Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

Present and Imperfect: Showing Up in Our Weakness ft. First Lady Maria Lee and Brooke Taylor

What starts as a single “yes” can influence a lifetime. In this episode, we speak with Tennessee’s First Lady Maria Lee [https://www.instagram.com/firstladymarialee/], who shares how a short summer of ministry in Nashville turned the trajectory of her life—from teaching in a classroom to serving alongside her husband in public life—and taught her that true impact often comes from simply showing up and seeing others.  Speaker and radio personality Brooke Taylor [https://www.instagram.com/tommyandbrooke_joy/]’s story takes a different turn when a sudden stroke changes everything, forcing her to relearn how to live and let go of perfection, only to discover that God could use her brokenness to reach people in a deeper, more meaningful way. Together, their stories reveal a powerful truth—that even in the most unplanned moments, God is guiding us with compassion toward connection.  Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/] Jesus Calling [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/] Jesus Always [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-always/] Jesus Listens [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens/] Past interview: Anita Renfroe [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-perfect-christian-anita-renfroe-hollylu-jostes/] Upcoming interview: Trey Tucker [https://www.ruggedcounseling.com/] Jesus Listens for Moms [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens-for-moms/] Maria Lee [https://www.instagram.com/firstladymarialee/] Bill Lee [https://www.tn.gov/governor/about-bill-lee.html] Christ Presbyterian Academy [https://www.cpalions.org/] My Utmost for His Highest [https://utmost.org/]  COVID [https://www.cdc.gov/covid/index.html]  Covenant school shooting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nashville_school_shooting] Tennessee Serves Project [https://www.tn.gov/firstlady/tennessee-serves.html] Brooke Taylor [https://www.instagram.com/tommyandbrooke_joy/] Joy99 [https://www.joy99.com/]   Interview Quotes: “The hardest part I think with being in the public eye is the criticism that comes along with that. But the thing that has grounded me and [helped with] being able to handle being in that public eye is staying in God’s Word and knowing what He’s called me to do and being able to walk that purposefully and intentionally. Being in His Word reminds me of who I am and who He is, what He values and what He wants me to value.” - First Lady Maria Lee   “I think there’s a lot of bright, shiny things in the world that draw our attention away from what the Lord has called us to, and if we’re not grounded in daily communion with Him and daily relationship with Him, you can easily be distracted.” - First Lady Maria Lee    “I think if we are going to emulate the character of Christ, He came not to be served, but to serve. And if we’re going to follow in His footsteps, I feel like each one of us who is a believer and confesses Christ should be finding a place to serve.” - First Lady Maria Lee   “There are so many ways to serve, and it doesn’t have to be big, it can be little. I think one of the greatest ways to serve somebody is just to be present with them, to show up and let them know that you see them.” - First Lady Maria Lee “When I heard how the [radio] listeners were praying for me and how they were sending cards and how they were sending messages that they were praying for me, I knew that was God’s way of surrounding me with His love.” - Brooke Taylor “As a radio personality, you’re pouring out and pouring out and pouring out. You say things, but you don’t know if anybody’s listening. You don’t know if it’s reaching anybody, or if you made any sense with that sentence. And then to have that all come back to me—the listeners pouring out to me—it was very humbling.” - Brooke Taylor “[After my stroke] I felt like God was with me, and it was as if He was saying, ‘I don’t need the perfect you. It’s actually more effective for Me if I use the broken you. Because the broken you is going to be able to reach people that are also broken.’” - Brooke Taylor   ________________________   Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 [https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7]  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw [https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw]  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C [https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C]  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj [https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj]  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u [https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u]  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj [https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj]  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY [https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY]  ________________________    Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesuscalling/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Jesus_Calling] Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling&etslf=5858] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub_confirmation=1] Website [https://www.jesuscalling.com/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesuscalling?lang=en] Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com [https://www.lifeaudio.com/] and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us [https://www.lifeaudio.com/contact-us].

[JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] God, Help Me to Trust Your Grace: Ruth Chou Simons

Author and artist Ruth Chou Simons joins Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer to share her journey of faith, from immigrating to the U.S. as a young girl to raising six boys while writing and creating art that points others to Christ. Ruth opens up about the struggles of striving for approval and how she discovered freedom in God’s grace.   Guest’s Links YouTube: @RuthChouSimons [https://www.youtube.com/@RuthChouSimons]Facebook: @ruthchousimons [https://www.facebook.com/ruthchousimons/] Instagram: @ruthchousimons [https://www.instagram.com/ruthchousimons/] Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4ohxdVK [https://bit.ly/4ohxdVK]  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesuscalling/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Jesus_Calling] Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling&etslf=5858] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub_confirmation=1] Jesus Calling Website [https://www.jesuscalling.com/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesuscalling?lang=en]   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com [https://www.lifeaudio.com/] and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us [https://www.lifeaudio.com/contact-us].

