Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

This week, we hear from legendary husband and wife songwriting team Bill and Gloria Gaither, who went from teaching school in a small Indiana town to writing some of the most sung hymns and songs in the modern church, including “Because He Lives” and “He Touched Me.” They’ll talk about the lessons they’ve learned about failure, success, and how one of their most famous songs came from a time when the world around them felt anything but stable.
Next, we’ll hear from The Voice season twelve winner Chris Blue, who initially turned down multiple opportunities to audition for The Voice. He’ll share how he eventually returned to his family’s gospel music roots after years of pursuing a different path.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Jordan Smith
Upcoming interview: Kelly Rizzo

Bill and Gloria Gaither
Dottie Rambo
www.gaither.com

Chris Blue
The Voice season twelve
The Jackson 5
Foundations: The Hymns of My Heart

Interview Quotes:
“Jesus Himself was born into the most unstable of worlds. And so we go on with our life because the resurrection is true. It’s not just a one-time shot in history. The resurrection is built into every fiber of creation. It’s everywhere around us, and we can believe that because He lives, we can face tomorrow.” - Gloria Gaither
“Be good to that gift that God has given you.” - Bill Gaither
“We’re constantly teaching, and one of the best teachers is failure. If you learn from failure, it makes you wise.” - Gloria Gaither
“If you get up in the morning with expectations, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you get up in the morning with expectancy, saying, ‘What is God going to do today?’ then you’re never disappointed, and you’re always in awe of what God does.” - Gloria Gaither
“The pines are green. The sky is blue. It’s a riotous circus of color. Now I can either just go about my business and not notice that, or I can take that in and realize that God is sending us love letters from His heart every minute of every day. It’s up to us whether we read them or not.” - Gloria Gaither
“We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand. Yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow may never come, but at least we have this moment today. And Jesus said, ‘I’ve come to bring you life more abundantly.’ And that is the abundant life—when you can use the God-given resources that He’s given to your mind and make the right choices on how you spend your time.” - Bill Gaither
“I think it’s a wonderful gift that prayer is portable.” - Gloria Gaither
“When it came down to being selected [for The Voice] and being the last one, I thought, Man, I’m wasting my time. Jesus never called me to this. Maybe I heard wrong. But I didn’t. He was saving the first to be last and the last to be first.” - Chris Blue
“After you win, you get money, you get the accolades, you get the deal, you get different opportunities. But then it goes away. That was hard at first because my expectation was you win and you just keep climbing. But that wasn’t the reality for me. You have to really work. You have to continue grinding. You have to continue pushing as if you never won.” - Chris Blue
“When Jesus called me to sing Christian music again, I knew that I needed to let the world know that sometimes you can stray away from your path, but like GPS, it’ll always recalculate and get you back on track.” - Chris Blue
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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.

From his roots in Virginia to decades with the Statler Brothers and beyond, Jimmy Fortune has walked through seasons of success, heartache, and loss. In this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, Jimmy shares how a praying mother and a Bible left open in a hotel room kept him seeking God, and why he continues to hold on to hope through every note and every trial.

Guest’s Links
Facebook: @JimmyFortuneMusic
Instagram: @jimmy.fortune
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/3PIHsqI
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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.

Best known for his role as Brick Heck on the hit NBC show The Middle, actor and YouTuber Atticus Shaffer shares the profound lessons learned from living with the chronic pain and the medical challenges of osteogenesis imperfecta. He also reflects on his moving caretaking journey, discussing the role reversal of supporting his mother through her own health struggles and how their shared hardships deepened his capacity for compassion.
Later, we speak with content creator Ariel Fitz-Patrick. Raised in a strict, rule-bound home, Ariel grew up hiding her mistakes out of shame. As an adult, she learned to run toward God instead of away, transforming her perspective on grace. Today, she leverages her social media platform to promote a healthy lifestyle for Gen Z.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Lisa Harper
Upcoming interview: Bill and Gloria Gaither
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season

