Strong Roots, Stormy Skies: Juliet Dawn's 35-Year Journey from Trauma to Testimony

Strong Roots, Stormy Skies: Juliet Dawn's 35-Year Journey from Trauma to Testimony

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2356821/fan_mail/new] Recording artist and former X Factor contestant Juliet Dawn joins host Jan Johnson for an unflinching conversation about thirty-five years of trauma — abuse, miscarriages, the loss of her twin sons, two nervous breakdowns, and chronic illness — and the faith that carried her through every layer of it.  Juliet shares how a prayer she prayed at twenty-one shaped the rest of her life, how a long-lost song became prophetic, and how a single handwritten note from a stranger became a divine commission to write through her pain for the sake of others.  Honest, raw, and ultimately hopeful — this is a story for anyone who needs to know the storm doesn't get the final word. https://uppbeat.io/t/aylex/lost-in-time License code: ZQZGIRGJS5AWK6QG https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/hope-and-wonder License code: XXAPHVLRL1JYTHLD 00:00 — Welcome & Introducing Juliet Dawn  01:26 — Growing Up in a Home of Faith  02:55 — Strong Roots: Why the Storms Didn't Blow Her Over  05:19 — God as the Gardener: Trials, Pruning, and Purpose  09:51 — "I Feel Most Aligned to Job"  10:54 — The Prayer at 21: "No Matter the Cost"  13:42 — Writing "There's a Time" With Her Mum  15:01 — Losing the Song for 30 Years — and Finding It Before Nashville  16:33 — The Pilgrim Road Begins: An Abusive Relationship  17:08 — Stolen Van, Stolen Passport: Chaos in the Entertainment Industry  18:18 — Remarriage, Miscarriages, and the Birth of Sam  19:31 — Twin-to-Twin Transfusion: The Loss of the Twins  20:29 — Nervous Breakdown and the Garage Door Incident  21:06 — Max's Miracle Pregnancy: Restoration "Day for Day"  21:58 — Leo's Diagnosis: Gastroschisis and a Medically Unprecedented Healing  24:31 — PTSD, Fibromyalgia, and a Body Breaking Down  26:28 — Poisonous Spider Bites and a COVID Health Crisis  27:23 — "I'm Not Accepting That Label": Choosing a New Identity  30:54 — The Weight of the Story Behind the Story  33:00 — Writing Poetry as a Lifeline  36:27 — The Stranger's Note: "Who Will Write My Lament?"  39:08 — New Album Born to Be, Poetry Books, and the Pilgrim's Progress Film  42:50 — Closing Words: "There Is Always Hope in Hopelessness"   Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ [https://jan-johnson.com/] https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ [https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/] https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ [https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus [https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus] Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!

When God Goes Quiet: Surviving (and Growing Through) Your Wilderness Season with Marti Darcangelo and Jessica Deyoung

