Episodes

  • Fear Comes Free, Hope Takes Effort: Jon Acuff & Leland Vittert

    Fear Comes Free, Hope Takes Effort: Jon Acuff & Leland Vittert
    Apr 16 2026
    This week, we’ll hear from Jon Acuff, a bestselling author and speaker who turns personal challenges into practical lessons for living with intention and resilience. From mastering goals to overcoming negative thinking, Jon shares insights that help listeners navigate life’s “hard middle” and keep moving forward, even when it feels impossible. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from journalist and anchor Leland Vittert, whose new book, Born Lucky, is a deeply moving story of his childhood with autism and the profound sacrifices his father made to give him hope and teach him resilience. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Ken Abraham Upcoming interview: Rebecca St. James Jesus Listens for Moms Jon Acuff Zephaniah 3:17 Luke 15:11-32 www.jonacuff.com Leland Vittert Born Lucky www.bornlucky.com Interview Quotes: “I just had this sense that if I would take responsibility for my life, I could change a lot of things I wanted to change.” - Jon Acuff “I think a lot of goals work better when they’re measured, when they are paced.” - Jon Acuff “I think that a lot of life is talking yourself into doing things you don’t want to do, but you really want to. There’s a lot of mornings I don’t want to write, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to be polite, I don’t want to be detailed—but I really do want that. If I’m honest, I really want the benefits of those things. And so I figure out games inside the middle that get me to where I want to be.” - Jon Acuff “One of the soundtracks I use in my life is that fear comes free, hope takes work. You’ll never have to look for fear. It will find you. You’ll never have to look for stress or anxiety. They will find you. Hope takes effort. Positivity takes effort.” - Jon Acuff “The difference for me between a broken soundtrack, meaning a negative thought that’s running on a loop, and a prompting from the Holy Spirit, is often what it leads to. I think a prompting of the Holy Spirit leads to prayer, it leads to change, it leads to journaling, it leads to confession to a friend, it leads to plugging back into your small group.” - Jon Acuff “Your thoughts turn into actions, your actions turn into results. What you think becomes what you do, becomes what you get.” - Jon Acuff “[My dad] didn’t know how it was going to end up, but he knew that being there every day and becoming my friend—he still is my best friend—was my only hope.”- Leland Vittert “Everybody needs to feel like they have somebody who believes in them. For me, that was my dad. When I was diagnosed with autism, my dad said, ‘I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I have to try.’ I didn’t understand the word resilience as a kid. I now know how important it is, and it’s just not quitting.” - Leland Vittert “Hard work yields results. One is defined by character, not by accolades or achievements or personal wealth, but by who they are as a man.” - Leland Vittert “[My dad] had no expectations about the future, but there were standards, and the number one standard was about character and being a good person.” - Leland Vittert “When I was diagnosed with autism, there was no therapist, there were no counselors, there were no accommodations. My parents didn’t tell anyone. They did not want me to be defined by a label or use a label as an excuse. Going to therapy on national television at forty-three years old and sharing the deepest, darkest, secrets of my life and darkest moments of my life is not a lot of fun, right? But it was worth it because it has given so many people hope.” - Leland Vittert _______________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ 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.
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    26 mins
  • [BONUS] Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Book of Romans with J.D. Walt

    [BONUS] Jesus Calling Scripture Study: The Book of Romans with J.D. Walt
    Apr 14 2026

    Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where we take a look at the book of Romans with pastor and author J.D. Walt. J.D. walks us through Romans and how it illuminates a “darkness to light movement, chaos to love, and chaos to new creation.”

    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

    Jesus Calling Podcast

    Jesus Calling

    Jesus Always

    Jesus Listens

    J.D. Walt

    Romans: From Sin Management to Love Unleashed

    The Book of Romans

    Interview Quotes:

    “The awakening that I was experiencing led me to understand that the Christian life and faith is not a good-to-great program. It’s a death to life movement. It’s a darkness to light movement. It is chaos to love, chaos to new creation, lost to love.” - J.D. Walt

    “Consecration, transformation, demonstration—that’s Romans in a nutshell. That’s a Christian life in a nutshell.” - J.D. Walt

    “In the early church, they had a saying: one Christian is no Christian. Certainly every person has to become a follower of Jesus, a believer themselves. But this is not like golf, it’s like football. It’s a team sport. We are made for community, we already are connected together.” - J.D. Walt

    “One of the greatest acts is simply being together in God’s Word, because it’s a Word that actually moves us towards each other. It moves us towards loving one another. Love must be sincere, Paul says in Romans 12.” - J.D. Walt

    “The opposite of sin is love. Love is the movement toward God and others. Sin is the retraction of self into its own world at the cost of worship of God and love of neighbor. We need a better understanding of love—love is not soft and fuzzy, it’s hard and real.” - J.D. Walt

    ________________________

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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.

