Finding Something Real Podcast

Happy Wednesday! Kasey Leander joins us on the podcast again today! Though Leonie could not attend the recording, Dagmar has joined Janell and Kasey for today’s podcast! Kasey give a bit of an update on what’s been happening in his life and shares a bit about his ministry that revolves around writing about culture and the Christian response. Today, the crew talks about how people are not our adver...

Hey Friends! Today, Gernot joins Janell for another podcast! Janell talks a little about why Leonie chose not to record this episode and a little about the puddle ocean analogy when it comes to faith. Gernot shares his faith journey, how he started living his Christian faith, and his personal story about loss. Janell and Gernot talk about the question “Do you want God?” and they discuss the idea t...

Happy Wednesday! We are happy to welcome Stephanie Rousselle back to the podcast! She is joined by two young women who are special to Janell— Leonie and Zoe! Stephanie shares about her upbringing in France, her pursuit of academic excellence, how she went from an atheist to someone who surrendered to a God she wasn’t sure she could fully trust. She talks about how she wrestled with fully surrender...

Frank Turek joins the podcast today! Janell, Frank, and Leonie have a fascinating conversation about Frank’s New book, how Harry Potter parallels the Bible, what C. S. Lewis and Tolkein discussed about fantasies and myths, and more! They also talk about how we can dedicate our lives to something we cannot prove exists, how we can know God by his effects. They talk about design and moral law point...

Happy August! Today on Finding Something REAL, we are introducing Leonie! Leonie is one of the exchange daughters that Janell’s family has hosted. They talk about her experience going from being an only child to spending a year as the older sister of Janell’s four kids. They talk about Leonie’s plans for after graduation and why she was hesitant to come back on the podcast. Leonie expressed that t...

Today on the podcast, Dagmar and Leke join Janell for a conversation with Jahdiel Perez! Jahdiel shares about how he came to Christ and his journey from being disqualified from the Marine Corps to studying at a few of the world’s top universities. He defines philosophy and shares how studying it impacted his faith. He also shares his love of C. S. Lewis! We get to hear a wonderful conversation abo...

Today, Mark Sowersby joins Janell on the podcast. Mark shares about his experience of being abused as a child, how his identity was impacted by the abuse, and how he dealt with it. He shares how he came to faith at 16 years old, meeting his biological father at 45 years old and much more. Mark and Janell chat about what it means to forgive, dealing with the desire for justice, overcoming darkness...

Though Leke could not join Janell for this recording, Mabel NInan joins us on FSR today! Mabel shares her story of growing up in India with a Christian mother. She shares about her own desire for marriage, a bit of her faith journey, and the perspective shift that changed her view of serving God. She talks about how being an immigrant effects her faith, longing for eternity, finding community, and...

Happy July, everyone! Today on the podcast, we’re introducing you to Gbemileke! Gbemileke is from Nigeria and she shares a lot about the Nigerian culture, Jollof Rice, and what it was like for her to grow up in Nigeria. Her father worked at a university, so she shares about growing up around the university’s culture. In this podcast, she addresses how her dad’s abusive actions towards her family c...

Today, Hilary Morgan Ferrer joins the podcast! She share a bit about what has been going on in her life since her last appearance on the podcast, and the passion behind Mama Bear Apologetics. She talks about faith deconstruction, hypocrisy, spiritual obstacles and expectational doubt and so much more! She also shares what causes her personally to believe in the God of the Christian Bible. We hope...

Though Totti could not be present for the recording of Today’s episode, Lu is back. She and Janell have the pleasure of speaking with the host of the Unbelievable? Podcast, Justin Brierley! They talk about The Big Conversations Season 4 (over on Justin’s YouTube), the concession Richard Dawkins made about Christianity, the fine tuning of the Universe, making the leap between deism and Christianity...

Apologist Abdu Murray joins the podcast today! Though Totti could not be present for this recording, two other wonderful young women, Zoe and Leonie, join Janell and Abdu! Abdu shares his story of growing up Muslim, how he came to pursue Christianity, and what ultimately solidified his decision to follow Jesus. They discuss questions regarding God’s existence, how we can chose one religion without...

