Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

It’s easy to find heroes in history books or on the screen. But we can also find heroes in smaller moments, quietly leading others through service. Today’s guests, country music star Neal McCoy and Air Force Veteran and Chick-fil-A Foundation Executive Director Rodney D. Bullard, talk to us about service and why they feel it’s important they give back to their communities, their country, and their God. Neal tells us about his family’s legacy of service and why he thinks getting involved in your local community can have a huge impact. And Rodney D. Bullard, author of the new book Heroes Wanted, shares powerful ways we can reach out to others to become everyday heroes and create a life of service. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we visit with two men who have experienced the healing power of sharing with others the pain of their personal struggles. Pastor Johnny Baker is the Pastor of Celebrate Recovery at Saddleback Church. As an adult child of an alcoholic who experienced addiction to alcohol, Johnny is passionate about breaking the cycle of dysfunction and pain by sharing his story and helping others find freedom through Christ. Jason Crabb is a GRAMMY and Dove Award winning singer. Jason and his wife Shellye learned the healing power of sharing their struggles with others after they experienced two devastating miscarriages. Jason connects others to God through his music, helping them to see how God has chosen them and that they are loved.   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our guests today have experienced the power of prayer in their lives and want to share with others what they can gain by talking to God. Holly Shivers is the author of I Can Learn the Bible and I Can Learn to Pray. Holly has served as a staff wife for over a decade at Prestonwood Baptist Church, where she stays involved in women's and children's ministries. Holly is passionate about encouraging both kids and adults to communicate with God through prayer. Erin Lundmark is a wife, mother and business owner.  During a standard physical Erin received some devastating news—the diagnosis of stage 4 colorectal cancer and was given just weeks to live. Erin shares how she faced this news and how her relationship with God and the prayers of others carried her through this difficult time. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s guests share with us how they dealt with difficulties in their life, and with God’s help, ultimately achieved their dreams: former NFL football player and Dancing with the Stars winner Rashad Jennings and Christian artist Ryan Stevenson. Rashad Jennings is a former NFL football player and winner of Dancing With the Stars in 2017. Against all odds, Rashad overcame several obstacles in his early years (including a difficult relationship with his father) that might have crushed his dreams, but when one person believed in him, it changed the course of his life. Ryan Stevenson is a contemporary Christian artist who started his career as a paramedic. Seeing stories of people’s most tragic moments played out in front of him shook him, but a pivotal moment saving a woman’s life would eventually end up saving his and leading him to his true calling--music. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s guests are allowing themselves to be used by God to bring a message of hope and light through their music--The Oak Ridge Boys and Aaron Watson. The Oak Ridge Boys have dozens of Country hits and a Number One Pop smash, and have earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards. The roots of the group and for each man individually are steeped in Gospel music and faith in God. Aaron Watson Aaron started chasing his dream of becoming a country singer/songwriter while still in college. Through perseverance, a work ethic instilled in him by his father, and the grace of God, Aaron has seen his career come to life over the last 18 years, and as his audience grows, he is determined to let use his music and his words glorify God. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We continue our series about country music and faith with today’s guests Marty Raybon & Mike Maguire from legendary country music group Shenandoah, and the long-admired country vocalist Gene Watson.  Marty & Mike share about the beginnings of their band and how grateful they are to God to be able to bring music to the world for over 30 years. Gene shares about his humble beginnings and how he wanted to honor God and his parents for their faithfulness in all the good and challenging things that have happened in his life by recording his first Gospel record. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s guests are two young women who have faced the typical challenges that girls deal with in our culture today--self confidence, peer pressure, criticism and authenticity. Chelsea Crockett started making videos as a teenager just for fun, which eventually morphed into her highly popular YouTube channel Beautylicious Insider. Chelsea’s mission is to show girls how to be authentically beautiful--mirroring the love of Christ to encourage their self worth. Kaylee Rutland is an upcoming country music singer/songwriter who, before performing and singing, battled shyness. Her songs have a message for young women everywhere, including a very special song she wrote for her 13-year old sister who was dealing with self-confidence issues. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We continue a special series focusing on country music and faith as we countdown to the Country Music Association’s CMA Fest, held in Nashville from June 7-10. Our guests today are the legendary duo The Bellamy Brothers and emerging country music artist, Zach Seabaugh. The Bellamy Brothers broke onto the scene with a smash hit on both the pop and country charts with the classic song “Let Your Love Flow,” and continue to tour all over the world. They share a little about their roots growing up in the church, about a new reality show that gives a glimpse into their family’s life in Florida and their new autobiography, "Let Your Love Flow: Life and Times of the Bellamy Brothers. Zach Seabaugh is an up and coming country artist who competed on Season 9 of the NBC show The Voice when he was just 16 years old-- where he placed 5th in the overall competition. Zach discusses what it’s like to be thrust into the spotlight at such an early age, and what motivates him to share his faith journey with his fans. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our guests today have both experienced encouragement from someone who believed in them—their mothers. Our first guest is Jeff Hostetler, a Superbowl champion quarterback who led the New York Giants to their win in Super Bowl XXV some 1 1⁄2 months after the starting quarterback went out for the season with a broken foot. Jeff shares the ups and downs, frustrations and rewards of his football career and celebrates the woman who never stopped reminding him “whose he was,” and that “God had a plan for his life,” --his mom.  Shaunti Feldhahn is a researcher, a speaker and a writer who has studied the effects of rest on the lives of stressed out moms--and women in general. Her new devotional, "Finding Rest: A Woman’s Devotional For Lasting Peace,” guides women in the practice of recharging emotionally, physically and spiritually through finding rest. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s episode touches on themes of acceptance and how God loves us just the way we are. Lisa Harper is a Bible Teacher and a speaker. She shares about how she moved past the shame and trauma associated with early sexual abuse in her life by being able to view herself as worthy in God’s eyes. Shelley Breen, Leigh Cappalino and Denise Jones join us from award winning contemporary Christian singing group Point of Grace. They share their joy and honor at being able to bring messages of hope and acceptance to the world through music for over 20 years; plus their thoughts on favorite hymns and worship songs that are part of their new record “Beautiful Name.” Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.