The Unfolding - podcast cover

The Unfolding

Meridith Fosterwww.wbgl.org
God is writing a great big story and you have a standing invitation to be a part of it. Every week, host Meridith Foster sits down with a guest to share their chapter in God’s Unfolding story.
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Episodes

Page 105: Natalie Twedell

Natalie Twedell struggled with fear while her husband Drew was deployed to Iraq. When he passed away while training to become a Navy Seal, her worst fears were confirmed. Anxiety became her constant companion. She referred to herself as a “control freak” who was waiting for the next bad thing to happen. But that way of life is exhausting, and God was calling her to trust him. As a woman overcome with fear, she couldn’t imagine a life of courage or rest.

Oct 08, 202147 min

Page 104: Ami Dean

We are constantly bombarded with things that compete not only for our attention, but to be the source of our identity. It’s tempting to tie our sense of self-worth to our appearance, work, possessions, love relationships, and more. Ami Dean believed she had arrived. She had the house, the car, the spouse, and the kids- all the things that from the outside look like success. But she craved attention. With access to the internet came opportunities to find that attention. What seemed alluring at fi...

Oct 01, 202138 min

Page 103: Dareth Ly

In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, Dareth Ly was 7 years old. He spent most of the next 4 years in a work camp, barely surviving starvation and torture. When he landed in the U.S. as an orphan, he forced himself to forget everything about Cambodia. He knew he would never go back. But God can take what others meant for evil, and turn it for good. (Caution for parents: this story contains episodes of violence and is not appropriate for children.)

Sep 24, 202152 min

Page 102: Tasha Layton

After experiencing dysfunction and hurt, Tasha Layton left church and set out on a search for truth. That journey led her back to Jesus and a call to use her musical talents. As a gifted worship leader, God opened doors in music but not what Tasha had imagined. She found herself on American Idol and touring the world as a backup singer for Katy Perry, before finding her home writing worship songs and books to help others experience the freedom she found.

Sep 17, 202131 min

Page 101: Stories from 9-11

If you were old enough to be aware of the events that day, you likely know exactly where you were on September 11, 2001. In this special 20th anniversary edition of The Unfolding, we are sharing a collection of stories from 9/11. With each story we move closer to Ground Zero. We begin 8,000 miles from Manhattan in the jungles of the Philippines. Missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham were being held captive by terrorists with ties to Al Qaeda. Mel Torre shares how a supernatural experience helpe...

Sep 08, 20211 hr 41 min

From the Archive: Page 40: Sarah Derocha

As a Level 1 trauma nurse, Sarah Derocha had been trained to handle life and death situations. On a medical mission trip to a remote area of Bolivia, she was critically injured in a bus accident. She knew that her chance of survival was slim because of her nursing experience. The only way she could survive would be if God intervened.

Sep 03, 202139 min

Page 100: Gary Levox and you

In this special 100th episode of The Unfolding, we talk with Gary Levox, lead singer of Rascal Flatts, about how one night listening to the radio in his mom’s kitchen, changed his life. Many people had told Gary he had a good voice, but he had never really thought of it as a gift, or that God might have a plan for him to use that gift. When he decided to take a leap of faith and move to Nashville, he had no idea he would end up in Rascal Flatts, one of the most successful country groups of all t...

Aug 20, 202150 min

Page 99: Laura Johnson

Laura Johnson experienced some hard and traumatic things as a child. As she grew up, she saw what other children were going through and made herself a promise – she would never do that to her kids. But addiction was tricky. One minute she was in control of her drug use, and the next she wasn’t. Laura found herself doing thing she never could have imagined. But what the enemy intended for evil, God can turn for good. Through addiction, abandoning her kids, and the loss of her son to violence, Lau...

Aug 06, 202135 min

Page 98: Anne Wilson

When Anne Wilson was growing up, she wanted to be an astronaut. She made plans, started taking classes, and set her hopes on traveling to space. But one tragic summer night in 2017 altered the course of Anne’s life. The death of her brother Jacob, set off a series of events that made clear to Anne that God’s purpose was different than her plan. Anne sang in front of an audience for the very first time at her brother’s funeral. That was also the moment God clearly called Anne to spend her life pr...

