45: How to Be Present in Suffering | Terri Johnson
Christian Life Calling
Have you ever met someone who knows how to smile in the midst of a storm? Life’s trials and traumas cannot destroy a person who remains present. Being present requires awareness, trust, and faith. You gain freedom from lingering fear, comparison, and suffering the moment you ground yourself in the present. Terri Johnson is an inspiring example of being present. She conquered challenging situations throughout her life, which brought her closer to Christ. Now, at this time in her life, Terri faces an entirely new challenge as she deals with a cancer diagnosis. Most people become discouraged...
info_outline
44: How to Do What Matters | Teresa McCloy
Christian Life Calling
A lot of people blindly seek external validation and external purpose first, but this rootless pursuit ends up short-lived. In fact, any pursuit of Calling is shallow if you don’t go internally first to figure out your gifts and who you are in Christ. Being curious about how a thing is made shows the intention of its purpose. Likewise, knowing yourself helps you direct your life with stronger discernment. Teresa McCloy is a Coach, Speaker, Podcaster, Trainer and Creator of the REALIFE Process® helping people to get a handle on life. She is also the author of . Teresa walks in...
info_outline
43: Are you struggling in your calling?
Christian Life Calling
What do you expect living your Calling to be like? Most people naturally say it’s a life where everything feels aligned and at ease. They would not be wrong, however, let’s not forget that another side of Calling exists. Living your Calling includes the struggles of carrying your purpose out. Take the Apostle Paul for instance. He specifically writes that Calling brings struggle, toil, and labor. He reflects on the gift of being called by God to persist in his purpose. Are you struggling in your Calling? If you are, remember that God commissioned you for this unique role. In this episode,...
info_outline
42: 12 Reasons Christ Deserves First Place
Christian Life Calling
Christ is first in everything. We know this, but it can be lost in distractions or interpretations. This conversation goes through the 12 reasons Christ deserves first place. Life Calling is based on our unique position in God’s plan. We would be without form, reason, or purpose if not for Christ. Everything we know that’s seen and unseen moves towards Christ, but how often do you reflect on why Christ comes first? In this episode, we reflect on 12 reasons taken straight from Colossians 1:15-20. As you meditate on this section, it can make you rethink how you relate to your...
info_outline
41: Why We’re Changing Our Focus
Christian Life Calling
Today’s episode is the first conversation under the Christian Life Calling podcast. This comforting and honest talk is directly with your host, Chris Heinz. While doing this podcast, faith came up often in our discussions of purpose and service. Our shared experiences show that Life Calling is deeply personal like faith. For Christians, Life Calling is guided by faith. God equips us and appoints us to our Callings to serve his purposes, not our own. Ultimately, Life Calling is a unique role of service in God’s plan. This episode is to explain why we’re changing our focus. Our focus...
info_outline
40: Guest Highlights Show #2
Christian Life Calling
Today’s episode is a special compilation of episode highlights and a celebration of a new transition. It’s been a few months since we last released a podcast episode. In that time, life transformed. , I launched a new website, and Life Calling Today went through a brand change. I’m grateful for the former season, but I have dreams for this next season. This is the last episode under our current branding and current name. We are transitioning to focus more on a Christian approach to Life Calling. The new name for our show will be Christian Life Calling podcast to align more...
info_outline
39: Calling in Your 20's | Bryan Ray
Christian Life Calling
A career can oftentimes be a package deal of the calling and gifts you have for the world. Your way of being contributes to the role you play in your company, organization, or community. When you’re first starting out it all seems random, but you realize how it all fits as the bigger picture is revealed. Today, we talk about understanding calling in your 20s. Bryan Ray graduated from Penn State in 2020, and he is now a graduate architect at . In addition to working full-time at the firm, Bryan is also studying for his professional license exams. His story obtains several keys for finding...
info_outline
38: Practical Strengths for Your Calling | Jo Self
Christian Life Calling
Strengths, which align with your innate talents, allow you to see multiple paths for living your calling. You can follow different paths since your strengths relate to the motives that help you carry out an action, rather than the logic directing you on which action to take. Even in your free time, your strengths are influencing your behavior and choices. Today, we talk about Practical Strengths for your calling. Jo Self is on a mission to ensure talent is not wasted, potential is realized, and happiness is contagious. She has a diverse background in business, which includes developing...
