Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

This week, we hear from Dr. Michael Guillén, a physicist who grew up in East LA, earned his PhD from Cornell, taught at Harvard, and spent fourteen years as the science editor for ABC News—including a dive to the wreck of the Titanic that nearly killed him. Dr. Guillén shares how decades of studying invisible forces in the universe—dark matter, hidden dimensions, the limits of what science can actually see—ultimately led the self-described atheist to faith and why he believes science makes the case for God stronger, not weaker.
Later in the episode, we hear from Chris Hodges, founding pastor of Church of the Highlands, who opens up about the grief, burnout, and panic attacks that brought him to a breaking point after a decade of leading one of the country’s fastest-growing churches—and the five-step process he found in scripture that pulled him out.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Nathan Davis Jr.
Upcoming interview: Victoria Arlen

Dr. Michael Guillén
The Invisible Everywhere: Believing Is Seeing - Documentary by Dr. Michael Guillén

Church of the Highlands
Highlands College
Legacy Letters: Timeless Principles I Learned, Lived, and Leave Behind - Book by Chris Hodges

Interview Quotes:
“It’s not seeing is believing; it’s believing is seeing.” - Dr. Michael Guillén
“Far from there being any contradictions, actually there were a lot of similarities between how the Bible describes heaven and how modern science describes this visible realm beyond the cosmic horizon.” - Dr. Michael Guillén
“There is no fundamental contradiction between the Biblical worldview and the modern scientific worldview.” - Dr. Michael Guillén
“Now that I’m grown up, I’m still a scientist, but now I’m a devout Christian. I don’t feel that lonely. I’m finding that more and more scientists are very receptive to the idea of God.” - Dr. Michael Guillén
“Science has made it easier for me to believe in God, not harder. I’ve grown accustomed to dealing with invisible realities. It’s the bread and butter of modern science. The fact that God is invisible is no big deal for me, because I see His fingerprints everywhere.” - Dr. Michael Guillén
“I liken the process or the feelings of depression and burnout as kind of being in the cave. Like, you know there’s a way out, but you don’t know where it is and it’s dark and it’s confusing.” - Chris Hodges
“Many people only know God in the dynamic; they don’t know Him in the intimate.” - Chris Hodges
“When I had a new assignment, and a fresh purpose for life.. Joy flooded my heart the moment I knew God had something He wanted me to do.” - Chris Hodges
“I call it the bucket list principle—if you want to start living, start dreaming.” - Chris Hodges
“I think people can come out of their burnout conditions by their closeness with the Lord, by renewing their sense of purpose and hope.” - Chris Hodges
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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
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This Father’s Day week, we hear from two men whose completely different experiences of childhood and fatherhood led them to the same mission: helping dads show up with intention. Jeff Hamilton, pastor and author of Dad Academy, grew up with the rare gift of an engaged, present father. Today, he’s helping dads build stronger relationships with their children through intentional parenting.

Later in the episode, we hear from Glen Henry, known online as Beleaf in Fatherhood, whose story couldn’t be more different—a childhood marked by feeling unwanted and unloved, and a young adulthood spent shifting his identity just to feel accepted. It was becoming a father himself that finally forced the inner work he’d avoided and how he learned the importance of fathering yourself first.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Dr. Meg Meeker
Upcoming interview: Dr. Michael Guillén

Jeff Hamilton
Dad Academy
Dad Academy: Raising Courageous, Capable, Confident Kids - Book by Jeff Hamilton

Glen Henry
Beleaf in Fatherhood YouTube Channel
Father Yourself First: Everything You Need to Become the Father Your Family Deserves - Book by Glen Henry

Interview Quotes:
“Kids are going to be kind of self-conscious as they start to compare themselves to the environment or to the relationships that are around them, but our job is not to let their self-worth and value be influenced by an image of what other people want them to be.” - Jeff Hamilton
“There’s inherent greatness in our kids, and it’s our job as parents to nurture it within them.” - Jeff Hamilton
“I think the greatest thing that we can pass on to our kids is the value of serving. We find a sense of significance by the value and benefit that we bring to others.” - Jeff Hamilton
“A dad’s mission is to prepare their kids for life by passing on their values and their skills to their children.” - Jeff Hamilton
“The rituals and traditions of your family are the things that give your children a sense of identity and understanding of who they are and the priorities that they need to establish in the course of their lives.” - Jeff Hamilton
“[Traditions and rituals] create memorable moments that help our kids understand when they move from one stage to another, and it affirms who they are becoming and the future and the destiny that’s ahead for them.” - Jeff Hamilton

