- 34 minutes 17 secondsLife’s Frailty and God’s Peace: Amy Grant and Andrew Osenga
This week, we’re honored to welcome back a dear friend of the show—the iconic artist, singer, and GRAMMY winner Amy Grant. Amy joins us to share her heart about her first album of original material in thirteen years, the deeply personal project titled “The Me That Remains.” In this moving interview, Amy opens up about the profound life events that inspired her new music—navigating the tender journey of aging and caring for her parents at the end of their lives, her ongoing recovery from a serious bike accident, and the enduring joy of creating music that she feels grateful to share with the world.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Andrew Osenga, a Nashville-based musician, writer, and podcaster. Andrew spent years trapped in the tension between his private doubts and the crushing expectation of performing as a Christian artist. Growing up, image was everything, and he struggled under the pressure to appear “put-together”—even when he felt broken inside. It took devastating loss—including his home flooding, displacing his family, and his wife’s grueling cancer journey—for him to finally break free from performance-driven faith.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Diane Chew
Upcoming interview: Annie Bosko
The Me That Remains - Album by Amy Grant
The Book of Forgiving - Book by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu
The 6th Of January (Yasgur's Farm) - Song by Amy Grant
How to Remember: Forgotten Pathways to an Authentic Faith - Book by Andrew Osenga
Interview Quotes:
“Don't ever be afraid to speak the truth of what is right now.” - Amy Grant
“Life is happening to all of us all the time, and we have to be gentle with ourselves and gentle with each other.” - Amy Grant
“I feel like the arts are good medicine for everybody.” - Amy Grant
“We are all part of humanity and we all experience good, hard and unresolved unrest; how do we sit in it and find our way forward?” - Amy Grant
“When [accidents or illnesses] come, you need people in your life to remind you what matters: you are loved by God, and if you’re still breathing, the adventure continues.” - Amy Grant
“Jesus doesn’t want us to pretend. He wants us to be the people He created. He doesn’t love a fake image of me. He loves me.” - Andrew Osenga
“There have been a number of experiences in my life that have helped redirect me towards a more quiet and grounded way of being with God, moving from performance towards presence.” - Andrew Osenga
“The wonderful thing is Jesus doesn’t meet us in our perfection, He meets us in our suffering. Jesus is introduced to us in the Bible as a man of sorrows. And so, it’s not that we have to stay there all the time, knowing that is a part of our story. Being able to be honest about that allows us this freedom to be people of joy rather than having to sort of put on a happy face.” - Andrew Osenga
“We can say that we can hold suffering and joy in both hands at the same time, and I think those are the people that we’re drawn to. And that’s when we can start to speak with an authentic voice. That takes time to learn how to do that, and that takes, honestly, walking through seasons of both suffering and joy to be able to learn how to do that.” - Andrew Osenga
“We live in a culture that prizes things like novelty, speed, and constant reinvention. I think these practices like lament, confession, shared prayer, and silence can be a form of resistance, pushing back against this speed, the hectic life, against the doom scroll.” - Andrew Osenga
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
28 May 2026, 6:00 am - 8 minutes 57 seconds[JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] God, Help Us Hold Both Sorrow and Hope: Tanner Olson
Author and poet Tanner Olson joins us to share his family’s journey through unexplained infertility and the heartache it brought. Out of that season of grief came unexpected joy—the gift of adoption and the arrival of his son. Tanner reflects on the role of prayer in holding both sorrow and hope, and the childlike wonder he’s learning from his little boy.
Guest’s Links
YouTube: @tannerJolson
Facebook: @writtentospeakInstagram: @writtentospeak
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4p3cPZC
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
26 May 2026, 5:00 am - 26 minutes 13 secondsThe Loneliness of Addiction: How We Can Show Up With Love ft. Caroline Beidler & Jonathan Tepper
This week, we’ll hear from Caroline Beidler, a speaker and recovery advocate who began using alcohol at just eleven years old to numb the pain of a deep sense of loneliness and not belonging. This led to years of addiction, but even after getting sober, Caroline found she was still wrestling with shame, unhealthy patterns, and wounds that hadn’t healed.
Jonathan Tepper is a founder, author, and strategic thinker whose journey began as the son of missionaries in regions of deep cultural and economic contrast. From his upbringing in Spain by missionaries who sought to help those addicted to heroin, all the way to Taiwan and the high-stakes world of global finance, he has found himself on a search for truth and fairness.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ryan Scheckler.
