The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast
Inspired by the many beautiful stories of hope and joy and grace which readers have shared in the 15 years since The Jesus Storybook Bible was published, the podcast will be a platform where Sally invites people from of all walks of life to share about the life-transforming power of God’s love in their lives. We hope you will be as encouraged by these stories of hope and joy as we have been. And be reminded that God loves you—with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.
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146. The Resurrection of Lost Dreams: Monster Jam Driver Bryce Kenny
06/20/2024
146. The Resurrection of Lost Dreams: Monster Jam Driver Bryce Kenny
Growing up watching his grandfather’s passion for motorsports, Bryce Kenny knew he wanted to one day experience that life for himself. But after making a go of it—unsuccessfully—he realized that his dream was slipping away. But what he never could have imagined was that God would reshape his dream and bring it to life in a way that would exceed anything he would have ever thought possible. Quotes “When I started getting really beat down in my pursuit of the things that I wanted to do, and the failures, and having to learn all those tough lessons that everyone is going to go through—it empowered me to believe that I could get through anything, that there's nothing that was going to be so hard and so difficult that it would take me out of the race.” - Bryce Kenny “If we've got the courage to move forward, the humility to continue to pray through it, then God will resurrect our dream into something beyond what we could have even imagined to begin with.” - Bryce Kenny “I can't expect God to work and then question the way in which He's working in my life.” - Bryce Kenny “I am just so thankful that we can go to the Father and He loves us that much that He gave us the Holy Spirit to counsel, to educate us, to give us wisdom in situations, and to prepare our way. I can think of no greater love than that gift.” - Bryce Kenny “Whatever chapter of life that we find ourselves in—whether we're in the birth stage of a dream, the death stage of a dream, or the resurrection stage of our personal dream—our story that we're in is really just a part of a much greater and bigger story, because in the end, Jesus wins.” - Bryce Kenny Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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145. Making a Difference, Right Where You Are: Danielle Coke Balfour
06/13/2024
145. Making a Difference, Right Where You Are: Danielle Coke Balfour
Illustrator and activist Danielle Coke Balfour, is dedicated to delving deep into fostering greater empathy, kindness, and compassion for one another. Through her eloquent words and captivating illustrations, she skillfully draws attention to places we can be doing good in the world, even in small ways–because any step towards positive change makes a difference. Quotes “I view art as a means to an end. I think my overarching goal is to share these concepts of justice, equality, and empathy in a way that will help it land for the everyday person.” - Danielle Coke Balfour “People tend to disqualify themselves when conversations get a little bit more tricky, a little bit more heavy, or have a lot more implications. I think our natural bend often is to say, ‘I'm leaving it for the people who dedicate their whole lives to this or have degrees in this.’ We fail to realize that a lot of the responsibility lies on us in the way we live our day-to-day lives.” - Danielle Coke Balfour “I think the key for widespread change is each individual person recognizing that they have a part to play in the larger story of justice, empathy, equality, and love.” - Danielle Coke Balfour “The conversations around the dinner table matter so much because these are the people we do life with. We want to align as much as we can with the people in our lives with these ideas because it's the way we spread good and the way we make change.” - Danielle Coke Balfour “I want people to understand that when you choose to not just do good deeds, but to really embody the values that matter the most to you, you're reaching people that I will never reach.” - Danielle Coke Balfour “I truly believe that remembering God's love for us frees us from the grasp of perfectionism and is a reminder that whether I do this or not, whether I finish this to-do list or not, whether I have this conversation perfectly or not, I am loved—period.” - Danielle Coke Balfour Guest’s Links Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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144. May We Be Known By Our Love: Dr. Robert Smith Jr.
