Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

When we look back on our lives, we all hope we can consider them well lived. But what signifies a life well lived? How much money we made or achieving great fame? Not according to our guests this week. Both have achieved fame and recognition for their musical talent, while recognizing God gave them the words and platform to spread His message of love. We’re talking with Florence LaRue, a singer with the iconic music group The Fifth Dimension, and country music artist Michael Ray.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Patti LaBelle Upcoming interview: Michelle Hord   Florence LaRue The Fifth Dimension Lamonte McLemore “Aquarius”  COVID Grace in Your Second Act: A Guide to Aging Gracefully   Michael Ray Warner Music Nashville Gatlin Brothers  Oak Ridge Boys  Garth Brooks “The Dance” Opry Porter Wagoner version of “Green Green Grass of Home” Ricky Skaggs “Real Men Love Jesus” www.michaelraymusic.com   Interview Quotes: “I had no intentions of becoming a singer at all. That was strictly God.” - Florence LaRue “I enjoy communicating with people. I enjoy the exchange of singing songs and making people feel things, making people happy.” - Florence LaRue “You are not alone. God is with you always. He loves you more than you know, more than you can understand, more than anyone else could ever love you.” - Florence LaRue “You know, a prayer doesn't have to be eloquent. It can just be ‘help’ or ‘thank you.’” - Florence LaRue “[My  grandfather] wanted everybody to have a chance to play music, and to see his passion for it for his entire life was unbelievable.” - Michael Ray  “I think that's all you can do in this life is try to make the next twenty-four better than the last.” - Michael Ray ________________________ 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 you feel broken and lost, and the life you wanted seems far from reach, there’s Someone you can turn to. God is just a prayer away and no matter where you are or what life circumstance has laid you low, you can call His name. He listens. He cares. He’s there for you always. Our guests this week have had times in their lives of complete brokenness—and they found that when they whispered a prayer up to heaven, peace, comfort, and restoration was never too far to follow. We’re talking with baseball pitcher Daniel Ponce De Leon, and musician and founder of Tipping Point Artist Wellness Lanny West.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Holly Hayes Upcoming interview: Florence LaRue   Daniel Ponce De Leon St. Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs Victor Caratini epidural hematoma One Line Drive: A Life-Threatening Injury and a Faith-Fueled Comeback   Lanny West Tipping Point Artist Wellness Beatles  Staple Singers  Otis Redding Amy Grant https://www.tippingpt.coach/ Father, Son, And The Unholy Road: The Dark, Twisted Truth of My Journey From Cocaine to Christ   Interview Quotes: “My dad was a very big part in teaching me the Word, and every morning, you know, he was up reading. So he'd talk to me about it, and I didn't really understand most of the things. But you know, later on in my life as I read the Bible, all the words that he told me before now kind of are coming together, and I'm starting to understand that even more.” - Daniel Ponce de Leon “On good days and bad days, I need God.” - Daniel Ponce de Leon  “I believe the whole journey that He put me through was different ways of God chastening me.” - Daniel Ponce de Leon  “I'm using my baseball talents to spread the gospel and I'm able to talk with people and see their connection, their walk with God, and hopefully bring them closer and hopefully just bring us all as a church closer.” - Daniel Ponce de Leon “My dream was to escape the turmoil and the abuse within my family. And I just was trying to figure out how the heck to get out of that mess because nothing was getting better.” - Lanny West “I felt like I had to continue drinking and doing these drugs because people expected me to be a certain way, this entertainer, this radio DJ. And so I got hung up in it and I couldn't get out of it.” - Lanny West “Even though I didn't know my real father, there was a Father that was watching out for me…I don't miss having a cocktail. I don't miss drinking. I don't miss cocaine. I don't miss any of that because I'm filled with God's spirit, and that's the most important thing in my life right now.” - Lanny West  “I knew at that moment that the spirit had entered me and that God had finally shaken me to the point where I realized that I could not go on in my life without Him.” - Lanny West ________________________ 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: <a href="https://bit.ly/3i

This special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to how they pursue peace for their lives. God promises us a peace that passes all understanding when we trust Him to meet our needs. In good times or bad, we’re still able to experience that peace only God can give—letting us know that He’s got everything in His hands. We hope these stories will encourage you that anyone can find peace–—even in times of pain and loss—and that we all can experience the kind of peace that will get us through any situation we may be facing.    Links To Full EpisodesTrent Shelton Erwin McManus Jeremy & Adrienne Camp Chrystal Evans Hurst Melissa D'Arabian Paul Cardall Lolo Jones Reba McEntire ________________________  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.

