Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where pastor Matt Whitman helps us explore the book of Matthew, spanning its genealogy, the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. By examining Jesus’ ministry and life as a fulfilled prophecy, the episode reveals the foundations of Christianity and the hope found in realizing our place in the narrative.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens

Matt Whitman
The book of Matthew
The Lightning-Fast Field Guide to the Bible

Interview Quotes:
“At the end of the Old Testament, you’ve got these promises hanging out there that God’s going to redeem everything, but there isn’t a clear timeline on it. And then you turn the page over to Matthew, and the hope starts, and the clarification on the whole arc of history starts, and this is where the Bible really begins to come into focus.” - Matt Whitman
“You meet Jesus, and you start to realize this is for me. I am part of this story. I am invited into this thing and I’m getting a sense of where I fit.” - Matt Whitman
“Right there at the front end of Matthew, we’re being told that Jesus is not a new thing. This was always the plan, this is more than just the next step in the plan, this is the culminating event in the plans.” - Matt Whitman
“We can’t solve the problem. We need God to step into the muck and into the mess. If there is any solution to the curse from all the way back in the garden, it’s going to have to come from God. And Matthew is saying, ‘Open your eyes. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for.’” - Matt Whitman
“How many of us have prayed that God would show us what is true, show us what is real? In Matthew 3, God shows up and affirms that He sent Jesus, that He is the Son of God, and that He is pleased with Jesus and what He’s about to do. It sets the stage for everything.” - Matt Whitman
“The first stuff that Jesus teaches publicly is the beloved beatitudes. He throws down this gauntlet and is saying right out of the gate, “I’m a King, there is a kingdom, and the rules of my kingdom are different than the world’s kingdoms.’” - Matt Whitman
“One of the very first things that Jesus clarifies is that this isn’t a new religion. This was always the plan. Redemption would always come through Christ. God would always be with us. Jesus is the completion and fulfillment of all of it, not something new.” - Matt Whitman
“Jesus has demonstrated power over life, death, distance. It seems like He should be so completely ‘other’ that He would be detached from humanity. But instead, he says ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I’ll give you rest.’” - Matt Whitman
“Jesus is not coming to heap more things upon people. The load of sin, the load of human frailty, is very heavy. And the answer to this is Christ. That is where hope can be found.” - Matt Whitman
“Death is defeated, the story finds its symmetry, and we feel great about it, but we feel even better when we realize we are in this story. You are heirs and agents of this kingdom. You are an honored son or daughter of the King.” - Matt Whitman
“Our hope was always in the main character of this book, who is Crhist, and who is present and who has changed our identity and invited us to participate in building His kingdom.” - Matt Whitman
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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.

*This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners.*
This week, as the country remembers the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, we’re talking with Darin Kinder, a retired Secret Service agent who survived the September 11th attacks and was later awarded a Medal of Valor for his actions that day. Kinder recounts the chaos of that morning, from treating the wounded on the street to making the choice to go back into a collapsing tower to help others get out.
Later in the episode, we feature Sam Eaton. After enduring years of severe depression, the former music teacher had made plans to take his own life on Christmas Day in 2011. However, a single pivotal question intervened at the final second, steering him toward a new direction and a mission to support others through their own darkest trials.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Jay Lowder
Upcoming interview: David Pollack
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season

Darin Kinder
World Trade Center complex
www.DarinKinder.com
Bury Me in a Dirty Suit

Sam Eaton
Recklessly Alive
You Can Do This

Interview Quotes:
“The 343 New York City Firefighters who died [on 9/11] answering the call, running to the threat so that others may live, embraced the embodiment of what we all must be as ambassadors of Christ.” - Darin Kinder
“We are called to be that man, that woman, standing in the alley, pointing people to the light of life. ‘Those who follow Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life,’ said Jesus. And that’s our mission as witnesses of Christ, as ambassadors representing Christ—to be the man, to be a woman standing in the alley, pointing people to the light of the world.” - Darin Kinder
“Sometimes God creates miracles, but most of the time He creates people. This world is full of problems, and you and I were created to be part of the solution for at least one.” - Darin Kinder
“I want to encourage people to get outside of the walls of their church and engage humanity, engage the problem. Bring the love of Christ, bring the light of Christ into the dark places.” - Darin Kinder
“I was so angry because so much of the messaging I had heard in my Christian journey was ,’God has great plans for your life.’ We hear that so often. And of course, I believe that. But in moments of extreme pain, when you can’t see hope, I was like, ‘Oh God, wow, if these are the great plans that you have for our lives--so much pain that I’m not even sure I want to be alive--how can you be a good God?’” - Sam Eaton
“Have you really given life everything you’ve got? Because I think that’s the life that Jesus calls us to: to be brave and courageous and to give it what we’ve got, no matter how hopeless we might feel.” - Sam Eaton
“I was made on purpose for a purpose, and there’s been this good God who’s been this quiet and gentle voice that’s willing to meet us when we make a little time for Him.” - Sam Eaton
“We lose almost 50,000 people a year to suicide in the U.S. We just have to be willing to talk about it, to have these hard conversations, and to encourage people to seek the medical help that can help them like it has helped me create a life that they want to live and that they can love.” - Sam Eaton
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’re joined by author and counselor Chuck DeGroat, who explores the profound invitation of the second half of life—a season where we are called to move beyond the “proving and performing” of our younger years. Chuck shares why this transition calls us to detangle our identities and embrace a slower, “non-microwavable” path to healing. He explains how cultivating spaces of safety and reconnection allows us to finally come home—to ourselves, to one another, and to God.
Later, we’ll hear from David and Alicia Lloyd. After more than two decades of dedicated service in the country of Haiti, they faced a devastating crisis that upended their world and challenged everything they thought they understood about God’s faithfulness. They share the raw, vulnerable journey of navigating profound loss and the unexpected ways they ultimately discovered God anew in the aftermath.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Erin Leigh Nelson
Upcoming interview: Darin Kinder
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season