06/06/2024
144. May We Be Known By Our Love: Dr. Robert Smith Jr.
Pastor and professor Dr. Robert Smith Jr. knows this: that what really matters in life is not the awards or accolades or titles we may have achieved, but it is the fact that our identity rests in Christ—something that will transcend time. He wishes for us to be known by the way we love one another, and shares how we can be a light in the world. Quotes “It's a joy seeing how God orchestrates, choreographs, and demonstrates the diversity of the body of Christ. And yet, it's unity that we're different, diverse, but we're unified in Christ.” - Dr. Robert Smith Jr. “We can be stripped of our credentials. We can lose our jobs. We can have financial reverses and relational rifts. When health breaks down and lives give way to death, I am a child of God. The fact that we are in Christ is an identity that will last throughout eternity.” - Dr. Rober Smith Jr. “That's the most important thing, that we must be able to say, ‘I am a child of God.’” - Dr. Robert Smith Jr. “God chases me with His love. God pursues me. God initiates His work in me. He's always coming after me.” - Dr. Robert Smith Jr. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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143. Nothing Can Separate Us From God: Victoria Robb Powers & Cameron Mason Vickrey
05/30/2024
143. Nothing Can Separate Us From God: Victoria Robb Powers & Cameron Mason Vickrey
When we’re facing hardships or sorrow, it can be hard to see where God is working in our lives. Creators of Reverend Mamas, Victoria Robb Powers and Cameron Mason Vickrey, encourage us that God is around us whether we feel Him or not: in the wind, in the song of little birds, or in a child’s laughter–and they talk about teaching children how to recognize that God is always near. Quotes “As parents, I think sometimes we put this pressure on ourselves to have all the answers for our children. I'm learning more and more how appropriate and helpful it is to actually tell your children the truth about the things that you don't know, particularly when it comes to faith.” - Victoria Robb Powers “Faith isn't necessarily about a right set of beliefs, but is about surrendering our trust in a God that we believe is good and faithful.” - Victoria Robb Powers “I think it's really important that we understand and embrace the fact that faith evolves. That will help us, so as our children's faith evolves, we don't panic. Let's celebrate that they're thinking and being thoughtful about who God is and the way God works in the world. In a lot of ways, that's a sign of faithful engagement.” - Victoria Robb Powers “It's really natural to kind of ask, ‘Where is God in this? Where is God in this experience that I'm going through, and these emotions that I'm feeling, in the suffering in the world? Where is God?’” - Cameron Mason Vickrey “No matter what you go through, no matter where you are, no matter what you've done, God is with you. So this persistent presence of God in the world, in the midst of your struggles and all of your feelings, is something that you can never get away from and something that you can always rely on.” - Cameron Mason Vickrey “When you start noticing and start recognizing and naming that God's presence is in all these things around you and all the people around you, you'll see God everywhere.” - Cameron Mason Vickrey Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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142. We Need Each Other: Redeemer City to City’s Abraham Cho
05/23/2024
142. We Need Each Other: Redeemer City to City’s Abraham Cho
Abraham Cho is the senior director of global resources for Redeemer City to City in Manhattan—and he has a big, passion-filled vision for what he believes the church should look like in a world where division and hostility are ever-increasing. Quotes “People need people who didn't grow up with a religious background, people who have maybe since left the church, people who consider themselves secular or non-religious. The place a potential encounter will be, the dinner tables, the office tables, and the lunch tables—those are going to be the places of encounter.” - Abraham Cho “If you have a group of Christians who are very intentional about engaging the needs of the neighborhood, and are willing to serve it in a joyful, servant-hearted, humble way, that can oftentimes be the most important apologetic.” - Abraham Cho “At the very heart of the gospel we read is a ministry of reconciliation. It's both a reconciliation to God, and a reconciliation one to another.” - Abraham Cho “I want to be a part of planting the kinds of churches that I could see my children attending when they're adults ten, twenty years from now.” - Abraham Cho “The headlines might not give us a lot to be encouraged about, but in the streets, in the cities, in the everyday places, God is at work in really incredible ways.” - Abraham Cho Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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141. Navigating Disagreements with Grace: John Inazu
05/16/2024
141. Navigating Disagreements with Grace: John Inazu
In a culture that’s often divisive and argumentative, Professor of Law and Religion John Inazu helps people find a way through disagreements: by truly listening. He shares his insights on how we can hold healthy conversations on complex topics using careful intention, empathy, and the examples from Jesus found in scripture. Quotes “One of the key pieces about being a lawyer is that you're not going to be any good unless you really understand the other side's arguments, and that means having the best possible case of that argument, the most empathetic version and construct of that argument, and understanding why someone who is smart and kind and decently good might have a different view of something than you do.” - John Inazu “I think actually core to Christian engagement in the world today is a willingness to not only ask hard questions, but be asked hard questions. The people we encounter want first to know that we care about them as human beings, that we take their ideas seriously, and that we're not so locked up in our own beliefs that we can't even listen to other people.” - John Inazu “We can be both very confident in our own beliefs, as Christians are called to be, and also recognize the differences of beliefs around us.” - John Inazu “When we work on [the fruits of the spirit] with people who aren't like us, it not only helps our own character and improvement, but it also helps us figure out how to relate better across disagreement.” - John Inazu “Leaning into grace means embracing humility, and in some ways, when we can see ourselves as the recipients of grace, that we're big players in this really big cosmic story, and what a gift it is to be a part of it—we can be less anxious, less fearful, less controlling, and know that we're being used in small ways for a much bigger story, and embrace that as the gift that it is.” - John Inazu Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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140. A Journey of Faith, Music, and Gratitude: Gordon Mote
