Natasha Bryn: When the Waters Rise, He Is With You
Why I Believe
What happens when you watch the water rise inside your home, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? In March 2019, Natasha Bryn and her family were getting ready for bed when her husband noticed water on the floor of their den. Within hours, water was pouring through the doors, windows, and walls. Their children watched as their parents scrambled to save baby pictures and belongings. Eleven feet of water eventually flooded two floors of their home, causing more than $100,000 in damage and forcing their family out for three months. And then something remarkable happened. People started...
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Faithful Friday #15: Built to Be One
Why I Believe
Welcome to Faithful Friday. This week, we're reflecting on John 17:20–23, where Jesus prays not only for His disciples, but for all who would believe in Him. His prayer wasn't for comfort or success. It was for unity. Jesus prayed that we would be one, united in Him and united with one another, so that the world would know God's love through the way we love each other. In a world that often feels divided, we have an opportunity to become bridge builders, reflecting Christ's love in our families, churches, workplaces, and communities. As you listen, consider this reflection question: How can...
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Darren LaCroix: When Failure Becomes Your Calling
Why I Believe
What if the thing you're failing at today is somehow connected to where God is taking you tomorrow? Darren LaCroix knows something about failure. Long before he became a World Champion of Public Speaking, professional speaker, coach, and mentor to speakers around the world, Darren had to be willing to be bad at something before he could become great at it. In this episode of Why I Believe, Darren joins Michelle Von Ruden for a conversation that goes beyond speaking and success. It's about the journey. The failures. The people God puts in our path. The willingness to keep learning when it would...
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Faithful Friday #14: Take Courage
Why I Believe
Welcome to Faithful Friday. This week, we're reflecting on one of the most hope-filled promises Jesus gives us in John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world." Jesus never promised a life free from hardship. He promised something even better—His presence, His peace, and the assurance that He has already won the victory. Whatever you're facing today, remember that your circumstances don't have the final word. Christ does. As you listen, consider this reflection question: Where do you need to take courage today, knowing that Christ has...
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Philippa Channer: When God Says, “Trust Me”
Why I Believe
What do you do when you've prayed for an answer, but God's answer doesn't look anything like you expected? In this episode of Why I Believe, Michelle Von Ruden sits down with Philippa Channer for an honest conversation about prayer, waiting, transition, and learning to trust God when you can't see what He's doing. Philippa shares how faith has been woven throughout her life, but also how her relationship with God has grown and changed through different seasons. There have been prayers that seemed unanswered. Times when she questioned what God was doing. Moments when she wanted clarity but...
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Faithful Friday #13: Abide in My Love
Why I Believe
Welcome to Faithful Friday. This week, we're reflecting on John 15:9-12, where Jesus invites us to remain in His love. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." For many of us, love has become something we feel we need to earn. We believe if we work harder, accomplish more, or become "better," then maybe God will love us more. But that's not what Jesus says. His love isn't based on our performance, it's rooted in who He is. He invites us to rest in that love, allowing it to transform our hearts and fill us with His joy. As you listen, consider this reflection...
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Bob “BZ” Fabien Zinga: My Name Is Faith, My Name Is Hope
Why I Believe
Bob “BZ” Fabien Zinga: My Name Is Faith, My Name Is Hope What if the name you were given at birth became the testimony you would live out for the rest of your life? In this episode of Why I Believe, Michelle Von Ruden sits down with Bob “BZ” Fabien Zinga; Navy veteran, pastor, cybersecurity leader, coach, husband, father, and man whose story has been shaped by faith from the very beginning. Born in the Republic of the Congo, Bob was a desperately sick child. His older brother had died young, and Bob's mother feared she might lose another son. Doctors couldn't explain what was wrong,...
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Faithful Friday #12: Abide in Me
Why I Believe
Welcome to Faithful Friday. This week, we're reflecting on John 15:1-5, where Jesus says: "I am the vine; you are the branches." Branches don't struggle to produce fruit—they simply stay connected to the vine. The same is true for us. When we remain connected to Christ through prayer, Scripture, worship, and obedience, He produces fruit in our lives. When we drift away, we often find ourselves striving, exhausted, and spiritually dry. As you listen, consider this reflection question: What is helping you stay connected to Christ, and what may be pulling you away from Him? After the Scripture...
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Kelly Stiles: From Perfection to Grace
Why I Believe
What if you stopped trying to prove you were good enough, and learned to rest in God's grace instead? In this episode of Why I Believe, Michelle Von Ruden sits down with Kelly Stiles, wife, mother, ministry leader, and seminary student, for an honest conversation about trauma, identity, surrender, perfection, and discovering who God created you to be. As a teenager, Kelly made a decision: she would not become a statistic. She wasn't going to allow the trauma and instability of her past to determine her future. So she pushed. She achieved. She worked hard to stay on the "right" side of the...
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Faithful Friday #11: The Peace Jesus Gives
Why I Believe
Welcome to Faithful Friday. This week, we're reflecting on one powerful verse from John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." Jesus doesn't promise us a life without uncertainty, fear, or difficult circumstances. Instead, He offers us something the world cannot give, a peace that isn't dependent on everything around us going according to plan. What are you carrying today that Jesus is asking you to place in His hands? As you listen, consider this reflection question: What worry, fear, or burden do you need to surrender to Jesus today? After the Scripture reading, you'll have...
info_outlineBob “BZ” Fabien Zinga: My Name Is Faith, My Name Is Hope
What if the name you were given at birth became the testimony you would live out for the rest of your life?
In this episode of Why I Believe, Michelle Von Ruden sits down with Bob “BZ” Fabien Zinga; Navy veteran, pastor, cybersecurity leader, coach, husband, father, and man whose story has been shaped by faith from the very beginning.
Born in the Republic of the Congo, Bob was a desperately sick child. His older brother had died young, and Bob's mother feared she might lose another son.
Doctors couldn't explain what was wrong, and Bob says his family was told he wouldn't live beyond the age of 17.
His mother tried everything she could to save her son.
But when Bob was 12, his entire family attended a Christian gathering, and everything changed.
For Bob, Jesus suddenly became more than religion, tradition, or stories in a Bible.
He became real.
Bob shares how he experienced healing, found a personal relationship with Christ, was called into ministry as a teenager, moved to the United States at 17, served more than 21 years in the U.S. Navy, and ultimately became a pastor.
And woven through it all is his name.
His mother gave him the name Minu, meaning faith and hope.
Today, when Bob faces something that seems impossible, he remembers:
“My name is faith. My name is hope.”
In this conversation, we talk about:
- Growing up with a mysterious childhood illness
- His mother's extraordinary determination to save him
- The moment his family encountered Jesus in a new way
- Why Bob believes his healing changed everything
- The difference between religion and a personal relationship with Christ
- Being called into ministry at just 15
- Moving from the Congo to the United States
- Living by faith when circumstances say there is no way
- Why every day of Bob's life feels like a second chance
- God's love, healing, provision, and abundant life
Bob's faith isn't something he knows only from Scripture or someone else's testimony.
It's something he says he has lived.
And decades after doctors reportedly believed he wouldn't reach adulthood, Bob can say:
Every day is a gift.
You can reach BZ at Bob Fabien "BZ" Zinga 🇺🇸🇮🇷🇺🇦 | LinkedIn
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