The Ripple Effect of Spreading Divine Love: Kurt Avery and Britney Higgs

*This episode mentions suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. This week, we’re diving into something truly transformative—the power of love to change everything. First, we hear from Father Richard Rohr, who shares his lifetime of wisdom about how experiencing deep, unconditional love—not rules or fear—is what really brings about meaningful change.  Then, Pastor Zach Meerkreebs takes us to Asbury University, where a truly extraordinary event happened in that faith community. He reminds us that following Jesus’ example of humility can open our lives up to amazing possibilities.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: The Power of Love Upcoming interview: Emily Compango Jesus Calling for Moms Jesus Calling for Graduates    Father Richard Rohr Franciscans  Center For Action and Contemplation Hosea 2 NIV Isaiah 40-55 NIV Lamentations Ephesians 4:26 NIV Day of Grief 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV “For When People Ask” by Rosemary Watola Trommer www.CAC.org The Tears of Things   Pastor Zach Meerkreebs   Asbury University Romans 12:9-21 NIV Matthew 11:28-30 NIV Luke 14 NIV Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility   Interview Quotes: “‘Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,’ the New Testament says. But that doesn’t say, ‘Don’t be angry.’ Right now there is so much that deserves anger—the wars in our world, how we treat the very ones Jesus told us to love, the little ones, the rejected ones. That comes from an excess of anger and a deficiency of sadness.” - Fr. Richard Rohr  “An experience of infinite, unconditional love—that’s the only thing that changes us.” - Fr. Richard Rohr “We can’t authentically love one another without experiencing the authentic love of Jesus first.” - Zach Meerkreebs “Within a couple of days, it had been spread around the world that God was moving on the campus [of Asbury University], and we started having guests from South America and the Middle East and Asia to come and encounter God at our chapel service.” - Zach Meerkreebs  “Humility really is a foundation in what’s countercultural, captivating, convicting and compelling of the Christian walk.” - Zach Meerkreebs  “If you read Scripture and you study the person of Jesus, humility is the most captivating thing about Him.” - Zach Meerkreebs “Because I understand who I am and I understand who God is, that drives me to pray. I want to spend time with Him, because I know my life is better when I spend time with Him and when I listen to His voice.” - Zach Meerkreebs  _______________________ 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.

This week we’ll hear from singer, songwriter, and producer Mark Miller. For over four decades, Mark has been a driving force in music as the lead singer of the legendary country band Sawyer Brown. Beyond the stage, he’s been the guiding hand behind Casting Crowns, producing their music for over twenty years. Now, as Sawyer Brown celebrates its fortieth anniversary with a brand new album and a documentary directed by his daughter, Mark reflects on how his life and career have prayerfully unfolded. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Hope Reagan Harris. Hope never set out to start a global movement. She was simply a wife, a mother, and a former corporate professional searching for her next steps. But when she leaned into where God was leading her, she discovered that purpose doesn’t pause—it multiplies.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past blog post: Ciara Laine Myers Upcoming interview: Richard Rohr    Mark Miller Sawyer Brown Casting Crowns Christopher Knight The Brady Bunch Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Get Me To The Stage On Time Flagler College Steven Curtis Chapman “If We Are the Body” Blake Shelton “Desperado Troubadours” single Desperado Troubadors album   Hope Reagan Harris Purpose Doesn’t Pause Inc. Walmart’s corporate office Christine Caine Dayspring cards Onyx Coffee Lab Pepperdine University www.purposedoesntpause.org  Now Over Next: Conquering the Fear of Missing Out   Interview Quotes: “There’s not an hour that goes by that I’m not praying in my mind. It’s just a part of everything that I do in my being. From the time I get up to the time I go to bed, I want the Holy Spirit to just cover me and carry me throughout every minute of my waking day.” - Mark Miller   “As I reflect on the forty-year career, I just know that I’ve been amazingly blessed that God has given me this timeframe, and I’ve always wanted to be a good steward of the blessings, the fans, the platform.” - Mark Miller  “[As musicians], we’re judged every day on whether our songs are good or not, or whether we have a hit song or not. Well, I don’t have to worry about that when I think of who I am as a man. Because I know who I am in the eyes of Jesus.” - Mark Miller “God sees me right now. I’m not missing out. God has eyes on me, He’s seeing me, and He’s sending what I need right when I need it.” - Hope Reagan Harris “I look at my life and I feel like God is just reminding me that there’s nothing He can’t do. When it’s His timing and His plan, there’s nothing that can stop it.” - Hope Reagan Harris “I’m like, Wow, God, You did not waste a single thing for [Purpose Doesn’t Pause]  to happen. I may not have enough money to fund this on my own or enough time, but You’re bringing Your people, You’re bringing the resources, You’re bringing love.” - Hope Reagan Harris “God is a God who sees us—whether we can see it or not. We’ve just got to believe and trust that He is with us now and He is working on our behalf.” - Hope Reagan Harris “If the Lord is making some of the things that you once loved disenchanting and not as sparkly or shiny as they once were, maybe He is leading you somewhere else.” - Hope Reagan Harris ________________________ 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.

