Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Our guests this week speak to living a life where they’re seeing things they never thought possible come to fruition, and how faith factored into those events. From singing in small town church choirs to receiving the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent, country trio band Chapel Hart never thought they’d be where they are today, playing music for audiences all over the country and sharing their faith. Andy Partington, author of Hope in Addiction, grew up in a rehabilitation center where his parents worked. He discovered from a young age that recovery from addiction is possible no matter your story, and found his passion for helping addicts see there is hope in Christ for a better future.     Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Emily Chang Upcoming interview: Brett Young, Lathan Warlick, Tayla Lynn, Granger & Amber Smith, Travis Tritt, and Reba McEntire along with her sisters Susie and Alice   Chapel Hart America's Got Talent Simon Cowell  Glory Days Loretta Lynn  Dolly Parton    Andy Partington Novo Communities Yeldall Manor Hope in Addiction Interview Quotes: “It's been a joy for us to watch God bless people through our music and through our presence because we prayed before every show, ‘God just allow us to be the vessels, may nothing that we say be to glorify us, may all be to glorify You, but more than that, make people hear You through what we do and what we say.’” - Danica Hart “Every day won't be perfect, but we know that it's all a part of the journey, and that it makes the glory days what it is.” - Devynn Hart “You're in your glory days and because these are the times of your life, it doesn't exempt you from loss and grief and disappointment and heartbreak. All of those things still happen while you're in your glory days, and our faith has been instrumental in being on this journey.” - Danica Hart “Even in the things that you don't understand, trust that He's got your path laid out, that the path is there ,and everything you need for your journey is already inside of you, but you've just got to trust that He'll lead you there.” - Danica Hart “Really, addiction is this experience of losing the power to choose, and recovery is discovering again that that power to choose addiction lives on a continuum.” - Andy Partington “We live in an age of addiction. Let's talk about addiction. Let's think about addiction, and let's work together, really, to create communities where we have the depth of relationship with one another and the depth of relationship with God, where act

There are no guarantees that we won’t face heartache and disappointment in life. But God guarantees that there is deep meaning in all the seasons of our life, and that grief can eventually give way to joy. This is reiterated in scripture, where in John 16:20, it says “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” Whether we are grieving the loss of a person, or experiencing disappointment that we haven’t found what we’re looking for in life, God will find a way to bring us beauty from the ashes.   Singer and songwriter Jimi Cravity is a two-time Dove Award nominee whose music has made its way into the hands of artists like Ludacris and Usher. Cravity faced the tragic loss of his son and made a stunning discovery about God and music during his deepest sadness. Leslie Means thought she was living her dream as a news anchor, but always felt that she was made for something more. With the encouragement of her husband Kyle, Leslie stepped away from her news job and went on to create an online community that helps women in times of need—Her View From Home—and found what she’d been meant to do all along.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Luke Weaver Upcoming interview: Chapel Hart John 16:20 NIV   Jimi Cravity  Ludacris  Usher The Last Amen liver cancer Potter's House at One L.A. Revelations Revelations 22:13-15 NIV Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV   Leslie Means  Her View From Home University of Nebraska-Lincoln Houston Rockets So God Made A Mother   Interview Quotes: “Of course, as a parent, you never want to become a bereaved parent. You never want to deal with loss, but what I can say now on the other side is that God has given me beauty for ashes, that He's given me a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness, that He has turned despair into dancing, and I'm thankful for that.” - Jimi Cravity “I remember there were Sundays where all I could do was just go into the service and I would just go to the altar and kneel and weep. And it was in those moments that I felt very near to Christ, that I felt very near to God, that I felt the nearness of His Spirit, that I felt strength, that I felt Him in those moments of bowing and kneeling at the altar there.” - Jimi Cravity  “The Bible says that God is near to those who are brokenhearted. And I think it's really clear to feel that when you feel blessed, when everything is going your way, when you feel like you're on top of the world–but it's challenging to feel that and remember that when you are experiencing loss and when you're experiencing some of the darkest days that you cou

On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to country music singer/songwriter Aaron Watson, who shares how an injury to his vocal chords necessitated a need for him to come off the road and rest his voice–with no guarantees that his voice would return. Aaron tells us how scary it was to consider that he may not sing again, but how he chose to trust that God would provide for him, and how he was motivated to tell others about God’s grace in a new way.     Guest’s Links Facebook: @aaronwatsonmusic Twitter: @aaron_watson Instagram: @aaronwatsonmusic ________________________  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.

