Celebrate the New Year with these fresh start stories about how God changed the lives of three past guests of Halfway There. Many were happy to see 2016 go and a new year begin. Admittedly, the year was a strange one in many ways between a vicious U.S. election cycle featuring unpopular candidates, Trump’s win in spite of (or because of?) his political incorrectness, celebrity deaths, and an otherwise uneasy feeling many of us seemed to have. But for me, 2016 will forever be the year Halfway The...
Jan 02, 2017•27 min
In our family Christmas lasts for a week so it’s okay to add one more reflection after the official day. Today is the last of our Advent series and the focus is on love. Don Owsley and I talk about love and Simeon. Then, we finished up our series on imaginative prayer in the Nativity story. Merry Christmas, my friends! The post Advent Reflections: The Good News of Love appeared first on Eric Nevins ....
Dec 26, 2016•25 min
On today’s episode Don Owsley and I reflect on the joy of Simeon at seeing Jesus for the first time. Of all the people who worshiped God because of the newborn Jesus, Simeon reaches furthest back to the founding promise God made to Abraham. Finally, everything Israel existed for had come to fruition. Then we practice imaginative prayer through the experience of Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25. I hope this episode adds to your experience of Christmas this year! The post Advent Reflections: At Long Last...
Dec 20, 2016•29 min
On today’s episode we reflect on the peace of God and explore Mary’s experience. To help us guys understand what it’s like to become a mother, I invited a very special guest on the show: my wife Jodi! She shared the many thoughts that go through a newly expecting mother’s mind – especially the first time. Then we talk to Don Owlsey about Simeon and the kind of peace that God’s righteousness brings: shalom. Don does a great job taking us into the mindset of this first-century waiting prophet. Be ...
Dec 12, 2016•39 min
Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and most of all hope. Today, we take a break from the usual format to explore those themes with Don Owsley and talk about the life of Simeon (Luke 2:22-35). We also spend some time in imaginative prayer to help us experience the hope from the perspective of Zechariah. If you’re looking for a way to experience the story of Christmas in a way you never have before, be sure to listen and share this one with a friend. Also, pick up Don’s book Thanksliving ...
Dec 05, 2016•43 min
In last week’s episode, Doug Hazen shared with us part of his story and his calling to the mission field where he and his wife encountered unexpected adversity as the country was torn by war. Those events changed Doug’s perspective of God and his protection for the worse. Today, Doug shares how God revealed his goodness to Doug once again, the emotional work it took to understand evil from God’s perspective, and how God led him to his current position in ministry. Great quotes from Doug: God sai...
Nov 28, 2016•1 hr 4 min
I didn’t plan on this episode but decided to share with you Psalm 107 today as a reflection of God’s goodness to us. It’s all about how good the Lord is to rescue us from all kinds of trouble. It’s easy – and right – to be thankful for the good things in our lives. And it’s good to remember the hard things and that God was faithful to rescue us when we needed him. It may not have looked as we would have designed but it’s always good. The post Bonus episode: Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on ...
Nov 24, 2016•7 min
Doug Hazen serves as the National Director of Mobilization Prayer at World Venture. His job is to pray that God would bring people who want to share the Gospel around the world. Today, he shares the story of how God has led him to this position. The stories that Doug shares of the big events in his life that challenged his trust in God like resisting God’s call to ministry, finally surrendering, and serving as a missionary in the Republic of Congo (then Zaire) where refugees streamed across the ...
Nov 22, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Zac Medeiros shares his story of growing up in a Christian family in Quebec, struggling through depression, and finding life in God’s Word again. In Quebec, evangelical Christians represent less than one percent of the population. Zac and I talked about how that’s different from the United States where there may multiple churches of varying denominations even in small town. While most people call themselves Catholic, few have any faith in God to speak of. Zac was on a path of losing a faith inst...
Nov 14, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Jesse Bean shares why an experience of God’s grace is more powerful than all the knowledge in the world. When all his role models fell apart, Jesse gave up all but his faith that God existed and lived “without God at all.” But God wouldn’t let him go. Even when Jesse decided to live his life working as hard as he could to be moral and just a good guy, he knew that God was reaching out to him. His crisis moment came after he got married. Jesse felt the weight of caring for another human being’s n...
