The Stories Collective

Sarah Schalow has a lot to share with you in today’s special episode! So grab your favorite coffee or tea and settle in for a heartfelt look back at this year’s journey with The Stories Collective, including a personal update from Sarah and a glimpse into the future of the podcast.The episode opens with a reflection on the 17 powerful stories shared over the past five months, each one a beautiful testimony of God’s faithfulness. One especially moving moment came when a recent guest revealed how listening to the podcast led to real, life-changing transformation. It’s been an incredible season.Earlier this year, The Stories Collective took its first break in three years. In this episode, Sarah opens up about the reasons behind that pause and how it connects to what’s ahead. In the final 10 minutes, she reflects on how the podcast has grown over the past three years and the impact it’s had, noting that roughly 10% of the church has now shared their story. That’s a staggering picture of God’s work among us, and there’s still so much more to be told.While there are no plans to end The Stories Collective, the podcast will be going on an indefinite hiatus following this episode. It’s not goodbye—just a pause—as Sarah steps into a new season of life, which she shares more about in the episode 😊 In the meantime, we encourage you to revisit past episodes, catch up on any you missed, and prayerfully consider sharing your story later this year. Because He is alive. He is working. He is faithful.A heartfelt thank-you to the incredible team that makes this podcast possible each week: Brandon & Brittany Petry, Hailey Keller, and Brandon Lloyd. The Stories Collective wouldn’t exist without their dedication.Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Gail Hosea’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late for God to bring transformation. A lifelong Arizona resident, Gail is the sixth of eight children. While she holds on to some fond family memories, many are overshadowed by the deep pain of growing up with an abusive father. From a young age, Gail learned to hide behind emotional “masks,” concealing not only what was happening at home but also the turmoil within her own heart and mind. This is unfortunately something that she would carry into adulthood. At 18, Gail left home, and shortly afterward, her father passed away. His death brought a flood of complicated emotions, but it also became the beginning of her journey toward understanding forgiveness. At 21, she met her first husband while serving in the National Guard, and it was through attending church with him that Gail accepted Jesus as her Savior. Looking back, however, she realizes that key pieces were missing, particularly genuine discipleship and community. While she had reverence for God, her daily life wasn’t centered around Him. Instead, she filled her life with idols—family, work, friends, and especially her children became her highest priorities. After her first marriage ended, God blessed her with a second husband, yet Gail continued living according to her own strength and understanding. For years and years, she leaned on self-reliance, still not finding true fulfillment. It wasn’t until living in Prescott that things slowly began to change. A friend came alongside her in a deeply intentional way, modeling what a vibrant relationship with God could look like. When Gail and her husband moved back to the Valley, she says it felt like she finally lost the “box of masks” she had carried for so long. At 63, she truly began her walk with Jesus—and life has never been the same. Gail shares how God awakened her heart to His love and how, despite her past, she now feels like she is living in the best chapters of her life. Though she sometimes grieves the time that feels lost, she rests in the truth that with God, nothing is ever wasted. His redemption is real, His grace is abundant, and all it takes is one intentional step.Listen to Gail's discipleship journey on The Now Life podcast:The Disciple's Journey of Gail Hosea + Danya Works Part 1The Disciple's Journey of Gail Hosea + Danya Works Part 2Desert Springs will be having baptism services August 23rd + 24th! Don't miss this opportunity to proclaim your faith in Jesus. Email [email protected] to get started.Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Karen Frey’s testimony is a powerful reminder of God’s redemptive work. With deep roots tied to the Desert Springs church building, Karen’s story is one of full-circle grace—how God gently led her back to a place she once thought she had left behind for good. Originally from Indiana, Karen fondly recalls how her mother faithfully brought the family to church every Sunday. She cherished that church community, being present whenever the church doors were open. That formative experience planted a seed in her heart, a longing for deep, authentic fellowship with God's people. In 2000, after moving to Arizona, Karen and her sons began attending a church that met at Westview High School in Avondale. It quickly became home. The tight-knit community supported her through one of the most difficult seasons of her life as she went through a divorce. The women in her small group were especially instrumental, surrounding her with prayer, encouragement, and love. As the church grew, exciting plans were made to build a new church and school in Goodyear. The future looked bright. But everything changed when troubling revelations came to light, ultimately leading to the heartbreaking dissolution of both the church and the school in 2006. The loss was devastating. Though Karen never turned her back on God, the disillusionment she felt made it difficult to re-engage with another church. After years of searching and disappointment, she stepped away from church life altogether. For five years, she lived in the tension of believing in God while feeling disconnected from His people. But in early 2019, God, ever faithful, began to stir her heart once more. Through His grace and kindness, He drew her back to community and back into fellowship. And in the most unexpected twist, He brought her right back to the very place where so much had once unraveled. Karen’s journey is a beautiful testimony of healing, restoration, and God’s unwavering pursuit of His people.Ashley Nochevich's testimony (Karen's daughter-in-law!), Episode 137Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