“Once I started to grow as a man by having to apply the things that people were trying to teach me my whole life, I recognized the true gift that fatherhood was.” - Glen Henry
“My thought is that you would father yourself out of that and start to change your inner voice so that you always speak to yourself as a father that loves you, just like you love your children.” - Glen Henry
“The way I have been held as a father, I’ve never felt closer to God than I have being a part of a family. You’re collaborating with God on a masterpiece.” - Glen Henry
“There are things hidden in the relationship [with your family] that if you allow it to teach you, you will grow closer to God.” - Glen Henry
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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
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast. We’re talking to men who look at their lives as fathers as one of the most important roles they’ll ever have. Our earthly fathers—or the significant father figures in our lives—cast a profound and lasting shadow on who we become. We carry their wisdom, their lessons, and their support as a foundation for our own lives. Yet, for many, that influence also includes painful memories—moments of absence, criticism, or misunderstanding that leave behind wounds and a deep yearning for unconditional acceptance. No human father is perfect, and the imperfections in our relationships can sometimes make it difficult to grasp the concept of a loving Father in heaven. Through prayer and faith, we can allow God’s perfect love to mend the broken places and provide the strength to honor and navigate our relationship with our human fathers.

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

Steven Curtis Chapman & Emily Chapman Richards
Rob Kenney
Kirk Cousins
Jeremy Rosado
Trey Tucker
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Website
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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.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast. We’re talking to men who look at their lives as fathers as one of the most important roles they’ll ever have. Our earthly fathers—or the significant father figures in our lives—cast a profound and lasting shadow on who we become. We carry their wisdom, their lessons, and their support as a foundation for our own lives. Yet, for many, that influence also includes painful memories—moments of absence, criticism, or misunderstanding that leave behind wounds and a deep yearning for unconditional acceptance. No human father is perfect, and the imperfections in our relationships can sometimes make it difficult to grasp the concept of a loving Father in heaven. Through prayer and faith, we can allow God’s perfect love to mend the broken places and provide the strength to honor and navigate our relationship with our human fathers.

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

Steven Curtis Chapman & Emily Chapman Richards
Rob Kenney
Kirk Cousins
Jeremy Rosado
Trey Tucker
________________________
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 hear from comedian Tim Hawkins, who shares what it took to build a career on clean, relatable comedy—and the surprising lesson he learned when nearly two decades of constant road life led to complete burnout.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from singer-songwriter and pastor Michael Charles Olson, who shares a life influenced by both worship and wounds. Raised in a church where music and faith were woven into everyday life, Michael reflects on how that early sense of sanctuary was later shaken to its core by a church fire that damaged more than just its walls.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Becky Thompson
Upcoming interview: Jeff Hamilton

Tim Hawkins
Fist Bump - Comedy Special by Tim Hawkins

Michael Charles Olson
Rocketown Records
Daddy Set the Church on Fire: A Journey Toward Restoration - Book by Michael Charles Olson

Interview Quotes:
“I grew up in a very fun family. We laughed a lot. We enjoyed comedy. I didn’t know what it was. I just know it made me feel good, and it was fun to create it and make people laugh.” - Tim Hawkins
“My job is to be funny. People call me a Christian comedian, but I’m a Christian who is a comedian.” - Tim Hawkins
“It’s all about connection. Connection is something that we need—and lack. It’s a need that fulfills something in us.” - Tim Hawkins
“A thing that I needed to learn was to control my brain, to just shut it down.. And being able to just stop that and be quiet and present.” - Tim Hawkins

“Just like that organ was a really, really intricate instrument of praise, my dad was a beautiful soul, deep soul, and through the power of unforgiveness, our home fell apart.” - Michael Charles Olson
“When the heart of the father turns inward on itself through pain, the child is kind of left not knowing what to do because we’re hardwired in the way that we were created in our relationship with God for this openness and vulnerability.” - Michael Charles Olson
“I really feel like my role as a worship leader is to create environments where the fire of God is experienced in the church.” - Michael Charles Olson
“We all go through seasons of brokenness. We all go through seasons where we feel like we’ve let God down. We feel like we let ourselves down. I think I would just say that I’ve had those seasons, and it’s very, very important to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd speaking to you in the midst of your brokenness.” - Michael Charles Olson
“When you’re wounded in the sanctuary, when the thing that you hold most dear burns to the ground, God meets you in a restorative place.” - Michael Charles Olson
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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
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Website
TikTok
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.