05/09/2024
140. A Journey of Faith, Music, and Gratitude: Gordon Mote
Gordon Mote, a piano player and musician who was blind from birth, shares with us the discovery of his astounding musical abilities at the age of three to being one of the first in the U.S. to enter the public school system as a blind student and overcoming all the unique challenges that would ultimately shape him into the musical legend he is today. With two Grammy Award nominations, twenty-one Academy of Country Music Award nominations, and three-time recipient of the Academy of Country Music Keyboard/Piano Player of the Year, Gordon has collaborated with renowned artists, including Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Bob Seger, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, The Gaither Vocal Band, The Martins, Triumphant Quartet, and Alison Krauss. Despite his numerous accolades, Gordon shows no signs of slowing down from using his gifts to the fullest and also reflects on how his own faith and support from others have helped him along the way. Quotes “There I was, just a little bitty three year old, sitting on the piano, barely big enough to reach the keys, and I was playing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ with both hands. That's how you know it's a God thing—it's just a miracle. It's one of those things that God does that's totally unexplainable, and yet, He can do all the things. His ways are not our ways.” - Gordon Mote “Pretty much every day of my life, my morning routine is to get my cup of coffee, get in my office, and just start my day in the Word—trying to be open-minded, open hearted…just hear what God is saying to me.” - Gordon Mote “When you have the hope of Christ in your life, you're able to live that and share that with others—now more than ever.” - Gordon Mote “People say they love you all the time, but I don't know of anyone who proved it any more than Jesus did on the cross. So I'm very grateful for that and grateful that He allows me to share the gospel in all the ways that He does.” - Gordon Mote Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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139. Reminders of Love Can Be Found All Around Us: Roma Downey
05/02/2024
139. Reminders of Love Can Be Found All Around Us: Roma Downey
Actress and producer Roma Downey, best known for her role in Touched By An Angel, has experienced a lot of loss and grief in her life, but thanks to a touching tradition with her father that began when she was just a young girl, she trained herself to see reminders of God’s love all around her, a legacy that she’s continued with her own family. Quotes “[My dad] said, ‘Look, Roma, look at that moon. Just remember, wherever you are in the world, it'll be the same moon shining down on you as is shining down on me.’ And he said, ‘And that will connect us, we’ll be forever connected.’” - Roma Downey “The moon has been a constant reassurance to me, and I often like to think of the moon as an analogy of God's love, that sort of loving presence that is ever with us.” - Roma Downey “I think if you yourself have suffered a loss and you yourself have a deeper understanding of what it is to suffer, I think you're more aware and conscious of it than other people, and hopefully it makes you a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more kind in reaction to others.” - Roma Downey “God’s love is demonstrated to us through each other. When we show up with kindness, when we show up in service, when we show up joyfully, when we make somebody laugh, we will know each other by our love.” - Roma Downey “Anybody can say, ‘I love you,’ but it's like, what are you doing? How are you showing up? What are your actions? What are the choices that you're making?” - Roma Downey Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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138. The Lies We Believe and The Truth That Sets Us Free: Hosanna Wong
04/25/2024
138. The Lies We Believe and The Truth That Sets Us Free: Hosanna Wong
A common struggle among people from all walks of life is believing untruths about ourselves, due to things spoken into us and over our lives that influence and shape us into who we are. Author, speaker, and spoken word artist Hosanna Wong experienced this firsthand, and found herself feeling like she couldn’t measure up. But what she discovered by learning stories of other people on the streets of San Francisco was that so many of us feel unworthy, unloved, and unseen. Hosanna turned to Jesus’ life as the example for how we can know ourselves, and be set free from the lies we’re told. Quotes “Growing up, I believed the lie that I was not enough. I remember thinking that I had to change who I was in order to be accepted, in order to be loved. As I got older, that lie continued with me into my adult life. A few years ago, I started being healed from this lie and set free from this lie, resisting a culture that wants me to be defined by what I do.” - Hosanna Wong “What you think about yourself determines how you live. If you think you're not enough, you might start living like you are. You might try to change yourself, or work harder, or produce more, or do more, or hustle harder in order to be loved. If you believe you are a burden—a burden to be loved—you might start living like you are.” - Hosanna Wong “You are more than you've been told. My hope is that people discover who they really are, that they stop looking at their lives through the broken lens of other people, and start to see themselves through the lens of God. When you know who you are, it changes how you live.” - Hosanna Wong “God knew we would believe lies that we have to do more, or produce more, or perform more to be more valuable, so God commanded rest, and then Jesus exemplified a life of rest. It shows us that we can do everything God has called us to do and also rest in knowing we are loved without doing one thing.” - Hosanna Wong Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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137. Little Moments From Heaven That Tell Us We’re Loved: SQuire Rushnell & Louise DuArt
