The Grand Awakening Podcast

In this podcast, we talk with ministry leaders both locally and elsewhere, asking the basic question: What is God saying to the American Church today? We do this because we long for the revival and spiritual awakening that alone can bring healing to our hurting nation. We strongly sense the reason we haven't yet seen the answer to our prayers for revival and awakening is that we haven't been listening to what God has been saying to us. We need to respond with repentance and wholehearted obedience.

Mick Veach shares how as the pastor of a large church he is inspiring his people to be the real deal 07/29/2025

Michael Carrier challenges all of us to wholeheartedly seek revival as he has done 07/22/2025

Michael Carrier challenges all of us to wholeheartedly seek revival as he has done Michael Carrier is one amazing person! From an educational perspective, after graduating from high school in Michigan, he spent a year at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. Then he went to Central Bible College (later named Evangel University) in Missouri, getting his bachelor’s degree in Bible. Because of his excellent grades there, he was then awarded a fellowship in Semitic Languages at New York University in Manhattan, NY. Unfortunately, as he was working on his PhD dissertation there, political turmoil in the early 1970s rocked the campus and prevented him from getting his doctorate. Ultimately, Mike returned to Michigan with his dear wife Evie and began to work for a security company. Within a year he was made general manager of the second largest security company in West Michigan. Then, a few years later, Mike started his own security firm that he ran for about 30 years. He did contract work for the Military, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), General Motors, and other large and small corporations, along with thousands of private individuals. It was while Mike was running his security firm that another chapter in his life came alive: He wrote and self-published his first book entitled WIND. We will chat more about this in a minute. But about 15 years ago, Mike developed a heart condition that prompted him to sell his security business. Yet, not liking the boredom of “retirement,” Mike began to write what he calls his “hardboiled thrillers” marketed as “murder mysteries set in the Midwest.” To date he has published 18 of them with his author name Michael Carrier. Yes, Mike is one amazing dude! In this podcast Mike tells how a miraculous event with his radio of all things led him to understand the deep need in our nation for revival. And that, in turn, started him on a faithful routine of fervent prayer one day per week for revival to happen. Then along came self-publishing his book on revival entitled “Wind” followed by 18 fiction books. Truly, Michael Carrier is one unique and wholehearted follower of our Lord Jesus Christ! /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/37504060

Bill Elliff encourages us to constantly abide in the wonderful, manifest presence of God 05/22/2025

Dean Vander Mey shares how Set Free Ministries brings God’s healing to thousands worldwide 04/22/2025

Dean Vander Mey shares how Set Free Ministries brings God’s healing to thousands worldwide Dean Vander Mey serves as the Executive Director of Set Free Ministries located here in West Michigan but touching lives around the world. Set Free guides individuals through the process of finding freedom from various forms of spiritual and emotional bondage. Not only does Dean oversee his dynamic staff, he also personally meets with individuals in crisis, offering them comfort and direction based on the truths of Scripture. In addition, Dean has a teaching ministry in which he shares the profound wisdom of God revealed through Freedom Ministry. In his personal life, Dean finds joy in his marriage to his beloved wife, Sharie. Together, they are blessed with six daughters, four sons-in-law, and eighteen grandchildren. Before dedicating himself to ministry, Dean successfully ran a business called Action Packaging for 23 years. When he’s not fulfilling his calling, Dean takes pleasure in spending quality time with his family and pursuing outdoor activities. As an enthusiastic sportsman, he cherishes moments spent hunting, fishing, and retreating to “Deer Camp” in the UP of Michigan. In this podcast Dean tells how Set Free Ministries continues to touch thousands of lives both locally and around the world. He says that a vast majority of the people coming into their West Michigan offices are followers of Christ but who are being held captive by lies they have embraced either intentionally or unintentionally. Ultimately, lies enslave, but truth sets us free! And so many of the people who engage in freedom appointments at Set Free do in fact receive a wonderful measure of God’s healing touch. Dean also describes how their Set Free Global division is seeing so many lives come to faith in Christ and growing into dynamic leaders for Christ who are passing His truth onto many more, all for His glory. The stories are truly exciting! Finally, Dean shares how, in our age of growing anxiety and worry, we can find God’s peace and joy as we concentrate on His truth and His promise to be with us and care for us. So we can take those scary steps of faith as we keep our eyes on Him. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/36263525

Michael Farris shares how children are an incredible blessing from God: the more the merrier! 04/03/2025