On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’ll hear from executive strategist, author, and speaker Bethny Ricks. Bethny had an incredible rise to the top of corporate America and two plus decades of experience with Fortune 500 companies. At times, Bethny faced misogyny and racism, which caused her to doubt herself. When a health scare threatened her livelihood, she realized she needed something deeper than success could bring, and turned to her faith for healing and hope.    Guest’s Links Facebook: @mywaywithwordsofficial Instagram: @bethnyricks Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4iG0c3v  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling 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 honor Organ Donation Awareness month with music industry veteran Lisa Boullt. Lisa decided to start her own business helping artists and songwriters, and ended up working with legendary country artists. Through this process, Lisa reconnected with her sister Andrea's story, who had passed away in a car accident years earlier and was an organ donor. Lisa was touched by Andrea’s live-giving gift, and felt moved to write her sister’s story and educate people about the impact of organ donation. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from author and advocate Judy Henderson, who spent thirty-five years of her life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. After growing up in a dysfunctional family, dealing with an abusive ex-husband, a stay in a psych ward, and facing a boyfriend who manipulated his crime to pin the blame on her, it seemed like Judy would never find her way out of darkness and despair. But she chose to believe that God would rescue her from the prison walls that surrounded her both physically and emotionally.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Jochen Wurfl Upcoming interview: Mark Miller Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter   Lisa Boullt Organ Donation Awareness month  Charlie Daniels Middle Tennessee State University 17 Again: A Story of Life After Life   Judy Henderson When the Light Finds Us Catholic Charities of Kansas City, St. Joseph Jeremiah 29:11 NIV Residents Encounter Christ   Interview Quotes: “Once you meet someone that has received an organ from a donor, it’s a game changer, because they’re telling you from their perspective of how their life has changed.” - Lisa Boullt “When God gives you an assignment, you don’t ask questions, you just say yes, and everything falls into place.” - Lisa Boullt “I think when you’re passionate about whatever it is in life—if it’s your job, if it’s a mission that you’re passionate about—I think when God lays it on your heart, you’re gonna be an advocate for it, no matter what it looks like.” - Lisa Boullt “In my cell in prison, I put up the verse Jeremiah 29:11. His plan was not for me to die and rot in prison, but I did find my purpose while I was there.” - Judy Henderson “What He does for one, He’ll do for others. You have to stand on it, you have to believe it, and you have to walk the path that He’s chosen for you to walk, and those things will come to you.” - Judy Henderson  “If everybody will pay attention to the signs that occur in their life, they will find their purpose, they will know what it is God created them to do, and they will live a happy, blessed, prosperous life.” - Judy Henderson ________________________ 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.