04/18/2024
137. Little Moments From Heaven That Tell Us We’re Loved: SQuire Rushnell & Louise DuArt
Did you know that you can train your mind to look for good in the world, and to notice little signs and wonders that God sends to show us that we are loved? SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt, authors of the Godwinks books, share how they’ve begun the habit of noticing little moments that are so personal to their lives, they can only attribute them to being divinely orchestrated. Quotes “Godwinks are two remarkable experiences that come together, and the cause is God. Divine arrangements that have made that happen. We start looking for these Godwinks; we start realizing every day that God is communicating to us in His own unique way.” – SQuire Rushnell “Just look for your Godwinks. They're always there. They're messages of hope. And right now, in our time, we see what's going on in the world. We know that God has a plan and a purpose. We have to trust Him. And along our path, He will give us these little Godwinks to say, ‘Hey, kid, I'm thinking about you, I love you, and you're not alone.’” –Louise DuArt “It stands to reason to me that if we want to have a good relationship with God, we just have to talk to Him. Talk to Him all the time. Talk to Him tonight. Talk to Him in the morning. It's just a conversation.” – SQuire Rushnell Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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136. Laughter is The Best Medicine: Nazareth
04/11/2024
136. Laughter is The Best Medicine: Nazareth
When Nazareth came to the United States from the Holy Land, he worked several jobs to provide for his family and make ends meet. While running a marathon he didn’t want to run, Nazareth had a moment of clarity, realizing that what he loved in life was making people laugh. That’s when he decided to pursue a comedy career. When he came across a clean comedian who led him to church, Nazareth found the second part of his life’s calling: to bring joy and the good news of God’s love to people everywhere. Quotes “When I got to the finish line, I was laying there on the ground and I asked myself the question, ‘What would I want to do in my life that if I never get paid for it, I will still do it to the best of my ability?’ Because I felt at that moment that I could do anything. And the answer was making people laugh.” - Nazareth “I thought, 'Okay, if I go to church 200 times, maybe God can be merciful to me.' That was my idea of who God is, which was completely wrong, because when I got to that church, the pastor said, ‘Come as you are. Jesus will start to work in your life.’ And that's all I needed to hear. I was crying like a baby. I gave my life to Christ that morning.” - Nazareth “At a lot of my shows, I get to share the Lord and I get to share what God has done in my life. And I lead them to the source of joy. If I can lead you to the source of joy, regardless of what you're going through, you can still have joy.” - Nazareth Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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135. Harnessing Adversity: Gaining Strength Through Tough Seasons with Daphne K. Johnson
04/04/2024
135. Harnessing Adversity: Gaining Strength Through Tough Seasons with Daphne K. Johnson
Minister and author Daphne K. Johnson’s life took an unexpected turn when her seemingly idyllic marriage ended in divorce, leaving her a single mother. As she reckoned with this new season of life, Daphne realized the strength she would gain from walking through difficult times would be the same strength she would call upon to help someone else. Quotes “Connecting with God regularly helped me to get back up, because I made the decision to believe the Word and to trust Him that He would not fail me. Because I was rooted and grounded in knowing who I am in Christ, and knowing that He didn't fail me.” - Daphne K. Johnson “The concept of divine design means that we are uniquely created and uniquely fashioned on purpose and for purpose. He took the time to create us and to create this world, and He was so intentional in doing so. God instilled gifts and talents in us that can be utilized to help others, we embrace them so that we can show up and so that we can serve those who we believe God has called us to serve.” - Daphne K. Johnson “You have the ability to make an impact because of the experience that you've had, and you can help others to come along on this journey. Even though this world can be a place where things can sometimes be upside down or not look balanced, at the end of the day, we still have His promises.” - Daphne K. Johnson “We can be in the middle of what we believe to be a storm that might take us out or wipe us out, but Jesus has things under control. Even though we may experience difficulties, we may experience storms and we may experience things that we can't handle, He can.” - Daphne K. Johnson Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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134. “I’m Doing This Because I Love You” — Celebrating Easter 2024 with Sally Lloyd-Jones
03/28/2024
134. “I’m Doing This Because I Love You” — Celebrating Easter 2024 with Sally Lloyd-Jones
As we celebrate Easter, Sally Lloyd-Jones will be reading from The Jesus Storybook Bible to illuminate the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection for little ears. It was for our very own rescue story that Jesus was born into the world—and even though He faced great pain and suffering and humiliation, Jesus endured, because He knew it would save each and every one of us, no matter how small. If you’d like to follow along in The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally will be reading “The Servant King,” “A Dark Night in the Garden,” “The Sun Stops Shining,” and “God’s Wonderful Surprise.” Quotes “One by one, Jesus washed everyone's feet. ‘I am doing this because I love you,’ Jesus explained. ‘Do this for each other.’” - The Jesus Storybook Bible “‘My life will break, and God's broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart and your hearts will heal. So now I will die instead of you, my blood will wash away all of your sins and you'll be clean on the inside in your hearts.’” - The Jesus Storybook Bible “‘If you were really the son of God, you could just climb down off that cross,’ [the Roman soldiers] said. And of course, they were right. Jesus could have just climbed down. Actually, He could have just said a word and made it all stop. But Jesus stayed. You see, they didn't understand it wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love.” - The Jesus Storybook Bible Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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133. The Value of the Small and The Ordinary: Charlie Peacock & Andi Ashworth