Atticus Shaffer
osteogenesis imperfecta
The Class
The Middle
AtticusShafferVlog

Ariel Fitz-Patrick
Imma See for Myself

Interview Quotes:
“There are many times in this life where God does not give a direct answer immediately. Sometimes He doesn’t give a direct answer at all. But we as Christ followers are in need of still pursuing the upward call of Christ, despite what we may or may not understand, because we need to remember who God is and who His character is.” - Atticus Shaffer
“My respect for [my mom] as a nurturer, as a caretaker, and quite frankly, that of those who truly and genuinely are caretakers and have a nurturing spirit within them, has only quadrupled because of the work and the care and the dedication and the love that is truly had.” - Atticus Shaffer
“I’m very grateful for all of the different things that I have been able to do in my life thus far, namely The Middle, and being able to be one of the leads on a now going-down-in-history family sitcom.” - Atticus Shaffer
“I’m realizing every step of the way is important in developing who I am, my strength, and how I will be able to deal with the opportunities coming my way—making sure I don’t compromise, making sure that I know who I was before I even got on social media. It was all so necessary.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“It’s always been important to me, especially when I became a young adult, to humanize the Christian walk. Because the way I grew up, there’s this disconnect with reality.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“Most of us know the message of forgiveness—you go to God, you confess your sins, He forgives you. But then we end up in this loop sometimes of being repeat offenders. And it’s kind of like, Well, if I’m a repeat offender, I can’t just keep going back to God because now He’s mad at me. And I think that’s what’s missing in so many of our walks. There’s nothing perfect about humans. The only thing that makes us perfect is when we are fully in Christ.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“I think it’s important for me, and creatives like me, to use our imaginations to paint the picture that the Bible is singing, because not everybody’s going to pick up [the Bible]. So I think that’s the importance of using social media and imagination and creativity to reach the generation that’s here now.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
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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 hear from first-round NFL draft pick and former Cincinnati Bengals player David Pollack, whose career was cut short by a devastating neck injury. David shares the heartbreak of a dream lost and the strength he drew from that time years later, as he watched his wife face a brain cancer diagnosis.
Next, we’ll hear from physicist and author Dr. Brian Miller. While studying at MIT, Brian found his faith challenged by skeptics and began asking whether belief in God could stand up to scientific scrutiny. The answers he found changed the way he sees both science and the world around him.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Kent Chevalier and Johnny Shelton
Upcoming interview: Atticus Shaffer
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season

David Pollack
Attention Deficit Disorders
University of Georgia
www.DavidPollack.com
Every Day Counts

Dr. Brian Miller
Rice Broocks
God’s Not Dead
Man with Messiah
The Shawshank Redemption
www.Discovery.org
The Intelligent Design of Life

Interview Quotes:
“It’s amazing to watch God work in the stillness. It’s amazing to watch God work in the quiet. The Bible says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ Well, how many times do you do that? How many times do you get still enough to hear from God?” - David Pollack
“There’s going to be a time in your life where you are forced to carry a cross you didn’t earn, you didn’t deserve, and you don’t want. And here’s the thing—how are you going to carry it?” - David Pollack
“Because God’s been so gracious to us and given us a lot of hard times in our lives, you start to figure out how you’re going to handle it. I think running away from God is not an option anymore. It’s running to God.” - David Pollack
“What I often find with people is the more they understand that the world was created, the more they have awe and wonder at its creation, and the more they know where to look to see what’s most remarkable about creation. The more we look, the more we see it’s optimally designed, and brilliantly designed, to achieve a goal. It’s not just that we have a Creator, but a Creator of virtually infinite intelligence and wisdom and care and love.” - Dr. Brian Miller
“Pretty much every major prediction of people that believe life is an accident has proven false, but every major prediction of people who believe life is designed has proven true.” - Dr. Brian Miller
“As we show people the evidence of the design of the world, we’re trying to show that there is a greater purpose, there is true hope in life, that they do have a purpose. And when you understand that there’s a greater story that God is calling you to be a part of, it’ll help you live a life that can have a purpose, that will resonate into eternity.” - Dr. Brian Miller
“As you reconnect with God and you allow your life to come into alignment with the work of the Holy Spirit in you, suddenly the story will become true. Suddenly, you’ll become a player in the story, you’ll see God act through you in powerful ways.” - Dr. Brian Miller
________________________
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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Website
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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 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.