Uncertain times can cause us to reflect about and reassess what really matters to us. When we take that time to get quiet, pray, and really ask ourselves why we’ve been put on the earth to begin with, we can begin to feel a sense of purpose that directs our next move. And when we’re moving in the direction of our purpose, we begin to connect to our impact in the world and feel the satisfaction of knowing we can make a difference. Our guests this week have come to their sense of purpose and direction through prayer, understanding their strengths and passions, and events that made them pause and look within themselves toward what matters most to them. We’re speaking with country music singer and songwriter Chris Janson and his wife Kelly and author and President, Special Counsel to CEO [Comcast], Steve White.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Sadie Robertson Upcoming interview: Lanny West   Chris Janson Jerry Lee Lewis Waylon Jennings  Johnny Cash Hank Jr. Ree Guyer www.chrisjanson.com   Steve White Uncompromising Moms In Prayer Theodore Roosevelt   Interview Quotes: “I think that God puts certain situations in your life to be honest with you, that really mold you. And I think sometimes you have to live in those spaces and almost kind of be miserable sometimes before you really get to see the clarity at the end of the tunnel.” - Chris Janson  ”I think through our family, it gives us all peace knowing that God is always there and you can talk to Him no matter where you are. It gives confidence. It gives peace.” - Kelly Janson  “I saw God when our children were born. I saw God when we got married. I saw God when I was sleeping in the back of a car.” - Chris Janson “The way you lead, the way you handle yourself, the joy you display, that's your pulpit.” - Steve White “You should never allow your circumstances or your environment impact your ability to dream.” - Steve White “The more you demonstrate an interest in being better, the more you demonstrate that you want your light to shine brighter.” - Steve White “Great things cannot happen unless you're in the arena. So learning is being in the arena because you never know what can happen.” - Steve White “No one really remembers how big your house was. No one really remembers how many awards you got. What they do remember [is] did you change my life? Did you impact my life? That's what people remember.” - Steve White “We all have a purpose. We're all here on this earth for a reason. And so the more you can get quiet and reflect, it will help you start to identify your purpose and ‘why.’” - Steve White ________________________ 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 <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling

When it comes to loving others, we sometimes have to stretch ourselves to honor the commands that Jesus has about love. How can I love someone who is so different from me, we might ask ourselves? How can I love someone who I don’t understand and who doesn’t understand me? In our daily lives, it’s natural for us to make bonds with people who are like us, who have our same values, who believe like us. It can be tempting to live in that bubble and *think* that we are practicing love. But Jesus calls us to do more. He asks that “all we do be done in love.” If we can remember that before each conversation we have, before each decision we make in regards to others, as we measure the words and actions that we speak and do each day, we’ll find that a life lived in love will bring healing, reconciliation and benefits to us that we could have never imagined. Our guests this week are deliberate about taking a posture of love toward what they do in the world. Tauren Wells is a musician, songwriter and speaker who encourages us to recognize God’s love in all that we do and say, and pastor and writers John Siebeling and Wayne Francis have purposefully made unconditional love a part of how they welcome people of all kinds into their churches, and now they’re building off of that to bring people together to have conversations about love, acceptance, and race.  Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Past interview: Cynthia Garrett Upcoming interview: Chris Janson and Kelly Janson   Tauren Wells Michael Jackson  Prince  Donald Lawrence  Fred Hammond Israel Houghton NSync Indiana Bible College  “Known”  www.taurenwells.com   John Siebeling Wayne Francis God and Race: A Guide for Moving Beyond Black Fists and White Knuckles Association of Related Churches—ARC Black Fists, White Knuckles sermon Ahmaud Arbery case Revelation 7:9 NIV Acts 2 NIV Joyce Meyer 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 NIV   Interview Quotes: “I love performing, I love having fun. And I don't think that the presence of God is a fun-free zone.” - Tauren Wells “If we're really trying to make our churches diverse and multicultural, it's not just having people in the room that look like the culture we want. It's creating the pieces of fabric that make up those cultures and weaving them into the faith community that we're building.” - Tauren Wells “The key to moving forward beyond some of the racial tension that we've seen is just super open-handed, open-hearted conversations. And when you have an open heart and you have an open hand, you sit down with somebody that's different from you and you get the opportunity to see and hear their heart and their perspective. You grow and you learn.” - John Siebeling “We're not just trying to empower white people to have these conversations. We're empowering black people, people of color, how to have these conversations in a way that's life giving. And it blend