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2356821/fan_mail/new] Wilderness seasons are real, and they are rarely fun — but they are never wasted. In this episode, Jan, Marti, and guest Jessica DeYoung pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to walk through a spiritual wilderness: the silence, the confusion, the doubt, and yes, the breathtaking encounter with God on the other side. Jessica shares vulnerably about a recent “teaching wilderness” where she did everything right — read her Bible, prayed, kept showing up — and still felt completely alone. Marti brings grounded wisdom about leaning into God’s attributes and choosing obedience over emotion. Jan anchors it all in the truth that Psalm 23 gives us: we walk *through* the valley, not *into* it forever. If you’re in a dry season, a waiting season, or a season where God just feels far away — this one’s for you. And if you’re on the mountain right now? Listen anyway. Because Marti says it plainly: it might be coming. Grab your journal, a cup of something warm, and settle in. Provision & Dependence — God strips away comfortable resources so we learn to trust Him alone, one day at a time (Deuteronomy 8, Exodus 16, Philippians 4). Transformation & Purpose — The wilderness is where character, patience, and maturity are formed. God is always doing a new thing in it (Isaiah 43, Hosea 2, Romans 5, James 1). Guidance & Presence — From the pillar of fire to the valley of the shadow, God's presence leads and comforts in the darkest wilderness moments (Exodus 13, Psalm 23, Isaiah 41). Testing & Overcoming — Even Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. It is a place of preparation, not punishment (Matthew 4, Isaiah 40, 1 Kings 19). Eternal Perspective — Wilderness seasons are temporary and never wasted. They produce eternal fruit and teach us to cry out to God (2 Corinthians 4, Psalm 107). https://uppbeat.io/t/jonny-easton/warming-light License code: EUXRWYWTFRNQMRXO 00:00 Intro — Welcome & Introducing Jessica DeYoung 02:30 What IS a Wilderness Season? (Jessica sets the foundation) 07:15 How God Meets Us in the Wilderness — Moses, the Israelites, and Us 11:00 Marti’s Definition: A Temporary Space of Active Transformation 15:45 The Things That Happen In the Wilderness — Death of Self-Reliance, Testing, Preparation 19:00 Jesus in the Wilderness — Why If He Went Through It, We Will Too 22:30 How the Enemy Works in the Wilderness — Scripture as Our Defense 27:00 When You Don’t Even Know You’re In One — Recognizing the Season 30:15 Marti’s Honest Confession: Doing It the Wrong Way vs. the Lord’s Way 34:00 Practical Tools: Leaning into Quiet, God’s Attributes, Philippians 4:8 37:30 Building Habits NOW So You’re Ready for the Next Wilderness 40:00 Jessica’s Recent Teaching Wilderness — A Vulnerable Personal Story 46:00 Community, Journaling & Memorial Stones 49:30 The Book of Habakkuk — A Wilderness Masterclass 53:00 Paul in Prison — 2 Timothy 4:16-18 (Marti reads aloud) 57:00 God Is Unteaching You to Reteach You — Paul’s Three Years in Galatians 60:00 Psalm 73:23-26 — He Holds You by Your Right Hand 63:30 Final Encouragements — Marti, Jessica & Jan 67:00 Outro — “Be Prepared. It Might Be Coming.” Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ [https://jan-johnson.com/] https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ [https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/] https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ [https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus [https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus] Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!

Stand in Prayer: Learning to Pray with Purpose, Power, and Intentional Strategy with Liz Holtzman