Upcoming interview: Amy Grant
When You Love Someone in Recovery, A Hopeful Guide to Understanding Addiction - Book by Caroline Beidler
Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Addiction - Book by Jonathan Tepper
Mere Christianity - Book by C.S. Lewis
Interview Quotes:
“I had no name for who God was, but at the same time, I just remember knowing that He was there. I just feel like from even an early age, I was seeking that relationship, and I was seeking a connection with God.” - Caroline Beidler
“It wasn’t until I started walking in longer-term recovery that I saw how me showing up as a sober, healthy, growing person impacted people in my life, in my family, who struggled with substance use—just my presence showed people there’s another way to live.” - Caroline Beidler
“Recovery is a deep experience that we can go through, of not just physical healing and emotional healing, but spiritual healing and formation.” - Caroline Beidler
“When our loved ones have hope for us, have hope that we will heal and find addiction recovery, we are more likely to. That is a powerful statement, and that is a powerful way that I think God reveals [that] hope isn’t just some feeling.” - Caroline Beidler
“We know from the research and our own experience that the number one way to help people struggling with addiction is to connect them with people with a similar life experience.” - Caroline Beidler
“Those two pieces—hope and belonging, hope and connection—are so important when we’re talking about how people can heal from addiction, not just themselves as individuals, but as families.” - Caroline Beidler
Addiction kind of breeds and increases and gets stronger and more destructive in isolation. When we can shine some light on what’s going on, that’s where God can come in and that healing can happen.” - Caroline Beidler
“The best thing that families can do when their loved one is struggling is lead with love and lead with compassion.” - Caroline Beidler
“Addiction is a crisis of loneliness, and the way to address it isn’t just through treatment. It’s making sure our loved ones are connected in community.” - Caroline Beidler
“One thing I’ve taken away is that you can be a miserable, greedy person and poor or you can be a miserable, greedy person and rich.” - Jonathan Tepper
“You have to decide every day whether you want to be loving and compassionate. And it doesn’t really matter where you are to do that, as long as you’re doing your best with what you have.” - Jonathan Tepper
“I don’t think heroism is one single great act of courage. I think it’s showing up day to day and trying to show love and compassion to others.” - Jonathan Tepper
“My parents never planned on starting an international drug rehab center, they set out to show love and compassion to one addict at a time. And I think that taking one step at a time is a way that you can change the world, even if you don’t set out to do it.” - Jonathan Tepper
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
21 May 2026, 6:00 am - 25 minutes 54 secondsOne Prayer Away From Disaster: Butch Wilmore & Brooke Envick
This week, we’re talking with astronaut Butch Wilmore who has spent 465 days off-planet, giving him a literally out-of-this-world perspective on God’s creation. From fighter jet pilot to Space Shuttle commander, Wilmore’s career was a testament to preparation and discipline. However, his faith was truly tested when a spacecraft Wilmore was manning began losing thrusters—and he was just a prayer away from spiraling toward potential disaster.
Next up, we speak with Brooke Envick, a veteran dean in higher education, who recounts how achieving every professional milestone left her feeling empty. She discusses combining lessons from neuroscience with practices like gratitude and prayer, revealing how a sudden, debilitating health crisis forced her into a necessary stillness that ultimately paved the way for profound, lasting internal change.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Nikki DeLoach
Upcoming interview: Caroline Beidler
Stuck in Space: An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected - Book by Butch Wilmore
True Ascension: Unlocking Greatness Through Faith, Fortitude, and Foresight - Book by Brooke Envick
Interview Quotes:
“You can see the vibrancy, you can see life in the colors. Understanding and knowing that the atmosphere protects the planet and enables us to have the air to breathe that we need, and all of that, and it’s all supplied by our Lord and Savior, our God, the Creator of all things, that is a special thing to view from that vantage point.” - Butch Wilmore
“In all types of strenuous situations that we come through in life—to where realizing the Lord’s in control, He is sovereign, working providentially for His Glory and our ultimate good, if we believe. And that is the mainstay of who I am, what I understand, what I know God’s Word to say. And again, even in those moments, it brings intense comfort and intense hope. There’s always, always, eternal hope, regardless of what takes place.” - Butch Wilmore
“You’ve got to be completely committed, all in, and that commitment breeds the preparation that is required for whatever the tasks are that you’re undertaking, because the responsibility is great, sometimes greater in certain areas than others.” - Butch Wilmore
“I have to come at whatever the task is with a complete mindset of being prepared, disciplined in that preparation, because that’s what it takes—and in those extremist situations, maintaining the focus that’s required to do the task, whatever that might be.” - Butch Wilmore
