in the world. _______ Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Jeremy Cowart The Purpose Hotel Jeremy Cowart’s I'm Possible: Jumping into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose book _______ Elisabeth Hasselbeck Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s Point of View: A Fresh Look at Work, Faith, and Freedom book _______ Interview Quotes: “Greatness should serve a greater purpose.” - Jeremy Cowart “In every failure, we still learn.” - Jeremy Cowart “My mission is to explore the intersection of creativity and empathy.” - Jeremy Cowart “I just love trying to figure out how to be an innovator in times of need.” - Jeremy Cowart “I just crave to see more people trying to help with their tools, use their [social media] accounts to do good things, to showcase others, to tell others’ stories.” - Jeremy Cowart “My greatness should serve a greater good, and that is our greater God. It's His purpose.” - Jeremy Cowart “I just grew up knowing that prayer was not something for one time a day, but something that was essential all times of day.” Elisabeth Hasselbeck “God does not need you as His attorney.” - Bob Goff “Understanding someone's point of view requires being next to them and with them, and just kind of like snuggling up behind their lens.” - Elisabeth Hasselbeck “Only God can change your heart, and He still had work to do in my heart.” - Elisabeth Hasselbeck _______ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Parenting expert Dr. Jim Burns, along with husband-and-wife ministry team Dave and Ann Wilson teach us about caring for our loved ones through all seasons of life. As a father to three grown daughters, Jim has been through every stage of parenting. But when his daughters reached their adult years, Jim and his wife Cathy realized their parenting style needed to evolve with their changing relationship with their children. Jim took what he learned through the experience and shared it through his latest book, Doing Life with Your Adult Children. In 1990, Dave Wilson was traveling with the Detroit Lions as their chaplain. And when he was home, he and his wife Ann were building their young family and a new church, Though Dave and Ann seemed to be living the life of their dreams, on their 10th anniversary, Ann made a revelation that put their marriage into a spin and would forever change their relationship.   Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: HomeWord Jim Burns’ Doing Life with Your Adult Children book  Dave and Ann Wilson:  daveandannwilson.com Kensington Church Dave and Ann Willson’s Vertical Marriage book   Interview Quotes: “I heal broken hearts . . . and broken relationships.” –Jesus Calling “The book is called Doing Life With Your Adult Children. We say ‘Keep your mouth shut, keep the welcome mat out.’” - Dr. Jim Burns “The bottom line in parenting—they could be a five-year-old or an adult—is not that you raise obedient children, but that you raise responsible adults.” - Dr. Jim Burns “When kids stray, whether it be lifestyle choice or whether it be faith issues, I think what we do is we still stand by them, and we have to understand where they're coming from.” - Dr. Jim Burns “I think Jesus had some disagreements with people. No doubt He said it. He was verbal about it, but then He still showed love to people that within His generation—you know, tax collectors—shouldn't have been at the party. The prostitutes shouldn't have been wiping her tears on His feet because that was not happening with the rabbis. But 2hat Jesus did was He didn't tend to agree with how they lived their life, but He did show love and acceptance.” - Dr. Jim Burns “Tough love says that you surround [your children] with love, and while you surround them with love, you don't bail them out. And you don't dump your anger and frustration on them.” - Dr. Jim Burns “You're overwhelmed by the evidence that says this really did happen and Jesus died for me, forgave me, rose from the dead to give me a new life and power.” - Dave Wilson “I want to use what God's done in our lives to reach other people.” - Dave Wilson “Dave was fulfilling this dream and this call—I felt like we were both called, but as a mom, I kind of felt left in the dust.” - Ann Wilson "God, I have made my marriage and my husband an idol, and I put you back on the throne of my life...I confess that I haven't put you first. And I put you first now and make our marriage and our family what you want it to be." Ann Wilson “We kind of put some things in place that could help us restore our marriage, my feelings, our relationship.” - Ann Wilson “In time, my feelings for [Dave] came all the way back to a 10, and I feel like that was only because of God's mercy and grace, but also putting it into practice my walk with God [and] really fighting for it and making it a priority.” - Ann Wilson “You didn't marry the wrong person, you're looking in the wrong place. Only God can give you what you’re really looking for.” - Dave Wilson  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Entrepreneur Helena Cho and radio host Susie Larson were devastated by different events that rocked their worlds and found themselves with nowhere to go—except to their knees in prayer. Helena Cho immigrated to the United States when she was just eight years old. Through hard work and the strong faith of her mother, Helena eventually began building a successful company at age 25. But in the 2008 financial crash, Helena lost everything. In the days that followed, she began to realize God had a much bigger plan for her life than she could’ve ever dreamed of. Through her radio show