Jul 30, 202135 min

Page 97: Marcus Rixon

Marcus Rixon grew up in a 12’ x 6’ home with no running water in Kolkata, India. One of the challenges he faced was the box that kids like Marcus grew up in- a box that defined him and his potential, based on where he came from. But his parents prayed for a way out of poverty, and the first answer to that prayer was sponsorship through One Child that allowed him to go to school. It was the beginning of a series of events that radically changed the trajectory of his life.

Jul 23, 202143 min

Page 96: David Zach

Something was gnawing at David Zach. For years he had been performing with his band Remedy Drive, singing and telling people about hope and faith. But when he read scripture, especially the prophets, he felt challenged. He sensed a call to do more on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. That call led this lead-singer of a rock n’roll band to risk his life, working undercover with The Exodus Road to help rescue prisoners of sex trafficking.

Jul 16, 202135 min

Page 95: Tom Frye

When Tom Frye got married, he and his wife knew they wanted to be deliberate about creating a healthy marriage and family. They wanted to do life differently than their parents. But sometimes choosing to do life in a more healthy way, can create conflict. And that conflict can lead to strained relationships that seem impossible to mend. If you’ve struggled with healthy boundaries and strained relationships, Tom’s story will give you hope. Tom is a part of the Frye Family Band, and leads Delibera...

Jul 09, 202132 min

From the Archive: Page 47: Dallas Jenkins

Nobody sets out to be a failure. But what if failure is exactly what we need? Dallas Jenkins is the director of The Chosen. The first-ever multi-season show about Jesus. But long before The Chosen, Dallas wasn’t interested in making faith-based films. He dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. What God taught Dallas through failure became part of the incredible story that led him to creating The Chosen.

Jul 02, 202144 min

Page 94: Lana Vasquez part 2

When Lana Vasquez met Jesus at 19, she knew she had been rescued to rescue others. Within a few short years, she was a full-time missionary with Life Impact International rescuing kids from trafficking in Thailand. It was a daunting mission, far beyond what she could do in her own strength. In fact, the work often seemed impossible. But when God asks us to do the impossible, and we’re willing to say yes, we are in the perfect position to see the miraculous.

Jun 25, 202129 min

Page 93: Lana Vasquez

Growing up in Southern California, Lana Vasquez found herself looking for love in all the wrong places. By the time she was a teenager she was trapped in an abusive relationship, addicted to alcohol and drugs, and spent her nights as a dancer in the clubs of Hollywood. She was living a fast life, but even the glitz and glamour of Hollywood couldn’t hide the fact that she felt desperately empty. Then at 19 years old, Lana heard the Gospel for the first time. When God rescued her she knew she was ...

Jun 18, 202129 min

Page 92: Baylor Wilson

When people ask Baylor Wilson, "What happened to you?", the best way she can sum it up is: Jesus happened. At 26, Baylor has lived a life that many only dream about. She thrived as a competitive cheerleader, starred with her mom on Season 29 of the television show Survivor, and landed a country music publishing deal, all before graduating from college. But success didn’t translate into happiness or feeling fulfilled, until Jesus happened.

Jun 11, 202136 min

From the Archive: Page 6: Kevin and Jamie Crosier

If your goal in life is to be happy, what do you do when your marriage makes you unhappy? For Jaime Crosier, the answer was to move on. When Kevin and Jaime met, their life of partying together was nonstop fun. But after marriage, a child and an affair- happiness was long gone. It would take a movie and miraculous intervention to change their path toward divorce.

Jun 04, 202149 min

Page 91: Kyle Swanson

Pray for our troops. It’s a great phrase to post on social media, put on a bumper sticker, or a sign in your yard. But Captain Kyle Swanson lived it. During his time in the military, he watched prayer change things- change the weather, change the course of a grenade, literally save lives. When Kyle says prayer changes things it’s not a trite phrase. It’s his real-life experience, and he wants you to know your prayers can change things, too.