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2356821/fan_mail/new] Forty years in prayer ministry will teach you a few things. But what Liz Holtzman has learned goes far beyond what to say — she's learned WHY it works, and that knowledge changes everything. Liz is a retired special education teacher, intercessor, Bible study author, and longtime leader in Moms in Prayer International. Her new Bible study, Stand in Prayer: Purposeful Prayer with Powerful Outcomes, grew out of decades of teaching sixth graders, mentoring women, and showing up to pray when she didn't always have the words. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on the prayer model she's used and taught for years — walking us through the power of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and requests, and why the sequence matters more than we realize. She also shares how to mine Scripture for prayers that align with God's will, a stunning answered-prayer story from the villages of Cameroon, and what she discovered about intercession in the aftermath of her husband's sudden death. If you've ever felt like your prayer life was flat, scattered, or powerless — this episode is for you. Pull up a chair. This one goes deep. 📖 Liz's books: Stand in Prayer: Purposeful Prayer with Powerful Outcomes [https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Prayer-Purposeful-Powerful-Outcomes/dp/1646457811/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H8JUENQ56N2E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.S8paA4O47fdVvJD3WfvaFlQzsNXwXwS-SHaoyii7ufbSPVMvWX1UoVyP0xLordet8XufHqV7OJqLv3wgfCwSz1DUkyZ0X1AnvLK3lz6wLDcIC-kP9x3DxyIUdmHjeHrVn2XE4eapo0ZfTveCKblwa5qlRNpyttLCQoVPhFo2T9dJQcuFzNyQHQi-YttifzPYUuqEggf2gNr37R8qbYigB4fuf5N3rIk9x7_we0RLlPY.egZX-ftVyQj3v-_wUZLI5w8Gql6M7ghmQ5btoP_4Oj0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Purposeful+Prayer+with+Powerful+Outcomes&qid=1780675642&sprefix=purposeful+prayer+with+powerful+outcomes%2Caps%2C891&sr=8-1] (Bible Study) Proven: Praying for Your Children [https://www.amazon.com/Proven-Character-Praying-Our-Children-ebook/dp/B07FK8CTTV/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=v02p3&content-id=amzn1.sym.3a079c4e-f938-40c9-a0ed-01ef0e9528e9&pf_rd_p=3a079c4e-f938-40c9-a0ed-01ef0e9528e9&pf_rd_r=142-7597544-2236120&pd_rd_wg=rzFq5&pd_rd_r=ccbd3a91-0f29-4f48-83b4-2b970c92604c] (Scripture Prayers for 31 Character Traits) Romans 8:26 (NIV) ❝  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  ❞ James 1:5 (NIV) ❝  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  ❞ Psalm 100:4 ❝  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  ❞ 00:00  —  Introduction & Welcome 01:45  —  Meet Liz Holtzman: Educator, Author, and 40-Year Intercessor 03:30  —  The Sunday Night Dinner That Started Everything 06:00  —  From 6th Grade Prayer Committee to Bible Study Author 08:15  —  Defining Prayer: Why It's Harder Than It Sounds 11:00  —  Prayer as Relationship: The Communication Framework 13:30  —  The Four-Part Prayer Model: Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Requests 16:00  —  Why Praise Comes First — And What It Actually Does 19:30  —  Praise Silences the Enemy: Psalm 8:2 Explained 22:00  —  Confession Without Condemnation: The Role of the Holy Spirit 24:30  —  Thanksgiving Builds Faith — And Fights Doubt 27:00  —  Praying with Pure Motives: How the Model Helps You Self-Check 30:00  —  Using Scripture to Pray: Practical Tools and Strategies 33:30  —  Live Prayer Example: Praying for Emma (Brain Tumor Diagnosis) 38:00  —  James 1:5 in Action: Praying for Wisdom over Medical Teams 41:30  —  Proven: Scripture Prayers for Your Children's Character 45:00  —  Sample Prayer for Courage (1 Chronicles 28:20 + Ephesians 2:10) 48:30  —  Using a Concordance and Online Bible for Prayer Research 51:00  —  Context Matters: How to Use Scripture Without Cherry-Picking 54:30  —  The Power and Purpose of Praise Revisited 57:00  —  When My Husband Died: Groans Too Deep for Words (Romans 8:26) 01:01:00  —  Praying in Agreement with the Holy Spirit 01:04:00  —  The Cameroon Story: 31 Villages, One Old Man 01:09:30  —  The Maka People: A 30-Year Thread God Was Weaving 01:14:00  —  Solar Bibles and God's Continuing Story 01:17:30  —  When God Doesn't Answer the Way We Hoped 01:20:00  —  The Presence of God Through the Hard Things 01:22:30  —  All Kinds of Prayers Count: From Groans to Liturgy 01:24:30  —  Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Liz's Books https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/lake-marie-i [https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/lake-marie-i]  License code: SD5UK9UFKT8P5DRH Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ [https://jan-johnson.com/] https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ [https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/] https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ [https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus [https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus] Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!