During a season when “love” is celebrated with flowers, candy, and romantic cards, it’s easy to forget that love has many facets. The kind of love that sticks around when it feels like there’s not much to celebrate. The kind of love that forgives in the face of disappointments and dishonesty. The kind of love that lives up to the promise that God, who Himself is love, made to us; that no matter what, He will never leave us or forsake us. Our guests this week are two couples who have walked together through joyous and difficult seasons—only to find that their love had the capacity to carry them through it all.  We’re talking to country singers Linda Davis and Lang Scott and one time fugitive Bobby Love and his wife Cheryl.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Past interview: Danielle Coke Upcoming interview: John Siebeling and Wayne Francis   Linda Davis Lang Scott Grand Ole Opry Reba McEntire Love Remains Hebrews 11 NIV Lady A   Bobby Love Richard Nixon The Redemption of Bobby Love   Interview Quotes: “God has blessed our life and our family with wonderful opportunities and experiences that we share with people now that we can go out and talk about.” - Lang Scott “Music has been our life. It's been our life together and now for our children as well. God uses what we have done in our life to make an impact in a positive way and in a spiritual way to us, to others.” - Lang Scott “My mother, she prayed that I would straighten up and do the right things, and she prayed that God would just be there for me.” - Bobby Love “I knew somewhere in my deepest of hearts that this is what I had been feeling for so many years, that he was keeping something from me. I just didn't know what it was.” - Cheryl Love “We had a faith in God, and we talked about that, that God had always been with us. He had never left us. And, you know, I just felt like I had to forgive [Bobby].” - Cheryl Love ________________________ 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.

Perhaps the biggest thing that contributes to having a happy and fulfilling life is faith. Our guests this week can attest to that—even though they’re talented, attained fame, and are adored by millions, they each say that the only thing that has gotten them through life, brought them where they are today, and continues to sustain them is their faith. Are you having trouble living in faith? Has your past been difficult and you’re struggling to see where God has shown up for you? Even though it may seem impossible, you can still live in faith. You can take that first step by just talking to God. Tell Him your hopes, your fears, your disappointments. And as you develop that relationship with God, you won’t be afraid to dream bigger dreams, to imagine that your life can be better, to believe that any sadness that envelops you now can be replaced by peace one day. When we believe things can be better and that God will fulfill His purpose in our lives, we begin to develop a faith that is unstoppable and will carry us through every challenging season. Here to share more about what it means to have an unstoppable faith is country singer Granger Smith and his wife Amber and singer, songwriter and author Chiquis Rivera.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Sarah Young Upcoming interview: Linda Davis   Granger Smith   Chiquis Rivera Jenni Rivera Unstoppable   Interview Quotes: “When you hold little humans, you know, and you realize that they depend on you for so much and you look into their eyes and you see the reflection of you.” - Granger Smith “God, help me make the right decision in this moment right now for my family. I'll follow your lead because I'm not in control here." - Granger Smith “The thing that we did was we ran to Him. Yeah, we just ran to Him and he's just carried us for these last two years.” - Amber Smith  “I would tell people at school, all the kids at school, like, ‘My mom is going to be famous one day,’ and they would laugh at me and make fun of me. And I had so much faith in her from the very beginning.” - Chiquis Rivera  “When life drops you on your knees, you're already there, you might as well pray. And that's what I've always done throughout those moments, I always keep my eyesight focused at the light at the end of the tunnel.” - Chiquis Rivera “I'm very well aware that everything I have is because of God, because of His grace. And I keep that in mind. It helps humble me and keep me grounded every single day…What makes me unstoppable? It’s really no secret. It is my faith.” - Chiquis Rivera “What makes me unstoppable? It’s really no secret. It is my faith.” - Chiquis Rivera “When I don't try to fit God into my schedule, everything else goes around Him, around my faith, it's something that I think has helped me. I have this most of the time, unshakable faith where it's like, Okay, no matter what, I know, everything is going to be okay.” - Chiquis Rivera ________________________ 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-

