Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Forgiveness can be a difficult concept—especially when we’ve been harmed in ways that have long-lasting effects. However, unforgiveness can end up doing even more damage. Our guests this week have stories of pain and harm done by people filled with hatred that was so traumatic, forgiveness seemed like an impossibility. Jeanne Lakin, a writer and speaker, endured the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide as part of an ethnic group who were targeted for massacre. Randy Hartley, a Tennessee businessman, traveled with his daughter to Rwanda and befriended a man whose own aunt was responsible for the death of his mother, sister, and nieces. Forgiveness didn’t seem like an option in their stories, yet through prayer and faith, it became the only choice that would bring wholeness and restoration to those involved.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Casey, CJ, and Tucker Beathard Upcoming interview: Sonya Curry   Jeanne Lakin Rwandan genocide Tutsis  Hutus www.avoiceinthedarkness.org   Randy Hartley Beautifully Broken Compassion International Amy Grant William and Ebralie Mwizerwa Legacy Mission Village Beautifully Broken movie   Interview Quotes: “We went from being from this home, a beautiful home, to being in the bushes, hiding for our lives and watching our neighbors, our loved ones, our families being basically killed because of how God had created us.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “I knew I could access that peace with God through prayer. I know I had God, who was seeing me through this chaos.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “God created us with a choice, so people could choose to do good.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “He's a God who sees details that we might not see.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “When I was able to forgive, when I was able to say, ‘I forgive you for the rape, for raping me. I forgive you for killing my family. I forgive you for all the pain, all the nights I spent thinking about all the pain you caused in my life,’ that was God's gift.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “Once everything is taken away from you and all you have is God and prayer, He really puts you in a humbling place where nothing else matters. It's you and God, no matter what happens at the end of the day.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “When you have such hatred and bitterness and anger and resentment in your heart, there's just no way to enjoy the simplest thing that God has created for us when we're holding on to that kind of pain.” - Jeanne Celestine Lakin “If you've ever been a dad driving at 3:00 in the morning and trying to find out where your daughter is, it just doesn't get any darker than that.” - Randy Hartley “God could take a Rwandan refugee and a national financial planner and a Rwandan genocide perpetrator, and weave their lives together through this divine tapestry in a way that they were all saved.” - Randy Hartley “When you're broken and you're in a dark place, sometimes it feels like you can ever move forward. But I'm here to tell you, that's just a chapter in your life. That's not the end of your story. That's just a chapter.” - Randy Hartley ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: <a href="https://bit.l

This special bonus edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast sharing inspiring stories about mothers–either their own or others who have influenced their lives by showing them motherly love. It is a blessing and a responsibility to nurture others–whether it be those in our own family, or those outside our family who may not know the love of a mother. So many lives have been positively influenced by women–mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, or friends who took it upon themselves to love and care for someone–modeling God’s unconditional love for us all. We hope these stories will encourage you and remind you of that special person in your life that hoped for you, prayed for you, and believed in you when you needed it most.    Links To Full EpisodesJason Crabb Peggy Rowe Kierra Sheard-Kelly Gloria Gaither Toure Roberts Cheryl Karpen Candace Cameron Bure Jeff Hostetler ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week we celebrate a special landmark—our 300th episode. Many thanks to you—our listeners—for coming back to our show week after week to hear the stories of real people, just like yourself, who have found hope and peace in the word of God and in Jesus Calling. For this very special episode, we have three guests who have all experienced their share of scars from the hard parts of life, but have found a way to see their scars as badges of honor, and they recognize how God has strengthened them through their pain so that they can reach others with His message of love and healing. We’re talking with NFL and MLB star Tim Tebow, singer Merry Clayton, and actor Dean Cain.