Gifts for Glory Podcast

Our Black History Month series continues with Chicagoan comedian Mac Red. Mac Red is an up-and-coming star in the Midwest comedy scene. You can find him doing shows regularly with The Christian Comedy Network. In March, Mac Red is doing a big show with the Mac Red's Red Room Comedy Experience on Friday, March 18, at All Nations World Assembly in Park Forest. On this episode, we're talking comedy,...

Sharonne Lanier is an actress and director, known for Summer of '67 (2018), Discarded Things (2020) and The 2:11 Home (2021). She also played the civil rights hero Rosa Parks in the 2020 film Son of the South. We talk faith, acting, and Sharonne's journey to faith. As we pay tribute to Black History Month, we'll also hear from Sharonne who is someone we should all study beyond each February. Conne...

Gutty's was founded in suburban Chicago in 2003. The club launched in suburban Indianapolis in 2019. Dozens of amazing comedians have come through Gutty's since they opened, and the comedy club featuring exclusively clean comedy has not only survived, but has grown into two locations, three counting the launch of the new Gutty's Metaverse AND Gutty's School for the Arts, launching February 2! We'l...

Scott Galbraith is an actor, magician, film maker, round table host, and Italian Plumber. He joins us to talk faith, magic, film, and we may even get into a discussion of one of our mutual favorites: Vindication!  Connect with Scott:  www.greatscottmagician.com  www.facebook.com/tgsmp  www.facebook.com/marioplayers  www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlUXpT_CYS7FuHGpvvQlEg  ww...

Christi is an experienced writer, actor, and improv comedian, and joined Well Versed Comedy in fall of 2021. Christi is a fan of comedy and making things up while pretending to know a lot. She has been known to threaten family members into playing games during long holidays. She has studied drama and been involved with theatre since 1992. Christi worked for three years at the Christian Performing...

Actor and Real Estate Agent Todd Terry, lead actor who plays Sargent Gary Travis in the hit crime drama Vindication, joins us for a fun conversation about acting, combining faith with acting, and more! Todd's IMDb page: www.imdb.com/name/nm0856086 Vindication: vindicationseries.com www.facebook.com/VindicationSeries www.instagram.com/vindicationseries www.youtube.com/user/RettaVisionMP Vindie Nati...

Legendary Comedian Nazareth Rizkallah joins us for a conversation about comedy, faith, and his testimony. Nazareth has been entertaining crowds for over 25 years! But, there is far more to Naz than comedy. He is a speaker, minister, and is very active in charity work. We're excited kick off the new year with this phenomenal man of God and comedian. Connect with Naz: nazarethusa.com www.youtube.com...

Essie joined our improv ministry in the spring of 2019, just as we were moving away from the often maligned name of HaHaMen (aka hahahAMEN, Ha Ha Men, etc.) and became Well Versed Comedy. Essie is a school teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system and is married to Donald. Our conversation will be about her faith, her life as a twin, and how comedy came to fit into it all. Read all of Essie's b...

Our guest was scheduled to be Nicci Hejnar, but unforseen circumstances prevented her appearance. So, enjoy these clipe from Well Versed Comedy and Road 2 Eternity Media. About Nicci: She's a wife, a mom, a PK, an actress, a voiceover actor, a Licensed Massage Therapist, and an amazing woman of God. We're excited to share this conversation with the incomparable Nicci Hejnar, one of our amazing per...

Mike Savage is a former radio personality, television news anchor, and criminal mastermind. He served fifteen years, two months, and twenty-eight days in federal prison for international money laundering. Crime was his second life, one that his wife and family knew nothing about until federal agents raided their home. He is currently an adjunct professor teaching Bible, theology, and psychology. H...

Pastor Cary Gordon is the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Sioux City, Iowa. He's been working on the film Enemies Within: The Church since 2018. He joins us to share the story of the movie, the message he hopes people take from it, the hope they leave the audience with as the movie ends, and also his personal testimony as a PK (preacher's kid) accepting Jesus at 3 years old.  Find the...

Donnie Stopa is a rising star in the world of Christian Comedy. Be sure to follow Donnie at www.facebook.com/donnietheentertainer (@ Donnie The Entertainer ) and on Instagram @donnietheentertainer. Watch his videos at youtube.com/user/donniestopa Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties Donnie wasn’t able to join us, but we were able to share a couple of his music videos: I’m So Paleo and Wage...