More Than a Secret: One Woman's Journey from Affair to Healing with Alicia Barr

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2356821/fan_mail/new] Alicia Barr grew up in a small town, built a career, and loved Jesus deeply — until church hurt left her numb and vulnerable.  What followed was a four-year affair she didn't know how to escape.  In this episode, Alicia shares her unfiltered story: the seduction of sin, the slow spiral, and the supernatural moment that finally broke the cycle.  She talks about grief, counseling, learning to receive grace, and why she wrote the book nobody else would write.  This is a conversation about secrecy, shame, and the kind of freedom only Jesus can give. Find Alicia at aliciabarr.com | Book: More Than a Secret [https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Secret-Mistress-Affair-ebook/dp/B0FV2QV317/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29FGHNXTDRAUY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZJFh0rdizNSTOOcRtCe_f3YKmNaMXo45UH7gqwlxL-psvz8xlIy0vDJT7PGsDHwwP-JVWCHQcdcbQUHdtIgT2jAwcMTiU9lKgxIveD-8lFjzYwcb3OhLsMle4Z0Q7Zoll9TkakL_KVcPJUNE1QBJUi4454d4KJdoTF6thLFnCsSIL_vl63fHW8gWV1ZLRHs_-vVVh-caSBNUcyu4kOk0fJXl6XYVjl0wlc5G_tkmzPE.d2z7v3Xhf6zoJoT-kQ8F8XLSfn6ahTq1_XUxMePScCk&dib_tag=se&keywords=more+than+a+secret&qid=1779981031&s=digital-text&sprefix=more+than+a+secret%2Cdigital-text%2C191&sr=1-1] 1 John 1:9 — "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive" —  Psalm 139:14 — 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (‭‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬) •       00:00 — Introduction: Meet Alicia Barr •       01:05 — "What the enemy intended for evil" — God's redemption plan •       02:03 — Raised on God, Garth, and straight — small town faith •       03:19 — Church hurt: 20 years, then gone overnight •       04:24 — Vulnerability, drift, and how the affair began •       07:08 — Still married when it started — the honest truth •       08:40 — Rock bottom: when being "number two" takes its toll •       10:11 — Searching for someone who had been there — finding nothing •       13:31 — The conference, Annie F. Downs, and "don't have secrets" •       14:53 — The affair ends — and the brutal healing journey begins •       17:41 — Walking back to God: counseling, scripture, and grace •       18:43 — What grief really is — it's more than death •       20:12 — Asking for spiritual healing alongside therapy •       22:06 — Integrity, shame, and learning to be a child of God •       24:43 — The message: you are worth more than a secret •       25:19 — Dr. Michael Slepian's research: 50,000 people, 13 secrets each •       27:03 — Freedom from shame is available to everyone •       27:06 — About the book: More Than a Secret •       29:08 — Host closing thoughts and prayer https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/the-summit License code: YEMOID7DEYZIE4N3  https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/flow-state License code: U8LCZSJQYF0FUAP6 Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ [https://jan-johnson.com/] https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ [https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/] https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ [https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus [https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus] Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!

When Grace Found Me: Jai Roza's Journey From New Age to Jesus

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2356821/fan_mail/new] Jai Roza was an ordained deacon at 14 — and planning his suicide at 17.  In between, he was channeling spirits, drowning in demonic voices, and watching his faith collapse along with his family.  In this episode of Just Talking About Jesus, Jai shares the midnight phone call that pulled him back from the edge, what happened when his Bible started glowing, why the Book of Acts made him physically leave church in a rage, and how God interrupted a prayer of repentance to teach him the dangerous power of the words "I am."  Jai is also the creator of Eden's Conflict — a faith-based card game built to make spiritual warfare tangible and teachable.  This one will change how you think about choice, spiritual authority, and what it really means to be free. Ephesians 6:12 — "We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers"  Romans 5:20 — "Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more"  1 Thessalonians 5:17 — "Pray without ceasing"  Jai's website [https://www.edensconflict.com/] where you'll find his game, his music and podcast and more https://uppbeat.io/t/monument-music/ambition License code: JGLVBSTTVYPWUQYB Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ [https://jan-johnson.com/] https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ [https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/] https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ [https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus [https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus] Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!