Halfway There

Ellen Rosenberger is a mom, missionary, and author who has a passion for helping churches serve their missionaries well. Her experience as a missionary kid was positive and she headed back to the mission field after college where she met her husband. But the expectations of others and some “relationship drama” led to depression. Ellen shares how experiencing depression for the first time gave her...

Jeremy Myers is a blogger, author, and podcaster at RedeemingGod.com . Jeremy shares how he moved from megachurch pastor wannabe through abandonment and depression to find life in Jesus anew.  That period of spiritual darkness stripped away many beliefs, friends, and practices that Jeremy was putting trust in until he was free. Finally, Jeremy found that while Jesus seemed to be far away, he wasn’...

Mark Waltz is a coach, speaker, and pastor who helps “broken people be connected to God’s unconditional love, his hope, and his healing.” Today, he shares the story of how he got there. Mark shares the stories of dealing with shame through trying to be perfect, the moment he vented his anger at God, and the love he found in others. Mark’s vulnerability is a calling only one who grasps his own belo...

J. Parker is a Christian sex author and blogger at Hot, Holy, & Humorous and today she shares the story that led her there. J. grew up a pastor’s kid who went her own way as a young adult, including with sexuality. The baggage she took into marriage caused some difficult years and J. talks openly about their struggle. A practice of clinging to Scripture refined her until one day she realized h...

Hi Friends, This week, if you were looking for a great story this week, let me recommend to you episode #37 with Mark Casson . Mark shared that today is the anniversary of his release from prison. He shares the story of how he came to Christ and pleaded guilty, grew while in prison, and stepped into ministry. It’s a great story! I also invite you to join Halfway There’s brand new Facebook group. I...

Tim Morris is a professional coach called to empower visionary leaders to turn their ideas into a movement. He has developed a program called Design Discovery that is “a framework to know the superpowers, tools they uniquely use, environment they come alive, the specific people they are called to serve, and the fruit they are designed to produce.” Tim shares his experience learning listening praye...

Rob Decker is a personal trainer who has been radically changed by God. Today, Rob shares the moment when he jumped out a window and the tender words the Lord spoke to him in the hospital that built his faith again. His story is one of radical transformation from a hard drinking, drug abusing young man to a clear-eyed man with a full heart who speaks personally of the love of God. Listen to Rob’s...

Teresa Blaes is the host of the Unresolved Life podcast and explores life’s most difficult questions. Today, Teresa shares the serious events that shaped her to be a deeper questioner of God and everything she encounters. She details her journey through skepticism, painful moments, and the gentle leading of the Lord. When you hear some of the events of her life you will be amazed that she emerged...

Tonya Jewell Blessing shared her story with Halfway There on episode #36 last year. Not long ago she reached out to me to say that she wanted to share an amazing encounter she had with a snake just before coming back to the United States for a visit. Today, she shares that story and her new new book, Soothing Rain: Living Water to Refresh Your Soul (Amazon affiliate link). Please listen to this in...

Phil Gauthier is the host of the God Watch Podcast and has become a good friend. Today he shares his story of coming to Christ after doing drugs all night on a lakeshore, learning the character of God, and starting his own podcast. Phil is a true entrepreneur who has his own plumbing business in Des Moines, Iowa. You will hear his heart for sharing the Good News of God’s love for people. Phil’s sh...

Ken L. Roberts is a former pastor and church planter turned author and life coach. Today he shares the story of how God led him to the sweet spot of his life. The story winds through the most challenging moments in his life including hitting a spiritual wall while serving as a pastor and the unexpected death of his wife. Ken shares that being on a deeper journey with God helped him through those d...

Nephtali Matta is the ministry coordinator of Koinania house, a ministry that helps men after they get out of prison. I first met him in a seminary class at Denver Seminary. Nephtali was the guy who seemed to have it all together with a bright future in ministry. Today he shares the story of discovering the dangers of people pleasing and trying to look like you have it all together. He let people...

