Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

What if conflict in your marriage could become a doorway to deeper connection? In this episode of “Jesus Listens,” Dr. Dan Allender and Dr. Steve Call return to explore how fear, self-protection, and past wounds often show up in the way we relate today, through the lens of their book “The Deep-Rooted Marriage.”

Guest’s Links
YouTube: @AllenderCenter
Facebook: @allendercenter
Instagram: @reconnectmarriage | @allendercenter
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4iw2xPu

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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.

Welcome to a special Easter bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast. In this episode, we welcome actress and mental health advocate Courtney Hope as she shares about her personal experiences with OCD and anxiety. She also gives us an inside look at her latest project—a four-part Easter audio podcast called The Christ—in which she explores the stories of the Easter season, particularly of Jesus’ Mother, Mary, and how this exploration has led to a deeper understanding of her own relationship with God.

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

Courtney Hope
The Christ Podcast

Interview Quotes:
“Diving into the journey of Jesus’ Mother Mary and her heart and her story, I got an answer from God, which is everyone’s got their own journey. Mary had to trust in her heart that there was a plan and a purpose in Jesus’ journey, and that the suffering and the triumph was worth it in the end.” - Courtney Hope
“I’ve always seen myself as a vessel for storytelling through God. I want people to feel less alone, I always sit in silence and see whose hearts I’m trying to speak to.” - Courtney Hope
“The more I dove into my faith and I sat with God, I realized that we can’t control what happens in life, but we can be open to the experience of what God has in store for us.” - Courtney Hope
“Sometimes if we sit in stillness, we get the answers that we need.” - Courtney Hope
“God is a prince of peace, not the God of fear. The closer I am to God, the calmer I find my heart is.” - Courtney Hope
“It’s so easy to turn to God when times are rough, but we forget when times are great to give thanks and gratitude and praise.” - Courtney Hope
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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 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

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
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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
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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.

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

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
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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.

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

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
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Website
TikTok
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.