Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, in which we hone in on the character of Abigail in the Bible with singer/songwriter, author and Dove Award-winning artist Nicole C. Mullen. Nicole shows us how we can apply Abigail’s courageous principles to our own lives in order to stand up for what’s right, even when we’re surrounded by wrongs, and what it looks like to raise our voices in a way that’s full of grace and freedom.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens   Nicole C. Mullen Corrie ten Boom Mother Teresa It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing by Nicole C. Mullen   Interview Quotes: “I love studying the lives of biblical women because they remind me of myself. When I see in Scripture how God dealt with them, I know He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever, and what He did is what He still does. Their stories give me hope in my now and in my future.” - Nicole C. Mullen “[The story of Abigail] is one of those stories that’s encouraged me throughout the years to make wise decisions. Sometimes I, too, will have to run interference for the safety of my home.” - Nicole C. Mullen “Abigail’s story teaches us spiritual discernment in the realm of if there is a situation where we are faced with the decision between right and wrong, good and evil, I believe we are called to act on behalf of the good.” - Nicole C. Mullen “I was abused physically for a few years, and I had to make a decision as to, Do I continue to stay and remain silent and allow fear to make me voiceless? Or do I borrow the courage of other sheroes that have come before me?” - Nicole C. Mullen “I’m very passionate about encouraging other women and letting them know they have a voice, and that Scripture allows them to beautifully turn up the volume.” - Nicole C. Mullen “I see the Abigail spirit all the time in women who may never gain notoriety. Their names may never become famous. They may never wear a cape or have an S on their chest. But on the inside, they are sheroes, because they have courageously stood against evil, and so I applaud them.” - Nicole C. Mullen “We’re not called to be quiet when it comes to righteousness and justice and things that are promoted as biblical values. We’re called to raise our voices in a way that’s full of wisdom, full of intelligence, full of beauty, full of grace, and full of freedom.” - Nicole C. Mullen ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok   *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’re joined by beloved television host, actress, songwriter, and author Kathie Lee Gifford. Kathie Lee shares her deeply personal faith journey, emphasizing that she is not a “churchy person” but a “relationship person.” She advocates for understanding the Scriptures deeply, going beyond surface-level readings, and ultimately seeking to bring Jews and Christians together in the love story of God. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Julia Garcia, also known as Dr. J., who joins us to dismantle the myth that hope is an elusive personality trait. Drawing from years of clinical practice and her own raw, lived experience—including overcoming addiction, failed businesses, and seasons of deep uncertainty—Dr. J offers a powerful, practical pathway back to hope, even when the darkness feels permanent.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Tauren Wells Upcoming interview: Nathan Davis Jr. Jesus Calling app   Kathie Lee Gifford Psalm 143:8 Psalm 103 Psalm 25:4-5 Acts 17:28 www.KathieLeeGifford.com Nero and Paul  Herod and Mary   Dr. Julia Garcia The 5 Habits of Hope www.DrJuliaGarcia.com   Interview Quotes: “When Jesus says. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant,’ He didn’t say ‘perfect servant.’ He said ‘good.’ ‘Your heart was good. Your heart was in the right place. You walked with Me and were faithful to the little things, faithful to proclaim Me.’” - Kathie Lee Gifford “I would never take a role that required anything that dishonored the Lord. The Lord gives us a conscience for a reason.” - Kathie Lee Gifford  “I follow Him, and I’m going to use every opportunity that comes my way to proclaim Him, because people are hurting. People are broken. People are desperate. People are hungry, not just for food. They’re hungry for life itself. They’re hungry for the truth. The only thing that has been constant in my life that never changes is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” - Kathie Lee Gifford  “Our life should be a prayer constantly.” - Kathie Lee Gifford “I think religion puts us in chains, and Jesus came to get us out of the chains. It’s all about relationship, not religion, and I think we’ve really lost touch with that in Western Christianity.” - Kathie Lee Gifford “I’ve always had to go back to different habits at different times to make sure that I don’t associate how I feel with who I am.