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    16 mins
  • Beyond the Bottom Line: Michael Leach & David Meltzer Trust God’s Plan When Everything Is Lost

    Beyond the Bottom Line: Michael Leach & David Meltzer Trust God’s Plan When Everything Is Lost
    Apr 9 2026
    This week, we’ll hear from Michael Leach, who went from the high-pressure, competitive world of the NFL to navigating the intense landscape of national politics, ultimately becoming the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer in the White House. Leach reveals the defining moments—from simple childhood boundaries on the south side of Chicago to faith-led decisions that cost him his seemingly secure career—that prepared him for roles he never planned. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from entrepreneur and business leader David Meltzer. David opens up about growing up with intense financial insecurity, reaching extraordinary success—amassing over a hundred million dollars by age thirty—and the catastrophic moment he lost absolutely everything. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Cyndi Thomson Upcoming interview: Jon Acuff Jesus Listens for Moms Michael Leach Chicago Bears Elevation Worship Tauren Wells www.myfaithoverfear.com Faith Over Fear David Meltzer www.dmeltzer.com Interview Quotes: “I remember praying something I didn’t fully understand yet—that God would give me a life and a job that would help me change the world or my environment.” - Michael Leach “God sets boundaries, not to limit us, but to protect and prepare us.” - Michael Leach “Everyone communicates, but few connect. When you’re interacting with hundreds of people in high pressure environments, communication alone isn’t enough. Connection was what, for me, built trust.” - Michael Leach “One of the best ways to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. That’s where my commitment to servant leadership was formed.” - Michael Leach “I left the NFL only because I believe God had called me to do so. I trusted that if He called me to unfamiliar territory that He would sustain me there also. And He did. I think we should never stop learning because life never stops teaching.” - Michael Leach “It’s through our surrendering that God does His establishing—whether it’s in our career, our finances, our marriage, or our sense of control.” - Michael Leach “I believe that everything you consume will eventually come out of you, for better or for worse—what you listen to, what you eat, what you view, what you watch. Even though things are going to come up, He’s always going to stay up and above what’s coming your way.” - Michael Leach “I attributed all my success to how much money I made. Though success came early for me, I was trying to fill a God-sized hole with everything but God. And money doesn’t fill that hole.” - David Meltzer “If I could encourage anyone to make God their faith non-negotiable—whether it’s meditation or prayer, or just living in the divine direction of taking care of your sleep, your health, your family, and your faith every day—knowing that two minutes a day is worth two hours on a Sunday.” - David Meltzer ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ 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.
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    23 mins
  • [BONUS] Jesus Listens Prayers For Every Season: Spring

    [BONUS] Jesus Listens Prayers For Every Season: Spring
    Apr 7 2026

    Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional, Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today we are featuring guests who share stories of renewal, restoration, and the vibrant hope that comes with starting anew. Just as spring wakes the world from winter, you’ll hear from previous Jesus Calling podcast guests about how they found strength, peace, and restoration after periods of darkness and struggle.

    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

    Jesus Calling Podcast

    Jesus Calling

    Jesus Always

    Jesus Listens

    Alicia Michelle

    Zim Flores

    Dansby Swanson

    Chris Janssen

    Sonya Curry

    Dr. Dharius Daniels

    ________________________

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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.