Nov 07, 2016•57 min
What would you do if God asked you to do something strange for awhile? Not a small step out of your comfort zone but a huge leap from it? Today’s guest is a man of action who God has used to bring joy to many children through Joy International. Jeff Brodsky founded the organization in 1981 and he shares today several stories about how God led him to start his own ministry and how it evolved over the years to the work they do today rescuing girls caught in sex trafficking around the world. (Note:...
Oct 31, 2016•56 min
Today’s conversation is with Amy E. Patton who shares how she learned to see God in her story. While she was a believer, it took a special community accepting her faults and all to help her understand the God could accept her too. Amy began to believe that God could use her, too, which led her in the direction of missions, story, and words. We often talk about books that impact us and Amy had a unique list. She shared fiction books God used to connect her to people who have to find purpose in th...
Oct 24, 2016•50 min
Have you ever been pushed to your limit? What if you got there by helping others in a way you felt called by God to do? Was he far away and distant. Or, close as you learned he was taking care of you deeply? Today’s guest is Lynn Byk who shares the experience of going to the limit of herself only to find that God led her to an unlikely relationship that changed her life. In fact, all the relationships that Lynn shares in this episode will move and inspire you from her days as a missionary in Sou...
Oct 17, 2016•46 min
Today my guest is Rob Karch. Rob has served, with his wife and family, as a global worker sharing Jesus with people in Quebec for twelve years. In today’s conversation, he shares the story of how he got there, why he fell in love with God through reading Scripture with emotion, and the most recent unexpected turn in his life. Listen closely to Rob as he shares his heart of trust in God who so clearly has led him to share Christ with others. Even as he faces what can only be described as one of t...
Oct 10, 2016•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 1
When you think of the mission field, what countries come to mind? Africa? South America? Maybe Asia? What about France? Today’s guest is Carol Wilson, a woman who heard God’s call to go so she gave up her beloved teaching job and took a step. We talk about how the end is never really clear until much later. Instead, you just take one step toward what you sense God calling you to and see what happens. Carol did just that and He took her all the way to France where she served as a missionary for 3...
Oct 03, 2016•41 min
How does a Michigan farm boy turn into a travelling minister who builds up the church around the globe? Today’s story is proof that you just never know how God is going to use the events in your life, even the ones you don’t think are for your good at the time. The story belongs to Dell McDonald who I call the elder statesmen of our church. In our conversation, Dell shares the story of how he came to Christ in the middle of plowing a field, why he entered the Air Force, and how his sudden depart...
Sep 26, 2016•57 min
Today my guest is Laura Flanders who serves as the director of the training and mentoring program at Denver Seminary. This was a special conversation to me because Laura served as my training center director during my time at DenSem. Her commitment to honesty in spiritual formation shaped me and planted the seeds of many of the ideas that show up in the show each week. Christians of all varieties are always working on learning more about God, who He is and how He works. That’s why we are always ...
Sep 19, 2016•53 min
Matthew Rennels shares his story of overcoming bipolar and anxiety. He grew up in a Lutheran family but, like many, gave up any connection to God in college. But then while working as a newspaper reporter in the Bible Belt, Matthew worked with a Christian. At first, he was was wary but then one day he just asked if he could go to church with the guy. And that was it. He gave his life to Christ not in a moment but in a flash. Matthew shared several of his hardest times including the last year whe...
Sep 12, 2016•48 min
My guest today is Richard Jacobson who is a former pastor turned artist, animator, and now author. His book Unchurching: Christianity without Churchianity is written for the millions of Christians who are leaving organized churches. They aren’t alone and in Richard they may have found a leader. You may expect that someone writing against the current structure organization of churches to be bitter and angry at the church, with an axe to grind because they were hurt at some distant point in the pa...
Aug 29, 2016•1 hr 9 min
This episode is a “betweenisode” to get us through to Season 2 of the show. Season 1 was great as we heard from 13 different people sharing their stories about God in their life and what it’s really like to walk with Him. Over 1600 downloads later, we’re ready to move into the next season. In this episode, I share about what to do when you are mad at God. It’s a moment that we all experience at some point. How we choose to respond is critical. We have three choices: Run away and reject faith alt...