Tracy DeGraaf has been referred to as one of Chicago’s best clean female comedians and speakers, and has made a name for herself with her one-woman comedy show “Life Happens Laugh Anyway.” As a Christian and a breast cancer survivor, DeGraaf uses her platform to inspire women spiritually and motivate them to schedule their breast cancer screenings. She likes to tell women “I want you to know Jesus...

Burke Sage is an actor/writer/singer born and raised in Michigan. He comes from a long line of talented musicians/singers, although acting was never on his radar until later in life. He is an alum of AMTC, which is very familiar to us as many of our members on Well Versed Comedy also went through AMTC, and he landed a leading role on Investigation Discovery’s new TV series ‘Lone Star Justice.’ Bur...

Saturday, November 6, The ROXY, Lockport, IL - RFK Comedy Night. Get tickets at RFKComedynight.eventbrite.com Today's Show:  She's one half of the O'Brien sisters, the other half a previous guest on the podcast and a current piece of our opening video, and she's just as funny! We're excited to share with you the comedy, the story, and the testimony of Jennifer O'Brien!  Connect with the...

Robert Alaniz is an award-winning filmmaker and Elvis Presley record & memorabilia expert, known for Heavens to Betsy 2 (2019), Heavens to Betsy (2017) and Mind Over Mindy (2016). He'll join us to share faith, filmmaking, and about his newest project, Honest to God (2021). Connect with SOLE Productions and Robert through the links below: Robert's IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm2792765/reference Bio...

Thrive Church Associate Pastor Reichert Zalameda joins us to share his story and his testimony, as well as serving as the Worship, and now Associate, Pastor at Thrive Church, a five-year-old portable church in Lockport, IL. Connect with Thrive Church on Facebook Thrive Churchor at www.encounterthrive.com Check out Reichert's podcast "Questions from the Pew." www.worldoutspoken.com/questions-from-t...

Pastor Brian Bougher, lead pastor at Thrive Church, Lockport, IL , joins us as we honor Pastor Appreciation Month. We'll hear about the ups and downs of ministry, the challenges of planting a church, the joys and pains of navigating a church in a pandemic, and hear how he found a relationship with Jesus that led him into ministry. Find out more about Thrive Church at www.encounterthrive.com or on...

Comedian Scott Wood is known for his impressions and his amazing punchlines...in fact, he's known as "Mr. Punchline." He's the host of a new cooking show on Tubi called Something Smells Funny! We will hear about his comedy, including his statement that "Black Wives Matter," and hear his powerful testimony. Don't miss out on Something Smells Funny, which has amazing guests like former Gifts for Glo...

Dorsey Ross isn't supposed to be here. He battled with incredible challenges from the day he was born. The "experts" never gave him a chance. But God. You will be blessed and inspired by his powerful testimony. For information on his book, his ministry, and bringing him to speak to your event, visit dorseyrossministries.com. Social Media: www.facebook.com/dorseyrossministries www.youtube.com/user/...

Mike Domeny is a speaker, actor, and author living in New Hampshire with his wife Kelsey and daughter Addy. He is also an enthusiastic tea drinker, bocce ball tosser, Ramen soup experimenter, river rock climber, word rhymer, and cereal-without-milk eater.  Since joining 321 Improv in 2011, Mike has traveled the country sharing the joy that can be found in Jesus in this unscripted life. He has...

This Friday, September 10, is National Suicide Prevention Day, as part of September's National Suicide Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is struggling with those challenges, our host Dave would love to connect with you and hear your story. His personal struggles with depression and suicidal ideations has given him a heart to listen and walk through the valleys with those in that situatio...

Comedian, speaker, and teacher Leslie Rob, host of Leslie Said What?, available on her Facebook page and on The Creative Motion Network on Roku, joins us to talk comedy, faith, teaching, and share her testimony. You will be blessed with our conversation with Leslie Rob! Connect: www.facebook.com/leslierobscomedy leslierob.com www.instagram.com/leslierobcomedy www.youtube.com/channel/UCH72fq_toSBDY...

Director of the hit crime drama Vindication, Jarod O'Flaherty, joins the show. We are talking to Jarod about faith, making films and shows that honor God, the need for more real entertainment for Christian audiences, and, of course, Vindication, Season II, which debuts on Pure Flix on TODAY (Sept. 1)!  More on Vindication: vindicationseries.com www.instagram.com/vindicationseries www.facebook...

In an inspirational and funny way June Colson and Michele VanDusen, 2 clean comedians talk about how they support each other and others on their comedy journeys. They share tips of the trade and the crazy stories of their lives. This week, they'll share their stories on the Gifts for Glory Podcast!  Connect with Michele and June below!  Laugh Support Podcast: www.facebook.com/LaughSuppor...