The Unfolding

  Most people know Stephen Bargatze as the father of comedian Nate Bargatze. But long before audiences knew Nate's name, Stephen was living a story marked by childhood abuse, rejection, depression, and pain.   Growing up, Stephen  believed he was unwanted. His mother told him he was a mistake. He struggled with thoughts of suicide and spent years carrying the wounds of his childhood. But God  wasn...

  Have you ever struggled to trust God after bad news ? Shinia Dittman had prayed for a baby, but during pregnancy, doctors discovered that her son had a serious birth defect that could threaten his life. Afraid, angry, and overwhelmed, Shinia  got alone with God and prayed honestly, and God met her with peace. After surgery, healing, and so many unexpected details, the sound of her son's first cr...

  Jinger D ugg ar Vuolo grew up on television .   From the age of 10 until she was 27, her family appeare d  on TLC's reality shows  19 Ki d s an d  Counting  an d   Counting On . As the sixth chil d  of Jim Bob an d  Michelle  D ugg ar, she grew up in a strict religious system le d  by a teacher who claime d  to speak for Go d .   That belief system contribute d  to a view of Go d  as an angry ju...

    "I see God very clearly through the rearview mirror."   Tim Mulgrew was trying to move closer to God, but the more intentional he became about faith, the more tension grew at home. His wife resented it, and that conflict eventually boiled over into a painful public moment at church. Tim's story is about coming to real faith, even when choosing God made life harder before it got better.  

  Link to Google form for guest submissions:   https://forms.gle/bJqjKjBUBCAYwNg68   A   grizzly bear attack in the Canadian wilderness nearly took Jim VanSteenhouse's life.   As he was being flown to safety, Jim found himself confronting a question he could no longer avoid: If he died that day, where would he spend eternity?   But this story begins long before the bear  attack .   When Jim and Li...

    Emily Wierenga grew up sensing that God was close, but one careless comment about her body helped lead her into a long battle  with anorexia. At five foot eight, Emily dropped to 60 pounds, and yet God kept reaching into her life with reminders that she was loved, chosen, and not forgotten. Today, Emily is using her words and her story through her book  God Who Became Bread  and through The Lu...

  In 1 John 3:1 it says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" God is our Father .   Sometimes that can be challenging to comprehend .   It's  easier to grasp when  you've  had a good relationship with your earthly dad .   It can be more complicated if your relationship is unhealthy or strained. This week on The Unfo...

    For most of her life, Rebecca Corwin called herself an agnostic, and sometimes even an atheist. But looking back, she could see moments of protection, peace, and unmistakable prompting that kept pointing her toward God. At 56 years old, after a lifetime of being pursued, Rebecca finally gave herself completely to Jesus.

  How do you learn to recognize God's voice?   Michael Boggs has spent much of his life asking that question. Long before he became a member of the Christian music group FFH or wrote the beloved Christmas song "Come You Unfaithful," Michael watched God transform his family through his father's dramatic conversion and began discovering for himself what it means to follow Jesus.   In this episode of...

"We began to… say the Nicene Creed."   That decision changed everything for pastor and researcher  Glenn  Packiam , when a 2006 scandal rocked his Colorado Springs church. In this Unfolding Short Story, the Barna Group scholar and host of The Resilient Pastor  podcast recounts how repeating the Creed each week knit a fractured congregation back together ,  and how its ancient words still steady be...

  When Brandon Heath heard the Gospel as a teenager, he was hungry for truth, love, and healing. His parents' broken relationship had left him hurting and carrying a heavy load of resentment. When he heard God is love, and more specifically, God loves him , it was life changing. But transformation and healing take time. God was putting people in Brandon's life, including a guy named Bob Goff. They...

    "I believe God gave me this dream because He has healed your body."   When David Stine was fifteen years old, doctors gave him about six weeks to live. His family was bracing for the worst. Then David's grandfather, one of the only strong Christian believers he knew, called with a dream and a deep conviction that God had done something. Years later, David can look back and see how this moment...