It was an absolute pleasure to have Tim Dornseif join us in the studio! This moment feels especially meaningful, almost full circle, as just a year ago, Tim listened to a testimony on this very podcast that radically changed his life. You’ll have to tune in to hear how God used that story to begin a powerful transformation in his heart. Tim shares his journey with honesty and vulnerability. Raised in Indiana, his family occasionally attended a Lutheran church. He grew up with his mom and stepdad, not meeting his biological father until he was 25. The absence of a strong, present father figure left a deep wound, one that would later surface in painful and self-destructive ways. In his late teens, Tim had a sweet “meet-cute” with his now wife, Tay, while they were both working at Kroger—he in the meat department, she in the bakery. Though painfully shy, a coworker helped make the introduction, and sparks quickly flew. Not long after, they were married, expecting their first son, and relocating to Arizona. Tim began nursing school, and though life was moving forward, the mounting pressure brought old struggles back to the surface. One of those struggles was with pornography, a battle that lingered for years. Though Tim made efforts to be open with Tay and others, he often felt trapped and burdened by secrecy, convinced he couldn’t be fully known or accepted. After experiencing deep hurt at a church they had attended for six years, Tim and Tay found themselves at Desert Springs. There, Tim met Bradley Chaddick (his story is linked below) during a VBS event, and that connection became a turning point. For the first time, faith felt real. He no longer felt imprisoned by his sin but instead empowered to take steps toward healing. Through this new season, Tim encountered the Father’s love and grace in a way he never had before. Today, he walks in true community with God, with his wife, and with other men, experiencing a freedom and restoration that only Christ can bring.Bradley Chaddick's testimony, Episode 120Kyle Moore's testimony, Episode 123Tuesday night Men's Connect Group at Desert SpringsFathered by God by John Eldredge"Holy Heat" with Seth Tramp + Tim DornseifIf you find yourself struggling with a sexual addiction you are not alone. We want to help. Email Pastor Trevor at [email protected] to get started. Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

We’re so excited to share Michelle Spano’s story with you today! Michelle and her family have been part of the Desert Springs community for many years. She and her husband, Nick, first met in the church’s young adults group back when it was still meeting in Glendale, a sweet beginning to a lifelong journey together. In the first part of this conversation, Michelle warmly reflects on how they met, fell in love, got married, and started a family. For Michelle, marriage brought a deep sense of stability which was something she hadn’t experienced much of growing up. Her childhood was marked by chaos and pain, and although she came to know Jesus at a young age, she was still learning and growing in her understanding of who she was in Christ. As she stepped into motherhood, however, new layers of emotion and struggle surfaced. The fierce love she felt for her newborn son, coupled with relational challenges and the overwhelming transition into parenthood, unearthed wounds from the past she thought were buried. It became clear that healing was not optional—it was necessary. Michelle sought professional counseling, which became a turning point not only for her own well-being but also for the health of her marriage. Through intentional community and deepening time in God’s Word, she experienced profound healing. Her passion for Scripture grew, and she eventually developed a method to teach her children how to study the Bible. This method eventually blossomed into a love for writing Bible studies. Now, Michelle is preparing to become a published author, using her gifts to help others grow in their faith. Looking back, she sees God’s faithful hand in every step of her journey, especially in the healing that unlocked her calling. Michelle’s final words of encouragement to others are simple but powerful: Don’t put off healing and get into the Word.God's Loyal Love: A Nine-Week Study in Ruth for Teen Girls by Michelle SpanoConnect with Michelle on Instagram @michellespanowritesCheck out Michelle's website___________________________________________Nick Spano's testimony (Michelle's husband!), Episode 11 🎧Larissa Holland's testimony, Episode 82 🎧Kelly Lashua's testimony, Episode 22 🎧Mending the Soul at Desert SpringsCelebrate Recovery at Desert SpringsHard But Beautiful by Mark & Sarah Tillman (song)Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