Michael Farris shares how children are an incredible blessing from God: the more the merrier! Michael P. Farris is a litigator, educator, public advocate, and communicator, and is widely recognized for his successful work on both the national and international stage. He was founding president of both the Home School Legal Defense Association (1983) and Patrick Henry College (2000). Michael served as the President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom from 2017 to 2022. He is currently General Counsel to the National Religious Broadcasters. For over 40 years, Michael has practiced constitutional appellate litigation specializing in religious freedom and parental rights. In that capacity, he has argued before many state appellate courts, federal circuit courts of appeal, and even the Supreme Court of the United States! Of particular note is that Mike was CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom organization while ADF was serving as co-counsel to the Attorney General of Mississippi for the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health which reversed Roe v. Wade! For his work, Michael has received numerous awards and honors, including two honorary doctorates. He is the author of over fifteen books, as well as law review and other scholarly and popular articles. He and his wife, Vickie, have ten children, 31 grandchildren and one great-grandchild (with more to come!) In this podcast, Michael talks about how as an attorney he helped me (Randy Hekman) in 1982 when I as a Juvenile Court Judge faced potential consequences due to my ruling on a case involving a 13 year old girl who sought an abortion. Michael also talks about the incredible blessing of children, a concept that far too few Christian parents fully embrace. Why should we Christians buy into the world’s lie that children are more a burden than a blessing and therefore should be minimized? Finally, Michael shares about a trip to the Soviet Union in 1988 where he met many Christian couples who had very large families. And they explained to Michael that they chose to have many children to show the distressed world around them that, with God and His blessings, we can have genuine hope for the future rather than despair. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/35995135

Karla VanOtteren shares how we can have a wonderful, two-way communication with God! 03/31/2025

Mark Blocher shares how the American Church has bought into the world’s view of childbearing 03/24/2025

William Federer shares how America’s great heritage flows from seeing ourselves in God’s image 03/08/2025

William Federer shares how America’s great heritage flows from seeing ourselves in God’s image WILLIAM J. FEDERER is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America's noble heritage. Bill's AMERICAN MINUTE radio feature is broadcasted daily across America and on the Internet. His Faith in History television airs on the TCT Network on stations across America and via DirectTV. He is the author of many books, has appeared on numerous television and radio network programs, has spoken in scores of places around the globe and has received numerous awards from various organizations for his great work. On a personal note, William was the fifth of eleven children, growing up in St, Louis, Missouri. He is a graduate of St. Louis University High School, and ultimately obtained a degree in Business from St. Louis University in 1980. He is married to his sweet wife Susie. Prior to his current work in ministry, William worked in real estate, oil & gas, and other religious organizations. You can learn more by going to his website AmericanMinute.com. In this podcast, William tells how most of the world’s history is about nations being ruled by a king or dictator who, to maintain order, assumes virtually all authority, thus depriving citizens of almost all of their freedom. One exception was the nation of Israel before King Saul was anointed. At that time, Jewish men and women, knowing they were created and loved by God and were accountable to Him, were able to enjoy relative freedom as long as they sought to follow God in obedience. William also points out how America’s history shows a similar background that was memorialized in our founding documents and which place ultimate authority in the hands of “we the people.” Contrary to what our modern “woke” culture suggests, America’s founding, while not perfect, was based on solid Biblical truth about the value of each human being created in God’s image. He points out that this continues to work until we citizens lose track of our accountability to God and start causing hurt to each other. Then government needs to step in to restore order. William also talks about the essential difference between angels and humans. That we are superior to angels in many respects because we are created in the image of God and have the capacity to choose to love Him, which our loving Heavenly Father is seeking. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/35587210

Art Guice calls American Christians of all ethnicities to work for genuine oneness in Christ 02/10/2025