“Anything that we have, everything that we are capable of doing, everything that we are tasked with doing, He’s given us the ability, and to Him be the glory.” - Butch Wilmore
“Life is tough, and in every situation, everything in life, you have to want whatever it is that’s going forward. You have to want it, you’ve got to be committed, you’ve got to prepare, because the responsibility is great that God requires of us, in all aspects of our lives.” - Butch Wilmore
“God was still shaping me in that moment and it taught me that real change doesn’t always come from moving faster or starting over. Sometimes it actually happens from stopping and listening and allowing God to align your inner life before sending you forward again.” - Brooke Envick
“I found that scripture gave me a lot of insight into broader wisdom and lessons from the Bible, prayer gave me a connection and ongoing conversation with God, and meditation brought alignment to my life. It helped me slow down and focus my thoughts and become more intentional about how I was responding to life, instead of simply reacting to it.” - Brooke Envick
“What we return to consistently is what begins to shape our thought patterns, emotional responses, and also our sense of peace. So when we connect with God daily, we reinforce those neural pathways associated with calm, trust, and meaning. Devotionals like Jesus Calling help us create space for that daily attunement and moments when we need to pause and listen and realign our thoughts with truth and with trust. What I’ve seen in my own life is that daily connection doesn’t remove challenges, but it changes how we move through them.” - Brooke Envick
“Faith isn’t meant to be passive. God gives us direction, purpose, and trust, but He expects us to use the tools He gives us to make progress.” - Brooke Envick
“Faith shapes the why, which is our meaning, our purpose, and our trust in God, and neuroscience reveals the how.” - Brooke Envick
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
14 May 2026, 6:00 am - 16 minutes 29 seconds[BONUS] Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Story of Abigail with Nicole C. Mullen
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:
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
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
12 May 2026, 5:00 am - 26 minutes 1 secondTrusting God Through Trauma and Transition: Trey Tucker & Kit Willis Rutherford
What happens when the question “Am I enough?” follows you into every part of your life? For mental health therapist Trey Tucker, that question isn’t just theoretical—it’s something he’s seen affect the lives of countless men and one he’s wrestled with himself.
Then, writer and mother Kit Willis Rutherford invites us into a quiet, sacred moment from her own life. As her grandmother faced her final days, a tiny cross appeared in the screen of a bedroom window—unchanged through storms and still visible decades later. What began as a mystery became a lasting symbol of comfort for her family.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past Interview: Brandi Rhodes
Upcoming Interview: Butch Wilmore
Trey Tucker’s Rugged Counseling
Taken (Movie starring Liam Neeson) 2008
Tough Enough: Hone Your Habits, Cultivate Purpose, and Forge Genuine Strength - Book by Trey Tucker
Interview Quotes:
“In my experience, every guy that I’ve talked to has some sort of question, Am I enough? It’s the word that haunts him, and you can fill in the blank with whatever word you want before that.” - Trey Tucker
“So being enough or being not enough is the thing that haunts the guys the most. It can drive you to make some really amazingly terrible decisions, but it can also be deceptively helpful in driving you to some great successes.” - Trey Tucker
“Looking back at all the experiences that I’ve had, I finally got it into my body or my heart that God is going to come through. And since He’s going to come through, that means I’m going to be okay….I think it’s helped me to purposely put myself in uncomfortable situations—in situations that scare me—because I just know the more I do that, the more I’m going to really feel and experience God coming through for me, and then I can help other people do the same thing in their own walk as well.“ - Trey Tucker
“[My grandmother] was always such a pillar of the community for people that were in need, quietly meeting needs without ever being prompted to do so.” - Kit Willis Rutherford
“Just because we are filled with faith or we are filled with joy or any other wonderful attribute, we’re not immune from the world. The bad things in the world sort of creep in.” - Kit Willis Rutherford
“The veil between heaven and earth is so thin and we really can, from time to time, glimpse little bits of heaven-sent love and heaven-sent information.” - Kit Willis Rutherford
“I feel like hardship has shaped my faith and been truly the balm against the agony of such a broken world where there is so much sickness and so much grief and so much hardship.” - Kit Willis Rutherford
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
7 May 2026, 6:00 am - 29 minutes 20 secondsPresent and Imperfect: Showing Up in Our Weakness ft. First Lady Maria Lee and Brooke Taylor
What starts as a single “yes” can influence a lifetime. In this episode, we speak with Tennessee’s First Lady Maria Lee, who shares how a short summer of ministry in Nashville turned the trajectory of her life—from teaching in a classroom to serving alongside her husband in public life—and taught her that true impact often comes from simply showing up and seeing others.