Sometimes the people we least expect to make a difference in the world are the ones that show up in ways we never thought possible, and are used by God in big ways to draw others to Him.  Alice Marie Johnson had been sentenced to life in federal prison, but she didn’t let it define her. She consistently clung to her faith and then became a minister to other prisoners—despite the tragic circumstances—and she is now an active criminal justice reform advocate. While following anti-human traffickers in Southeast Asia to film a documentary, Christina Zorich witnessed the crippling heartache victims faced, and saw how God can bring hope and healing to anyone, anywhere.      Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Aaron Tippin Upcoming interview: Jimi Cravity   Alice Marie Johnson  Psalm 23:4 NIV John 1:5 NIV Yale University University of Washington Clemency Project 2014 Kim Kardashian  Ivanka Trump Jared Kushner Receiving & Discharge   Christina Zorich  The New Abolitionists Olympia Dukakis  Louis Zorich Our Town Unlikely Heroes Polaris Project  Extreme Love Ministries  Tamar's Center   Interview Quotes: “I knew that the Lord was with me, because I had peace even standing there [in the courtroom] that I can't even explain to this day how I could be calm hearing that sentence, that executed sentence of death being pronounced over me.” - Alice Marie Johnson  “I asked the Lord, ‘Please show me my purpose in this. Show me what you have for me in this. There's got to be more than this. If You could use me in prison, use me wherever I am, Lord. Let my life stand for something.’” - Alice Marie Johnson  “I know that it was a sovereign hand of God. For someone to see me as a human being worth a second chance, worth redemption, I know that it was God.” - Alice Marie Johnson  “Going on the journey [following anti-traffickers in Asia] was actually in some ways so simple, because I had to be so dependent on God. I had to be so dependent on just getting every little opportunity, appreciating it, and if I made a mistake, I had to learn from the lesson.” - Christina Zorich  “I realized the simplicity of the experience really helped guide me and made my life just simpler in a way. Because when you're doing something for the first time, that wide-eyed openness makes you appreciate things and value things. And the experience and the journey changed me in many ways.” - Christina Zorich  ________________________ Enjoy watching these addition

Fathers can be quite the influence in our lives—sometimes positively, and sadly, sometimes negatively. No matter where we stand with our earthly fathers, we can know that we matter to God the Father. There’s a verse in 2 Corinthians 6:16 that contains this promise from God: “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people… and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty.” This promise is available to everyone who calls out to their Father God.  This week’s guests were blessed to have loving relationships with their fathers, and in turn have become fathers who pray for their children, and teach them about the love of their heavenly Father. NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins shares about the challenges and triumphs of his NFL career, and also about the challenges and rewards of being a father—and how he prays for his children daily. Author Jay Payleitner and his daughter, Rae Anne, open up about how to navigate seasons of change in the father/daughter relationship to maintain a strong and loving bond over the years.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Dionne Warwick and Damon Elliott Upcoming interview: Alice Marie Johnson 2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV   Kirk Cousins  Matthew 7 NIV Minnesota Vikings Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Michigan State Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation www.kirkcousins.org   Jay Payleitner  Rae Anne Payleitner Girl Dad   Interview Quotes: "I look back now and see that God is so much bigger than our circumstances. What I thought was a dead end ended up being really a tremendous path that set me on a dream course to go where I was hoping to go. So I look back now and realize, Lord, you've got a plan. It's not always going to be as straight and easy as I would like it to be, but I’ve got to trust you." - Kirk Cousins “It had to be God's hand leading my life, which is what it should all be about, that He gets the glory and not us.” - Kirk Cousins “I found that what's so powerful about the Jesus Calling resources is that no matter what you're walking through circumstantially that's unique to you, so many times the message of that day's word can apply to what you're dealing with. It's powerful the way that it can speak so specifically to people's situations. “ - Kirk Cousins “When I pray for opportunities to share my faith, God answers and provides those opportunities. So between praying for it, being ready for it, and then trying to walk it out on a daily basis, I think it becomes a great opportunity to treat a locker room almost like a mission field, if you will.” - Kirk Cousins “I think it's important that you shine your light in such a way that other people would start to think about how they can be generous as well.” - Kirk Cousins “I think the key to all relationships that span the course of decades, which of course a father daughter relationship will, is understanding that both people are going to evolve and change. And the key is to evolve together, and to embrace that you're evolving.” - Rae Anne Payleitner  