We were truly blessed to have Jim Brown join us in the studio to share his story! Jim and his family have been a cherished part of our church community for nearly 20 years. You may recognize his son, Sam, who regularly volunteers on the worship team (we've linked his story below!). In this episode, Jim and Sarah spend a few minutes catching up before diving into his story; a journey marked by faith, challenges, and the grace of God. Jim introduces a concept called The Circle of Obedience, something that shaped his own walk with the Lord and became a guiding principle he later passed on to his sons. Jim came to know Jesus at the age of six. His father worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, so the family moved often, but they always stayed connected to a church wherever they landed. It was after hearing some hellfire and brimstone preaching that Jim made the decision to follow Christ, longing to spend eternity with Him. But like many of us, his path wasn’t without detours. In middle school, Jim began stepping outside that circle of obedience, not rejecting God but leaning on his own wisdom and chasing his own ambitions. His journey took him through multiple colleges and even across the Atlantic to play American football in England. Yet despite the adventure, nothing brought lasting fulfillment. Then came a turning point when his mother introduced him to Trisha, a young woman who would become his wife. Jim was returning to the faith while Trisha was beginning her own faith journey. Together, they desired to build a Christ-centered family. But the road ahead wasn’t easy. Marriage proved more difficult than expected. Two years in, they welcomed their first son, Hunter, who was born with severe special needs—a reality they still navigate today. As life picked up speed with the births of their other sons, Sam and Henry, the challenges mounted. But so did God’s faithfulness. What stands out most in Jim’s story is his honesty. He doesn’t shy away from the hard parts—but through it all, he stayed rooted: committed to God, to Trisha, and to his sons. And in that commitment, he rediscovered the fullness of life within the circle of obedience. His testimony is a beautiful reminder that life with Jesus, even in the struggle, is far richer than anything the world offers.Sam Brown's testimony (Jim's son!), Episode 86Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Liz’s story is one of resilience, rediscovery, and grace—and we’re honored to share it with you today. She begins by telling us she was born in Arizona, but her early years were shaped by her father’s role as a traveling evangelist. As she grew older, Liz came to see how much of her father’s passion for ministry was inspired by the Jesus Revolution. Life on the road wasn’t easy. Liz speaks candidly about the challenges of growing up in a family constantly on the move. For a time, they even lived in a bus—a reality that left her feeling embarrassed and isolated, especially at school. Even after the traveling stopped, her family continued to relocate frequently throughout the Valley. They rarely stayed in the same church or school for more than a year, and this instability began to distort Liz’s understanding of what community—especially Christian community—could be. Much of the faith she encountered in those years felt lonely, restrictive, and at times, judgmental. Liz found herself longing for independence, counting down the days until she turned 18 so she could create a life of her own. That journey began when she enrolled at Phoenix College, where she met her husband, Buddy. Their early years together were sweet, and before long, they were welcoming a baby boy—and shortly after, a baby girl—into the world. With motherhood came a shift in Liz’s heart. She felt a deep desire to raise her children with an understanding of who God is. Though Buddy wasn’t actively pursuing faith at the time, he fully supported Liz’s efforts to introduce their kids to Jesus. This marked the beginning of a slow but meaningful return to God. As the kids started attending a Christian school, a fellow parent invited Liz to visit Desert Springs. She calls it a “visit” that lasted four years—coming regularly but still holding back. And then, something began to change. Liz started to take real steps into community, into faith, and into relationship with God again. Today, Liz speaks with honesty and humility about her journey—about the ways God has reshaped her heart and mind over time. Her story reminds us that faith is often a winding road, but one full of hope, healing, and transformation. We’re so grateful Liz chose to share that road with us.Pastor Steve's January 2025 sermon on deconstructionBuddy's (Liz's husband!) testimony videoWant to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Today’s episode is one we’ve been eagerly waiting to share—and it’s well worth the wait! We’re honored to tell the story of Tiffany Alexander, a cherished part of our Desert Springs ministry alongside her husband, James. Born and raised in Arizona, Tiffany shares sweet memories of her early years and how she met James at Southwestern Bible College (now ACU). They married in their early twenties and, just two months into marriage, discovered they were expecting their daughter. Life was full and moving quickly! What Tiffany didn’t know at the time was that she was living with an undetected heart condition—mitral valve prolapse (MVP)—despite regular checkups, multiple pregnancies, and a family history of heart issues. It wasn’t until she experienced severe symptoms during a particularly stressful season that doctors finally diagnosed the condition at age 38. As the severity of her MVP became clear, Tiffany was scheduled for open heart surgery—a shocking and heavy moment. Yet through it all, she experienced a deep, unshakable peace, trusting that God would walk with her