Speaker and radio personality Brooke Taylor’s story takes a different turn when a sudden stroke changes everything, forcing her to relearn how to live and let go of perfection, only to discover that God could use her brokenness to reach people in a deeper, more meaningful way. Together, their stories reveal a powerful truth—that even in the most unplanned moments, God is guiding us with compassion toward connection.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Anita Renfroe
Upcoming interview: Trey Tucker
Interview Quotes:
“The hardest part I think with being in the public eye is the criticism that comes along with that. But the thing that has grounded me and [helped with] being able to handle being in that public eye is staying in God’s Word and knowing what He’s called me to do and being able to walk that purposefully and intentionally. Being in His Word reminds me of who I am and who He is, what He values and what He wants me to value.” - First Lady Maria Lee
“I think there’s a lot of bright, shiny things in the world that draw our attention away from what the Lord has called us to, and if we’re not grounded in daily communion with Him and daily relationship with Him, you can easily be distracted.” - First Lady Maria Lee
“I think if we are going to emulate the character of Christ, He came not to be served, but to serve. And if we’re going to follow in His footsteps, I feel like each one of us who is a believer and confesses Christ should be finding a place to serve.” - First Lady Maria Lee
“There are so many ways to serve, and it doesn’t have to be big, it can be little. I think one of the greatest ways to serve somebody is just to be present with them, to show up and let them know that you see them.” - First Lady Maria Lee
“When I heard how the [radio] listeners were praying for me and how they were sending cards and how they were sending messages that they were praying for me, I knew that was God’s way of surrounding me with His love.” - Brooke Taylor
“As a radio personality, you’re pouring out and pouring out and pouring out. You say things, but you don’t know if anybody’s listening. You don’t know if it’s reaching anybody, or if you made any sense with that sentence. And then to have that all come back to me—the listeners pouring out to me—it was very humbling.” - Brooke Taylor
“[After my stroke] I felt like God was with me, and it was as if He was saying, ‘I don’t need the perfect you. It’s actually more effective for Me if I use the broken you. Because the broken you is going to be able to reach people that are also broken.’” - Brooke Taylor
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
30 April 2026, 6:00 am - 7 minutes 55 seconds[JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] God, Help Me to Trust Your Grace: Ruth Chou Simons
Author and artist Ruth Chou Simons joins Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer to share her journey of faith, from immigrating to the U.S. as a young girl to raising six boys while writing and creating art that points others to Christ. Ruth opens up about the struggles of striving for approval and how she discovered freedom in God’s grace.
Guest’s Links
YouTube: @RuthChouSimons
Facebook: @ruthchousimonsInstagram: @ruthchousimons
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4ohxdVK
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Connect with Jesus Calling
*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
28 April 2026, 5:00 am - 20 minutes 9 secondsUnlearning the Need to Impress God and Each Other: Rebecca St. James & Zahriya Zachary
This week, we’ll hear from Rebecca St. James, a Grammy and Dove award-winning contemporary Christian music artist. When Rebecca’s family moved from Australia to the U.S. when Rebecca was a teen, they faced serious financial struggles—the kind that forced them to rely completely on each other and outside support for basic survival like food, transportation, and medical bills. This intense period of “making it work” became the bedrock of her career and is the focus of the film Unsung Hero.
Next, we meet Zahriya Zachary, an artist and worship leader with Bethel Music who experienced a major pivot in her early twenties. She shares how she shifted from the pursuit of a traditional career to an unexpected music career. Her story explores the struggle of unlearning the need for perfection and performance, and the profound freedom found in simply showing up as yourself.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Darlene Zschech
Upcoming interview: Maria Lee
“You Make Everything Beautiful”
www.bethelmusic.com/roster/zahriya-zachar
Interview Quotes:
“[Hardship] really did encourage us to turn to God as a family, because we needed Him in a way that we had never needed Him so desperately before.” - Rebecca St. James
“My parents were definitely the kind that encouraged us to flourish in our own gifts. I think that they were very attentive to specialized giftings within the family and encouraged us to be unique.” - Rebecca St. James
“I remember my parents being very available for just talking things through, and that’s something that I’m also trying to do with our kids, [is to be] available and present.” - Rebecca St. James
“I think God’s design for the family is so beautiful, and I think when we can live that out privately in our lives, but then also if God allows us to to live that out in the public space too, there’s an undeniable loveliness to it.” - Rebecca St. James
“I think something that I am currently unlearning is my performance being the thing that makes God stay, and even that makes other people stay. I’m really unlearning that because it can tend to be this driving force of, If I do good enough at this, if I can just be perfect at this, then God will just stay. The Lord is revealing to me, ‘I love you because I love because I love you.’” - Zahriya Zachary