Art Guice calls American Christians of all ethnicities to work for genuine oneness in Christ Pastor Arthur Guice received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1980, while attending Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL. It was during this season in his life that Arthur sensed a call to ministry. As a result, he changed his major from Business Administration to Theology. On March 23, 2003, Arthur was installed as the Senior Pastor of Spirit of Liberty Church of God, Markham, IL. A few years after serving as Senior Pastor, Arthur faced personal tragedy as his lovely and devoted wife of nine years went home to be with the Lord after a very courageous and lengthy battle with cancer. By the grace of God, Pastor Guice continued to serve as the Senior Pastor of Spirit of Liberty of God in Markham, IL until retiring in February 2023. Arthur also serves as the Great Lakes Regional Prayer coordinator for the Church of God, Cleveland Tennessee, and was ordained as a Bishop through the same ecclesiastical hierarchy. He is the founder and President of Full of Glory Ministries, Inc., a teaching ministry committed to developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ as well as the Illinois State Coordinator for Cry Out America. Art is a man who is deeply committed to fulfilling the “Great Commission” of our Lord Jesus Christ by making disciples of all nations. He has an anointing to teach and preach the Word of God with simplicity and with accuracy. He is a much sought-after speaker for conferences, seminars and workshops throughout the Chicago area and the nation. In this podcast, Pastor Art shares how he believes Black History Month (February) is actually helpful for people of color to help them see more clearly that some of the things they have been taught about their identity by a less than godly culture are simply not true. And that, with God and the truth of His Word, they can become all that He wants them to be. Art also emphasized the importance of the Church in America to have the true spiritual unity that Jesus prayed about in John 17:20-23, and that, unless we move quickly toward genuine unity, God’s judgment is close at hand. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/35226925

David Blok shares how God is uniting a growing group of Christ-followers to impact W Michigan 01/10/2025

Allen Heneveld shares how bitterness is cancer to the soul while forgiveness brings life 12/03/2024

Allen Heneveld shares how bitterness is cancer to the soul while forgiveness brings life Allen Heneveld has an amazing background! He now is a practicing attorney in the greater Grand Rapids area, focusing on helping small businesses thrive. But he also has prior experience as a CPA accredited accountant. Allen has an undergrad degree from Hope College, an MBA degree from Duke University, and a Juris Doctor (law) degree from George Washington University Law School. Allen is married to his dear wife Nina, and together they have four wonderful children. Beyond that, Allen states on his law firm website that he is a very blessed man. Why? He says it’s because he has a deep relationship with the Father, with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And that his desire is that all of his life would flow out of that relationship – just like Jesus. In this podcast, Allen shares a wealth of godly wisdom for us. He begins by relating how he personally went from being a lukewarm Christ follower to being wholehearted in his pursuit of Jesus and His way of living. As a result, Allen followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to preach at a number of churches in various places of America, encouraging those in attendance to similarly give all to Christ. Many responded positively to his exhortation. In recent months, Allen has been working on a book that is much needed in our world: it’s about our need to forgive, to rid ourselves of ALL bitterness. Allen has personally helped many folks process the lack of forgiveness in their lives resulting in their having much greater peace, joy and love. Even our secular world is seeing a correlation between bitterness and cancer! Bitterness is truly a cancer of the soul and, apparently, the body as well! Finally, Allen shares how we can best do what Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. We need to do it for Him, in love, and for His name’s sake. The result is possessing eternal blessings! /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/34270670

Nadia Gordinsky tells how a painful loss ultimately resulted in a life-saving ministry 11/22/2024

Tim Vink challenges the American Church to prioritize making disciples who make disciples 11/20/2024

Jonah Engle shares how spiritual revival is already here, and it is growing! 10/24/2024

Jonah Engle shares how spiritual revival is already here, and it is growing! Jonah Engle is a graduate of Spring Arbor University, and he now makes his home in the Grand Rapids area. About six years ago, God began to move deeply on Jonah’s heart and he became, in his own words, “passionately in love with Jesus.” This passion grew to the point where he knew he had to share this good news of Jesus with others. So together with some close friends who likewise loved Jesus, they formed the EveryHeart movement. It started with just Jonah and his best friends traveling the country to share Jesus with people in America during the summer and also organizing a worship night at 9pm on Mondays during the school year. This past summer, over 100 young people went out on tour across the US sharing the Gospel and saw over 600 folks come to new faith in Jesus! In the past 3 years, well over 1000 have received Jesus. Jonah is married to his amazing wife Haley and he says that he continues to fall more in love with her and with Jesus daily. He desires nothing more than to go forth making disciples of all nations and proclaiming the Gospel to all creation. In this very encouraging podcast, Jonah Engle tells how, a number of years ago while a college student, he and a small group of friends decided to say “yes” to anything Jesus was leading them to do. It resulted in them giving up their summer plans and their career goals in favor of traveling the nation and sharing the love of Jesus with as many people as possible. The result has been an incredible, growing movement of God--both locally, and across the nation--as Gen Z young people from here and from other areas as well have been moved by God in similar ways! And this powerful movement continues to grow and spread! Near the end of the podcast, Jonah also shares a personal answer to prayer as well. Dear friends, much needed revival and spiritual awakening is here now and it’s growing! Praise God! /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/33603692