every step of the way. She felt called to reflect Jesus through her response and found purpose even in the pain. What followed was far more than anyone expected. Complications and recurring infections led to five heart surgeries over five years. Tiffany opens up about the reality of recovery, the toll it took on her family, and the faith that carried them through. Her story is not only one of survival but of transformation—how God used her experience to touch others in meaningful ways. Eleven years later, Tiffany stands as a powerful, living testimony of God’s heart—His healing, His strength, and His purpose in the midst of life’s hardest trials. You’ll be moved, encouraged, and inspired by her story.James Alexander's testimony (Tiffany's husband!), Episode 64Meals & More Ministry at Desert SpringsWant to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Jon Fritts truly has a servant’s heart, and we believe this conversation will challenge and encourage you in your walk with Christ. Since 2021, Jon and his family have been an integral part of Desert Springs, pouring their time and energy into ministry through faithful service. Raised in a small town in Oregon, Jon grew up in a family deeply involved in their church. His mother was a dedicated youth leader, and his father quite literally built part of the church—helping construct the parsonage on the property. In school, Jon was known as “the good Christian kid,” a label that came with both blessings and challenges. As he grew older, he faced a pivotal moment where he had to embrace his faith as his own, not just something he was known for. Seeking a change of pace after high school, Jon moved to Phoenix for school, where he found mentorship from a youth pastor—a relationship that remains strong to this day. It was also during this time that he met his wife. Experiencing genuine Christian community, where people truly walked alongside him in faith, left a lasting impact. His journey eventually led him to Southwestern Bible College (now Arizona Christian University), where he deepened his understanding of faith, realizing that his righteousness came not from himself but from God. Jon’s heart for service has been a defining theme in his life. He stepped into a volunteer youth pastor role at a church plant, and from that point on, he’s done just about everything in ministry. What sets Jon apart is that, despite his deep involvement in the church, he has always maintained a career outside of ministry—serving simply because he’s called to, not because it’s his job. It’s a perspective that offers much to reflect on. Jon also shares about some particularly difficult years in the mid-2000s when he faced economic struggles, a severe hand injury, and his wife’s challenging pregnancy. During that season, someone asked him, “What are you going to do?” His response was simple: “I just have to trust in God and see what He does.” Even in hardship, Jon continued to serve, and time and again, he witnessed God’s faithfulness—not always in ways he expected, but always in ways that proved true. This conversation is for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of what it truly means to serve. Let it challenge and inspire you as you walk with Christ!Serve at Desert SpringsPastor Steve's March 2025 sermon on fruit in the life of a ChristianWant to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

We were honored to have Kate Newton join us in the studio to share her powerful journey to Christ. Hailing from Grants Pass, OR much of Kate’s story unfolds in her hometown. Growing up, her parents managed a trailer park that also welcomed RVs, creating an environment where she encountered people from all walks of life. While this upbringing brought a variety of experiences, it also exposed Kate to the harsh realities of crime, including instances of violence and even murder. Tragically, the concept of death became all too familiar. When Kate was just 11 years old, her world was shattered when her 16-year-old brother died in a devastating car accident involving a train. The heartbreak fractured her family, leaving Kate to navigate her teenage years largely on her own. She recalls feeling more like a roommate to her parents than a daughter, shouldering the weight of grief in isolation. Adopting a mindset of “if you’re going to die, you might as well live,” she turned to partying in search of distraction and meaning. Though she occasionally attended church with a boyfriend in her early adulthood, faith didn’t yet hold a significant place in her life. By the age of 25, Kate was facing financial struggles after college and found herself working at a health food store. Her coworkers formed an unusual trio — a prostitute, a self-proclaimed white witch, and an older Christian woman named Sandy. It was through these circumstances that God began to stir something within her. Sandy quickly became a guiding presence in Kate’s life. Eventually, Kate moved into a room in Sandy’s home, and their friendship deepened. It was there, with Sandy by her side, that Kate made the life-changing decision to give her heart to Christ. In an instant, God became undeniably real — present, active, and faithful. Kate shared remarkable stories of how God consistently showed up in her darkest moments, offering comfort and provision. Her testimony serves as a reminder that no matter the struggle — anxiety, fear, loss, or grief — we can trust in Jesus. Her encouragement to listeners is simple yet profound: place your trust fully in Him, because He is always faithful.Want to share your story on The Stories Collective podcast in 2025? Email [email protected] you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!