“I’ve had these moments throughout my life with God in the moments where I felt the most lost. He actually reveals to me a highlight reel of every place where I thought I was alone and every place where I thought He wasn’t. It’s actually given me strength to stay when it’s hard, because He enables me to remember.” - Zahriya Zachary
“It was never up to us to reach for God’s presence or earn it, because He’s already done it all.” - Zahriya Zachary
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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
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
23 April 2026, 5:00 am - 26 minutes 26 secondsFear Comes Free, Hope Takes Effort: Jon Acuff & Leland Vittert
This week, we’ll hear from Jon Acuff, a bestselling author and speaker who turns personal challenges into practical lessons for living with intention and resilience. From mastering goals to overcoming negative thinking, Jon shares insights that help listeners navigate life’s “hard middle” and keep moving forward, even when it feels impossible.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from journalist and anchor Leland Vittert, whose new book, Born Lucky, is a deeply moving story of his childhood with autism and the profound sacrifices his father made to give him hope and teach him resilience.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ken Abraham
Upcoming interview: Rebecca St. James
Interview Quotes:
“I just had this sense that if I would take responsibility for my life, I could change a lot of things I wanted to change.” - Jon Acuff
“I think a lot of goals work better when they’re measured, when they are paced.” - Jon Acuff
“I think that a lot of life is talking yourself into doing things you don’t want to do, but you really want to. There’s a lot of mornings I don’t want to write, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to be polite, I don’t want to be detailed—but I really do want that. If I’m honest, I really want the benefits of those things. And so I figure out games inside the middle that get me to where I want to be.” - Jon Acuff
“One of the soundtracks I use in my life is that fear comes free, hope takes work. You’ll never have to look for fear. It will find you. You’ll never have to look for stress or anxiety. They will find you. Hope takes effort. Positivity takes effort.” - Jon Acuff
“The difference for me between a broken soundtrack, meaning a negative thought that’s running on a loop, and a prompting from the Holy Spirit, is often what it leads to. I think a prompting of the Holy Spirit leads to prayer, it leads to change, it leads to journaling, it leads to confession to a friend, it leads to plugging back into your small group.” - Jon Acuff
“Your thoughts turn into actions, your actions turn into results. What you think becomes what you do, becomes what you get.” - Jon Acuff
“[My dad] didn’t know how it was going to end up, but he knew that being there every day and becoming my friend—he still is my best friend—was my only hope.”- Leland Vittert
“Everybody needs to feel like they have somebody who believes in them. For me, that was my dad. When I was diagnosed with autism, my dad said, ‘I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I have to try.’ I didn’t understand the word resilience as a kid. I now know how important it is, and it’s just not quitting.” - Leland Vittert
“Hard work yields results. One is defined by character, not by accolades or achievements or personal wealth, but by who they are as a man.” - Leland Vittert
“[My dad] had no expectations about the future, but there were standards, and the number one standard was about character and being a good person.” - Leland Vittert
“When I was diagnosed with autism, there was no therapist, there were no counselors, there were no accommodations. My parents didn’t tell anyone. They did not want me to be defined by a label or use a label as an excuse. Going to therapy on national television at forty-three years old and sharing the deepest, darkest, secrets of my life and darkest moments of my life is not a lot of fun, right? But it was worth it because it has given so many people hope.” - Leland Vittert
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
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16 April 2026, 5:00 am - 16 minutes 23 seconds[BONUS] Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Book of Romans with J.D. Walt
Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where we take a look at the book of Romans with pastor and author J.D. Walt. J.D. walks us through Romans and how it illuminates a “darkness to light movement, chaos to love, and chaos to new creation.”
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Romans: From Sin Management to Love Unleashed
Interview Quotes:
“The awakening that I was experiencing led me to understand that the Christian life and faith is not a good-to-great program. It’s a death to life movement. It’s a darkness to light movement. It is chaos to love, chaos to new creation, lost to love.” - J.D. Walt
“Consecration, transformation, demonstration—that’s Romans in a nutshell. That’s a Christian life in a nutshell.” - J.D. Walt
“In the early church, they had a saying: one Christian is no Christian. Certainly every person has to become a follower of Jesus, a believer themselves. But this is not like golf, it’s like football. It’s a team sport. We are made for community, we already are connected together.” - J.D. Walt
“One of the greatest acts is simply being together in God’s Word, because it’s a Word that actually moves us towards each other. It moves us towards loving one another. Love must be sincere, Paul says in Romans 12.” - J.D. Walt
“The opposite of sin is love. Love is the movement toward God and others. Sin is the retraction of self into its own world at the cost of worship of God and love of neighbor. We need a better understanding of love—love is not soft and fuzzy, it’s hard and real.” - J.D. Walt
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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