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “Hope is not a personality trait. People can feel like they need to have a huge amount of hope. It just takes that mustard seed—a tiny, tiny, tiny, little piece of hope is enough to carry you through.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “Habits of hope are an emotional framework to help us with those perspective shifts so we can interrupt harmful thought patterns.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “We’re going to have to get a lot stronger in our ability to emotionally risk so that we can deepen our relationships, not just with other people, but in our faith and with ourselves.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “We can reshape our thought patterns by constantly interrupting them and building these little tiny practices of hope, these emotional practices.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “The more we learn language around identifying what support would look like or feel like, the more we can get in the emotional habit of receiving that support. But it starts with us identifying what it is, who it is, and what we need from those people—our support pillars—so that we can receive hope.” - Dr. Julia Garcia  “Being honest has helped me heal because you can’t have hope without honesty.” - Dr. Julia Garcia  “Keep coming back to that place that aligns you with God’s call on your life. Even if the external things around you don’t make sense and it feels chaotic inside, just keep coming back, keep aligning back to the voice that you know is real and true.” - Dr. Julia Garcia “If we can just take a moment to receive the truth that we are not alone, that we are enough, then that is a building place for us to help navigate out of that feeling of feeling stuck or overwhelmed. It’s to replace these feelings with truth, with identity statements, reminding us who we are. We are not alone and we are made perfect in His image.” - Dr. Julia Garcia  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

*This episode mentions suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. This week, we’ll hear from Ed Newton, pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas. Growing up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ed bridged the hearing and deaf worlds for his parents, fostering immense empathy but also hardship. Later, following his parents’ deaths, he faced a tidal wave of despair and suicidal thoughts. He sought professional help and openly shared his struggle with his church, who responded with grace. Now, Ed advocates for the church to be a hospital for the broken, urging people to seek help and recognize it’s okay not to be okay, but not to stay that way. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Wendell Vinson and Todd Lamphere from CityServe, an organization that helps equip and empower churches to serve their communities. They discuss CityServe’s mission to equip local churches and to meet the last mile of need in their communities. They highlight the church’s role in community transformation, citing reduced recidivism rates, and its essential “ministry of presence” before, during, and after crises like natural disasters or war. Finally, they acknowledge compassion fatigue, emphasizing that faithful service requires spiritual replenishment in order to continue to serve others well.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Erica Campbell Upcoming interview: Kathie Lee Gifford Jesus Calling app   Ed Newton CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Romans 8:28 www.ednewton.com Why Not You? Believing What God Believes About You   CityServe Canyon Hills Church Matthew 16:13-27 prison recidivism   Interview Quotes: “My mission was to actually be the voice for two people that could not speak and to help them understand how to aggregate and acclimate into a hearing world.” - Ed Newton “It’s okay not to be okay. It’s just not okay to stay that way. God can break every chain.” - Ed Newton  “I believe some of the healthiest people I have ever met sit on somebody’s couch. I actually think the red flag of danger is for somebody that says, ‘I’m good. I don’t need counseling.’ I would say watch out for that slippery slope of destruction that’s about to happen.” - Ed Newton “I just think for most people, life gets shaken up and they don’t know what to do with that. Don’t live life all bound up when you can find somebody that would love you, sit with you, and go, ‘Hey, let me tell you what I hear and see. You’re not alone.’” - Ed Newton “Sometimes churches get it wrong and we slap Bible verses on a chemical disruption in the body. And I want to say, ‘I’m sorry you got hit with a Bible verse when you just needed someone to sit in the puddle of your tears.’” - Ed Newton “We’re constantly hearing and listening and feeling, but when we do not align our heart to what God says, who is the ultimate voice, then it just conflicts with the directional, navigational component of our life.” - Ed Newton “There’s a God who never changes, who operates out of the character of sovereignty and goodness, and who’s always