Gernot Zeilinger is our guest on the podcast today! Gernot is an Austrian husband and father of three. He grew up in a Roman Catholic family, but turned towards socialism, atheism, and punk when he was a teen. He shares his story of how his 5-year-old daughter’s questions lead him to investigate Christianity, how he came to finally surrender to God, and how Christianity was set apart from fairytal...

This month, Totti joins us on the podcast! Totti shares about being raised in Germany, her experience as an exchange student (how she met Janell), and her experience with religion. Totti has been on the podcast previously, but she shares how, even though she is atheist, she came back. This episode is very thought provoking. We hope you enjoy getting to know Totti and her faith journey! ___________...

We have a returning guest on the podcast today! Leah Chapman joins Janell on the podcast for a riveting conversation about the difference between Christianity and myths, the unseen world of spirits from a Christian perspective, and more! They also define apologetics and explain why it is important. We hope you enjoy the podcast! ___________________ We would love to thank our Patrons for all their...

Today, we have a special guest on the podcast! Janell’s mom Shannon joins Janell and Lieke to talk about the difference Jesus makes. Shannon talks about her experience with drinking to escape, accepting Jesus as her Lord and Savior at the age of 16, and the difference Jesus has made in her life. She also talks about how her faith has impacted her relationship with her parents. There is a lot of go...

Bryan Drake, a Christian illusionist, joins Janell on the podcast today! Bryan and Karla Drake have performed for hundreds of thousands of people over the past 10 years. They have witnessed the amazing grace of God first hand as thousands of people at their shows have surrendered their lives to follow Jesus. Their unique mix of comedy, mentalism, and illusions have mesmerized audiences all across...

This May, we are going to seek to answer a few questions by Lieke! Lieke shares with Janell about her faith story including details about bring baptized as a baby, growing up in the Netherlands, attending a Christian school, and how her perception of the Christian faith changed when she went to the United States for a while. This month, we will seek to answer three of Lieke’s questions: How could...

Today on the podcast, Janell and Castin chat with returning guest Drew Berryessa and his colleague Cynthia Beaudry. As a warning, this conversation discusses some topics that may be too mature for some. Cynthia shares her story of growing up with two moms, dealing with the murder of her dad, and how she came to be set in her belief in Jesus. Drew shares his story of struggling with his sexuality,...

Today on the podcast, Janell chats with returning guest Melanie Casteneda about Castin’s question — “Why is there a mental health stigma in the Church? How can we help those who are struggling with mental health issues? Why isn't the Church addressing this topic more?” As a warning, there is mention of suicidal ideation in this episode. Melanie talks a lot about the ups and downs of her mental hea...

Pastor Michael Landsman joins Janell on the podcast today to address some of Castin’s questions! The Rev. Michael Landsman is a pastor with an Evangelical background, serving in a mainline Protestant church, who loves the Church Fathers. He serves as Pastor of Zion’s Stone UCC in Northampton, PA. He received a Master of Divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary. He and his wife Chontey live in t...

Janell is joined by Castin in today’s episode! Castin shares her faith journey and mention some of the questions she hopes can be answered by this month’s guests. Castin is a college student who is studying journalism and advocacy. She comes from a very close and loving family. She shares about her struggles grieving over the loss of her brother, getting to know God after a suicide attempt, and mo...

Part 2 of Janell and Mariah’s conversation wit h Micah airs today! In this episode, you’ll hear about what came of Micah’s decision to fully trust in Jesus, the repercussions of waking away from the Mormon church, why it’s common for young people to become Mormon, Mariah’s response to a simple Gospel, and more! We hope you enjoy! ___________ We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing...

Today on the podcast, we have Micah Wilder. Like his brothers before him, Micah was raised in a devout Mormon family and served his mission.. While on his mission, a Baptist pastor challenged him to read the Bible, which he did--and gradually his Mormon world came crashing down around him as he encountered the life-changing love of Jesus Christ. His new life in Jesus sent shockwaves not only throu...

Today we have a very special returning guest. Lindsey Medenwaldt is Director of Ministry Operations at Mama Bear Apologetics, where she’s the resident worldview and world religion specialist. She has a master’s degree in apologetics and ethics from Denver Seminary, as well as a master’s in public administration and a law degree. She’s also a full-time children’s pastor, an editor and writer for th...