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Michelle Wilbur-Christiansen Upcoming interview: Jeanne Lakin   Tim Tebow Frank Thomas Psalm 139:14 NIV Mission Possible: Go Create a Life That Counts   Merry Clayton Rolling Stones  Lynyrd Skynryd Beautiful Scars Billy Preston  Ray Charles  www.merryclayton.com   Dean Cain No Vacancy trailer No Vacancy website No Vacancy Facebook No Vacancy Twitter Lois & Clark Sean Penn Chris Penn Rob Lowe Charlie Sheen Emilio Estevez Princeton University Young Guns Beverly Hills 90210 God's Not Dead Cecil Johnson It’s a Wonderful Life   Interview Quotes: “If I didn't know what God says about me, then it would be so easy to get caught up with the highs and the lows.” - Tim Tebow “We are here to love God and love people. And He has made it possible through the blood of the cross to have a mission possible life, one that truly counts. Not one that is about one day, but one that is about this day. This day, it is a chance to make our life count.” - Tim Tebow “It's so easy to get caught up in those emotions because they speak really loud. Ask for truth to speak louder.” - Tim Tebow “We can choose courage, because even in the midst of the trials and the midst of a tribulation, the midst of the negativity, in the midst of the criticism, we know all we have to do is keep fighting because He wins the game for us.” - Tim Tebow “We wanted His will to be done. Not me, not my will, but His will, because that's the way we live.” - Merry Clayton “God is still here. He hasn't left us. He's still here. We're still in

In the busyness of life, job, family, and activities, we can easily become caught up in the day to day routine of putting one foot in front of another. And sometimes, that very routine, instead of being comforting, can be something we feel dragging us down, making us feel like we’re just living life in an endless loop, with no real deliberation or purpose. Our guests this week have learned an important truth about taking deliberate steps to carve out moments for reflection and connection with God—even when their day-to-day existence is overwhelming. Actor Mark Wahlberg takes time each day to pray because he knows it will equip him to take on what’s next in a positive way. Actress and writer Roma Downey takes a moment at the beginning and end of each day to remember what she is grateful for and to identify that day’s unique blessings. Writer and speaker Shauna Niequist enjoys a “breath” prayer practice where she thinks consciously about breathing in God’s peace, and breathing out her own anxiety. No matter which way you choose to deliberately connect with God’s presence in your life, you will likely find peace, strength and courage to take on stressful days that only He can give.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Ruth Chou Simons Upcoming interview: Tim Tebow   Mark Wahlberg Father Stu   Roma Downey  Lightworkers The Bible Series Son of God A.D. The Bible Continues Messiah Touched by an Angel Psalm 46:10 NIV www.lightworkers.com Unexpected Blessings   Shauna Niequist I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet   Interview Quotes: “As a person of faith, I'm just trying to grow and be better every day, be an example to my wife and to my children and to the people that look to me as an example.” - Mark Wahlberg “When I started focusing on my faith, good things started to happen.” - Mark Wahlberg “No person is beyond redemption. As long as they are willing to repent and want to make real change. We cannot turn our backs on anybody. This is not about excluding people. This is about including people and opening our arms and our hearts and our homes and everything else to love people and care for them.” - Mark Wahlberg “I think in life you reach a point where you think, If I only have forty summers left, what do I want to be doing with my life? And I thought, I really want to live a life of purpose.” - Roma Downey “If you have a gratitude attitude, you can really change your life.” - Roma Downey “I've almost trained myself to look for the blessings. And the great thing is, when you train yourself to look for the blessings, you find them, and then you start finding that they're everywhere. It's like the more you're grateful for, the more you have to be grateful for.” - Roma Downey “I loved having a sense at a very young age that the world was big and beautiful, and people all over the world were kind and interesting.” - Shauna Niequist “We felt like there was a lot of energy and direction, like God's graciousness was very apparent and it felt like the path was emerging before every step.” - Shauna Niequist “There wer

This special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling podcast features missionaries to Ukraine, Yuriy and Madison. Yuriy and Madison Perekotiy share about the work they’ve been doing to help vulnerable people in Ukraine since 2018 and give us a glimpse of how Ukrainian Christians are opening their doors to those who have lost everything during the war. They describe how their community and church in Ukraine are stepping up their efforts to show God’s compassion to those who have been most affected by the conflict. Their prayers are for a hope and a future for the Ukrainian people that is free from war and that God’s healing can be found in the aftermath of this collective trauma.   Quotes “Everybody has literally opened their doors, opened the doors of their churches, opened the doors of their apartments and said, ‘Hey, come here and you know, stay with us for a little bit.’ I've been proud for the Ukrainian church. They’ve opened the doors. And I think that right now it's a great opportunity to make friends with people who you've probably never met and plant the seeds of the gospel in their hearts.” Yuriy Perekotiy “We've seen the church in Moldova, Romania, Poland–all the surrounding countries around Ukraine–Slovakia, Hungary, the churches there, as well as further into Europe, are rising up to take care of Ukrainians who are in need. And so I think God will use this tragedy of war to draw people closer to Himself through believers in so many different places that are not just in Ukraine, but all over the world.” Madison Perekotiy “Continue to pray for those who are most vulnerable. Those who might have autism or special needs, or a child with Down syndrome or those in the deaf community. Those with a physical challenge that makes it difficult for them to get out or evacuate or those who can't leave at all because of those things, just to continue to pray God's mercy over the vulnerable.”  Madison Perekotiy   Links@theperekotiys War Relief Fund Video Updates Heritage Ukraine ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are you the type of person who won’t ask for help until you get to a place where you absolutely have to? Are you someone who thinks you can handle things on your own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness? Paul from the Bible is a famous example of someone who tried to carry the weight of his mistakes and misfortunes on his own. It took Jesus’ words “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” [2 Corinthians 12:9] for Paul to realize that he could “gladly boast about my infirmities so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Jesus is there to listen when you need help, and He doesn’t despise our weakness—He demonstrates His strength in us through it. Our guests today are open about how they lean on God for their help and hope. Bubba Watson is a PGA golfer who has won multiple major championships who, even while at the top of his career, reached a low point where he wasn’t sure he could lift himself out of his depressed mental state. Jimmy Houston is a legendary fisherman who hosts the popular TV show Jimmy Houston Outdoors. When Jimmy found himself at low points over the years, he testifies that God was always able to pick him up and take him to that next step to where he needed to be.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV Past interview: Ryan Casey Waller Upcoming interview: Mark Wahlberg   Bubba Watson Don Mattingly  Up and Down   Jimmy Houston   Jimmy Houston Outdoors Catch A Better Life Lake Tenkiller BASS  FLW Lake Genesis at the Sea of Galilee www.jimmyhouston.com   Interview Quotes: “Without faith, I wouldn't have gotten off the floor.” - Bubba Watson  “You have to find people that you truly trust. There's going to be one to five people that you can truly trust and share with. And they don't blink an eye. They're there to hug you. They're there to give you a high five.” - Bubba Watson “When we stumbled and fell, when we hit those broken roads, when we got in those valleys, God was always able to pick us up and take us to that next step, whatever that next step might be.” - Jimmy Houston  “It's hard to be a hunter or a fisherman and not acknowledge God all around you.” - Jimmy Houston “I continually pray for the things that I want God to be doing in my life on a daily basis. I ask God every day for Him to make me a blessing to other people that I come in contact with.” - Jimmy Houston ________________________ 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 <a href="https://www.yo

When life deals a tough blow, it can be challenging to know where to go next. Perhaps the plans you’d been working toward have been blown out of the water, or maybe you’re experiencing a loss that has made you wonder how to move forward. When it feels like nothing makes sense in our lives anymore, all we can do is continue to show up and look for what God has next for us. Musician Danny Gokey was encouraged by his wife to try out for American Idol, and while they worked toward that moment, she unexpectedly passed away and Danny wasn’t sure how to go on. Minister Hosanna Wong lost her father at eighteen and longed to follow his legacy and help others learn of God’s love, but realized that it would take being present for others and really showing up in their lives to be able to live out her faith in a way that was authentic and compelling.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Matthew West Upcoming interview: Bubba Watson   Danny Gokey American Idol Phillips, Craig and Dean Hebrews 12:2 NIV Jesus People www.dannygokey.com   Hosanna Wong How Not to Save the World   Interview Quotes: “I'm glad God kept pushing me because I just didn't see myself as the lead person or the lead singer.” - Danny Gokey “In the most difficult time of my life, losing a spouse, all of a sudden there's a wide open door in the midst of that to fulfill a dream that God was giving me in that moment.” - Danny Gokey “I think God was pulling away and resetting the foundation so that I would know and that people would know that [my music career] was God built.” - Danny Gokey “People want to be seen, people want to be known, people want to know they're not alone. And there is no point in putting on a facade to impress the world Jesus called us to serve.” - Hosanna Wong “Being a part of God's beautiful church all over the country, I realize the truth that the church was way more beautiful than I ever imagined.” - Hosanna Wong “Let us also live and love others in the same way that God loves us, not giving people shame, but also telling them the truth about who they are too.” - Hosanna Wong ________________________ 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.