working for your greater good. So why not begin a day with Him, and let Him frame the filter of how you’re to see the world?” - Ed Newton “It’s a beautiful partnership that allows pastors and churches that have a desire to meet the practical, physical needs of the community it was called to serve, and to have an organization come alongside it to help make that happen. This is the beauty of the partnership between the local church and CityServe.” - Todd Lamphere  “When a person connects with the body of Christ and starts moving down a different path, it transforms community.” - Wendell Vinson  “What people need in times of disaster more than anything, is they need the ministry of presence.” - Todd Lamphere  “Compassion is scalable. You start where you are with what you have, and God will take you further.” - Wendell Vinson “Compassion fatigue is just a reality. You cannot give out what you do not have in you. This is why being saturated in God’s Word every day is so vitally important. It’s a non-negotiable to stay in God’s Word to commune with Him, to listen to worship music, to pray for God to just continue to be your strength, to be your source, to be your all in all.” - Todd Lamphere “If any of us think that we can in our own strength or power just live out what the Lord’s called us to, we’re mistaken. It all flows out of that personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Wendell Vinson ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What if the struggles in your marriage aren’t just about today, but about untold stories from long ago? In this episode of “Jesus Listens,” Dr. Dan Allender and Dr. Steve Call explore how past wounds, unspoken patterns, and even everyday tones of contempt shape our relationships more than we realize. The themes discussed are found in their new book “The Deep-Rooted Marriage.”  Guest’s Links YouTube: @AllenderCenterFacebook: @allendercenter Instagram: @reconnectmarriage | @allendercenter   Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4pqVSZ4  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website TikTok   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

*This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners.* This week, we hear from Stephen McWhirter, a songwriter and worship leader whose early life was marked by deep trauma, addiction, and a shattered view of God shaped by his father’s hypocrisy and abuse. After years of rebellion and anger toward faith, Steven encountered Jesus in an unexpected moment that transformed everything. Today, he shares a powerful story of grace, redemption, and the hard-won freedom found on the other side of forgiveness. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from author and speaker Courtney Pray Duke, who opens up about the tragic loss of her husband. Courtney shares what it was like to navigate grief while raising three children alone, and how it encouraged her to draw closer to God as a source of comfort when everything felt like it was falling apart.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Chynna Phillips Upcoming interview: Sarah Drew   Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season Stephen McWhirter Lee Strobel Ephesians 2:8 John 6:29 www.worshipjesus.life Radically Restored   Courtney Pray Duke www.courtneyprayduke.com And She Got Up: Shattered by Loss, Restored by Jesus   Interview Quotes: “I was the guy that literally would have either cussed you out or tried to knock you out had you mentioned Jesus’ name around me. I literally had this deep anger and this wound in me that really was connected to my earthly father and a broken view of who God is.” - Stephen McWhirter “I’m in this room and I have drugs on the side table next to me. I always say it’s the kindness of a very real God to meet a wounded evangelist son in a place like this. I knew God was in the room, and I’m like, ‘I want to give you my life. I want to quit all this addiction, all this darkness, all this anger, all this depression, and this trauma that I’ve known for so long.’” - Stephen McWhirter “Jesus never healed anyone [from addiction] the same way twice, because every story has a purpose. If it takes you five times or eleven times to fall at the feet of Jesus and you mean it, He’s going to use your story to draw people to Him.” - Stephen McWhirter “There is something truly powerful on the other side of forgiveness. It’s not about reciprocation. Somebody may not say to you, ‘I’m asking for your forgiveness,’ but you have the ability to tear up the debt and throw it away. That’s real freedom, that’s real restoration.” - Stephen McWhirter  “Those early days of grief were so messy and they were so uncharted. And to be honest, I didn’t even know what grief really meant until I was in the place where I was grieving with everything inside of me.” - Courtney Pray Duke “The Lord was so faithful to meet me in every moment, and I could lay my head on my pillow at night and look over the day and I could see where He was when I would