Chuck DeGroat
Carl Jung
Thomas Merton
Henri Nouwen
Genesis chapter three
www.chuckdegroat.net
Who You’re Becoming

David and Alicia Lloyd
www.missionsinhaiti.com
Strong to the End

Interview Quotes:
“We’re often wrestling with this invitation of the second half of life where there is some sense that the rules of the first half of life don’t work any longer, and that there’s a deeper realization that they’re being invited to.” - Chuck DeGroat
“I think that the work that I invite others into, and the work I’ve had to do myself, is some detangling from the identity of that first half of life. What I thought I needed to chase after—that usually comes with a lot of should’s. And we’ve got to trace that story back often to early childhood. Where did those should’s and ought’s come from? And what was the deeper dream? What was the deep longing, the deeper vision?” - Chuck DeGroat
“You’re noticing things that you didn’t have time to notice in the first half of life when you were living according to the rules of busyness and proving and protecting. But with that, there are also questions of mortality like, Did it mean anything? What have I lost? Who have I hurt along the way in my busyness and my workaholism?” - Chuck DeGroat
“God created us with a physiological connection point, or maybe even call it a homing beacon, that reminds us that our deepest longing is for home, is for connection, is for love.” - Chuck DeGroat
“We stray from home into places that are disconnected, sometimes overwhelmed, sometimes frantic. Sometimes we find ourselves in anxious places, and yet the invitation to my clients, the invitation from God to you and to me, is always to return home.” - Chuck DeGroat
“There’s no fast track to change. There’s no microwavable pathway to change. It’s slow, and sometimes painful, but it begins with reconnection, and reconnection can only happen when our nervous systems experience a sense of safety. When we know within us, and around us, that we’re in a place where we’re truly seen and known and held, that’s when we can begin to shift in a new direction.” - Chuck DeGroat
“We had prayed so many times before that [God] would show up in the middle of whatever we’re facing, and [He] had showed up, God, like we prayed.” - David Lloyd
“God did show up, just not the way we had prayed. But God was there.” - David Lloyd
“For me, my moments of grief, my moments of breakdown, were when I was by myself, which was usually not always the most opportune times.” - David Lloyd
“I realized that God still does care about us, He does still realize that we’re hurting, and we can just call out to Him, and we can say, ‘We need some relief.’” - David Lloyd
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week, we’ll hear from Megan Piphus, a puppeteer and ventriloquist known for playing Gabrielle on Sesame Street. She’ll share how a childhood spent in her father’s church led her to an opportunity at the Jim Henson Company and how she’s since used puppetry to teach kids about God’s love. You’ll also meet her puppet, June Bug, who occasionally jumps in to help tell the story.
Next, we’ll hear from legendary voice actor Jim Cummings, whose iconic performances as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, and countless other beloved characters have brought comfort and joy to generations. Jim reflects on discovering his gift at a young age, the surprising path that led him into voice acting, and the unforgettable moments when his work became a source of hope for people facing difficult circumstances.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: RaeLynn
Upcoming interview: Chuck DeGroat

Megan Piphus
Gabrielle on Sesame Street
Psalms 126:6
Cinderella Sweep
Saving Our Daughters
Sesame Street on PBS

Jim Cummings
The Jack Benny Program
www.JimCummingsWorld.com

Interview Quotes:
“I realized that puppetry was something that you could learn and something that you could do for other people and do for kids.” - Megan Piphus
“I believe that God’s timing is perfect and divine. I knew very early that I had a calling to teach kids about God’s love.” - Megan Piphus
“By teaching [children] something new, they are inspired to be anything.” - Megan Piphus
“It is so important for young girls to see themselves represented in the most diverse spaces and unique spaces.” - Megan Piphus
“Oftentimes, kids are told, ‘I don’t know if you can do that, or I don’t know if that’s possible.’ As we get older, our world slowly confines into a space of what we see is possible and what the world tells us is possible. What I loved about puppetry is it kind of broke the rules of what’s possible.” - Megan Piphus
“I was always in a lot of plays as a child, and I didn’t want to be the student prince, or this and that. I wanted to be the troll that lived under the bridge. I was inadvertently doing research for what I was going to ultimately do when I grew up.” - Jim Cummings
“Winnie the Pooh is like comfort for the soul. ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’ He’s got a lot of that folksy wisdom that people rely on to get through tough times. And I’ve just been very fortunate to be a part of that.” - Jim Cummings
“I think the key word with Winnie the Pooh and the whole Hundred Acre Wood gang is ‘sincerity.’ It’s all just the interaction between friends, and it’s that bonding time, and it’s a celebration of the time in life when everything’s magical.” - Jim Cummings
________________________
Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
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.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Hallmark Channel star Jen Lilley as offers a deeply personal account of her 15-year journey with bulimia and moving forward toward recovery and freedom. She also gives a look at her new book, Wake Up Your Faith, encouraging listeners to overhaul their spiritual life by approaching it with a sense of adventure.

Guest’s Links
YouTube: @TheJenlilley
Facebook: @jenlilleyofficial
Instagram: @jen_lilley
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/3M1wDhG

________________________
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.