Podcast
Finding Joy In The Ordinary: Gloria Gaither & Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Gloria Gaither is a lyricist, educator and speaker. With her husband Bill, they have written some of the most enduring and beloved songs of our time including, “Because He Lives,” and “He Touched Me.” Gloria shares some of her early years and how she came to the point in life where she decided to spend as much time as possible nurturing her most important relationships and finding something eternal in the “daily-ness” of life. Please also enjoy a rebroadcast of our interview with Dr. Emerson Eggerichs about love and respect in marriage. Dr. Eggerichs has also included a personal message to our listeners about his new book, “Before You Hit Send: Preventing Headache and Heartache,” which shows us how we can prevent misunderstanding and allow for understanding in our communication with others...
Courage for Change, Mercy for Your Past: Annie F. Downs and Jamie Blaine
Our guests today are writer and speaker Annie F. Downs and crisis counselor and writer Jamie Blaine. Both guests have experienced challenges in their lives that left them feeling scared and alone, but through the power of God’s word, they found strength to “show up,” for what God would have them do. Each shares their life stories and how they found the courage to keep moving ahead and the mercy to not look back. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today we speak with best-selling author and nationally known speaker Annie F. Downs. Annie weaves together personal stories, humor, and scripture in her books, and her latest project, 100 Days to Be Brave, is no exception. Annie has experienced challenges that left her feeling scared and alone, but through the difficulties, she decide...
When Life Steals Your Joy, Love Heals: Becca Stevens & Dorris Walker
Becca Stevens is the founder and president of Thistle Farms, a beautiful justice enterprise for women who are survivors of trafficking, addiction and prostitution. After experiencing abuse and trauma in her own childhood, Becca longed to open a sanctuary for survivors offering a loving community. Twenty years later, the organization is thriving and continues to welcome women and provides housing, medical care, therapy and education for two years. She has written a book called “Love Heals” that details her experiences. One of the beneficiaries of the Thistle Farms program also talks about her experience with the program, Dorris Walker’s childhood was happy, until the day she witnessed her own father’s fatal shooting. She went from a happy family life to a life in the streets of Nashvi...
Rising from the Ashes of Abuse: Christine Caine & Jennifer Clinger
Christine Caine is a writer, speaker, and activist. Her story of healing came over many years as she lived in faith to recover from sexual abuse that happened in her childhood. Her latest book, a 365-Day devotional called, “Unshakeable,” provides daily reminders that even in an unstable world, God always stands firm. Jennifer Clinger is a graduate of Thistle Farms, a social justice enterprise. Jennifer describes how she gave up on life after being a victim of abuse and tragedy, and traded herself on the street to support the drug habit that numbed her pain. After years of unsuccessfully trying to fill the void in her life, she realized even when her heart became hard toward God, He never turned away from her. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. Today, we speak with Christi...
Through Life’s Disappointments, Hang on to Hope: Aaron Watson & WAY-FM’s Carlos & Joy
Aaron Watson is a rising country music star who began chasing his dream of becoming a singer/songwriter over 18 years. Though faced with countless disappointments, family tragedy and rejection, Aaron trusted God for the path that he would take and is celebrating the release of a new hit record, Vaquero. Carlos & Joy host WAY-FM Christian radio network’s popular afternoon show. They share how a love for Christian music and a desire to spread the hope of Christ to others through the air-waves, inspired them to pursue their careers in Christian radio. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. Today we visit with country music phenomenon Aaron Watson. Aaron grew up in Amarillo, Texas and started chasing his dream of becoming a country singer/songwriter while still in college. Through...
First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam: Grateful for Second Chances – Also featuring Brenda Wilson
As the First Lady of Tennessee, Crissy Haslam believes in the power of second chances. Her priorities have been focused on working with change making organizations who are empowering families, women, and orphans. Crissy shares why it’s important to her to serve others, and how thankful she is for the influence she has to make a difference in many people’s lives. Our second guest is Brenda Wilson from Thistle Farms. Brenda was devastated after the death of her grandmother who was her biggest caretaker and advocate. Left alone in an unfamiliar city, she lost her way. After 20 years of wandering, she walked through a door that God opened for her at Thistle Farms. Given the chance to begin again, Brenda shares how the love of God and others showed her she could live differently. Narrator: Welc...
