Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

*This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners.*
This week, we welcome RobertAnthony Cruz, known to many as Coach RAC. RobertAnthony is a professional baseball player with the Savannah Bananas, a former minor league athlete, and a mentor to thousands of young people through sports camps and social media. But beyond the flips on the field and the packed stadiums, Coach RAC has wrestled with anxiety, fear of failure, and the pressure to prove himself. Today, he shares how learning to root his identity in God’s unchanging love, rather than outcomes or approval, has transformed the way he competes, leads, and lives.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Christine D’Clario, who takes us behind the music and the platform into the hidden places of her story. From a childhood shaped by unspoken trauma with years of learning how to hide pain in the name of faith, Christine shares how postpartum depression became the breaking point that forced her to confront what she had carried for far too long.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Dr. Sasha Shillcutt
Upcoming interview: Jonathon M. Seidl

RobertAnthony Cruz
Coach RAC
Savannah Bananas
ESPN
Psalm 1
Jared Orton
Christian Dearman

Christine D’Clario
postpartum depression
Philippians 4:6-7
John 16:33
www.ChristineDClario.com/en
Healing in the Desert

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt, call Trinity today. Trinity’s counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps! Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org
TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. https://trinitycredit.org

Interview Quotes:
“When you make it your aim to serve your teammates and do that, it becomes such a beautiful thing, and you find so much more fulfillment in it. I’ve had to learn to detach my sense of peace and joy from the results and instead play from a place of gratitude and see how I can serve my teammates well.” - RobertAnthony Cruz
“God created us to be part of the body, so we’re supposed to be connected to each other. When you can experience competition while being deeply connected to your teammates, it ends up being such a beautiful and fun thing.” - RobertAnthony Cruz
“The older I get, the more I realize that God is our friend. He wants a relationship with us, and a healthy relationship requires spending time. I think that having daily rituals and prayer time are so important for you to cultivate this relationship with God.” - RobertAnthony Cruz
“It took me being 100% dysregulated in my body, in my emotions, in my mind, to understand that the spirit alone cannot carry the weight of all the other areas.” - Christine D’Clario
“There was just so much compounded on each other that when I reached the moments of deep despair, I couldn’t understand that God was actually extending me an opportunity to look inward and fix those things that needed healing.” - Christine D’Clario
“I learned to hide the pain, stuff it down, because we had a lot of work to do at church. It took me a really long time to finally admit that I was broken.” - Christine D’Clario
“It takes people who have been through brokenness to have the authority to pull others that are in it out of it.” - Christine D’Clario
“When everybody else discards what is broken as garbage, the Lord stays. If you’re in the rut and it’s muddy and it’s dirty and it stinks, He’ll sit with you in the mud and the dirt and the stink and the rut. He’ll stay, He’ll hold you, and He will patiently wait with His inviting arms for the moment that we feel strong enough to take the step of faith, get up, and start healing.” - Christine D’Clario
________________________
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 week, we speak with Nathan Davis Jr., an actor, singer, and songwriter whose career has taken him from church choirs to television screens and viral music platforms. But behind the success is a deeply personal story of loss and faith. After losing his little brother to suicide and enduring a season of overwhelming grief, Nathan found himself at a breaking point, until a quiet, honest cry to God changed everything.
After we hear from Nathan, we talk with Tim Timmons, a songwriter and founder of the nonprofit 10000 MINUTES. Based in Nashville, his insightful music and ministry were profoundly shaped by an unexpected diagnosis of incurable cancer twenty-five years ago. Tim shares his journey of wrestling with faith’s biggest questions, the power of praying his songs, and how he’s learned to hold the tension between deep sorrow and profound gratitude.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Chris Tomlin & Darren Whitehead
Upcoming interview: RobertAnthony Cruz

Nathan Davis Jr.
www.IAmNathanDavisJr.com
“Woke Up This Morning”
*Nathan will be the first R&B Christian/inspirational artist to perform at the 2026 Rolling Loud Festival in Orlando, Florida on May 10th!