May 28, 202124 min

Page 91: Kyle Swanson

Pray for our troops. It’s a great phrase to post on social media, put on a bumper sticker, or a sign in your yard. But Captain Kyle Swanson lived it. During his time in the military, he watched prayer change things- change the weather, change the course of a grenade, literally save lives. When Kyle says prayer changes things it’s not a trite phrase. It’s his real-life experience, and he wants you to know your prayers can change things, too.

May 28, 202124 min

Page 90: Emma Villanueva

Healing can be a mysterious thing. Sometimes God answers our prayers. Sometimes we don’t see the miracle we are hoping for. For Emma Villanueva, both are true. As a young girl she was miraculously healed, saved from a surgery that would have left her wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life. Then as a teenager, Emma was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. In the years since, she has watched her body grow increasingly weak. What happens to your faith when you know God can heal, but He doesn’t?

May 21, 202127 min

Page 89: Chris and Denise Benyo

What if we looked at life as if everything was a miracle? That’s much easier when life is going well. When Chris and Denise Benyo got married, they were looking forward to a bright and beautiful future. But within months, Denise was diagnosed with a progressive neurodegenerative disease, called ALS. How do you see everything as a miracle, while you’re facing a terminal diagnosis?

May 14, 202127 min

Page 88: Laura Piraino

No matter what you go through, as long as you are holding on to Jesus, you can stand. That seemed to be the recurring theme of the Bible stories Laura Piraino studied as she was leading a women’s ministry. It’s one thing to teach it, but it’s another to live it out. How do you hold on to Jesus when you are robbed of your sense of safety; when the place that had been your sanctuary becomes a crime scene?

May 07, 202140 min

Page 87: Adam and Christina Hannan

Jesus said everyone who hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down and the winds blew, yet it did not fall. Adam and Christina Hannan were trying to raise their family on a firm foundation. For years they made a habit of reading Jesus’ words and putting them into practice. But their faith had never really been tested. That all changed the day their son Myles was born.

Apr 30, 202145 min

Page 86: Sparkle Sanders

Sparkle Sanders was driven to succeed in everything she did. One of her greatest fears was failure. Nothing made her feel more like a failure than motherhood. When Sparkle became a mom, it didn’t look anything like what she expected. Every day has hard, and the struggle with postpartum depression made her feel miles away from God.

Apr 23, 202145 min

Page 85: Tracy Hoth

When Tracy Hoth first met Jesus, it was fun and dynamic. Her life changed almost overnight. But as the years went by, faith became more of a responsibility than a relationship with the Creator. Prayer and reading the Bible felt like a duty, but didn’t bring life or joy. But God continued to pursue Tracy, confirming she could trust him, even when her son was in a traumatic accident. ()

Apr 16, 202132 min

Page 84: Lydia Laird

For so long there has been a stigma around issues of mental health, including among believers in Jesus. For many of us, we assume depression and anxiety are issues we can fix, if we read the Bible or pray more. Lydia Laird knew God was calling her to write and perform music about her faith, but she was struggling with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. For years she carried shame because she just couldn’t fix it.

Apr 09, 202138 min

From the Archive: Page 43: A Resurrection Story - Dean Braxton

What if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that heaven is real and you could spend eternity with Jesus? If you could see it with your own eyes, would that change you? Dean Braxton was a normal guy, living a pretty normal life, when he had an out of this world experience that changed him forever.

Apr 02, 202137 min

Page 83: Marie Kuck

Is there purpose for the pain and loss we experience? That’s been a question that Marie Kuck has grappled with throughout her life. As the mother of a special needs child, she has lived face to face and heart to heart with the challenges of disability. She’s been forced to ask tough questions, like how do you process grief, while holding on to hope? And how can God take heartache and work it for good? If you struggled with these questions, Marie’s story will help you believe that hope lives, eve...

Mar 26, 202141 min

Page 82: Gary and Kelly Miracle part 2

After a sudden illness and 107 days in the hospital, Gary Miracle came home to a radically different life. He had lost all four limbs. Gary and Kelly held on to the belief that God would not allow something so big and drastic in his life, if He didn’t plan to use it in a big way. Gary’s story became the inspiration for MercyMe’s song and video, “Say I Won’t.”

Mar 19, 202137 min
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