Regardless of the career path you chose, the level of education you have, who you married or didn’t marry, or what you’ve accomplished in life, you hold priceless value in God’s eyes. The timeless verse from John 3:16 brings us comfort that God gave His Son for us—and that no matter what, He died for our sins, and because of that sacrifice, we will have eternal life.  This week’s guests remind us that God’s unconditional love applies in all circumstances. Professional counselor Michelle Nietert and Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Lynn Cowell have written a new book called Managing Your Emojis where they encourage young people to explore their God-given emotions toward a healthier mental space. Donnie Griggs has experienced the unique challenges of being a pastor in a small town, and has felt the pull toward something he perceived as bigger or better. But the years in small-town ministry have changed his heart, and he’s seen how it’s possible to make a huge impact in small spaces.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Ronnie Martin Upcoming interview: Kirk Cousins John 3:16 NIV   Michelle Nietert Lynn Cowell  Managing Your Emojis  Proverbs 31 Ministries Psalms Jeremiah 29:11 NIV Psalm 118:24 NIV Jesus Calling for kids   Donnie Griggs  Pastoring Small Towns Romans 12:15 NIV 2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV   Interview Quotes: “I truly believe that when God is involved in the healing process with trauma and when we can use His Word, there's just an additional life-giving factor that a counselor can bring. Because we can bring the presence of God, we can bring the hope of God in the form of the Holy Spirit to someone who's hurting.” - Michelle Nietert “David expressed feelings of anger, rage, depression, distress, fear, as well as joy and happiness and thankfulness. He expressed so many emotions, and God called David—this man expressing how he felt—a man after His own heart. So if David can be a man after God's heart and express his emotions freely to the Lord, so can I. “ - Lynn Cowell  “There's such a spectrum of emotions, and we want children to learn that they can turn to God to share their emotions with Him—and teaching children that God made these emotions and He can help them to process these feelings, even the most uncomfortable ones.” - Lynn Cowell “I think one of the healthy coping skills we have to teach our kids before they ever encounter trouble is how to hold on to hope, how to become resilient, and how to persevere through difficult times.” - Michelle Nietert “There is nothing you are g

Creating new habits is hard. Oftentimes, we don’t even notice when we’re stuck in how we’ve always done it, and don’t realize how this can sometimes hold us back from something bigger. But when we’re willing to take a chance by seeking God’s heart in the day to day, He can help us break out of old habits that haven’t been serving us, into a new way of living.  Tara-Leigh Cobble is the host of The Bible Recap Podcast. She shares with us how reading the Bible was a routine habit, until she started to approach it with the mindset of looking for God—and when she did, it became transformative. Dr. Jackie Greene is the co-pastor of Forward City Church with her husband, recording artist Travis Greene. In the early years of her marriage, Jackie struggled with her identity and often compared herself to others, but once she tried to stop negotiating with God about the things she didn’t like, she started to live in the power of her individuality.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Tamera Mowry-Housley Upcoming interview: Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert   Tara-Leigh Cobble  The Bible Recap Podcast Genesis  Old Testament PTSD www.taraleighcobble.com Israel   Dr. Jackie Greene  Forward City Church  Travis Greene Georgia Southern University Permission to Live Free   Interview Quotes: “I wanted God to tell me what I could do so that I could be a good Christian and earn His approval or figure out what promises I could use to back Him into a corner to get what I wanted from Him…He's not this transactional God, and that really frustrated me because I wanted the Bible to be about me.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble  “Instead of trying to beat myself into submission and trying to conform myself to the image of God, it was Him conforming me to His image.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “God doesn't just want you to be resilient, He wants you to be healed. And so it's not just for you to power through these things. It's for you to find the healing that He has available to you.” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “To feel so loved and seen by my pastor, to feel so cared for—I know that was the kindness of the Lord to just reach into that space and say, ‘I see you and I want you to talk to me about your heart.’” - Tara-Leigh Cobble “What I have found is generally, people on Earth show up late to the thing that God already knows about us. And so for me, it took a lot of having to push out there to find my own voice and find the affirmation of the Lord to be the thing that I was looking for, rather than waiting for people to affirm a thing that maybe oftentimes I wasn't even showing yet.” - Dr. Jackie Greene “I recognized that what I had been looking for outwardly, I could find inwardly in my relationship with the Lord. It started to help me progress beyond looking for that, beyond the vo

On this bonus episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re talking to YouTube sensation Gabriel Conte, who shares how he approaches big decisions in his life by seeking God. He walks us through a few ideas on how to pray, and what to do when we're not sure how to approach those big crossroads in our lives, and how to trust God through that sometimes very scary process.   Guest’s Links Facebook: @gabrielconte Twitter: @gabrielconte Instagram: @gabrielconte  ________________________  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.

