Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

This week, we’ll hear from writer and producer Brian Bird, whose decades-long career in film and television includes When Calls the Heart and Touched by an Angel. Brian shares how he discovered his gift for writing through others who championed for him and how he uses his ability for storytelling to bring positive change to the world.
Next, we’ll hear from Alister McGrath, a former atheist who became an Oxford trained scientist and theologian, who tries to bridge the divide between faith and science and desires to show the world that belief in God is more than just a set of ideas; it’s about a relationship.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Josh McDowell
Upcoming interview: Josiah and Jaccob Slavin
Jesus Calling: Harvest of Blessings

Brian Bird
When Calls the Heart
Touched by an Angel
The Story of Everything
www.thestoryofeverything.film

Alister McGrath
Atheism
Christianity
C.S. Lewis
Matthew 7
Rethinking Christianity

Interview Quotes:
“When I mentor young people, one of the things that I tell them is that they have to identify the one thing that God made them to do. Find three people like me to identify what you’re good at. Get into the symphony, don’t just be in a garage band.” - Brian Bird
“I found that just by being a friend maker as a Christian—and not trying to preach at people, but just loving people—they want to know why I am the way I am. They want to know why I have peace in my life, why I am content. You have to earn the right to share your faith with people. It’s not handing them a tract, it’s handing them a life, it’s handing them a relationship.” - Brian Bird
“I think in the world today, there’s so much cynical content out there that people are starved to death for content that is not cynical; content that is even idealistic, that inspires them to reach for their higher selves, that helps them feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.” - Brian Bird
“I found myself at a turning point in my life where I loved science and still believed my future might lie in science, but at the same time, I was having this real longing to immerse myself deeply in Christian thinking, deeply in the Bible, in really understanding what this was all about.” - Alister McGrath
“I loved studying Christianity and I wanted to make connections with science, but I also began to realize there was a need to be able to connect up with people beyond the church, to be able to deal with the questions that they had about faith, as indeed I had as an atheist.” - Alister McGrath
“What I’m finding in my many conversations with people is this growing realization that Christianity has this ability to really set out a worldview that is not going to disappear tomorrow. And it also seems to have this deep ability to make sense of life and give us a sense of personal identity and personal stability.” - Alister McGrath
“Apologetics, I think, is moving in a new direction. We need to be able to reassure people Christianity is true, but we also need to show them it really transforms life. It’s a trustworthy truth that transforms us.” - Alister McGrath
“I think one of the things I didn’t really fully appreciate was that Christianity was giving me more than just a kind of intellectual framework. It was strongly relational. This is about a friendship, a relationship with a living God who journeys with you as your Shepherd through life wherever you are going.” - Alister McGrath
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week, we hear from TV host and podcaster Kelly Rizzo, who shares about the sudden loss of her husband, comedian Bob Saget, and how she views grief and coping in the aftermath of losing a partner.

Next, we’ll hear from Dominique Jones, also known as DOE. She grew up leading worship in her father’s church before joining her family’s group, Forever Jones. After experiencing both success and setbacks in the music industry, she eventually stepped out as a solo artist and began finding the freedom to tell her own story through music.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Stacy Henagan
Upcoming interview: Brian Bird
Jesus Calling: Harvest of Blessings

Kelly Rizzo
Bob Saget
Eat Travel Rock
TMZ
www.Kelly-Rizzo.com
www.ComfortClubOnline.com

Dominique Jones
Forever Jones
www.doejonesmusic.com
Shiloh

Interview Quotes:
“In the very, very early stages of grief—like day one or week one—you can’t possibly think about moving forward or anything in those very early stages. You can only focus on ten seconds at a time, maybe a minute, maybe an hour. You can’t even think about next week.” - Kelly Rizzo
“After a sudden loss, you’re just so disoriented and you’re in such a spiral and everything feels like a foggy dream and like this can’t be real. And the only thing that can get you through it is just literally focusing on today.” - Kelly Rizzo
“I’m not saying I understand what His plan is, and I’m not saying I totally get it, and I am not saying that I’m happy with this situation, but I’m certainly not thinking even for a second that there is no God now because something bad happened to me.” - Kelly Rizzo
“For me, loving deeply but grieving deeply, is still continuing to share Bob with the world and sharing his message of love and laughter and just caring about people.” - Kelly Rizzo
“God speaks more than English. He doesn’t just speak English, He speaks heart. There’s a reason why I can communicate something through a note, and someone can understand and hear what my heart is saying to them without me using words.” - DOE
“Every life experience, every failure, and every success—everyone has something to say and speak to concerning the fabric of our faith, the story of our faith.” - DOE
“When I was able to tell the truth and live the truth, I was actually able to find healing.” - DOE
“I think there’s room for my humanity in my relationship with God and my anguish and my pain.” - DOE
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Facebook
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week, we hear from legendary husband and wife songwriting team Bill and Gloria Gaither, who went from teaching school in a small Indiana town to writing some of the most sung hymns and songs in the modern church, including “Because He Lives” and “He Touched Me.” They’ll talk about the lessons they’ve learned about failure, success, and how one of their most famous songs came from a time when the world around them felt anything but stable.
Next, we’ll hear from The Voice season twelve winner Chris Blue, who initially turned down multiple opportunities to audition for The Voice. He’ll share how he eventually returned to his family’s gospel music roots after years of pursuing a different path.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Jordan Smith
Upcoming interview: Kelly Rizzo

Bill and Gloria Gaither
Dottie Rambo
www.gaither.com

Chris Blue
The Voice season twelve
The Jackson 5
Foundations: The Hymns of My Heart