03/21/2024
133. The Value of the Small and The Ordinary: Charlie Peacock & Andi Ashworth
Every one of us has something of value to offer to the world, no matter how ordinary or small it may seem. Perhaps you’re a painter, a gardener, or the meal provider for your family. Perhaps you are good at raising money or providing for your family, or maybe your job is to simply show up for other people. No matter what gifts God has given you, what you do matters in the world, and has the potential to make a difference. Musician Charlie Peacock and his wife, writer Andi Ashworth, know the value in creating something meaningful, and they share how they’ve built a community with other creators through intentional connection in places like their home, The Art House. Quotes “Hospitality is like love. It's a living, breathing, inexhaustible subject, it's just really a way of life. You can't contain it. And it can be as simple as offering kindness and curiosity to another person, to those more complex forms of providing food and shelter. So hospitality is both simple and complex and broad and it's for a lifetime.” – Andi Ashworth “What is my contribution to the world going to be today? What is my contribution to the culture to which I am literally soaking in? That's where intentionality and imagination and empathy are so incredibly important to anyone who wants to be known as someone who is actively and intentionally creating the world that God has left us steward over.” – Charlie Peacock “I know that these things matter greatly to God, that we have a mission here on Earth to not just make the world that we want to live in, but to make a world for those of us who are following Jesus, to make a world that is congruent with the Kingdom mission, that He set out before us and invited us to participate in.” – Charlie Peacock “We have experienced a lot of redemption in our life together, and Jesus has met us in our brokenness again and again and again. And we longed for more. We longed for more in ourselves, in our family, in our city, in the world. We longed for more rightness, more justice, more peace, more healing. And this image of God wiping away tears and making the world our perfect home again, it moves me to tears and my hope is renewed. Because my hope is in Christ and in His faithfulness, to His never giving up, always and forever love.” – Andi Ashworth Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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132. Letting Love Into the Dark Places: Rosie Rivera
03/14/2024
132. Letting Love Into the Dark Places: Rosie Rivera
Content Warning: This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners. When Rosie Rivera was just a little girl, she faced abuse that would scar her and make her question everything she knew about love. But at her lowest point, marked by anger and insecurity and despair, God reached out, and Rosie learned that no matter what she’d done, or what she’d suffered through, God would always love her. Quotes “It's beautiful how we recognize Him, even though we haven't spoken to Him. My spirit really recognized Him and I knew it was Him. It was this beautiful fatherly, firm voice, but full of love. I said, ‘Everyone else has rejected me. If I could, I would reject myself. But if only God knew what I've done, He wouldn't want me.’ And that's when I had to make my decision. Was I going to keep running?” – Rosie Rivera “He does understand you. He does understand betrayal, rejection, and injustice. He definitely understands pain. And it still leaves me in awe that He can love someone like me.” – Rosie Rivera “I was so loved, I just didn't realize it. I couldn't see it. It had to begin with allowing God to love me, letting Him into those dark places. Your anger, your emotions don't scare Him. You can go ahead and tell Him. You can surrender and give Him all the ugliness. Come as you are, He's going to receive you, and He is not going to fail you.” – Rosie Rivera Guest’s Links Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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131. The Expression of God’s Love with Andy Gosler
03/07/2024
131. The Expression of God’s Love with Andy Gosler
Andy Gosler is Professor of Ethno-ornithology at Oxford university who studies the relationships between birds and people. As a scientist and a man of faith, Andy sees the hand of the Creator in the nature he studies. By looking at the science of things, Andy believes that our faith in God can only be amplified by understanding the workings and complexity of life—and ultimately seeing love at the very heart of God’s design. Quotes “There comes a point where God says, ‘Okay, well, now I've done this as a revelation, and not so you'll think that I am a tool. I just wanted you to know my presence in your life and that you've come and you've asked me so beautifully. And here you are.’” - Andy Gosler “It was a moment that led to a lifetime of discovery, and of prayer, and of discovering the amazing power of prayer.” - Andy Gosler “I want to suggest that the mutual dependency that underpins every aspect of life, which we've discovered through the science of ecology, is a way of defining love. Mutual dependency, you can see—it is love.” - Andy Gosler “What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Well, there are many ways of trying to think about that. But if I go back to that sense of bringing order out of chaos, then maybe that's in the image of God is where to to bring order out of chaos. And that means not conflict, but cooperation and working for the good.” - Andy Gosler Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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130. Learning Each Other’s Heart Language: Evan Craft
02/29/2024
130. Learning Each Other’s Heart Language: Evan Craft