Pastor O.S. Hawkins: Finding The Code to a Better Life – Also featuring Rick Smith
O.S. Hawkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Hawkins also served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and is the author of more than 25 books, including the best-selling The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know. He talks to us about his journey to becoming a pastor and a writer, and also about his new books, The Believer’s Code and The Christmas Code. Rick Smith is the founder of Rock Bottom Outreach, an organization the meets people at the time of their need. As a successful coach, Rick had it all, until a prescription drug addiction took over his life and he lost everything that mattered to him. After reaching his own “rock bottom,” through faith an...
Reba McEntire: When Christmas is Hard, You Can Still Find Joy
Reba McEntire is a country music legend who has had over thirty-five #1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide. Reba has become a beloved household name who has made her mark in film, television, theater and retail. Her last project, a Gospel double CD entitled “Sing It Now; Songs of Faith and Hope,” recently won a Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year. Now Reba has gone on to record a new Christmas record called “My Kind of Christmas.” She shares her thoughts on Christmas, and why, for many of us, Christmas can be a difficult time of year, but also why she thinks it’s important to find joy, and to remember the Reason for this season. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Reba McEntire is a country music legend who ...
Diamond Rio’s Marty Roe & Jimmy Olander: “The Star Still Shines” at Christmas
Six-time Vocal Group of the Year, Diamond Rio has been one of the most successful bands in country music history. They won a Grammy for their first Christian record, “The Reason,” and have also produced a Christmas album called, “The Star Still Shines.” Currently, they are the artists in residence at Gaylord’s Opryland Hotel Resort in Nashville and have been bringing joy to audiences through their Christmas show, “Holiday & Hits.” Lead singer Marty Roe and guitarist Jimmy Olander visit with us on the podcast to share what Christmas meant to them growing up and what it means to them now. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. Today we speak with two members of the country music supergroup Diamond Rio. Marty Roe and Jimmy Olander grew up with completely different ideas about Chr...
The Green Family: Living and Giving Generously
David Green is the founder and CEO of the country’s largest chain of arts and crafts stores, Hobby Lobby. David’s philosophy in life revolves around his faith and his family. His view of “wealth,” is not tied to how much money a person makes, but their relationship with the Lord, their relationship with others, and teaching others about God. His son Steve, who is the president of Hobby Lobby and Steve’s wife, Jackie, share these godly principles. They all discuss why it’s important to them that others know about the Bible and how to live generously. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today, we speak with David Green, the founder and CEO of the country’s largest chain of arts and crafts stores, Hobby Lobby. David has always approached his business with godly principles and beli...
Starting Over: Emily Ley & Shannon Rozenburg Live for What Truly Matters
Emily Ley & Shannon Rozenburg have two very different stories to share about how God transformed their lives and how they “started over.” Emily Ley is a mom, business owner and author. Emily found the demands of her job and her own tendency to seek “perfection” in all that she did was taking away from time from what was really important: time with God and time with her family. Emily shares how she pared back and started simplifying in order to enjoy what really mattered in her life. Shannon Rozenburg is the daughter of Steve and Donna Rozenburg, who appeared on Episode 2 of the podcast to share how their family had been shattered by addiction. Shannon now comes to the podcast to talk about her road to recovery and how “tough love” played a part in her turnaround. Ultimately, she credit...
Finding Freedom In the Truth: Josh & Sean McDowell
Josh & Sean McDowell are writers and teachers who are passionate about bringing the truth of the Gospel to a world hungry for the knowledge of Christ. As a young man, Josh McDowell considered himself an agnostic. Because of a troubled and hurtful home life, he truly believed that Christianity was worthless. However, when challenged to intellectually examine the claims of Christianity, Josh discovered evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, especially young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. They each share about their early years and what motivates them to bring evidence for the veracity of Scripture to those who need the freedom truth brings. Narra...
