# 282: MARQ JAMES of Medi-Share on Cutting Costs, Finding Hope: A Faith-Filled Approach to Today’s Healthcare Crisis
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
Release Date: 12/02/2025
# 286: He Survived Iraq. Now He's Warning Us About AI | Ben Peterson
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
David Sams sits down with Army veteran and Engage Your Destiny founder for a conversation that moves from the battlefields of Iraq to the front lines of the AI revolution. Ben opens up about the darkest chapter of his life serving as a Chaplain's Assistant — losing seven brothers-in-arms in his first week of deployment, and the years of guilt, addiction, and near-suicidal despair that followed — and how that pain became the foundation for a ministry that has now reached over 300,000 service members. From there, the conversation turns to the topic driving Ben's urgent new book, When...
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From Sleeping on a Couch to 7-Figures: PATRICE WASHINGTON's Real Story on Loss, Faith & Comeback
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
Long before she became known as "America's Money Maven," was a 25-year-old real estate broker with a seven-figure business, matching Range Rovers, and an 800 credit score — and then the 2008 recession took it all. She went from that seven-figure business to sleeping on a family member's couch, and it was in that collapse that she found the framework that would define her life's work: six pillars of true wealth that go far beyond money. In this conversation from our archives with host 9-time Emmy winner David Sams and life coach to the stars Tim Storey, Patrice opens up about the losses that...
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How Does Trauma Turn Into Trust? LISA HARPER Tells Her Story
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
What if the Bible isn't a rulebook, but a love story? Bestselling author, Bible teacher, and self-described "hot mess" joins host David Sams on this episode of Contagious Influencers of America — and she comes bearing her battered, sticky-note-covered "ADD Bible," full of margin notes from her late father. From there, the conversation opens into some of the most tender and unguarded stories Lisa has shared on the podcast: growing up after her parents' divorce, watching her father's faith transform later in life, the winding seven-year road to adopting her daughter Missy from Haiti, and the...
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What If Your Dream Isn't Dead - Just Delayed? (HOPE DARST)
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
Feeling like your window of opportunity has passed? Let 's story be your encouragement to never give up. Hope signed her first record deal at 39, after two decades as a wife, mom, and worship leader at her church in Nashville. In this candid conversation with host David Sams, Hope traces the whole arc: a desperate move to Nashville at 19 that led to a life-altering encounter with God, years of odd jobs, a chance demo burned onto a CD that landed her a gig singing backup for Natalie Grant, and finally the breakout of her signature song "Peace Be Still" — a song she almost never recorded....
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AMY GRANT: Blended Family, Faith, and the Day She Mentored Lauren Daigle
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
The "Queen of Christian Pop" is so transparent you'll want to kick back, lean in and listen as she talks about life, love, overcoming obstacles and her blended family with Vince Gill like never before. She even gets choked up so bring tissues! Plus, we went back a decade into our archives for a moment KeepTheFaith made happen and nobody else got to capture: the first time Amy ever met a rising star named . KeepTheFaith put the two of them in a room together, hit record, and let Amy mentor a wide-eyed young Lauren on navigating her prophetic success — years before the world knew her name....
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He Lost His Father at 12 and Grew Up on Welfare. HAL DONALDSON Now Runs One of America's Biggest Charities.
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
When disaster strikes without warning, hope has to show up fast — and for millions around the world, it arrives on a Convoy of Hope truck. Convoy of Hope is a global, faith-based, nonprofit organization that delivers emergency relief to communities devastated by disaster. Right now, their teams are on the ground in Venezuela, where on June 24 two catastrophic earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, among the strongest to hit the country in more than a century — struck, leaving more than 1,700 confirmed dead, thousands injured, and thousands more still missing. Convoy of Hope is meeting...