Christian singer/songwriter Evan Craft had an important mission laid on his heart: to love his neighbor as himself by singing in the language of the vast majority of the population around him. At only 15, Evan decided to learn Spanish to connect with his neighbors and share uplifting messages of love, hope, and most importantly, community with one another through his words and his music. Quotes “When you love somebody as yourself, you want to be able to connect with them. That was what drove me to learn Spanish, so I could love my neighbors as myself. Being able to sing in someone's heart language is very powerful.” - Evan Craft “I think I fight this achievement mentality of wanting to go and do more and help more people. I just sometimes remind [myself] that whether my events have 500 people, 200 people, or 10,000 people, I want to be obedient to God and I want to have eyes to see the blessings that He's given me.” - Evan Craft “It's also been powerful to see people who have suffered from cancer, lost a child, been through so much in Latin America, connect with this music.” - Evan Craft “We want to support the church to say, ‘Hey, we're the people that you can lean on, we’re the people that when there's a problem, we're the first to respond because of God's love.’ But I can't sing it if I don't live it.” - Evan Craft Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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129. Finding Freedom From What Imprisons Us: Alice Marie Johnson
02/22/2024
129. Finding Freedom From What Imprisons Us: Alice Marie Johnson
One amazing thing about God is that He doesn’t just save His goodness for the beautiful and exceptional times in our lives— He’s there in the suffering, too. Criminal justice reform advocate Alice Marie Johnson spent a long and grueling twenty-one years in prison after receiving an extraordinarily harsh sentence for a past mistake made during a desperate time. What Alice never expected was to encounter hope in a seemingly hopeless place—and after establishing a relationship with Jesus, she allowed Him to transform her life. Now she spreads the hope she found whenever and wherever she can. Quotes “It was really a relief, almost, when the arrest came because, finally, I could get off of this merry go round that I was on. But I certainly did not believe that it would lead to the harsh sentence that I received.” - Alice Marie Johnson “My family was in shock. No one thought that I was going to actually be convicted when I went to my sentencing. And found out that the suggestion was life plus 25 years. I couldn't believe it. I was literally told that the only way that I would ever be reunited with my family would be as a corpse.” - Alice Marie Johnson “Having that Bible that I could understand opened my whole heart up to a relationship like I'd never known could exist. I literally fell in love with the Word of God. Had I not gone to prison, I may not have known how much the Lord truly loved me and was with me.” - Alice Marie Johnson “I can now say it is good that I was afflicted, because I came to know the precepts of God. I came to know His faithfulness and love for me. He said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ And through the whole time in prison, He never allowed me to give up hope.” - Alice Marie Johnson Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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128. Embracing Changing Seasons: Dawn Barton
02/15/2024
128. Embracing Changing Seasons: Dawn Barton
Dawn Barton—speaker and author of Midlife Battle Cry—felt invisible and forgotten when she faced the unseen challenges of midlife. After a journey of rediscovering who she was and the potential God gave her and taking a leap of faith, Dawn found a new love for herself and discovered there is goodness in every season of life. Quotes “I'm so glad I took that initial leap of faith. A leap of faith is not without fear sometimes.” - Dawn Barton “I just kept hearing Him say, ‘Be still, be still and rest in me.’ And I finally figured out He was calling me to be still, to reevaluate and redefine, and to look at who I was as a woman in this season, in my life, and in being still, to draw closer to Him.” - Dawn Barton “I think we sometimes look at life and we believe that all the great things, all the great miracles from God, were on one side of it. Our babies, our careers, all the big things that we did, all the great miracles, have already happened. But the reality is it doesn't work that way. There's no midlife to God, and if we live life fully and boldly, there's just as many sweet, beautiful, miraculous blessings still to come.” - Dawn Barton “Just when we think we're in a hard season, a down season—He's just an Ephesians 3:20 God. He’s just immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. And that's what I think of, who could ever imagine those kinds of miracles? But that is God, right? And it's just that reminder of just how human we are, just how big He is.” - Dawn Barton Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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127. Unexpected Healing Methods—a Gift from God: Anh Lin
02/08/2024
127. Unexpected Healing Methods—a Gift from God: Anh Lin
Social media influencer Anh Lin grew up in the throes of chaos and trauma–and it would take years before she realized the depth of what she faced. But when she started to work through her experiences with a counselor, it expanded her knowledge of who God was and opened the door to healing. Now she helps others find healing through creating beautiful and peaceful spaces in their homes. Quotes “The bulk of my work is bridging Jesus with home decor, interior design, things like that. So I went through a whole journey of figuring out how to do that in an authentic way, because faith and mental health and home decor are such different and specific niches.” - Anh Lin “Before you take a step forward in any niche, in any creative endeavor, really bring your truest desires to the Lord and let Him know that you don't know what you want. But all you know is that you want Him to lead your next step, and I guarantee you He will.” - Anh Lin “There were countless moments where I was in a really dark place, and I could not pull myself out of it if I didn't have the Holy Spirit with me. But I see God's love being so powerful, I see these breakthroughs in the midst of the darkness, and it really shows me that just as much as the enemy is active and working out there, God is even more so working in His people.” - Anh Lin Guest’s Links Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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[ANNOUNCING] “Strong” by Sally Lloyd-Jones
02/06/2024
[ANNOUNCING] “Strong” by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Did you know that there is a psalm all about trees? Trees are miraculous. They look after their tree children. They communicate with each other. Sally’s new book is a paraphrase of Psalm 1 and today she shares her love of trees and reads from her new children’s book “Strong” (illustrated by Jago!), which reminds little ones that it is God who makes them strong and that being close to God is a good place to be. Available right now at your favorite book retailer!