Unlearning the Need to Impress God and Each Other: Rebecca St. James & Zahriya Zachary

This week, we’ll hear from Rebecca St. James [https://www.rebeccastjames.com/], a Grammy and Dove award-winning contemporary Christian music artist. When Rebecca’s family moved from Australia to the U.S. when Rebecca was a teen, they faced serious financial struggles—the kind that forced them to rely completely on each other and outside support for basic survival like food, transportation, and medical bills. This intense period of “making it work” became the bedrock of her career and is the focus of the film Unsung Hero [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23638614/].  Next, we meet Zahriya Zachary [https://zahriyazachary.com/], an artist and worship leader with Bethel Music who experienced a major pivot in her early twenties. She shares how she shifted from the pursuit of a traditional career to an unexpected music career. Her story explores the struggle of unlearning the need for perfection and performance, and the profound freedom found in simply showing up as yourself.   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/] Jesus Calling [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/] Jesus Always [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-always/] Jesus Listens [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens/] Past interview: Darlene Zschech [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/true-connection-with-god-and-each-other-darlene-zschech-margaret-feinberg/] Upcoming interview: Maria Lee [https://www.instagram.com/firstladymarialee/]   Jesus Listens for Moms [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens-for-moms/] Rebecca St. James [https://www.rebeccastjames.com/] Unsung Hero [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23638614/] “You Make Everything Beautiful” [https://open.spotify.com/track/6fLhGYIjcaxTpzrzoDtBq2] My Utmost for His Highest [https://utmost.org/]  www.rebeccastjames.com [http://www.rebeccastjames.com]   Zahriya Zachary [https://zahriyazachary.com/] “Stay” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS2uR1R9gVw] www.bethelmusic.com/roster/zahriya-zachar [https://bethelmusic.com/roster/zahriya-zachary] Rediscovery [https://open.spotify.com/album/5WKbd9lbctdAXcjwK2X4PV]   Interview Quotes: “[Hardship] really did encourage us to turn to God as a family, because we needed Him in a way that we had never needed Him so desperately before.” - Rebecca St. James “My parents were definitely the kind that encouraged us to flourish in our own gifts. I think that they were very attentive to specialized giftings within the family and encouraged us to be unique.” - Rebecca St. James  “I remember my parents being very available for just talking things through, and that’s something that I’m also trying to do with our kids, [is to be] available and present.” - Rebecca St. James “I think God’s design for the family is so beautiful, and I think when we can live that out privately in our lives, but then also if God allows us to to live that out in the public space too, there’s an undeniable loveliness to it.” - Rebecca St. James “I think something that I am currently unlearning is my performance being the thing that makes God stay, and even that makes other people stay. I’m really unlearning that because it can tend to be this driving force of, If I do good enough at this, if I can just be perfect at this, then God will just stay. The Lord is revealing to me, ‘I love you because I love because I love you.’” - Zahriya Zachary “I’ve had these moments throughout my life with God in the moments where I felt the most lost. He actually reveals to me a highlight reel of every place where I thought I was alone and every place where I thought He wasn’t. It’s actually given me strength to stay when it’s hard, because He enables me to remember.” - Zahriya Zachary  “It was never up to us to reach for God’s presence or earn it, because He’s already done it all.” - Zahriya Zachary ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 [https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7]  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw [https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw]  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C [https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C]  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj [https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj]  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u [https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u]  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj [https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj]  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY [https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY]  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesuscalling/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Jesus_Calling] Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling&etslf=5858] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub_confirmation=1] Website [https://www.jesuscalling.com/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesuscalling?lang=en] Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com [https://www.lifeaudio.com/] and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us [https://www.lifeaudio.com/contact-us].