Aug 22, 2016•29 min
Suppose for just a moment that you came home from a long day at work. You're exhausted and just want to sit down. You collect the mail and look through it. Mostly junk but one piece sticks out. It is a notice that a package too valuable to be left when you're not here awaits you at the Post Office. All you have to do is pick it up and the package is yours. That moment between knowledge and possession of the package is wild. The package is there for the taking but not yet fully yours. Waiting can...
Aug 15, 2016•57 min
Without a burning bush, how do you know God is directing you? Today, my guest and I discuss this question. Andy McClure has held a number of interesting positions including working on air at a local radio station, public address announcer, pastor, and managing a ReStore for Habitat for Humanity. I invited him to be on the show after we met at a Habitat conference. His story will be a helpful one. God doesn’t always speak in the burning bush. He’ll say something very quietly through someone else ...
Aug 08, 2016•55 min
I loved interviewing today’s guest. You will hear a story of one woman’s life with God that proves peace really does come through trusting God in the hardest times. Jane Grifasi relates her story of struggling with cancer, a wayward husband, and learning to love God with such a pure heart that I know you will be encouraged by hearing it. In 2014, Jane was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer which had spread through her body. She knew something was wrong and saw 11 doctors before she had a diagnos...
Aug 01, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Doug grew up a military kid moving often as so many do. A Christian camp was where he found life and the “light of Christ.” At home he had plenty of love and acceptance but did not have a supportive Christian community and so found a constant dichotomy between his life at camp and the one at the college fraternity. Eventually, he moved to Colorado from Michigan. Longing for something more, Doug kept returning to camp to get recharged but still did not have authentic community outside. Doug grew ...
Jul 25, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Greg Boyd – Racism: Why Whites Have Trouble “Getting It” Today’s guest is a classic suburban Christian kid with a passion for others. Jordan Vargo grew up with parents who loved the Lord. She was involved in a church youth group and wrestled with the disparity between her life there and at school. Jordan knew early in life that she wanted to be involved in mission so as soon as she could Jordan began to explore opportunities in college. When her mission trip to India was derailed by a typhoon sh...
Jul 18, 2016•53 min
Jonathan Monsour grew up in a Roman Catholic family and rejected the church when his parents divorced. He came to Christ in middle school when his older sister signed him up for summer camp without asking him. It turned out to be a huge moment in his life because there he first heard about a relationship with Jesus leading him to give his life to Christ. You’ll hear us talk at some length about how long this process took and why. Jon describes his early relationship with the Lord as “one-sided” ...
Jul 11, 2016•47 min
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Following Jesus is never a one time event. Today’s guest describes her journey as one of learning to surrender not just once but as a practice of her discipleship. Sue Muckley is a mother, grandmother, and mentor to young people. She shared how the Lord showed her that He wants her heart through a move, a vision of how she approaches life with her husban...
Jul 04, 2016•38 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Is it possible to hear directly from God? A few weeks ago I shared with you a conversation with Iain Bradbeer about how he learned to interact with God to powerful results. I met today’s guest at the same time and he was generous enough to share the story of how he learned to hear and trust God. Todd Johnson is a pastor today but even getting to that role was a series of events of saying yes to leadership opportunities one at a time. He was the church kid who grew up loving the youth group at ch...
Jun 27, 2016•50 min
Shari Malott is a mother, teacher, and artist who is married to last week’s guest Chuck Malott. This marks the first time I’ve interviewed a husband and wife about their journey. This beautiful couple have been through the journey together but responded in very different ways. Shari grew up with no connection to the church but she knew something was missing. As a girl she would go sit in a nearby Catholic church and enjoy the peace she found there. She did have a Bible at home and started readin...
Jun 20, 2016•32 min
Chuck grew up in a home so troubled that at his first opportunity he bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii where he lived under a makeshift shelter he fashioned from a washed up boat. When he finally returned home he met Christ through a pastor who just wouldn’t give up. As he returned to his seat after giving his life to Christ a woman met him with tears streaming down her face. She saw him weeks ago at a 7-11 and though he was “the most distraught human being” she had ever seen. So she prayed for ...
Jun 13, 2016•41 min