Ronda Nelson is an advocate for the power of the grace of God. Her story is the perfect example of the reason for Christmas. While most of us will never experience the dramatic fall that Ronda shares today, we all need to know that God sent his son for us because he loves us. In Ronda’s life love and acceptance came through community. She wants everyone to know “that we don’t have to waste time aw...

Mike Elder is an old friend from back in the day and a gifted conversationalist. Today, he shares the story of the legacy of faith he inherited, the unexpected way he learned about grace firsthand, and what he hopes to pass on to his family. You will hear his struggle with a calling and how events led him is a direction he never wanted to go. His passion for sharing truth through words extends fro...

Henry describes himself as a business guy and a recent author of One: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose from House to House (Amazon affiliate link). He even invented a  folding bicycle . His passion today is the oneness of the body of Christ and he raises good questions about why many churches operate as they do. We spend time unpacking what Henry sees in Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and the unity found...

Dr. Douglas Groothuis is a professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary and author of 13 books including his latest Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness–A Philosopher’s Lament (Amazon affiliate link). Today, he shares why he wrote the book and why Christians need to recover an understanding of lament. Dr. Groothuis shares about how to deal with anger toward God, the passages of Scripture that...

J.D. Payne is the pastor of church multiplication with the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a missiologist and today we talk about his unique perspective on missions. JD also has his own podcast, Strike the Match , and blog . He has written or edited twelve books on missions including the one we talk about today, Roland Allen’s The Ministry Of Expansion: The Priesthood of the La...

Gunnar is the co-host of the Unchurching Podcast with former guest Richard Jacobson . Today, he shares the story of grace in his life through the church. In fact, every story Gunnar shares with us is about the people who have made an impact on his life by listening to God, praying for him, and living with him. That might be why his ideas about living in community are a bit different than most of u...

John Swanger is a wonderful storyteller whose experience with God has to be heard to be believed. He describes his life before Christ as bank robber, prisoner, lead singer in a band, and eventually drug dealer and bouncer at a strip club. His life was wild but one couple who shared the Gospel with him changed everything. God not only turned John’s life around but gave him a mission to let his ligh...

This episode of Halfway There is being published on the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, an event that profoundly shaped history and the experience many of us with God today. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg and changed the course of history. This anniversary got me thinking that we all have influences subtle and more obvious....

When Phil asked me if I wanted to record a podcast with him I jumped at the chance because we have so much in common. We are both fascinated by the experience of God’s people as they interact with him and set out in our own ways to share it. Phil has become a friend through podcasting and Facebook but after a trip to my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa where we had lunch and shared a late night conver...

  Matt Rhodes holds a master of divinity from Fuller Seminary and is a certified spiritual director. He loves to find ways to integrate his two biggest passions: creativity and spiritual formation. Matt recently partnered with author Jan Johnson to create an online course called Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Scripture Meditation. Reading, traveling, creating, collaborating, teachin...

Rob Burns is a pastor in Detroit at Detroit Chinese Alliance Church and has also served as a missionary in the Balkans. Today, Rob shares his story of his calling into cross-cultural ministry both overseas and in the United States. Rob and I go way back to his seminary days. At the time, I was in college and we worked together. He remembers my wife bringing us brownies. I remember him as an astute...

Sarah Koontz is a passionate storyteller who enjoys using illustrations to communicate deep spiritual truths. Sarah writes to inspire women of all ages to explore the beauty of God's design at SarahKoontz.com. Sarah lives on 13-acres in South Dakota with her husband, two daughters and a rowdy flock of 30 chickens. She revels in their simple, uncluttered life. Sarah impressed me with her go-getter...

Rodney Pennington is Vice President for Mobilization with OMF International . He has served as a pastor in Kansas, church planter in Toronto and Thailand, and mobilizer in U.S. for the unreached peoples of East Asia. He is a husband and father of four kids. Today we talk about his journey from a kid who gave up on God to missionary who could not help but go overseas to share the Gospel. Stories Ro...