info_outline
37: Touching Cancer | Matt Eby
Christian Life Calling
When you are in hard times, where do you pull your strength from? Being in hard times makes us feel we need something larger than ourselves. People pull help from rage and regret, or sometimes, people pull help from love and compassion. During a tiresome journey, where can our help come from? Today, we talk about touching cancer. Born in the United States, Matt Eby now lives in Australia fulfilling the purpose of helping others. He really gives his life for service to people that need compassion, understanding, or empathy. Matt is currently serving at where he works alongside people who are...
info_outline
36: Connecting Moms and Daughters | Dannah Gresh
Christian Life Calling
Don’t be afraid of the messy pieces of your story. People often don’t understand each other, not realizing that we all have a messy story that needs grace. Like a mom and daughter trying to understand each other while dealing with their own lives. Today, we talk about connecting moms and daughters through accepting life’s imperfect story. Dannah Gresh is the best-selling author of over 30 books for teens, tweens, and their parents (written in both English and Spanish). Dannah is a highly sought-after speaker for conferences, weekend retreats, and online Bible studies. She’s also heard...
info_outlineYour Life Calling is an opportunity to bring joy to your life and the life of others. Fulfilling the interests that fuel you helps bring purpose to the interactions you have. In those moments, it’s easy to forget how quickly time passes. Today’s guest follows a Life Calling that captures those fleeting moments through photography.
Ben Hager is a professional photographer who works for the Review Journal in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years, his photography brought him into entertainment, politics, crimes, professional sports, and other breaking news as he supplied his skills to capture important moments. Ben also served as the photo director for the Harlem Globetrotters, and received multiple awards, like Nevada Press Foundation’s Outstanding Visual Journalist.
Before photography, Ben says he worked as a hospice volunteer and youth mentor. He even talks about majoring in economics at Penn State. We discuss how the new generations took on different understandings of pursuing Life Calling. To our understanding, many people don’t want to commit to something immediately and be locked in forever. Ben shares his own quest of seeking to do something meaningful for him, later leading him to photography.
Ben felt drawn to people’s stories, lives, and things he didn’t know about. Listen to Ben explain the trial and error of finding Life Calling, and balancing decisions to cultivate a cohesive life. You don’t always arrive at your Life Calling on your first try. Similar to Ben’s journey, most people experience a change in passions and perspective as they evolve through life. Ben’s advice is to know what moves you, and know what doesn’t move you.
Keep your eyes open, and never stop moving in a direction that pushes you closer to your Life Calling. Through self-assessment and self-awareness, you can build a life filled with projects and moments that reflect what grabs your attention. Not only can you build that life, you can share it with others. Like Ben, you can move towards a place that feels true for you.
Time stamps:
- [00:18] - Ben Hager uses his professional photographer skills across many different sectors.
- [03:05] - How did Ben make life work between pursuing Life Calling and dealing with the pandemic?
- [05:01] - Ben says he didn’t plan on being a photographer.
- [06:45] - Another classmate influenced Ben to get into photography, and telling people’s stories.
- [08:54] - As you learn your life’s work, you explore different paths along the way.
- [11:38] - You may describe your calling separately from the platform you use to carry your calling out.
- [14:10] - Ben talks about staying grounded when his photography skills bring him to tense environments, like crime or courts.
- [17:00] - What is one of Ben’s favorite photo projects?
- [19:37] - Ben talks about creating art that is meaningful in his subjects' lives.
- [22:34] - Life Calling is connected to a shift in priority, and rethinking how to identify yourself towards life.
- [24:05] - Ben talks about difficult decisions that need to take place to balance the shifts in life, like decisions as a parent.
- [26:17] - As you move through life, build a cohesive life that keeps what’s important to you.
- [28:27] - What advice does Ben have for people who want to land in their sweet spot?
- [31:14] - Ben mentions a time he let go of embarrassment during a photography job.
- [33:31] - Ben’s embarrassing moment gave everyone a good laugh, which he didn’t mind.
- [35:10] - The best part is ending up in a place that feels true for you and what you feel you’re meant to do.