Hope Unyielding

Today I’m talking with Marie Matey, a missionary to refugees in the United States from closed countries where most live their entire lives without hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. God called Marie and her husband to be missionaries to Muslims from unreached people groups, and they thought this would mean packing their bags and moving to a closed country. But then, God brought refugees to the...

My friends Corinne DuBois, Greg DuBois, and Samantha Vocarte join me to untangle some of the lies I've believed about turning 30. In this episode, we talk about where we expected we'd be at age 30, what informed those expectations, and whether we've felt internal or external pressures to be "successful" by the big 3-0. Most importantly, we talk about the concept of success...

Laurie Fowler was content with her quiet life in rural Maine with three kids, twenty acres of land, and a garden. So when her husband returned from an unexpected trip to Ecuador with a strong calling to go back as a missionary, her heart resisted. In lieu of a tenth wedding anniversary vacation, she reluctantly accompanied her husband to Ecuador to experience the country. On this trip, she had a p...

On today's episode, Shane O'Neill shares about how Jesus saved him out of drug addiction and transformed his life. Jesus showed Himself to Shane as the God who is not indifferent to our pain, but who feels with us when we hurt. His story is one of beautiful transformation, and you don't want to miss it! Shane O’Neill is a follower of Jesus who loves reading, writing, building friend...

What is it like to have a near death experience?  If we saw more miracles in the West, would more believe?  Why is it so hard to love others, and what do we do about it?  Does true freedom lie in self-actualization?  My favorite author, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, answers all of these questions and more in this very special episode of Hope Unyielding.   Special thanks to Bruce Johnson for play...

I struggled with chronic depression for the better part of my twenties, and in that struggle, one of my most frequent emotions was shame. I especially experienced shame when I counted my blessings and still found myself unable to find joy in the many gifts God had given me. Today, I share 3 things I learned about fighting depression when the practice of gratefulness backfired.  I pray that my stor...

Writer and artist Veronica McDonald shares her journey from atheism to becoming a follower of Jesus. Her story is one of beautiful transformation, and whether you are a Christian, an atheist, or an agnostic, there’s something in here for you today! Veronica McDonald is a published fiction writer, poet, artist, and editor, with an M.A. in Literature. Veronica became a born-again Christian in July 2...

Peace is something that we all desire, yet often feels elusive in today’s world. Even before the pandemic hit, the fast pace of American culture combined with the ever-increasing usage of technology has many of us feeling frantic and frazzled. Cheryl Elton has made it a life goal to pursue Christ’s perfect peace, and today she shares what she has learned through Scripture and experience about find...

On this episode, I share stories of God's miraculous intervention while I battled deep depression during my time teaching in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.   God had called me to Russia at age twelve, and since then, it had been a place of awe and purpose, of romance and transcendence. But my fifth time there, I was surprised  and disillusioned when my joy was smothered by depression. But...

Alicia Purdy shares her story about God’s faithfulness in her life as an unwed mother who longed to be married. She grew up as a pastor’s kid in a very sheltered home. In college, she found that her sheltered childhood led to immaturity in relationships that resulted in heartbreak and rebounding, and in graduate school, she got pregnant while unmarried. Alicia shares her journey from searching for...

If you're a millennial or Gen-Z, you may feel like you are constantly in transition. My friend and roommate, Rebecca Loomis, knows this feeling well, having moved and changed jobs multiple times in the last year and a half. Rebecca shares her story of walking through constant transition and how God showed Himself faithful in every unexpected twist and turn along the way. She also gives some g...

I love a good love story, especially when God's fingerprints are all over it! In this special Valentine's Day episode, my friends Dan and Fatin Chevrette share their beautiful, unexpected love story and offer hope, encouragement, and wisdom to those struggling in the waiting. 

Author Taryn R. Hutchison shares the exciting stories behind her book One Degree of Freedom , a riveting Young Adult Novel set in Communist Romania.  To me, a mark of an excellent novel is that you completely forget you are reading. One Degree of Freedom was such a novel—with nuanced, engaging characters, intricately described setting, and exciting plot, I was entranced from page one. Late 1980s C...

On today's episode,  Bronwyn Lea, author of Beyond Awkward Side Hugs: Living as Christian Brothers and Sisters in a Sex-Crazed World, offers encouragement to singles in the church. If you are a single who has had awkward or disheartening experiences in the church, or if you want to know how you can better encourage the singles in your life, this episode is for you! Drawing from her experience...

As a young teen with an alcoholic mother, Amanda developed many of the codependent tendencies common to those who love someone with an addiction. In college, she reached a breaking point, realizing how unhealthy she had become, and embarked on a journey of learning healthier ways to be in relationship as a Christ-follower. In just a short 30-minute interview, Amanda shares so much hard-fought wisd...

Jackie Murch shares about God's faithfulness when she became a missionary where she thought she would never go—the Siberian tundra! Jackie spent just under 2 exciting years in Russia as a grant writer for Agape, a Christian organization that sends medical teams to areas of need, including the remote parts of Siberia. Tune in to hear how God brought good out of a medical emergency,  how He led...

Sarah Pearl McTiernan is serving as a full-time intercessory missionary with Finish the Task Frontier missions in the Atlanta International House of Prayer.  She serves as a worship leader in the 24 hour prayer room and mobilization coordinator for Finish the Task, calling young adults to pray, seek the face of Jesus, and be missionaries wherever He places them - from their neighborhoods to the un...

At age 18, Ken Stokes stood before a judge who proclaimed him a menace to society and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Within 2 years, Ken was 3rd in command of a notorious prison gang.  Then...he met Jesus.

If you’ve spent years trying to prove you're worthy of love, this episode is for you. Today I talk a little C.S. Lewis, a little neuroscience, and a bit about a 3-month dating fast I just finished. But most of all, I talk about how the love of Jesus Christ has given me the freedom to stop auditioning for love. 

Erica Renaud shares stories about God’s faithful love in the many seasons of her life. From an unexpected pregnancy at age 17 to meeting her husband, from being called to speaking  to living with her family of 7 in her parents’ home much longer than she expected, she has a story for everyone. Erica has a fiery love for the Lord and for Scripture that comes through in each story she shares. I came...

One of the greatest lies that depression tells you is that you are utterly alone, that no one has ever felt the way you feel and that no one could ever hope to understand. For the Christian, this feeling of being alone is often mixed with shame. This shame whispers thoughts like, “If I were a faithful Christian, I would have unfailing joy.” “If I were stronger in my faith, I would have overcome th...

You asked, Hope answers! Hope answers your questions about Russia, miracles, depression across cultures, and creativity through telling lots of stories (including a pretty embarrassing one involving a granola bar). 

Do you struggle with believing that God has good motives for what he's doing in your life? Whether you're wrestling with singleness or a difficult marriage, chronic illness or chronic loneliness, it can be easy to become cynical toward God when suffering continues to layer. Although we both know at our core that God is good, Corinne DuBois and I both struggle with cynicism toward him. Jo...

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the U.S. among those between the ages of 10 and 34. Depression is an epidemic in our culture, yet many suffer in silence. Many Christians, in particular, ashamed that they lack the joy that they feel they should have as a believer.  Bruce Johnson brings clarity and light to this issue as he tal...

In our very first episode, Samantha Vocarte and I talk about our passion for proclaiming God's love, faithfulness, and the hope we have in Him through personal story. Oh, and we learn a little about my short-lived juggling career and how I fell in love with the written word in...COW class. Read more of my story here : https://hopeunyielding.com/2020/04/05/saying-yes-and-to-a-life-i-didnt-expe...