Interview Quotes:
“Jesus Himself was born into the most unstable of worlds. And so we go on with our life because the resurrection is true. It’s not just a one-time shot in history. The resurrection is built into every fiber of creation. It’s everywhere around us, and we can believe that because He lives, we can face tomorrow.” - Gloria Gaither
“Be good to that gift that God has given you.” - Bill Gaither
“We’re constantly teaching, and one of the best teachers is failure. If you learn from failure, it makes you wise.” - Gloria Gaither
“If you get up in the morning with expectations, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you get up in the morning with expectancy, saying, ‘What is God going to do today?’ then you’re never disappointed, and you’re always in awe of what God does.” - Gloria Gaither
“The pines are green. The sky is blue. It’s a riotous circus of color. Now I can either just go about my business and not notice that, or I can take that in and realize that God is sending us love letters from His heart every minute of every day. It’s up to us whether we read them or not.” - Gloria Gaither
“We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand. Yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow may never come, but at least we have this moment today. And Jesus said, ‘I’ve come to bring you life more abundantly.’ And that is the abundant life—when you can use the God-given resources that He’s given to your mind and make the right choices on how you spend your time.” - Bill Gaither
“I think it’s a wonderful gift that prayer is portable.” - Gloria Gaither
“When it came down to being selected [for The Voice] and being the last one, I thought, Man, I’m wasting my time. Jesus never called me to this. Maybe I heard wrong. But I didn’t. He was saving the first to be last and the last to be first.” - Chris Blue
“After you win, you get money, you get the accolades, you get the deal, you get different opportunities. But then it goes away. That was hard at first because my expectation was you win and you just keep climbing. But that wasn’t the reality for me. You have to really work. You have to continue grinding. You have to continue pushing as if you never won.” - Chris Blue
“When Jesus called me to sing Christian music again, I knew that I needed to let the world know that sometimes you can stray away from your path, but like GPS, it’ll always recalculate and get you back on track.” - Chris Blue
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

From his roots in Virginia to decades with the Statler Brothers and beyond, Jimmy Fortune has walked through seasons of success, heartache, and loss. In this episode of Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer, Jimmy shares how a praying mother and a Bible left open in a hotel room kept him seeking God, and why he continues to hold on to hope through every note and every trial.

Guest’s Links
Facebook: @JimmyFortuneMusic
Instagram: @jimmy.fortune
Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/3PIHsqI
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Best known for his role as Brick Heck on the hit NBC show The Middle, actor and YouTuber Atticus Shaffer shares the profound lessons learned from living with the chronic pain and the medical challenges of osteogenesis imperfecta. He also reflects on his moving caretaking journey, discussing the role reversal of supporting his mother through her own health struggles and how their shared hardships deepened his capacity for compassion.
Later, we speak with content creator Ariel Fitz-Patrick. Raised in a strict, rule-bound home, Ariel grew up hiding her mistakes out of shame. As an adult, she learned to run toward God instead of away, transforming her perspective on grace. Today, she leverages her social media platform to promote a healthy lifestyle for Gen Z.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Lisa Harper
Upcoming interview: Bill and Gloria Gaither
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season

Atticus Shaffer
osteogenesis imperfecta
The Class
The Middle
AtticusShafferVlog

Ariel Fitz-Patrick
Imma See for Myself

Interview Quotes:
“There are many times in this life where God does not give a direct answer immediately. Sometimes He doesn’t give a direct answer at all. But we as Christ followers are in need of still pursuing the upward call of Christ, despite what we may or may not understand, because we need to remember who God is and who His character is.” - Atticus Shaffer
“My respect for [my mom] as a nurturer, as a caretaker, and quite frankly, that of those who truly and genuinely are caretakers and have a nurturing spirit within them, has only quadrupled because of the work and the care and the dedication and the love that is truly had.” - Atticus Shaffer
“I’m very grateful for all of the different things that I have been able to do in my life thus far, namely The Middle, and being able to be one of the leads on a now going-down-in-history family sitcom.” - Atticus Shaffer
“I’m realizing every step of the way is important in developing who I am, my strength, and how I will be able to deal with the opportunities coming my way—making sure I don’t compromise, making sure that I know who I was before I even got on social media. It was all so necessary.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“It’s always been important to me, especially when I became a young adult, to humanize the Christian walk. Because the way I grew up, there’s this disconnect with reality.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“Most of us know the message of forgiveness—you go to God, you confess your sins, He forgives you. But then we end up in this loop sometimes of being repeat offenders. And it’s kind of like, Well, if I’m a repeat offender, I can’t just keep going back to God because now He’s mad at me. And I think that’s what’s missing in so many of our walks. There’s nothing perfect about humans. The only thing that makes us perfect is when we are fully in Christ.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
“I think it’s important for me, and creatives like me, to use our imaginations to paint the picture that the Bible is singing, because not everybody’s going to pick up [the Bible]. So I think that’s the importance of using social media and imagination and creativity to reach the generation that’s here now.” - Ariel Fitz-Patrick
________________________
Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Interviews: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Video Interviews: https://bit.ly/4f79RAW
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/4q5iTCx
Scripture Series: https://bit.ly/4wAVGKU
Celebrity Readings: https://bit.ly/4bIS5BJ
Video Devotionals: https://bit.ly/4fG1kFb
Sleep Meditations: https://bit.ly/4w0xu37
Shorts: https://bit.ly/3RHFubh
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Website
TikTok
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.