Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

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
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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
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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

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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.

Today, we’re joined by Coby and Cory Cotton of Dude Perfect, who share how a simple idea filmed in a backyard with friends grew into videos watched by millions around the world on YouTube. They reflect on the early days of creating trick shots just for fun, the challenges that came with unexpected success, and a medical emergency that reminded them to slow down and make room for what matters most.
Next, we hear from author and grief counselor Jennifer Marshall Bleakley, who shares how losing her golden retriever, Bailey, opened her eyes to the depths of pet grief, the memories that remain, and the love we carry after saying goodbye.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Steve Wohlberg
Upcoming interview: Megan Piphus

Coby and Cory Cotton of Dude Perfect
Bell’s Palsy
www.DudePerfect.com
Operation Trick Shot

Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
Paws In His Presence
Pawverbs devotional series
ww.JenniferBleakley.com
Thank You For Loving Me

Interview Quotes:
“I’ve gone through different seasons in my life where I’ve been more consistent and less consistent, but there is no doubt that meeting with Jesus every single day differentiates someone that just says they’re a believer and someone that actually has a relationship with Jesus.” - Cory Cotton
“I wouldn’t trade that experience [of having Bell’s Palsy] for the world, because I think it was really God helping me lean into that dependence on Him.” - Cory Cotton
“The only answer for how [Dude Perfect] happened is God, because it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.” - Cory Cotton
“The business [Dude Perfect] cannot be healthy unless our friendships are healthy.” - Coby Cotton
“I think when I meet with [God] in the morning and try to find the peace in whatever situation that I’m dealing with, and try to center [myself] on what the priority in life really is—if you’re not in the Word, or if you’re not in the devotional that’s pointing you to the Word, I think you’re missing out.” - Cory Cotton
“I think God planted the seeds in my heart to see animals as ambassadors of His grace on this planet.” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
“The world right now can seem a rather harsh place. So many people have been so hurt by other people. How kind of God to sprinkle ambassadors of His grace all across this planet in the form of animals. God is constantly pointing us to animals throughout Scripture, encouraging us to look to the eagle, to look to the lion who He feeds, to look to the ant who’s busy at work.” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
“Animals are the ones that we can be 100% ourselves with. They show up for us on the good days and the bad days and are as impressed by us when we feel like we have it all together and when we’ve just fallen on our face. I really do think it is a beautiful picture of God’s love and His feelings toward us that we don’t have to try to clean ourselves up to come to Him. He just loves us as we are and just desires for us to be present with Him.” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
“I discovered firsthand that God is not afraid of our questions and that He will hold us through them.” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
“I think it’s vitally important for us, especially as believers, to honor the grief that people feel when they’ve lost a pet. It is such a kindness and a gift to hold space for someone who is grieving, to be a compassionate witness and just say, ‘I see you and I’m going to stay here with you in the hurt and in the heavy.’” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
“Invite people to invite us into their pain and then to weep with them, to stand with them in that pain, to sit with them, and then gently start to walk with them toward the light of healing.” - Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
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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
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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 examine the stories and roles of mothers in the Bible with author and host of the Old Ladies Know Stuff podcast Rhonda Stoppe. Rhonda walks us through the lives of women in the Bible like Naomi, Eunice the mother of Timothy, Mary, Rahab, the woman at the well, Herodias, and more. Rhonda shows us what we can learn from Biblical mothers that challenge and equip us to guide the next generation.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Rhonda Stoppe
Moms of the Bible

Interview Quotes:
“God calls older women to teach the younger. When I look back on my life, I remember not having a clue how to be the wife I wanted to be, the mom I wanted to be, the woman I wanted to be. I needed mentors. I needed help.” - Rhonda Stoppe
“I couldn’t stop exploring the lives of these women in history that God used for their time. So many of their flawed stories reflect the grace of God that says, ‘Now I’ve got you broken and now I can use you in a way I never could have used you had you not failed.’ Because now you’re relying completely on Christ alone.” - Rhonda Stoppe
“If you look at all the moms in Scripture, and children throughout history, you will find that their first teachers were not theologians. It was their moms.” - Rhonda Stoppe
“Eunice and Lois were pouring into Timothy. They didn’t know that they were raising the young man who Paul would one day hand over the mantle of his ministry to. Do what’s in front of you, trust God with the outcome.” - Rhonda Stoppe
“We want to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. We want to raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We want to live in a manner worthy of our calling. And we want our life to reflect Christ’s love so that our kids want to follow Jesus.” - Rhonda Stoppe
"‘No greater love has a friend than this: that he lays down his life for a friend.’ You are God-ordained, called to be the moms of this next generation. You’re shaping world changers. You are the architects of the next generation—this is an incredible calling that God has put on your life." - Rhonda Stoppe
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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.

Joining us this week is worship leader turned viral comedian Heather Land. After growing up in the shadow of her mother’s decades-long addiction, Heather reflects on how this painful season—alongside her unexpected shift from the worship stage to the world of comedy—taught her that while our paths may take unforeseen turns, our core calling to encourage and uplift others remains constant.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Rachel Kessler, an Episcopal priest and Kenyon College chaplain who completed her PhD in medieval studies at the University of Toronto before pivoting to seminary after hitting academic burnout, then built a following as the “Nerdy Priest” on TikTok after a student secretly downloaded the app on her phone.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Cole Arthur Riley
Upcoming interview: Dude Perfect

Heather Land
@heatherland_iaintdoinit
Heather Land’s books

Rachel Kessler
“Nerdy Priest” on TikTok
Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church
Rachel Held Evans
www.nerdypriest.com
Nerd Faith

Interview Quotes:
“It was challenging growing up in addiction. I think when you’re young, you don’t necessarily know what’s going on. You hear your family talking about it or you know it in theory, but you don’t know how to piece it together.” - Heather Land
“When you’re in addiction, codependency is just alive and well. And I think it makes the best of people act extremely erratically and say things they don’t mean.” - Heather Land
“I asked [my mom] one time, ‘What keeps you sober now?' And without hesitation, she said, ‘This time, I finally decided to stop living in shame.’” - Heather Land
“I went through a little season where I really questioned my faith. I had a lot of doubt. I think I was undoing some messed up theology that I needed to deconstruct. This was no surprise to God.” - Heather Land
“When you’ve had a certain life for fourteen years or however long, and then you find yourself walking into the unknown, it is very scary.” - Heather Land
“When we doubt God and we’re like, ‘I don’t know about this,’ He’s like, ‘Well, hang on, I’ve got something up My sleeve!’ I just think that's such a beautiful story of who God is and how faithful He is.” - Heather Land
“There is something to be said for the habits of faith when we’re not necessarily feeling that deep connection to God, for just still showing up.” - Rachel Kessler
“My online platform as ‘The Nerdy Priest’ really is just an authentic representation of who I am.” - Rachel Kessler
“I think you get burnt out in ministry when you are focusing on the ends as opposed to the means. It is so easy to get caught up in writing a good sermon or making a good post that goes viral and getting the engagement. What’s so critical is staying grounded in the truth.” - Rachel Kessler
“What I came to realize is that there aren’t rules on how we are meant to relate to Jesus. Through ritual, through the traditions of the church, those are the ways that I communicate with Jesus.” - Rachel Kessler
________________________
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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Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Website
TikTok
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.