Tim Timmons
10000 MINUTES
Switchfoot
Bart Millard from the band MercyMe
“Even If”
I Can Only Imagine 2
www.timtimmonsmusic.com

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt, call Trinity today. Trinity’s counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps! Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org
TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. https://trinitycredit.org

Interview Quotes:
“You go through your Jonah phases where you’re running away from your purpose because you’re afraid and you get distracted, and God has an interesting way of bringing you back around.” - Nathan Davis Jr.
“The best way to honor [my brother] is to just be a better version of myself. To keep his name alive by speaking to kids and speaking to people that deal with depression and mental health situations and continue to help and to give back and to just love and show as much love as I can.” - Nathan Davis Jr.
“I’m just blessed that God gave me another chance and that He’s forgiven me and showed me a lot of mercy and grace and that He’s utilizing me.”- Nathan Davis Jr.
“All I could think about was waking up in the morning and praying to God and walking with Him on my walks, and His presence just felt so calm. I just felt so loved and validated and just reassured.” - Nathan Davis Jr.
“Fear pays attention to facts, but faith pays attention to the Father. As long as our eyes are on God—no matter how many storms or chaos or whatever is going on—we’re going to walk on water.” - Nathan Davis Jr.
“I felt abandoned. Rejected. Depressed. I remember having a moment where all I could say was, ‘This pain is terrible. God, I need you.’ And for the first time, I felt like I had a spiritual encounter with God.” - Nathan Davis Jr.
“I wish I could say I have it all figured out, but I don’t. But at some point I remember saying, ‘Okay, God, I don’t know how all this works, but I think Your way is the most beautiful way I can see.’” - Tim Timmons
“Living as though something is true—that’s the actual definition of to believe. It’s like this verb of faith, I’m believing as though this is true. So it really became a sobering moment for me to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to bet my one and only life on you, Jesus. So You lead on.’” - Tim Timmons
“Somehow, I got to wake up again this morning. Because of that, I’m just going to find gratitude for this day. This is the day that You have made, God. I will rejoice and be glad in the fact that You woke me up again. Even in the midst of sorrow, You woke me up. So how do I join You well today? I would not be the man I am today or the husband or the dad or the follower of Jesus I am today without sorrow.” - Tim Timmons
“I’m trying to figure out how to live with the idea of saying, ‘Life is hard. This thing is really hard. It sucks, period. I’m so sorry for this. And what if God is actually good and He’s at work even in the middle of the fire?’ I want to be the guy living as though these both can exist and I can hold the tension of these two—that God is good and life’s hard and God’s good.” - Tim Timmons
“We get good at what we practice and we get good at who we’re with. One of the definitions of worship is attention. What has your attention? In the way that we’re actually starting our day or ending our day or during our day, we’re saying, ‘Jesus, you have my attention.’” - Tim Timmons
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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 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

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt, call Trinity today. Trinity’s counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps! Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org
TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. https://trinitycredit.org

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
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where we do a deep dive on misunderstood women in the Bible with author, podcaster, and speaker Mary DeMuth. Many of us grew up hearing the stories of women like Bathsheba, Tamar, and the Woman at the Well, often presented in a simplified—and sometimes judgmental—light. But what if the Sunday School lessons we learned missed the mark by overlooking the cultural context, the brutal realities of the time, and what the Bible actually says about these women? Mary DeMuth takes us through a powerful rereading of their narratives, challenging the common misconceptions.

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

Mary DeMuth
Pray Every Day Podcast
The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible by Mary DeMuth
Restory Your Life by Mary DeMuth


Interview Quotes:
“There are some amazing women in the Bible, and sadly I have not heard them preached much except for the heavy hitters. And it gave me an ignited desire to highlight these women because they are part of the story of Scripture.” - Mary DeMuth
“These women, maybe like you, were misunderstood, misjudged. You can learn a lot from these women of the Bible.” - Mary DeMuth
“I think a lot of women ask, How can I get rid of this feeling? How can I get rid of this pain, this trauma, this worry? And yet the Lord is so good, He is with us when we walk through those kinds of really painful journeys.” - Mary DeMuth
“If you have felt like things have been really, really, hard, God is at work. And there will be a moment when He brings healing.” - Mary DeMuth
“One of the themes of my life has been how God has intersected a very broken, traumatic story and brought beauty out of it, healing me to bring me into places of ambassadorship where I am able to walk alongside those who have a similar story and just to see the beauty of the Lord intersecting them.” - Mary DeMuth
________________________
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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 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
This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt, call Trinity today. Trinity’s counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps! Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org
TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. https://trinitycredit.org

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.