This week we’ll hear from Kurt Avery, the leader of Sawyer Products, who shares his mission to bring clean water to underserved communities around the world. Kurt discusses how God equipped him with the means and the determination to create life-changing products that improve global access to safe, clean drinking water.  Then, we meet Britney Higgs, the founder of HER Campaign, an organization dedicated to rescuing women from the devastating realities of sex trafficking. Britney opens up about her passion to provide women who have been trafficked a safe place to heal and the support they need to rebuild their lives with dignity.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Delilah Upcoming interview: Lisa Boullt   Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter Kurt Avery Sawyer Products REI waterborne sicknesses SEAL Team Six Sawyer Think   Britney Higgs HER Campaign NGOs [non-governmental organizations] Institute for Survivor Care www.hercampaign.org   Interview Quotes: “I’m not a scientist, but I've always been on the fringe of science. If you look at creation, how do you not come to the conclusion there’s a God?” - Kurt Avery “You have to have the establishment that God is out there and He’s bigger than us—way bigger than us.” - Kurt Avery  “Always let your God be as big as He is. If you make God small, you’ll do small things. If you let God be big, you’ll do big things, because it’s not you, it’s Him. He just gave you the gifts. Let Him show you how to use them in a much bigger way.” - Kurt Avery  “I truly believe that God loves to work in a process. I believe in the miraculous instant moments, but more often than not, He chooses to walk us through a beautiful process and reveal more of Himself to us as we walk into healing.” - Britney Higgs “One of the main things that helps me ground and stay focused on what’s important is really that daily time with Jesus when I wake up in the morning. No matter what we face today, no matter what these survivors face, we know that it is nothing compared to the glory that You are about to reveal to us.” - Britney Higgs  ________________________ 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.

This week, we welcome Nashville singer/songwriter Dave Barnes. Growing up in a small Mississippi town before moving to Music City, Dave discovered his love for music through a series of seemingly small but pivotal moments. His breakout hit, “God Gave Me You,” became a life-changing milestone, coming to life after Dave had prayed a simple prayer for encouragement, and ultimately catching the attention of country superstar Blake Shelton, who went on to record it as well.  Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Justin Gambino, a singer/songwriter from Houston, Texas. Justin’s story takes him from a troubled youth where he had a brush with the law to finding his place in this world through music and serving his country.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Matt Forté Upcoming interview: Kurt Avery Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter   Dave Barnes “God Gave Me You”  Blake Shelton Middle Tennessee State University Sermon on the Mount We The Kingdom Miranda Lambert Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV www.davebarnes.com Featherbrained Wealth Motel   Justin Gambino  www.justingambino.com Made New   Interview Quotes: “A lot of my faith has come from these moments in my life of just seeing God accomplish these crazy things sort of in spite of me.” - Dave Barnes “God loves honesty, I think because it does away with formalities. It shows intimacy.” - Dave Barnes “I felt so clearly that God was like, ‘Dave, when you pray for answers, you don't get to qualify the answers I give you. That's not how this works.’ And I was like, ‘Touché Lord. Well played.’” - Dave Barnes “God has really impressed on me this idea that His intention for me and for His children is to not be alone.” - Dave Barnes “I think ninety-nine percent of the time when I have a problem with someone, the more I go toward them, the better and easier that problem gets. The further I get from them, almost 100 percent of the time, it gets worse.” - Dave Barnes  “I was completely hopeless, but God stepped in and opened up a door for a different path.” - Justin Gambino “I get choked up every time I share this part of the story because I look back now and wonder about the feelings and the emotions of my earthly father—what he was feeling when he heard the voice of his prodigal son call home.” - Justin Gambino “I just remember falling on my knees. I said, ‘Lord, I can't quit this on my own, but I also know that I've never asked You to take it from me. So I'm asking You to take it from me. Take this hurt, this pain, this guilt.’” - Justin Gambino ________________________ 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.