open up the Word of God. It was like His promises and His love were illuminating off the page and they were bringing sustenance to my life.” - Courtney Pray Duke  “It wasn’t until I lost everything that my faith grew legs. It was walking through fiery times and profound loss where Jesus met me with strength and love and power and life.” - Courtney Pray Duke “Holding the grief of my kids’ hearts and mine was impossible for me to bear. I learned so much during that time about releasing my children.” - Courtney Pray Duke “It’s just so beautiful when you see a nugget of truth that comes from the Word of God—something that you can remind yourself of what’s true, even when your circumstances look anything like what it is that you’re contending for, to know that this is what’s true. Truth is immovable. It’s not going to change shape and waver like my life does. Truth is truth.” - Courtney Pray Duke  “God can do anything through a life surrendered to Him.” - Courtney Pray Duke  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

*This episode mentions suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. This week, in celebration of Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll hear from Tim Green, a former NFL player, bestselling author, and commentator. Tim, who now speaks with the assistance of technology due to a diagnosis of ALS, reflects on a life marked by ambition, the identity-shaking diagnosis of this neurodegenerative disease, and the perspective that transformed his understanding of what matters most in life.  Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Mike Flynt, whose story inspired the 2023 sports drama film The Senior. One day when talking with his friends, Mike shared one of his deepest regrets—getting kicked off the college football team as a senior. When asked, “Why don’t you do something about it?” Mike decided to pursue a second chance, and became the oldest linebacker of a college football team in NCAA history at age fifty-nine, proving that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Rosie Rivera Upcoming interview: Stephen McWhirter Super Bowl Sunday   Tim Green ALS Tracheotomy www.authortimgreen.com Rocket Arm   Mike Flynt The Senior D-Day  Battle of The Bulge www.mikeflynt.com   Interview Quotes: “These days, the most important thing I do is simply try to serve the people I love. My life’s work now is about family, about helping others, and about using whatever time and gifts God has given me to make a difference.” - Tim Green  “God had other plans—plans that were bigger than anything I could have imagined. Looking back, every step prepared me for the next one. He was weaving the story long before I knew it.”- Tim Green “What really matters is your faith, family, and identity in Christ—not in a jersey or a job. Football gave me a platform, but it’s faith and family that gave me a purpose.” - Tim Green  “My diagnosis forced me to confront what really matters—to put Christ at the center, not tucked quietly in the background. It made every day, every relationship, every breath more precious and more purposeful.” - Tim Green  “One morning, I woke up with a clarity I didn’t create that this wasn’t the end of my story. I realized that God had left me here for a reason. Maybe to show that even in suffering, His goodness can still shine. That moment was a second chance, and I wasn’t going to waste it.” - Tim Green  “Prayer became less about asking and more about resting. Peace came in small moments—a hand held, a smile, a sunset—reminders that God was still here.” - Tim Green  “Every chapter of my life has required a deeper anchor than achievement. When the applause stops, when the career ends, when the body fails, you need a foundation that won’t.” - Tim Green  “It was my profession of faith in Christ, and my realization that I know so little about Him, that started me on my journey in faith that I still pursue today.” - Mike Flynt  “So many people need to know that somebody else has overcome and that Christ was there and they can take that same concern, those same weaknesses, to Him and know that if He did it for Mike, He’d do it for anybody.” - Mike Flynt  ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’re joined by beloved authors/speakers who coined the term “Godwink”—SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt. Godwinks are the little gifts left on our doorstep, the personal connection moments in which God lets us know we’re not alone. SQuire and Louise share about the latest title in their collection, Godwinks for Moms, and how the mothers and mother figures in our lives impact us, make a difference, and shape us into the people we are—all a part of God’s grand design and a way to show us how much He loves us.    Guest’s Links YouTube: @godwinks Facebook: @Godwinks Instagram: @godwinkguy Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/3M8hI54  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website TikTok *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.