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126. Pausing and Being Present For Others: Heather Thompson Day
02/01/2024
126. Pausing and Being Present For Others: Heather Thompson Day
Professor, author, and podcaster Heather Thompson Day shares what she’s learned through mentoring students, growing an online community, and her interactions with coworkers and family and imparts some simple ways we can show up for other people and exemplify God’s love for those who need it most. Quotes “I really am concerned that we have raised an entire generation to think that if things don't happen instantly, then it's not for you, or that it's not meant to be, or that God hasn't called you to it.” - Heather Thompson Day “I think the best thing we can do to stand in the gap is to just be present and to just see people, without an agenda, without the agenda of trying to convert them or change them or fix them.” - Heather Thompson Day “I think that we sometimes lose how valuable that actually can be for people to just know, Oh, this person sees me, this person acknowledges what I've been doing. So many of us go through life feeling just invisible.” - Heather Thompson Day “I have known the God of over and over again. And if there is one thing I have grown to appreciate about God, it's how patient He is. God has been incredibly patient with me on my journey.” - Heather Thompson Day Guest’s Links Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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125. Embracing Divine Surprises: Lisa Harper
01/25/2024
125. Embracing Divine Surprises: Lisa Harper
Writer and speaker Lisa Harper’s story is a testament to the unexpected twists and divine surprises that shape our lives. From the heart-wrenching experience of her father’s abandonment to the miraculous adoption of her daughter, Lisa shares about God’s limitless love and reveals how she discovered strength through Scripture. Quotes “Our God is so good. He's so kind. I love that verb at the end of Psalm 23—it's translated in our English Bibles that mercy and goodness will follow us. Then in Hebrew, it actually means God will pursue us. He'll chase us with goodness and mercy. He didn't just send Jesus to deliver me from my sins. He sent His son because He delights in me when He sees me.” - Lisa Harper “I want to help people believe bigger in the unconditional love of God.” - Lisa Harper “No matter how huge the mistakes are in our back story, they don't put a lid on our future, because God is a redeemer.” - Lisa Harper “If you really take the time to look at the context of this love story we call the Bible, you see that from beginning to end, our God is consistently in the process of restoring us to an intimate, loving relationship with Him. He's always in the process of mitigating evil. He's always in the process of scooting us toward the true north of Jesus. He is a good God who's for us.” - Lisa Harper Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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124. Creativity is the Door to Spiritual Expression: David Chang
01/18/2024
124. Creativity is the Door to Spiritual Expression: David Chang
In this beautiful world where we’re all made so differently, with unique gifts and strengths, we have a remarkable opportunity to appreciate one another’s creativity in whatever form it may take. David Chang unexpectedly found the art form of calligraphy, and after spending time in a church attic studying, developing, and perfecting his craft, realized that he could use his art as a form of spiritual expression and witness. Quotes “I got connected to this men's prayer group. And it was there that I learned the beauty of prayer and also the beauty of an intentional space of inviting the spirit in and having just a real authentic session, just crying out to God or just praising Him.” - David Chang “I had never experienced prayer in that type of manner before. Something in my heart awoke and I remember there was a hunger.” - David Chang “Things in my spiritual life began to come alive. It's almost like beginning to see things in color.” - David Chang “There was this change happening in my heart and also my mind, and I started to have these encounters where I could just start to feel God.” - David Chang “Calligraphy was just the beginning. It began more as a professional pursuit, and I became more technically proficient with calligraphy, and soon I was able to use it more as a spiritual expression to bless other people.” - David Chang Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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123. Redeeming God’s Creation: Peter Harris
01/11/2024
123. Redeeming God’s Creation: Peter Harris
Peter Harris is a dedicated advocate for conservation, and shares his journey of working with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization he co-founded over four decades ago. Peter shares how his faith-driven approach has helped him develop practical responses, and fostered connections between love for God, care for creation, and environmental stewardship. Quotes “It's quite clear that we are facing a climate crisis. In the lifetime of A Rocha—which is just 40 years—we have lost half of life on Earth, so you could call it the thinning of life, the disappearance of species and the collapse of populations.” - Peter Harris “For a Christian organization that really believes that our life on Earth is intended to be a response to a loving creator, it is who we are in that relationship of worship and obedience that is going to be the wellspring for our actions.” - Peter Harris “I think that many of our human rhythms and surroundings are artifacts of a commercial effort. We're surrounded by all we have done and what we have made. And it's often noisy and incoherent. Whereas Creation speaks of its Creator, as Scripture envisages creation as a kind of choir.” - Peter Harris “We care for God's creation because it's God's creation. He loves it far more than we do. And because it is the fundamental thing about being human that we first learn in Genesis that we are in the garden to care for it. The two big Bible words are to care for and to serve the creation. That's what it is to be human. That's why we do it. We don't do it because we have hopes of some campaign of saving the earth. The world has a Savior, and it's not us.” - Peter Harris Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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122. Seeing Our Worth the Way God Does: Brittany Maher & Cassandra Speer
01/04/2024
122. Seeing Our Worth the Way God Does: Brittany Maher & Cassandra Speer
Ministry partners Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer went through the tough process of untangling the self-image they had of themselves after leaving the beauty and fitness industries, and realized for how long they’d felt not good enough. By creating Her True Worth, an online ministry, they’re helping people connect and have open, honest conversations about how they feel about themselves and how to find value from the one true source, Jesus. Quotes “I remember it became a daunting thing for me every morning to have to put on so much makeup and feel like I almost drowned in it, like I was masking myself. And I became keenly aware of the own imperfections of my face, like I wasn't enough to show up as my natural self; it just kind of kept perpetuating in my life.” – Brittany Maher “I set out not only to discover my true worth through the power of using God's Word, but also through a healing journey of dismantling lies I had been believing about myself. I needed to be reminded of my worth every day through Scripture, through prayer, through seeking the Lord, I just felt like it was my mission to show up and help women do the same.” – Brittany Maher “Our best is not enough. And that's actually good news. That's the best news, that the pressure is off and that we don't have to be enough. We don't have to earn our worth. We don't have to find our identity. There's a lot of messages about our worth and our value in this world. But the least common of those messages is that you don't have to earn it. It's irrevocable. It was purchased on the cross. God's goodness is not reliant upon our ineptness.” – Cassandra Speer “It’s good to remember the simplicity of the gospel. It's really helpful for us to be able to see God's sovereignty woven throughout every word and every page of the Bible and looking at the whole story from an aerial view.” – Cassandra Speer Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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121. Celebrating Our Similarities & Our Differences: Linsey Davis