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'I JUST MET MY HUSBAND': Bachelor Star Madi Prewett Troutt — First Date to Wife & Mom
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
She went looking for love on national television — and found it in the last place she expected. Best-selling author first captured hearts as a finalist on Season 24 of ABC's The Bachelor, but her real love story started with a blind date she almost turned down. In this encore presentation, Madi sits down with nine-time Emmy winner David Sams just as she's stepping into life as a newlywed and releasing her book "The Love Everybody Wants." A lot has changed since this conversation was first recorded — and it's exactly why we're bringing it back. Madi is now a mom! She and her husband,...
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Celebrating America's 250th Birthday with LEE GREENWOOD — The Story of God Bless The U.S.A.
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
Is there anything more synonymous with patriotic pride than "God Bless The U.S.A."? As we celebrate Independence Day and the 250th birthday of our nation, we're bringing back this fan favorite — originally released on Veterans Day 2022 — because and this song belong on every American holiday playlist. Nine-time Emmy winner David Sams sits down with the Grammy award-winning artist to reflect on the song's remarkable 40-year journey — from being written in the back of a tour bus in 1983 to becoming the only song ever charted in the top five across all genres of music. Lee shares stories...
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She Buried a Hero — Now 'American Sniper' Widow TAYA KYLE Reminds America What We're Celebrating
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
As America celebrates her 250th birthday, there is no more fitting time to revisit this powerful conversation with one of the most courageous women connected to our nation's legacy of service and sacrifice. Taya Kyle was thrust into the national spotlight when her husband, Chris Kyle, became one of America's greatest war heroes — his story immortalized in the book and blockbuster film American Sniper. After Chris was tragically murdered at a shooting range in Texas, Taya chose to transform her grief into purpose, honoring his memory as a bestselling author, speaker, and champion for...
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No Dad is Too Far Gone: MISS KAY & KORIE ROBERTSON on Phil’s Radical Redemption and Legacy
CIA: Contagious Influencers of America
There’s no story quite like a redemption story—and the truth is, no father is ever too far gone for a second chance. In honor of Father’s Day, we are opening the archives for a special Encore presentation celebrating the legacy of a true family patriarch, Phil Robertson, who passed away last year. Long before the Robertsons encouraged millions on their hit TV show Duck Dynasty, there was a day when none of this looked remotely possible. The early years were marked by severe brokenness, but Phil’s life became the ultimate testament to a fatherhood redeemed by grace. The matriarch of the...
info_outlineWhat if the rising cost of health insurance isn’t your only option and you could save hundreds every month with an alternative?
In this powerful and timely episode, nine-time Emmy winner David Sams sits down with longtime friend of KeepTheFaith, Marq James, Chief Marketing Officer of Medi-Share—the Christian healthcare-sharing community that’s been helping families cover their medical costs for more than 30 years.
With the rising cost of health insurance dominating headlines, Marq breaks down why so many Americans are anxious, confused, and overwhelmed—and how the Medi-Share community is offering a Christ-centered alternative that can save families hundreds of dollars a month. He explains the difference between traditional insurance and healthcare sharing, how members support one another in prayer and financial burdens, and why thousands of people (including those 65+ on Medicare) are switching.
Marq also opens up about his deeply personal battle with long COVID—how it affected his mind, memory, and identity, and how God used that season to reshape his heart, deepen his faith, and restore his calling to “be light” in a world craving hope and clarity.
From the power of prayer to the reality of rising medical costs, this conversation brings wisdom, encouragement, and practical options for anyone struggling with today’s healthcare landscape.
Episode Highlights:
• Why healthcare costs are skyrocketing—and what families can actually do about it
• How Medi-Share’s Christ-centered model works (and how it’s different from insurance)
• What Medi-Share offers for people 65+ on Medicare
• The early-church inspiration behind healthcare sharing
• Marq’s raw and inspiring journey through long COVID
• A closing prayer for anyone feeling anxious or overwhelmed
CALL 833-32BIBLE AND GET A QUOTE TODAY! Or visit medishare.com/keepthefaith
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