Fear Comes Free, Hope Takes Effort: Jon Acuff & Leland Vittert

This week, we’ll hear from Jon Acuff [https://jonacuff.com/], a bestselling author and speaker who turns personal challenges into practical lessons for living with intention and resilience. From mastering goals to overcoming negative thinking, Jon shares insights that help listeners navigate life’s “hard middle” and keep moving forward, even when it feels impossible. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from journalist and anchor Leland Vittert [https://bornlucky.com/], whose new book, Born Lucky [https://www.amazon.com/Born-Lucky-Dedicated-Grateful-Journey/dp/140025468X], is a deeply moving story of his childhood with autism and the profound sacrifices his father made to give him hope and teach him resilience.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/] Jesus Calling [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/] Jesus Always [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-always/] Jesus Listens [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens/] Past interview: Ken Abraham [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/threads-of-redemption-stories-of-empathy-and-resilience-from-ken-abraham-susan-binkley/] Upcoming interview: Rebecca St. James [https://www.rebeccastjames.com/] Jesus Listens for Moms [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens-for-moms/]   Jon Acuff [https://jonacuff.com/] Zephaniah 3:17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zephaniah%203%3A17&version=NIV] Luke 15:11-32 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015%3A11-32&version=NIV] www.jonacuff.com [http://www.jonacuff.com]   Leland Vittert [https://bornlucky.com/] Born Lucky [https://www.amazon.com/Born-Lucky-Dedicated-Grateful-Journey/dp/140025468X] www.bornlucky.com [http://www.bornlucky.com] Interview Quotes: “I just had this sense that if I would take responsibility for my life, I could change a lot of things I wanted to change.” - Jon Acuff “I think a lot of goals work better when they’re measured, when they are paced.” - Jon Acuff  “I think that a lot of life is talking yourself into doing things you don’t want to do, but you really want to. There’s a lot of mornings I don’t want to write, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to be polite, I don’t want to be detailed—but I really do want that. If I’m honest, I really want the benefits of those things. And so I figure out games inside the middle that get me to where I want to be.” - Jon Acuff  “One of the soundtracks I use in my life is that fear comes free, hope takes work. You’ll never have to look for fear. It will find you. You’ll never have to look for stress or anxiety. They will find you. Hope takes effort. Positivity takes effort.” - Jon Acuff “The difference for me between a broken soundtrack, meaning a negative thought that’s running on a loop, and a prompting from the Holy Spirit, is often what it leads to. I think a prompting of the Holy Spirit leads to prayer, it leads to change, it leads to journaling, it leads to confession to a friend, it leads to plugging back into your small group.” - Jon Acuff “Your thoughts turn into actions, your actions turn into results. What you think becomes what you do, becomes what you get.” - Jon Acuff  “[My dad] didn’t know how it was going to end up, but he knew that being there every day and becoming my friend—he still is my best friend—was my only hope.”- Leland Vittert  “Everybody needs to feel like they have somebody who believes in them. For me, that was my dad. When I was diagnosed with autism, my dad said, ‘I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I have to try.’ I didn’t understand the word resilience as a kid. I now know how important it is, and it’s just not quitting.” - Leland Vittert “Hard work yields results. One is defined by character, not by accolades or achievements or personal wealth, but by who they are as a man.” - Leland Vittert “[My dad] had no expectations about the future, but there were standards, and the number one standard was about character and being a good person.” - Leland Vittert  “When I was diagnosed with autism, there was no therapist, there were no counselors, there were no accommodations. My parents didn’t tell anyone. They did not want me to be defined by a label or use a label as an excuse. Going to therapy on national television at forty-three years old and sharing the deepest, darkest, secrets of my life and darkest moments of my life is not a lot of fun, right? But it was worth it because it has given so many people hope.” - Leland Vittert _______________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 [https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7]  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw [https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw]  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C [https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C]  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj [https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj]  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u [https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u]  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj [https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj]  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY [https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY]  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesuscalling/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Jesus_Calling] Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling&etslf=5858] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub_confirmation=1] Website [https://www.jesuscalling.com/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesuscalling?lang=en] Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com [https://www.lifeaudio.com/] and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us [https://www.lifeaudio.com/contact-us].

[BONUS] Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Book of Romans with J.D. Walt

Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where we take a look at the book of Romans with pastor and author J.D. Walt. J.D. walks us through Romans and how it illuminates a “darkness to light movement, chaos to love, and chaos to new creation.”   Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast [https://www.jesuscalling.com/podcast/] Jesus Calling [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/] Jesus Always [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-always/] Jesus Listens [https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus-listens/]   J.D. Walt [https://www.jdwalt.com] Romans: From Sin Management to Love Unleashed [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310171709/?bestFormat=true&k=romans%20from%20sin%20management%20to%20love%20unleashed&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_19_de&crid=2ETY34DCP3IG&sprefix=romans%20from%20sin%20man] The Book of Romans [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201&version=NIV]   Interview Quotes: “The awakening that I was experiencing led me to understand that the Christian life and faith is not a good-to-great program. It’s a death to life movement. It’s a darkness to light movement. It is chaos to love, chaos to new creation, lost to love.” - J.D. Walt “Consecration, transformation, demonstration—that’s Romans in a nutshell. That’s a Christian life in a nutshell.” - J.D. Walt “In the early church, they had a saying: one Christian is no Christian. Certainly every person has to become a follower of Jesus, a believer themselves. But this is not like golf, it’s like football. It’s a team sport. We are made for community, we already are connected together.” - J.D. Walt “One of the greatest acts is simply being together in God’s Word, because it’s a Word that actually moves us towards each other. It moves us towards loving one another. Love must be sincere, Paul says in Romans 12.” - J.D. Walt “The opposite of sin is love. Love is the movement toward God and others. Sin is the retraction of self into its own world at the cost of worship of God and love of neighbor. We need a better understanding of love—love is not soft and fuzzy, it’s hard and real.” - J.D. Walt ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesuscalling/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Jesus_Calling] Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Jesus_Calling/?eq=jesus%20calling&etslf=5858] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/Jesuscallingbook?sub_confirmation=1] Website [https://www.jesuscalling.com/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@jesuscalling?lang=en]   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media* Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com [https://www.lifeaudio.com/] and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us [https://www.lifeaudio.com/contact-us].