This special bonus edition of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they’re overcoming worry and anxiety in our lives. “Do not fear” is one of the most oft repeated phrases in the Bible. God knows that we as humans struggle with fear, worry, and anxiety and He gives us many reasons to believe that He will guide us through the unknown and help us move past our fears. We hope these stories will encourage you and remind you that you are not alone–and that a life plagued by anxiety and worry can be replaced with a life of assurance that things can ultimately work out for our good, according to God’s plan.    Links To Full EpisodesSara Evans Nik Wallenda Ally Brooke Ryan Casey Waller Gloria Gaynor Michelle Bengtson Darren Whitehead/Chris Tomlin ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we are not completely honest with ourselves or others about our problems, struggles, or emotional pain, we can find ourselves disconnected from the world and may even turn to drugs, alcohol, or other addictive behaviors to combat our shame. This shame can grow over time and fuel our addictions to become even worse. But there is hope in overcoming these destructive cycles—and we don’t have to live in the shadows of our secrets. Jesus tells us in the Bible that if we follow Him we can know the truth; and that truth can set us free. Our guests this week battled their own secret pain and addictions only to find the freedom that comes by pursuing the truth that Jesus so readily wants to show us. We’re talking with country music artists and songwriters Brett and Brad Warren from the Warren Brothers and Broadway, film, and television actress Amanda Jane Cooper. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Ryan Sheckler Upcoming interview: Danny Gokey   Warren Brothers Van Halen album Women and Children First Buzz Cason Tom Douglas Tim McGraw 9/11  www.warrenbrothers.com   Amanda Jane Cooper Glinda in Wicked Carnegie Mellon University Mr. Stephen Schwartz Kristin Chenoweth www.amandajanecooper.com   Interview Quotes: “The partying and the drinking and being in a bar band and just having fun and hanging out with other people that were partying and drinking turned into medicating pretty quick.” - Brett Warren “The very first hit we had was in our first year of sobriety, so we thought we were giving something up creatively [by not drinking] but the truth is we were gaining tons.” - Brad Warren “The God I met in recovery and the God that I was introduced to as a little kid that was holding a lightning bolt that couldn't wait to pelt me all the time, and then the God I've gotten to read in Jesus Calling, each of them, they've all circled into one.” - Brad Warren “God is good. They always say that when something good happens to them, but [Brad’s] seeing that God is good in the worst thing that could happen to you, and the good that's happened to our family as a whole, and the change that it's made in all of us and increased our faith and trust.” - Brett Warren “Helping other people [is] what helps us to stay sober. And it makes us feel fulfilled.” - Brett Warren “I really did think that I had to earn my value, earn my worth, prove my perfection. So that was through misusing and abusing my body, but also trying to fill that God-shaped void in my soul with relationships, with promiscuity, with substances, with success, even.” - Amanda Jane Cooper “I have a new perspective that God says who I am. I do not need to “prove” to the world my worth through a certain size or through a certain weight at all. God looks at the heart and He wants to tend to our hearts.” - Amanda Jane Cooper “I fully believe that by the blood of Christ and His healing power, we can be set free from addictions, compulsions. We can go to Him in distress, pain, anger, insecurity. He is big enough and good enough, better than good enough, to handle whatever we bring to His feet.” - Amanda Jane Cooper ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel: Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH Video Playlist: https://bit.

Countless articles have been written and studies conducted about the power of prayer, not just from theologians, but from mental health experts and those who study the pathways of the brain; and they all come to the same conclusion–prayer and having a relationship with God makes us stronger. Prayer can calm our nervous systems, shutting down our fight or flight response. It can make us less reactive to negative emotions and less angry. It can give us hope that we are not alone–even in the most trying of times. Our guests this week share how their personal relationship with God has held them up in times of sadness and loss, doubt and fear, and that building a foundation of trust and familiarity with God has been what keeps them moving forward when things fall apart in their lives. Michelle Hord is a media executive and storyteller, and founder of the non-profit Gabrielle’s Wings. Krispin Mayfield is a writer and a counselor who studies attachment science—a discipline that looks at how relationships develop between humans, and correlates our various styles of attachment to how we develop our relationship with God.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Chris Norton Upcoming interview: Brett and Brad Warren   Michelle Hord  Gabrielle’s Wings America's Most Wanted President Reagan The Oprah Winfrey Show Good Morning America J.C. Penney studio Jesus Calling app The Other Side of Yet   Krispin Mayfield D.L. Mayfield Psalms Henry Nouwen Mr. Rogers Attached to God: A Practical Guide to Deeper Spiritual Experience   Interview Quotes: “We sometimes have our course, we think, and then God provides what we think are detours that are actually the great path…I always thought the beauty of how the human spirit fights to survive, fights to find faith, and how strangers even try to be a part of helping to be the light in really dark stories. ” - Michelle Hord “I immediately looked for a dark room, a closet, and I shut the door and I got on my knees and I said, ‘God, I do not know what this is, but whatever it is, please give me what I need to survive it.’” - Michelle Hord “It was an act of defiance to say, ‘In the end, God is going to win.’ I don't know how. I don't believe God did this to my child. I don't believe the platitudes of ‘everything happens for a reason.’ But I do know there's a God. “ - Michelle Hord “My relationship with Jesus Calling, the intimacy of how the passages are written, was familiar in a time where there wasn't much that still felt familiar.” - Michelle Hord “I know that He has used this horrific, horrific experience and the holes in my heart as a testimony to others…There is the complete vulnerability and weakness and brokenness that takes us to Him in a unique way where He truly can shine through all of the broken pieces.” - Michelle Hord “The science actually shows us that the way we relate to God is just the same way we relate to everyone else.” - Krispin Mayfield “We want closeness with God. And actually, there are these predictable patterns of how we try