Followed By Mercy

Send us Fan Mail Are you ready to transform your relationship with food, not just for a short time, but for good? Join us for an honest conversation with Katie, who discovered a new freedom through the carnivore diet after years of battling cravings and confusion. This is not a diet fad or a one-size-fits-all promise. Katie’s journey is about letting go of food rules and learning what it means to...

Send us Fan Mail Psalm 23 is poetry for people in dark places. In this episode, we step into David’s words, “my cup runs over,” and discover what it means to find God’s abundance right in the middle of pain, betrayal, and loss. David didn’t write from a palace. He wrote from a cave, surrounded by threats and uncertainty. Yet he still saw God’s goodness overflowing in his life. What does it mean fo...

Send us Fan Mail “Sugar is delicious. You’re lying if you say it’s not,” Katie laughs, and she means it. But for two years now, she hasn’t touched the stuff. Not because of iron willpower, but because life on the carnivore diet has changed her from the inside out emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. For years, mood swings and low moments just felt like her “normal.” Irritability and emotional c...

Send us Fan Mail Could eating only meat really change your life? For missionary mom Katie Gardner, the answer was a surprising yes. After years of feeling unwell, exhausted, battling hormonal chaos, and hearing the phrase “your tests look normal” from doctors who had no real answers, Katie stumbled across a radical idea online: the carnivore diet. At first, it sounded ridiculous. But with nothing...

Send us Fan Mail Followed by Mercy: The Shepherd Who Never Lets Go Do you realize that God has been pursuing you from the very start? In this episode, we dive into the final verse of Psalm 23, where David confidently declares, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This isn’t just the happy ending to a famous psalm. It’s the beautiful truth that our spiritual journey is, in fact, God’s p...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever stopped to wonder if God’s goodness is actually chasing you down even when it feels like everything else is falling apart? In this episode, we dig deep into the words of Psalm 23:6 and discover that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me” means much more than just trailing behind. In the original Hebrew, “follow” describes a love that pursues you relentlessly, fi...

Send us Fan Mail How could David write, "my cup runs over," when his life was falling apart or had already fallen apart? Let's take a look at Psalm 23 and the story behind it. David didn't write from a place of safety or celebration. He was running for his life, barefoot and heartbroken, surrounded by betrayal and loss. Yet somehow, in the shadows, he spoke of abundance. What c...

Send us Fan Mail What if everything you believed about your spiritual worth was built on a misunderstanding? That inner critic telling you “you’re not enough” isn’t just mistaken, it’s denying the truth Christ has already spoken. In this deeply personal episode of Followed by Mercy , Austin Gardner sits down with his son, David, a missionary who has spent twenty years in Peru, to discuss the surpr...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt the crushing weight of shame? That heaviness that makes you want to keep your head down and hide from the world? “Thou anointest my head with oil,” those words from Psalm 23, offer a remedy that speaks to the heart of every person who’s ever felt unworthy. David didn’t write this verse from the comfort of his palace. He wrote it on the run, stripped of everythin...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like you’re hanging on by a thread? Like David hiding in a cave, surrounded by trouble, wondering if you’ll ever see daylight again? That’s exactly where Psalm 23 comes alive, especially those simple words, “thou anointest my head with oil.” This episode, “Followed by Mercy,” goes below the surface of Psalm 23 and digs deep into what it means to be anointed in the valley...

Send us Fan Mail What if the secret to peace isn't gaining more control, but surrendering it? Do you ever feel like the world is spinning out of control, and it's up to you to hold everything together? In this episode, host Austin Gardner welcomes Robert Canfield, president of Taking the Light Ministries, for an honest conversation about a different way to find peace, one that doesn&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt like God's love is something you have to earn? In today's episode, Austin Gardner sits down with Robert Canfield for a conversation that might breathe fresh hope into your weary soul. Together, they pull back the curtain on the exhausting cycle of performance-based religion—a cycle that leaves so many believers tired, ashamed, and feeling like God's love i...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like you’re alone in the storm? Like the darkness is closing in, and nobody sees what you’re going through? What if the valley you’re dreading is the place where God wants to show you just how close He really is? Psalm 23 isn’t a song for the dead; it’s hope for the living. David wrote it while running for his life, betrayed by his own son. He wasn’t sitting by quiet wat...