At 25 years old, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and worship leader Tim Timmons was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 cancer and told he likely had five years to live. More than two decades later, Tim is still here and still learning what it looks like to trust Jesus in the middle of grief, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. In this conversation, Tim talks about wrestling with God, living with unan...

"We're craving hamburgers."   Frank Agundes helps lead Lily of the Valley Children's Home in Mexico. When the kids asked God for hamburgers, He answered in a big way.  In  this Unfolding Short Story, Frank shares how God called him to serve at the orphanage and how he keeps seeing God provide in both big and little ways. To learn more about the orphanage or give, visit  https://www.lilyofthevalley...

  She's  the voice behind the hit song  Desperate ,  a powerful anthem that soared to number one and struck a chord with thousands. But Jamie MacDonald's story runs much deeper. In this episode, Jamie shares about growing up in a house where singing was banned and hope felt out of reach. After being kicked out at 15 and dropping out of high school at 16, she spent years bouncing between couches an...

Some stories sound almost impossible to believe. Terrell Scott was in prison after a life of drugs and crime when God sent Brandy, the woman he had robbed at gunpoint during a drug deal, to share the gospel with him. Brandy had every reason to hate him, but after meeting Jesus, she began praying for the man who had hurt her and asking God to help her forgive. What followed was repentance, transfor...

  What happens when the person you love encounters Jesus, and you want nothing to do with it? On this episode of The Unfolding, Chevas Phillips shares her powerful story of addiction, brokenness, marriage struggles, and the unexpected way God completely transformed her life.   Chevas was drinking every day,  hat ing church, and watching her husband Josh become someone she barely recognized after h...

"This was like a week only with me and God." Geony Rucker was in full-time ministry, with plenty of work waiting, when she kept sensing the same message every time she opened God's Word: step away and rest with Him. At first, it didn't  seem to make sense. But when the unexpected loss of her mom came just weeks later, Geony realized God had been preparing her all along, giving her time with Him, t...

  Jennie Allen has spent her life helping people follow God, find purpose, and experience freedom in Christ. As a bestselling author, Bible teacher, and founder of IF:Gathering  and Gather25, her influence has reached millions.   But beneath the surface there was a lie she  didn't  even know she believed. A lie about her identity, her worth, and what she had to prove. In this conversation, Jennie...

"He showed me on that day that His goodness is running after my daughter."     Jill Tracey shares what happened as her daughter Alyssa was struggling with faith, and Jill was learning to let go of control. Through the song  Goodness of God , God gave Jill a picture of hope she would carry for years. It was a reminder that even when she  couldn't  reach her daughter, God still could.  

  What happens inside someone who walks away from faith? For Jakob Happs , it  wasn't  sudden. Long before he stepped away, there were questions, doubts, and a growing sense that something  wasn't  working the way he thought it should .   Over time, that tension led him  further and further  from God, and from the people who loved him most.   In this powerful and honest conversation, Jakob shares...

"The more I pushed, the more my body said no."   Stephanie shares how God used cancer, chronic illness, cardiac arrest, and a season of forced rest to redirect her life. Today, she helps others slow down, live with intention, and care for the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.   Recently, she wrote   Faith and Health Devotional Bible Study Workbook .  

What do you do when your child walks away from everything  you've  raised them to believe?   For Suzanne and Alan  Happs , that question became deeply personal when their son told them,  "I'm not exactly sure I believe any of that anymore."  What followed was 13 and a half years of praying, waiting, questioning, and learning what it really means to trust God with someone you love.   In this episod...

    "Put on your helmet." Susan had a picture in her mind for her 22nd birthday: a new horse, a sunset ride, and a beautiful moment she would never forget. But right before it began, a voice interrupted her plans with a warning that would save her life.   BONUS: Hear Susan's daughter's short story on  Apple Podcasts  or  Spotify  

  What if the way you see God, isn't actually true ?   Jon Acuff grew up in church, but for years his relationship with God felt more like pressure than connection, and that shaped everything. In this episode of  The Unfolding , Jon shares how his faith became personal in the middle of real life- marriage, responsibility, and the pressure to figure things out. As God began to reshape the way Jon s...