Perhaps you’ve received some news recently that has thrown you for a loop. Someone you love or care about is sick or dying. Or maybe someone close to you is struggling with the darkness of mental illness. Or maybe you yourself have had a health problem or a devastating diagnosis. In this life, we can be reasonably sure that none of us will be spared from suffering. How do we reckon our pain and suffering with a loving God who is supposed to take care of us? There’s a verse in first Peter that says, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Our guests have found comfort in the truth that God is a God of healing and restoration, and that their suffering has produced endurance, strength, and knit them together in compassion for others. For this episode, we’ll hear from Meg Apperson, a mother of four who advocates for her special needs daughter Avery, and Karlie Green, a congenital heart disease survivor.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Listens 1 Peter 5:10 NIV Past interview: Amanda Kloots Upcoming interview: Granger Smith   Meg Apperson Craniosynostosis Single suture craniosynostosis Sky Full of Stars: Learning to Surrender to God’s Perfect Plans   Karlie Green Two Hearts, One Hope: A True Story of Enduring Faith in the Messiness of Life Congenital heart disease Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma   Interview Quotes: “The Lord really supernaturally spared both my life and Avery's life by kind of shielding us from how involved her defects would turn out to be.” - Meg Apperson “When you become a special needs parent, initially, your every thought is just consumed with either the present, how you're going to support this child, or you're learning how to meet their needs.” - Meg Apperson “It's so hard to come into a place where you can kind of release that white-knuckled control over your life or your children's lives or your future. And so really, what I, as somebody who struggles with wanting to control things, I really just have to pray, you know, ‘Lord, help me, help me to be malleable. Helped me just be able to surrender.’” - Meg Apperson  “The Lord is not surprised by our humanity. He made us human, and so He is not put off by the struggle to surrender.” - Meg Apperson “There is light at the end of the tunnel. There is. And that light might not show up today, it might not show up tomorrow. But when you put your faith in God, when you start praying and really talking to Him and getting to know Him, you know, just like the Bible says, He does everything for the good.” - Karlie Green ________________________ 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.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub

This special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast features multiple guests who have appeared in their own episodes on the Jesus Calling Podcast speaking to the topic of love. Love comes in many forms, but none is more powerful than to know we are unconditionally accepted and loved by God, the one who created us. We hope you are able to tap into the powerful force of love in your life through these stories about how love transformed, healed and brought a sense of belonging and purpose to those who were willing to recognize and welcome it into their lives.    Links To Full EpisodesLauren Alaina Danielle Coke Rick Steves Jennifer Greenberg Ginny Owens Andrew & Shawn Johnson East Lecrae Moore ________________________  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.

What’s the central driving force to your life? Is it career? Family? Achieving success? In the Bible, there’s a verse that says “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” What does this mean? “To give glory” is to praise, to recognize the importance of another, the contribution that someone gives to your life. And when we allow God to be central to all we do and say, we’ll realize our potential for love, healing, and relationship in new ways. Musician Jonathan Singletary and his wife, journalist, Project Runway judge and host of CBS’s The Talk Elaine Welteroth find their marriage and their individual purposes in life strengthened when God is in the middle of it. Researcher and writer Juni Felix found hope and healing from trauma when she allowed Jesus inside the center of her pain and believed that she was worthy to live a life outside of the trauma that once defined her.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV Jesus Calling Jesus Listens Sarah Young Past interview: Paula Faris Upcoming interview: Meg Apperson   Jonathan Singletary Elaine Welteroth South Bay Community Church Yvonne Orji More Than Enough Piano and Prayer   Juni Felix John 17:3 NIV www.junifelix.com You Are Worth the Work   Interview Quotes: “God puts people in our lives to show us a piece of His character, a piece of His heart in a different way.” - Jonathan Singletary  “When God gives you a gift, it can go either way, depending on what we're acting out of. If we're acting out of the purity of our relationship with God, then you can see the beauty of it, the light of it. But if we act out of our wounding, we can use that same gift, and there could be kind of a darkness to it, or a lack of love, or a lack of self-love in it.” - Jonathan Singletary  “It's your sole obligation while you are here to uncover your purpose and to put God at the center and to never give up, like, never, ever give up on what God has shown you is for you.” - Elaine Welteroth “When we are really standing in the light of God's love, we know that we are whole, we know that we are more than enough.” - Elaine Welteroth “I hope that as I share some of this, those who are blessed with opportunities to show kindness to children who are homeless and displaced don't ever hold back. I'm living proof that kindness really matters. And so these wonderful seeds of hope, they can literally last throughout a lifetime.” - Juni Felix “The reason that so many people, myself included, who sincerely love the Lord and want to live out His love and shine His light;  they struggle and stumble and get stuck because deep within, we feel unworthy of God's love and grace because of those adverse childhood experiences.” - Juni Felix “Dare to believe that you are worth the work because trauma recovery is hard work, but you are so worth it.” - Juni Felix ________________________ 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.