Live the Promise and now her new book Fully Alive, Susie Larson speaks as a survivor of physical traumas to encourage women everywhere that they are loved, they are strong, and through Jesus they can overcome. Links, Products and Resources Mentioned: Helena Cho's Website: Good Work(s) Make a Difference Jesus Calling Prayer Calendar Jesus Calling (September 18th) Jesus Today (Day 33) Susie Larson's Website Susie Larson's Radio Show Fully Alive by Susie Larson Interview Quotes: “With God all things are possible.” - Helena Cho “[The September 18 entry of Jesus Calling reminds me,] Where is my focal point? It is not to please man. It is to please God.” - Helena Cho "Lift your eyes to the mountain. Where does my help come from? It comes from above, the maker of heaven and earth." - Psalm 121 “Just because you have this joy, just because God gives you this amazing joy and peace, that doesn't mean everything just gets solved.” - Helena Cho "The storms reveal the lies we believe and the truth we need.” - Susie Larson "When you're a sufferer, to hear from someone who's suffered is just a great, great gift." - Susie Larson "[God said to me] 'You rest while I work. You feast while I fight. You wait to take flight.'" - Susie Larson Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jesus Calling Website Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Tim Tebow and the cast of the new inspirational movie Run the Race, and Josh Enck of Sight and Sound Theatres share the powerful way God works through stories to change our lives. With locations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Branson, Missouri, Sight and Sound welcomes more than a million people each year to their immersive productions that feature stories from the Bible. Over the years, Josh Enck has seen the countless ways the Bible’s timeless characters continue to connect with audiences and how the stories hold tremendous power to change lives. The Jesus Calling team had a chance to connect live with the cast and creators of the inspirational movie Run the Race during a special premiere of the film. Tim Tebow and his brother Robby are the producers of the film, and each were drawn to the story of two brothers who defied all odds to achieve a better life for themselves, and strengthened their faith in God and each other along the way. Tim and cast members Tanner Stine, Evan Hoffer, and Kristoffer Polaha talk about why it was so important to them to bring this story to life on the big screen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Pastors Joel and Nina Schmidgall and writer Darlene Brock are finding balance in their lives by they committing their closest relationships to prayer and giving their worries and expectations to God.   Joel and Nina Schmidgall live in Washington, D.C. and minister to couples at National Community Church. Over the years, they have learned how to include God’s love and guidance in their marriage by praying to Him. Joel and Nina have collaborated with their friends, Mark and Laura Batterson, and put their discoveries into a new book called Praying Circles Around Your Marriage. After spending 20 years in the Christian music business, Darlene Brock felt God leading her in a new direction: beginning a ministry to help women join together and support each other to become the best version of themselves. Today, she explains why this support and community is so needed by women as they face unique challenges in our current society. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Radio host Delilah and author Gary Thomas are two gifted communicators who spread the joy of God’s love to others and show us different ways we can nourish our closest relationships. Every night on her show, Delilah hears stories of the heart from her listeners which she in turn shares with millions of other listeners around the world. Today we learn about the woman behind the microphone as Delilah tells us about her growing-up years and how she broke into broadcasting. Despite her broad reach, Delilah has discovered that the easiest way to change the world is by touching the lives of your own neighbors and friends, which she talks about in her new book, One Heart at a Time. Gary is a teaching pastor who often counsels couples before their wedding day, and this journey has led to his latest book, Preparing Your Heart for Marriage: Devotions for Engaged Couples. Today he shares insights for couples looking to begin their marriages with God at the center, and tells us about the surprising blessings of Gary’s own stage of marriage: empty nester. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Authors Brenda Minton, Marta Perry, Lee Tobin McClain, and Shirlee McCoy write for Love Inspired, a line of books that shows how faith, forgiveness, and hope have the power to lift our spirits and change our lives. Through the books they create and the stories they tell us from their own lives, each author reminds us that love takes many forms, from love between parents, friends, partners, pets, children, and more. God gives us many kinds of relationships that bless our lives—all we have to do is look for them. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Kerri Rawson, had her identity ripped from her at 26 years old, when authorities arrested her father, Dennis Rader, who plead guilty in 2005 to being the notorious BTK serial killer. Through her tremendous faith, Kerri found the strength to forgive the man who ruined eight families, including her own, and the courage to tell her story, first through ministry and now in her book A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.