Karl House tells of the many blessings likely will flow from our upcoming one-day prayer event 09/30/2024

Rick Warzywak describes the incredible joy and privilege of courageously sharing the Gospel 09/24/2024

Rick Warzywak describes the incredible joy and privilege of courageously sharing the Gospel Rick Warzywak is the founder and director of Transformation MI, whose mission it is to connect Michigan’s 83 counties in day and night prayer. As one way of accomplishing this goal, Rick hosts a nightly prayer call that began on November 4, 2020 and continues to the present time bringing literally hundreds together nightly at 9PM EST. Believe it or not, this call has been going on for over 1420 nights in a row! Rick also hosts prayer at the MI State capitol the Last Thursday of each month at 10AM in Room 426, as he and those in attendance pray for those in authority consistent with I Timothy 2. In the past, Rick was also an open-air preacher on various university campuses for more than 20 years, debating and contending with atheists, agnostics, liberal professors, witches, occultists, Muslims, and other young people whose faith had been shipwrecked. Rick believes a "Great Awakening" is underway in our nation and we are in a season of time where God is now preparing the way. His website is TransformMI.com. In this podcast, Rick talks about how he got involved in open air preaching at Michigan’s universities, a ministry that he did for over 20 years and the lives God impacted as a result. Rick also talks about a major stroke he recently had that could easily have ended his ministry and even his life altogether. But God used that stroke to tell Rick he needed to forgive many people who had offended him in his past. When he forgave, God wonderfully healed him! His healing allowed Rick to continue sharing his faith in various ways, including through the publication of an 80 page booklet entitled, “The Bible IS True.” Rick is now joyfully giving copies of this book away for anyone who asks for one. His heart’s desire is that all of us Christ-followers courageously and lovingly share our faith, using his book, our testimonies, and whatever else to draw people to Jesus so that the Spiritual Awakening we have been praying for grows very large. Bottom line as you will see from this podcast, Rick remains on fire for Jesus! /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/33188477

Geoff Eckart shares how revival is truly coming to America in our day! 08/22/2024

Jason and Jen Rykse’s lives demonstrate the Gospel’s Amazing Power! 07/30/2024

Jason and Jen Rykse’s lives demonstrate the Gospel’s Amazing Power! Jason and Jennifer Rykse were High School sweethearts. They have been married for 22 years. Together they have 11 children, 7 boys and 4 girls. For many years they were neighbors with Randy and Marcia Hekman. Marcia shared the gospel with Jen who received Jesus in the front yard of their home and was freed from a crippling anxiety. She was led to the knowledge that Jesus loves her children more than she does. This was a turning point for their family and for their relationship with Jesus. Together with Randy and Marcia they met in a house church for several years watching many come to a relationship with the Father. This led to a deepening in their walk with the Lord and valuing the power of scripture. Jason and Jen continue to value this closeness with the Father and sharing this with others. They have opened a Youth Center in Howard City, to which they share the love of Jesus with teens in this area. This is part of the ministry City Impact led by dear friends Jonathan and Kelley Bergsma. They have a heart to raise their children (the best kids ever) to walk in step with Jesus and for teens to do the same. They believe God is on the move and enjoy being vessels used by Him. They value the power in a relationship with Jesus and teaching others the power of this closeness with Jesus, our King, Savior and Redeemer. In this podcast, Jason and Jen tell of the amazing day many years ago when Jen’s emotional and physical pain she was experiencing ultimately led to her coming to faith in Christ. And that, in turn, greatly influenced Jason’s walk with the Lord and, ultimately, has impacted their family and has touched hundreds of other lives as well! Also in this podcast, Marcia shares how, while a Freshman in college, she came into a life-changing relationship with Jesus and how others can do the same. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/32347402

Clare DeGraaf shares how giving all to Jesus truly brings the very best life! 06/22/2024