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    30 mins
  • Even Christians Struggle with Addiction and Forgiveness: Jonathon M. Seidl & Yana Jenay Conner

    Even Christians Struggle with Addiction and Forgiveness: Jonathon M. Seidl & Yana Jenay Conner
    Apr 2 2026
    This week, we welcome writer Jonathon M. Seidl, who transparently shares his struggle with alcoholism. Jonathon opens up about how he turned to alcohol as a solution to his problems, the breaking point moment when he realized something needed to change, and the real, raw, honest circumstances that led him to healing. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from author Yana Jenay Conner. She shares her personal experience of learning to forgive deep wounds from her family and friendships, highlighting the crucial difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. She also reveals the daily spiritual practices that sustain her heart in the midst of ongoing pain. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Jeanne Lakin Upcoming interview: Michael Leach Jonathon M. Seidl Morning And Evening by Charles Spurgeon www.jonseidl.com Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic Yana Jenay Conner www.yanajenay.com Living Beyond Offense Interview Quotes: “I’m the Christian that became an alcoholic, not the other way around. I think what’s unique about my story and a lot of people’s stories is the shame that comes with being a Christian who falls.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “I think what’s unique about my story—and what I think is actually a lot of people’s stories but we don’t talk about enough—is that as Christians, we can still and do fall into sin.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “I finally got to the point where the Lord was like, ‘Jon, if there’s not the chance of it costing you something, it’s not a sacrifice—like the definition of sacrifice is that it has to cost you something.’ Okay, here we go. And so, here we are. I decided, Alright, Lord, I’m just going to put this in Your hands. I’m going to tell my story.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “I finally got to the point where the Lord was like, ‘Jon, if there’s not the chance of it costing you something, it’s not a sacrifice—like the definition of sacrifice is that it has to cost you something.’ Okay, here we go. And so, here we are. I decided, Alright, Lord, I’m just going to put this in Your hands. I’m going to tell my story.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “I think we think in order to have a problem with something, it has to look a certain way. That actually kept me drinking a lot longer and in an unhealthy relationship a lot longer because I said, ‘Well, I’m not doing this. I don’t look like this.’ And yet, especially if you look at the Bible, anything that occupies an unhealthy place in our life is disordered.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “We can follow Jesus and know what’s right and yet still struggle to do it.” Jonathon M. Seidl “My goal is for you to have a deeper, more enriching, relationship with Jesus. And that takes care of not just the sobriety, but it takes care of the anger, it takes care of the pride, it takes care of the selfishness, and all those other things that you need to work on as well.” - Jonathon M. Seidl “I think it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I really allowed myself to feel the ache of my dad’s absence and to really take stock of how not having him in my life was really impacting how I moved in the world.” - Yana Jenay Conner “I am trying to create space for people to be human and to mess up and not hold them to standards of perfection that I can’t even reach.” - Yana Jenay Conner “The thing that keeps me moving towards forgiveness is remembering the forgiveness that I’ve received. I’m learning that the power to forgive comes from remembering the grace and the mercy that I have received.” - Yana Jenay Conner “Forgiveness is releasing them of their debt and not retaliating against them in anger. We make this decision out of mercy, because people don’t deserve forgiveness, but we offer it to them freely because forgiveness was offered to us freely.” - Yana Jenay Conner “He’s always inviting us to be in His presence. And I can confess that on the days where I choose to not accept that invitation, it shows in how I show up in the world.” - Yana Jenay Conner ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ 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.
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    29 mins
  • [BONUS] The Promise of Easter Every Day with Courtney Hope

    [BONUS] The Promise of Easter Every Day with Courtney Hope
    Mar 31 2026

    Welcome to a special Easter bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast. In this episode, we welcome actress and mental health advocate Courtney Hope as she shares about her personal experiences with OCD and anxiety. She also gives us an inside look at her latest project—a four-part Easter audio podcast called The Christ—in which she explores the stories of the Easter season, particularly of Jesus’ Mother, Mary, and how this exploration has led to a deeper understanding of her own relationship with God.

    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

    Jesus Calling Podcast

    Jesus Calling

    Jesus Always

    Jesus Listens

    Courtney Hope

    The Christ Podcast

    Interview Quotes:

    “Diving into the journey of Jesus’ Mother Mary and her heart and her story, I got an answer from God, which is everyone’s got their own journey. Mary had to trust in her heart that there was a plan and a purpose in Jesus’ journey, and that the suffering and the triumph was worth it in the end.” - Courtney Hope

    “I’ve always seen myself as a vessel for storytelling through God. I want people to feel less alone, I always sit in silence and see whose hearts I’m trying to speak to.” - Courtney Hope

    “The more I dove into my faith and I sat with God, I realized that we can’t control what happens in life, but we can be open to the experience of what God has in store for us.” - Courtney Hope

    “Sometimes if we sit in stillness, we get the answers that we need.” - Courtney Hope

    “God is a prince of peace, not the God of fear. The closer I am to God, the calmer I find my heart is.” - Courtney Hope

    “It’s so easy to turn to God when times are rough, but we forget when times are great to give thanks and gratitude and praise.” - Courtney Hope

    ________________________

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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.