We’ve all experienced situations that might seem hopeless—and the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to turn when things look bleak. Our guests this week have experienced traumatic situations that found them at the ends of their own means, when all they could do was breathe a prayer to God in desperation—searching for a glimmer of hope to cling to.    Author and TV host Ali Landry shares her moving story of overcoming a heartbreaking betrayal in her marriage, and on top of that, finding herself facing health issues that made her feel like she was living half a life. Interior designer Carley Summers battled addiction for several years in her young adult life, and at her darkest moment, felt the presence of God guiding her to ask for one more chance—opening the door to a brand-new world.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Jon Gordon Upcoming interview: Tara-Leigh Cobble   Ali Landry Reshape Your Life Breaux Bridge, Louisiana Crawfish Capital of the World University of Louisiana Oprah Winfrey   Carley Summers ADHD Alcoholism  Addiction DUI Christian Faith Rehab  2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Interior design Port-au-Prince, Haiti Goodwill www.carleysummers.com Sacred Spaces   Interview Quotes: “My prayer has always been, Lord, let them see Your light in me.” - Ali Landry “I've done a lot of things over the years and always the grounding force for me has been my relationship with God, 100%.” - Ali Landry “Here I am with this job that I'm supposed to love and it's supposed to serve me and my life and my family, and I feel like I'm sitting on the sidelines in my life and I feel like I'm kind of having half a life because I'm not a player in my own game. And that's when I decided I deserve more than this.” - Ali Landry  “I always knew that if I was able to lean on God and He was able to pull me through these situations in my life, that it was my responsibility to share it.” - Ali Landry “I will say my relationship with God 100% is the foundation, it got me through to the other side every time. When you put gratitude in your life, it really shifts everything. It completely shifts your mindset. It completely puts you in a different mood.” - Ali Landry “We're so busy with our lives that sometimes we forget to stop and recognize God working in our lives.” - Ali Landry “It was not until my second DUI when I was at the age of twenty-two, when I finally realized that I needed some help and I was ready to surrender my life over to Jesus.” - Carley Summers <p dir="lt

At one time or another in our lives, we are bound to experience bouts of anxiety. The Bible does not teach that lack of faith is the cause of anxiety. In our world today, it is almost impossible not to experience anxiety to some degree. We just can’t avoid it. What if instead of running away from our anxiety, we name what is happening, and develop ways to support ourselves through it while leaning on God in the present moment?  Curtis Chang is a pastor and a non-profit director. He remembers early moments of anxiety that were a response to his fears of being in an empty house after school, waiting for his parents to come home. He shares how he developed early coping mechanisms which exacerbated anxiety later in his life, and how through that anxiety, he was able to draw closer to God. Kim Gravel is an author and TV personality who shares about the early anxiety she had while competing in pageants as a young girl and opens up about her journey to find self-confidence.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Janine Reid Upcoming interview: Ali Landry   Curtis Chang Duke Divinity School Redeeming Babel latchkey kid The Anxiety Opportunity   Kim Gravel Atlanta Olympics WATC TV57 Kim of Queens on Lifetime Collecting Confidence   Interview Quotes: “Anxiety is the fear of some potential loss. We all carry that around with us. We all carry around some fear of potential loss.” - Curtis Chang “Our anxieties have a lot of wisdom contained in them, they tell us a lot about who we are, about our experiences growing up, and what we fear losing.” - Curtis Chang “What I believe human experience and Scripture tells us is that anxiety itself is not a problem to be eliminated, that in fact, it is actually a fundamental condition of what it means to be human—that to be human is to be vulnerable to loss.” - Curtis Chang “I know full well the nature of anxiety is a problem, but I also have experienced firsthand the promise of anxiety as an opportunity for spiritual growth, because it takes us to our core beliefs and our core fears about loss, about God, about who God is in Jesus, about what we are actually promised by Jesus in terms of our future.” - Curtis Chang “My calling is to see people rise in all that God has for them. And for me, the adventure of this life is sharing His message with others. Jesus is probably the reason why I do everything that I do and why I am who I am.” - Kim Gravel  “I did have to deal with a lot of pressures and stress, but it was such a learning ground for me. It's those times of growth that God puts us in so that we go to new levels.” - Kim Gravel “Get still, because God is constantly wooing and speaking and guiding and leading us. We just get too busy or too broken to hear it or see it or feel it.” - Kim Gravel “My philosophy on confidence is probably a little different than what the world tells you it should look like. It's truly a Christ-centered confidence, but it's also a confidence that I know whose I am and why I'm here.” - Kim Gravel “When God calls you to do something, nothing can stop it, damage it, alter it, or prevent it, except you. And that's the reason I want to share this message, because I know without a doubt, true confidence comes with a relationship with Jesus. True calling comes from Him.” - Kim Gravel _____