Send us Fan Mail When life unravels, when trust is broken, when loss or disappointment corners us, Psalm 23 calls us to something deeper than just survival. It offers a way of seeing the world that lifts our eyes from the storm to the unchanging presence of our Shepherd.  David wasn’t a stranger to suffering. He knew what it meant to be pursued, misunderstood, and weighed down by regret. Yet in hi...

Send us Fan Mail When David said, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” he wasn’t talking about punishment; he was describing a Shepherd who stands between His sheep and danger, who guides and rescues, and who is always for us, even in the darkest valleys. In today’s episode, we slow down with Psalm 23 to explore the real meaning behind the Shepherd’s rod and staff. These ancient tools aren’t a...

Send us Fan Mail What You See Is What You Get: The Power of Spiritual Vision “What you see is what you get” isn’t just for computers or graphic design; it’s a profound spiritual truth that can shape the entire trajectory of your life. When all you see are your problems—your pain, the bills piling up, broken relationships, or dreams that feel out of reach—you get more of the same. But God offers us...

Send us Fan Mail Shadows have a way of twisting reality. They make dangers look bigger than they are, and fears feel closer than they’ve ever been. The “valley of the shadow of death” isn’t just poetry. It’s the honest experience of walking through seasons so dark you can almost feel death breathing down your neck. In this episode, we take a deep look at Psalm 23 and what it truly means to walk th...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most incredible spiritual truth you need right now is also the simplest? You are never alone. David once celebrated that God was with him in the valley, but as followers of Jesus, we have something even more astonishing—Christ isn’t just beside us; He has moved in. The Holy Spirit hasn’t just stopped by for a visit or promised to stand close in times of hardship. He’s...

Send us Fan Mail Some valleys feel so dark you can barely see your hand in front of your face. Maybe you’ve walked through one—or maybe you’re in the middle of one right now. In this episode, we’re talking about the heart of Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” When family lets you down, friends vanish, and you start...

Send us Fan Mail Fear has a way of grabbing hold of our hearts and making shadows loom larger than the light that casts them. In this episode, we slow down with Psalm 23:4 and get honest about what it means to say, “I will fear no evil,” especially when you’re surrounded by darkness that feels impossible to shake. Most of us think of fear as being scared or anxious, but in the language of the Bibl...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever noticed that David doesn’t run through his darkest valley? He walks. That’s not a throwaway detail. Psalm 23 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” David isn’t rushing, panicking, or looking for a way out. He’s steady, taking it one step at a time. Why? Because his Shepherd is right there with him. Shadows have a wa...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever found yourself walking through a valley so dark that you wondered if you’d ever make it out? Psalm 23:4 leaps from the page with its familiar promise: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” For many of us, these aren’t just words. They’re a lifeline. In today’s episo...

Send us Fan Mail There’s a phrase in Psalm 23 that can turn the whole world right-side up again: “You are with me.” David didn’t write those words from a place of safety or comfort. He was running for his life, feeling the sting of betrayal, with every reason to think God had left him behind. But in the darkest valley, David makes a quiet turn. He stops talking about God and starts talking to Him....

Send us Fan Mail Can true discipleship transform the way we mentor future church leaders? Discover the profound impact of life-on-life discipleship as we unpack what it means to genuinely mentor and disciple within the church. By emulating Jesus' methods and fostering deep, loving relationships, we shed light on moving beyond basic doctrine and engaging in ministry training that is personal a...

Send us Fan Mail What does it truly mean to heed the call of God in your life? In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the depths of 1 Corinthians 9, drawing inspiration from the apostle Paul's relentless drive to preach the gospel despite overwhelming personal challenges and fears. We explore the compelling necessity Paul felt to fulfill his calling—a burden so intense that it was i...