12/28/2023
121. Celebrating Our Similarities & Our Differences: Linsey Davis
When news anchor Linsey Davis learned about the Human Genome Project and started digging, she discovered an astonishing fact: humans are only 0.1% different from one another. 99.9% of our DNA is alike—and by appreciating both the commonalities and the things that set us apart, we can learn to appreciate exactly who God created us to be, and we can realize that we need no one’s approval but God’s. Quotes “We have so much in common. And I just think that is a messaging especially in our day to day world and our political parties and the divisiveness that's out there—it often gets lost how much we really have in common. And I think that’s something that kids more readily embrace.” - Linsey Davis “You know, when we look at our height or our skin color or our hair or our features, our size, everything physically makes us different and sets us apart from each other. But I think that we're more similar in our desire to be loved or to love, our feelings of sadness or joy.” - Linsey Davis “Often the desires of our life and our lifestyle tend to be pretty much in line and in tune with each other when it comes to those bare bone emotions of the human condition. And I think that we often overlook that.” - Linsey Davis “I started thinking about just all the places that I see God, and that might be in the sunrise or sunsets. And biblically, you know, it talks about His eye on the sparrow, how God takes care of even the smallest among us, right? How they don't have to worry about what they'll wear or the food that they'll eat, that God is going to provide. I need to really be reminded of that and not get so stuck in the worldly thoughts and concerns and all the little pesky things that might invade our mind.” - Linsey Davis Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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120. Rejoicing In The Birth of Jesus: Christmas Readings with Sally Lloyd-Jones
12/21/2023
120. Rejoicing In The Birth of Jesus: Christmas Readings with Sally Lloyd-Jones
In celebration of the Savior’s birth, author Sally Lloyd-Jones is reading four special Christmas stories from Song of the Stars and The Jesus Storybook Bible, perfect to listen to with your little ones during the excitement of the season. Merry Christmas! Quotes “Advent means arrival or coming. I'm going to read you stories that are all about the One who is coming and what we're waiting for.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “All through the long centuries they'd been waiting for this rescuer. Isn't it odd that when at last the promised rescue that everyone's waiting for—when He does at last come into the world, when Jesus is born in that stable, almost everyone is looking the other way. They're looking the wrong way. Almost everyone missed it.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones “What about the animals that God made and the birds and the stars that He put in place? Did they sense it? Did they rejoice in the coming of Christ that very first time? This sense of longing in creation became my Christmas story, and it's called Song of the Stars.” - Sally Lloyd-Jones Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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119. True Change Comes By Asking for Help: Jason VanRuler
12/14/2023
119. True Change Comes By Asking for Help: Jason VanRuler
When striving for true, deep, everlasting change in your life, the road can be a rocky one—and it can often be filled with turmoil and pain. Growing up, therapist Jason VanRuler struggled to find stability in his life, leading him to bad habits that he desperately wanted to break. Jason opens up about how something as simple as asking for help from God and from mentors made the difference in turning his life around. Quotes “I think God puts the truth in all of our hearts and we know it. And sometimes we distract ourselves from it or we pretend we don't know it, or we do something else or even try to squash it. But looking in the mirror, I knew the truth.” – Jason VanRuler “Our emotions are really important, because if we don't acknowledge them or deal with them, they just come out in another place. They don't actually go away. If we're not dealing with them directly, we're going to deal with them indirectly. And so if we actually want to change our life or we want to become different, we have to address the things that are driving us and those are our emotions.” – Jason VanRuler “Our relationship with God is really going to frame out all those other relationships. And I think that is something you can start on today.” – Jason VanRuler “I think in my own story and in working with many other people’s stories, what we need most is a change of heart. I think the challenge is we can change our head pretty easily—we often know the problem. We can even identify potential solutions. But if we really want to be different, we need a new heart.” – Jason VanRuler Guest’s Links Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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118. God Can Use Your Broken Dreams: Kelly Minter
12/07/2023
118. God Can Use Your Broken Dreams: Kelly Minter
Kelly Minter had big dreams for her life—everything from basketball to a professional career in music. But fame, money, and fans became her idols, and when things didn’t go according to plan, Kelly felt lost and heartbroken. It was a chance encounter that led her to a purpose and a calling she never expected as a Bible study author and teacher, which helped her understand that when we lay down our dreams, we find what truly matters to the heart of God and how to help people around the world. Quotes “There are truths that I carry with me to this day about who God is—His presence with me, His protection over me, His character, His nature, how He made me. All of that has been so healing for me when it comes to my mind and my peace and sense of well-being.” - Kelly Minter “When I see in God's Word that it is all people of all ages and races that matter to Him, then all of a sudden, certain things become so important and so exciting. That's just one small way that connecting with God's Word just helps me every day, because it gives His perspective on what life should look like and what matters.” - Kelly Minter “There is no greater joy than following the Lord and being part of what He's doing in His kingdom. It is such a joy and it’s worth it. There's a lot that I've had to lay down, and at the same time, I wouldn't trade any of it because that's when we get to know the Lord more deeply, that we get to share in the abundance of His treasure.” - Kelly Minter Guest’s Links Resources Mentioned in This Episode Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
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