This week we take a heartfelt look at the “dash”—that time between our birth date and our death date—and how our faith can guide us to make every moment count. Entrepreneur and cofounder of Market America, Loren Ridinger, and gospel singer Lynda Randle join us to share their powerful stories of how trusting in God’s plan has shaped their journeys. With resilience and gratitude, they leaned into their faith through loss, fear, and even discrimination, and tell us how we can all leave a lasting legacy rooted in love and service.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Diane Chew Upcoming interview: Dave Barnes Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter   Loren Ridinger Market America Shop.com JR Ridinger pulmonary embolism Scrambled or Sunny-Side Up? Living Your Best Life After Losing Your Greatest Love   Lynda Randle   Michael Tate of DC Talk & Newsboys Museum of the Bible Together for Christmas event Free to Love EP “Whole Woman” www.lyndarandle.com   Interview Quotes: “Grief is an extension of love. It is love in the harshest, hardest form.” - Loren Ridinger “If I have a bad day personally—and a bad day could be I'm just sad, I don't want to get up, I feel heartbroken, I feel angry, I feel mad—I give myself grace for going through those emotions.” - Loren Ridinger  “When you lose someone, you lose belief. You question God. You question all types of things. And then all of a sudden, it's God that helps you back out of it. It's Him who says, ‘We can get through anything.’” - Loren Ridinger “We're all going to have a death date. We all have that. But what we do with that line—that little dash—is what will make the difference. And that's what we do with our life. Let's make the biggest difference to help people. What are you going to do with the dash?” - Loren Ridinger, quoting her late husband JR Ridinger “We only get this lifetime that we know of, and the most important thing that you can do is enjoy the journey because life is short.” - Loren Ridinger  “God used music in my life, not only as this instrument to encourage people and lift the hearts of people, but to help build bridges and communicate with people that maybe on any given day probably wouldn't even have me in their home.” - Lynda Randle  “When you can't have a conversation with some people because they just don't want to talk or they are so angry, music has a way of melting the heart, calming the spirit.” - Lynda Randle  “I know that the ministry that God's given me to build bridges is significant. It's necessary. And a lot of walls are coming down.” - Lynda Randle  “I just want every woman to know no matter what the brokenness, no matter what the pain, no matter what the devastation—God sees you as a whole woman.” - Lynda Randle   _______________________ 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.

This week, we’re joined by Nikki Walton, host of GoOD fMornings with CurlyNikki and an influential voice in personal transformation, who shares her struggles with self-esteem and identity as a young woman to achieving massive success through her groundbreaking platform, CurlyNikki.com. Nikki's life was filled with accomplishments—but also a profound sense of emptiness. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Tori Hope Petersen, an author, speaker, and podcaster. After enduring twelve different homes in the foster care system, Tori aged out without a permanent family. Through the kindness of a foster mom who introduced her to faith, the guidance of a track coach who became a father figure, and her own unwavering determination, Tori rose above her circumstances to find meaning and mission for her life.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Patsy Clairmont Upcoming interview: Loren Ridinger Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter   Nikki Walton GoOD Mornings with CurlyNikki  www.curlynikki.com Wake Up To Love: Meditations to Start Your Day   Tori Hope Petersen Orphan Sunday www.torihopepetersen.com Breaking the Patterns That Break You   Interview Quotes: “I knew something was missing because I could look around and see what looked like success, like the American dream, and I felt empty. There was still this void. I had not found God and I didn't even know that that's what I was looking for.” - Nikki Walton “I love myself and it's not in that superficial, surface-level love. It's like I went from outer beauty to inner beauty to beyond beauty entirely, and I appear beautiful to some because of His light shining through me.” - Nikki Walton “I listen not for [God’s] voice booming, but for His silence, for His stillness, for His peace, And then I feel His stillness. I feel His peace. I know I'm in contact with Him when I feel lighter.” - Nikki Walton  “You can still be aware of that humbled nature, that humbled posture inside. That way, when you go out into the world, even though you are smiling and walking upright, you're still bowing to Jesus everywhere you go.” - Nikki Walton  “I had to learn through time that God doesn't just save us, He keeps us.” - Toire Hope Petersen “I do think that God speaks to us in the way that we can understand how to do what's next.” - Tori Hope Petersen “Our brokenness does not just point to the deficit in us. Sometimes our brokenness points to the disciples that we are, points to our faithfulness.” - Tori Hope Petersen “God does not hate you and He doesn't want you to hate yourself. He wants you to embrace who He has called you to be, because when we do that, we can walk out the calling that God has placed on our life. God did a good job making you and you’re allowed to be loved.” - Tori Hope Petersen “God is just so glad when we show up to be in His presence and to pray. He just welcomes me with open arms. He is our safe place.” - Tori Hope Petersen  ________________________ 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.