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    12 mins
  • [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Marriage Prayers Part 2: Turning Our Conflict Into Connection with Dr. Dan Allender & Dr. Steve Call

    [JESUS LISTENS MONTHLY SERIES] Marriage Prayers Part 2: Turning Our Conflict Into Connection with Dr. Dan Allender & Dr. Steve Call
    Mar 31 2026

    What if conflict in your marriage could become a doorway to deeper connection? In this episode of “Jesus Listens,” Dr. Dan Allender and Dr. Steve Call return to explore how fear, self-protection, and past wounds often show up in the way we relate today, through the lens of their book “The Deep-Rooted Marriage.”

    Guest’s Links
    YouTube: @AllenderCenter
    Facebook: @allendercenter

    Instagram: @reconnectmarriage | @allendercenter

    Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/4iw2xPu

    ________________________

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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.

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    10 mins
  • Loved Beyond Performance: RobertAnthony Cruz & Christine D’Clario

    Loved Beyond Performance: RobertAnthony Cruz & Christine D’Clario
    Mar 26 2026
    *This episode contains content that may be triggering for some listeners.* This week, we welcome RobertAnthony Cruz, known to many as Coach RAC. RobertAnthony is a professional baseball player with the Savannah Bananas, a former minor league athlete, and a mentor to thousands of young people through sports camps and social media. But beyond the flips on the field and the packed stadiums, Coach RAC has wrestled with anxiety, fear of failure, and the pressure to prove himself. Today, he shares how learning to root his identity in God’s unchanging love, rather than outcomes or approval, has transformed the way he competes, leads, and lives. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Christine D’Clario, who takes us behind the music and the platform into the hidden places of her story. From a childhood shaped by unspoken trauma with years of learning how to hide pain in the name of faith, Christine shares how postpartum depression became the breaking point that forced her to confront what she had carried for far too long. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Dr. Sasha Shillcutt Upcoming interview: Jonathon M. Seidl RobertAnthony Cruz Coach RAC Savannah Bananas ESPN Psalm 1 Jared Orton Christian Dearman Christine D’Clario postpartum depression Philippians 4:6-7 John 16:33 www.ChristineDClario.com/en Healing in the Desert Interview Quotes: “When you make it your aim to serve your teammates and do that, it becomes such a beautiful thing, and you find so much more fulfillment in it. I’ve had to learn to detach my sense of peace and joy from the results and instead play from a place of gratitude and see how I can serve my teammates well.” - RobertAnthony Cruz “God created us to be part of the body, so we’re supposed to be connected to each other. When you can experience competition while being deeply connected to your teammates, it ends up being such a beautiful and fun thing.” - RobertAnthony Cruz “The older I get, the more I realize that God is our friend. He wants a relationship with us, and a healthy relationship requires spending time. I think that having daily rituals and prayer time are so important for you to cultivate this relationship with God.” - RobertAnthony Cruz “It took me being 100% dysregulated in my body, in my emotions, in my mind, to understand that the spirit alone cannot carry the weight of all the other areas.” - Christine D’Clario “There was just so much compounded on each other that when I reached the moments of deep despair, I couldn’t understand that God was actually extending me an opportunity to look inward and fix those things that needed healing.” - Christine D’Clario “I learned to hide the pain, stuff it down, because we had a lot of work to do at church. It took me a really long time to finally admit that I was broken.” - Christine D’Clario “It takes people who have been through brokenness to have the authority to pull others that are in it out of it.” - Christine D’Clario “When everybody else discards what is broken as garbage, the Lord stays. If you’re in the rut and it’s muddy and it’s dirty and it stinks, He’ll sit with you in the mud and the dirt and the stink and the rut. He’ll stay, He’ll hold you, and He will patiently wait with His inviting arms for the moment that we feel strong enough to take the step of faith, get up, and start healing.” - Christine D’Clario ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ 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.
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    29 mins