Living Mission First

What happens when the person you love loses the battle with trauma and suicide? Jennifer Samples shares how faith in Christ carried her through unimaginable loss. For 19 years, Jennifer Samples has served in law enforcement with the Cleveland Police Department in Tennessee. As a police officer, wife, mother, and advocate for First Responder mental health, Jennifer understands the tremendous weight...

What happens when everything you built your life around begins to fall apart? Aaron Erman discovered that surrender may cost everything, but Christ is enough. After nearly 20 years in Fire, EMS, rescue, and paramedicine, Aaron Erman knows firsthand the adrenaline, trauma, burnout, pride, and pressure that come with serving as a First Responder. What began as an exciting career eventually became a...

Is there hope for first responder marriages? What happens when the badge becomes your identity, and the job begins taking more from your marriage than you ever intended to give? After 35 years in state and federal law enforcement, Tim Goode knows the pressure, hypervigilance, sacrifice, temptation, and relentless demands that come with the calling. But alongside his wife, Kyle Goode, and through 3...

Can recovery truly heal the soul? Matty Fiorenza shares why lasting freedom, joy, and hope are found only through Jesus Christ. After years of serving as a firefighter/paramedic with the Anaheim Fire Department, Matty Fiorenza experienced the unseen cost of a career spent serving others. Childhood trauma, addiction, burnout, injury, organizational betrayal, suicidal despair, and countless attempts...

Great Challenges Provide Great OpportunitiesWhat if the greatest threat facing our first responders isn't what happens on the street, but what happens inside the agency? In this powerful episode of the Living Mission First Podcast, Jeremy Wade sits down with Conrad Weaver, award-winning filmmaker, host of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, creator of the groundbreaking documentary PTSD911,...

“If there is a God, how can He be good… and how can we see some of the things we see?” Former paramedic and pastor Jeff Richardson asks the question every First Responder eventually faces and then points us to the only answer that can sustain the soul. Former paramedic Jeff Richardson shares how faith in Christ overcame burnout, anxiety, and hopelessness in his own life and how other first respond...

Where does a "Cop's Cop" find real strength? In this powerful episode of the Living Mission First Podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down with Frank Klimjack, a veteran First Responder with 28 years in law enforcement and a background in military service, to unpack a journey marked by strength, brokenness, and ultimately, surrender. Known as a “cop’s cop,” Frank built his identity on dis...

“I’ve made mistakes… but I want Jesus to say ‘well done.’” — Mike Baldwin shares the faith that sustained him as a First Responder. In Part 1, we heard how former law enforcement officer Mike Baldwin’s career shaped his perspective on service, identity, and the unseen spiritual battles faced by First Responders. In Part 2, the conversation moves deeper, into faith, intentionality, and the eternal...

What if God sent you to make a difference? In Part 1, veteran law enforcement leader Mike Baldwin shares how faith reshapes the mission of a First Responder. In this powerful opening episode of the Living Mission First Podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down with Mike Baldwin, a respected law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of frontline experience, to explore the unseen spiritual battle...

What happens when God calls Jeremy Wade to leave everything secure behind, and step into the unknown mission field of first responders? Recap : In Part 1, Jeremy and Ketryna shared how God began stirring their hearts amid the growing darkness surrounding law enforcement. In Part 2, the calling becomes undeniable, and the cost becomes real. In this powerful continuation, Jeremy Wade shares firsthan...

What happens when your calling as a police officer collides with your identity in Christ? Jeremy Wade shares the turning point that changed everything. In this two-part series on the Living Mission First Podcast, Jeremy Wade sits down with his wife, Ketryna, to share the raw, unfiltered story behind their journey through law enforcement, marriage, and faith. From the early days serving 13 years wi...

“Is life even worth living anymore?” Marcus Allred shares the moment his faith, and his future as a first responder, hung in the balance. If you listened to Part 1, we followed Marcus Allred’s journey into law enforcement and the unseen spiritual battles that shaped his calling as a first responder. This Episode of the Living Mission First Podcast takes us into the deepest valley of Marcus Allred’...

What happens when God redirects your calling without removing your heart? In Part 1, Marcus Allred shares how faith sustained him in law enforcement and dispatch. In this powerful Part 1 episode of the Living Mission First Podcast , host Jeremy Wade sits down with Marcus Allred, Alliance Coordinator for Mission First Alliance, to unpack a calling shaped by faith, resilience, and deep love for firs...

“Max Gomez: ‘First responders struggle with Christ because we’ve taught them a soft Jesus, yet He’s the Lion and the Lamb.’” In this powerful continuation of the Living Mission First podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down again with Canadian police sergeant Max Gomez, a veteran with 19 years of law-enforcement experience. If you missed Part 1, this episode picks up where we left off, delving deeper i...

What happens when the job you love starts eroding the man you’re called to be? Police Sgt. Max Gomez shares the cost and the crossroads. In Part 1 of this powerful two-part conversation, Mission First Alliance Executive Director Jeremy Wade sits down with Max Gomez, a Canadian police sergeant with nearly two decades of frontline, investigative, and intelligence experience. What begins as a law enf...

The Living Mission First Podcast exists to tell the stories most people never hear, and to bring lasting hope to those who see the darkest sides of humanity every day. Created by Mission First Alliance, this podcast is dedicated to serving first responders and their families by sharing real, unfiltered testimonies of men and women who are living out their faith in the middle of law enforcement, fi...

The Living Mission First podcast shares the real stories of real hope from active and retired first responders amidst the tragedy and chaos these professions bring. Takeaways First responders carry burdens few will ever see Finding real hope in Christ Chapters 00:00 First Responders: More than a Calling