On this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, we’ll hear from artist Anne Neilson, best known for her Angel series. Anne shares the story of how she went from getting a D- in 10th grade art class to eventually finding her voice as an artist. Anne shares how God saw her heart for creating and how He inspires her to be a light in the world through her artwork.  Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4beXLC4    Guest’s Links Facebook: @anneneilsonhome Instagram: @anneneilsonhome ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling 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 episode may be triggering for some listeners.*  This week, we have writer and speaker Ann Voskamp back on the podcast. Ann shares insights from her personal experiences with anxiety and brokenness and what she found out while she waited through those uncomfortable moments, and how she used scripture, prayer, and the practice of writing to heal her mind and become closer to God.  Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Christian country music artist Brennley Brown. Raised in the high desert of Southern California, and now playing music in Nashville, Brennley got her start in voiceover work before gaining national recognition as the youngest finalist on The Voice. She shares her own experience with waiting while her mother battled a health crisis, and how that time led her to find out where she should go with her music—and her life.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Dr. Alan Weissenbacher Upcoming interview: Nikki Walton Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter   Ann Voskamp Sarah Young Agoraphobia Hagar in Genesis 16 Book of John  www.annvoskamp.com Loved to Life   Brennley Brown The Voice Waylon Jennings Emmylou Harris Dolly Parton Jesus Anywhere www.brennleybrownmusic.com   Interview Quotes: “I'm not just getting up every morning and looking for a way through. But I actually have a way of life that centers and grounds me, roots me, and calms me, and keeps me such that the person of Christ, the being of Christ, is my way through.” - Ann Voskamp “What we're all looking for is, Is there a way of life that leads me into abundant joy? And if joy is a function of gratitude and gratitude is a function of perspective, how can I shift and change my perspective moment by moment? What needs to have a shift is my perspective, to see that not only other gifts and graces right here I can give God thanks for, but ultimately that God Himself, His very presence, His very being, is with me right here.” - Ann Voskamp “I think each of us—no matter whatever season of life we're in—there are things that we have laid before the Lord in prayer and we are in this open-handed posture of waiting. Can we feel like when we're waiting on the Lord and we're at the end of our rope, that we actually have hope because our hearts are being bound to the Lord's?” - Ann Voskamp “We don't want our devotions, our quiet time with the Lord, to actually be fragmented. We actually want that devotional time to weave through the rest of our day, all the moments and the hours keeping our hearts devoted to Him, our eyes attentive to Him, us constantly listening to Him, His Spirit saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” - Ann Voskamp  “All of us are searching for, longing for, hoping we don't miss out on the fullest life, the most meaningful life, an abundant life. And that is exactly why Jesus comes, to actually love us to the fullest life.” - Ann Voskamp “Music was something that my mom and I could do together. I would sit by her bed and sing worship songs, sing country songs, and it was such a powerful tool that the Lord used in our life to bring joy in the midst of something really challenging and really hard.” - Brennley Brown   “Every day we have that same opportunity to love on people and to show them Jesus in the way that we live, in the words that we speak.” - Brennley Brown    “I wanted to reflect my love for the Lord and how I believe He shows up in people's lives today, as a reminder that when God places a dream and a calling in your life, it's not going to be easy.” - Brennley Brown “When God uniquely places a calling and a dream on your heart, it's not going to look like what the world may think it should.” - Brennley Brown “[God] has given us such a powerful, incredible example of not only how to live, but being reminded of His promises daily—of the hope that we have in Him, the promise that He is with us, the promise that He goes before us—are only found in the Word of God.” - Brennley Brown ________________________ 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.