Clare DeGraaf shares how giving all to Jesus truly brings the very best life! Clare DeGraaf is truly an amazing person! He is a native of Grand Rapids, MI where he still makes his home. Clare has been married to his high school sweetheart Susan for over 50 years, and they are parents to six children and grandparents to 20 amazing grandkids. Clare is a graduate of Calvin College, and, early in his career, one of Clare’s top priorities was to have a successful business and make a lot of money, which he did! But a life-threatening encounter with cancer at that point got his rapt attention and ultimately led him to discover a real, life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ. In his own words, Clare said, “I fell in love with Jesus and fell out of love with my “mistress” – my business.” A few years later, he felt the call of God to sell his business and devote full time to serving the Kingdom of God. Since making that decision, Clare has been involved in many ministries, touching literally millions of lives around the world. At his core, Clare has a heart for evangelizing and discipling men, leading them to following Jesus, as Clare does, wholeheartedly. He is the author of a best-selling book, “The 10 Second Rule.” So much more I could say, but to learn more, I encourage you to go to his website, ClareDegraaf.com. In this podcast, Clare describes how a severe cancer diagnosis at age 30 motivated him to seek a genuine faith in Jesus that was truly life-changing and resulted in great joy. Not only did God miraculously heal him of his cancer, but a few years after surrendering His life to Christ, Clare felt led to sell his very successful and profitable business and devote his life to full-time serving the Kingdom of God. That included starting a ministry providing special Bibles to deaf people in the world who, because the vast majority of them are illiterate, would otherwise not have a Bible they could read and comprehend. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/31847602

Andrew Brunson shares how persecution is helping the American Church become stronger even if smaller 05/13/2024

Jared Blauwkamp shares what true revival requires and how it is coming closer daily! 04/23/2024

Vernon Spears shares how his faith in Christ helps him be an effective Probation Officer 04/18/2024

Vernon Spears shares how his faith in Christ helps him be an effective Probation Officer Vernon Spears was born in Louisiana, but his family moved to the Kalamazoo, Michigan area when he was four years old. There they attended the Second Baptist Church until, when Vernon was in 9th grade, they switched to a First Assembly of God church. Two years later, his family moved to Wyoming, MI, which is a suburb of Grand Rapids. After relocating to Wyoming, Vernon’s family attended The First Assembly of God Church in that town. After graduating from Wyoming Park High School in 1990, Vernon went on to Michigan State University, graduating from there in1994 with a degree in Psychology. Since 1996, Vernon has been making a positive difference in people’s lives by working as a Probation Officer for the 61st District Court. Vernon is married to his dear wife Angie, and together they have 2 daughters, ages 18 and 21. He and his family began to attend Calvary Church in the year 2000. For “fun,” Vernon loves to exercise. In fact, he has successfully run 4 marathons and 20 River Bank Runs! He also enjoys memorizing Scripture, which he finds useful when running. On a part-time basis, Vernon coaches a middle school girls’ basketball team. Finally, he also enjoys acting, and has actually been part of two commercials and even had a small speaking role in a movie a few years ago. In this podcast, Vernon shares about his role as a Probation Officer for the 61st District Court here in Grand Rapids. He talks how he does his best to help those he is working with to make better life choices in the future. We also chatted about the “defund the police” movement that is growing in America. We agree that this trend only tends to increase crime rates because all we humans are born as self-seeking sinners who need the “certainty of punishment” to deter us from crime. We also discussed the contrast between two newer trends in American culture today: (1) The gender identity movement, which emphasizes how gender is fluid; and (2) The racial issue, which insists that people of different races can never truly be united. REALITY: God created two genders, male and female that is decided at our birth. Having said that, we do need to love all people, even those who struggle with this reality. And, regarding the race issue, the reality is that we are all members of the human race regardless of the color of our skin. And those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord have been lovingly adopted into God’s family, which makes us all forever brothers and sisters of each other. Bottom line: truth sets us free, while lies enslave us. /episode/index/show/grandawakening/id/30885728

Andrew Brunson shares about the lessons learned through two painful years in Turkish prisons 04/09/2024

Judy King has seen God perform amazing miracles, giving us huge hope for our time 03/25/2024

Sydney Faber shares God’s power in freeing thousands of Pakistanis from bondage 03/18/2024

Jadon Fowler shares the power of prayer to bring what seems dead back to life 03/11/2024

Aaron Bolduc shares about the importance and joy of evangelism for all Christ-followers 03/04/2024

Byron Paulus shares how God is powerfully moving among Gen Zers, ideally leading to Revival! 02/13/2024

Greg Dempster shares how God is powerfully bringing God’s healing grace to ministry leaders 02/05/2024

Bill Brownson calls the American Church to Pray with Great Power for Revival 01/23/2024

The Grand Awakening Podcast

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