Overcomers Overcoming

Emiley Bargo is a relational person who had an emptiness that only Jesus could completely and permanently fill. We encourage everyone to listen to Episode 76 in conjunction with this episode to get a complete understanding of a father-daughter relationship and to know how Jesus fills our ultimate need for a covenant relationship. Emiley was six years old when her father, Steve Lane, was incarcerat...

After spending several years blaming "god" for many things that were not right in his life, Steve Lane found a new life in Christ. Steve learned that the "god" he blamed in early life was not the God of the Bible. After spending many years incarcerated for his alcohol addiction, he found a friend who invited him to church. Through his friend's persistence and friendship, Steve learned about the Go...

Anita Santoyo is a successful person who overcame several life challenges. One of her greatest challenges was overcoming the thought of not having value because she did not fit a "stereotypical" life of college degrees, marriage, number of children, and several other images some people have of success. Anita has an entrepreneurial spirit in that she has ideas that meet other people's needs. As she...

Kawan Glover is an African-American who has experienced various forms of discrimination. He is confident enough to know who he is while striving to help others achieve their greatest potential. Kawan's remedy to most relational problems is to try to establish a meaningful dialogue. If possible, have that dialogue in-person to know and experience each other's facial expressions. Listen more than ta...

Kawan Glover joins us for a second episode during his recovery from a third surgery to remove a cavernous malformation. He developed resiliency after a seven-year period that he describes as being latent in his youth. How can we be resilient to 1) Negative statements made to or about us, 2) Recovering from failures, 3) A dysfunctional upbringing, or 4) Failed relationships? Everyone's situation is...

Coach James Johnson is the defensive line coach for the Calvert High School football team. He came from a broken family in which his parents divorced when he was 12 years old. Raised in the "hood," he could have followed others to a life of drugs and other illicit activity on his street. However, his mother's values prevailed along with a teacher and his police officer football coach, who were all...

Donna Tashjian joins us for the sixth episode, where she explains the impact the Apostle Paul made on her with his message to the Church of Corinth in his second letter to the Corinthians. In this verse, he encourages his readers to focus on positive matters. The unseen influences on people's lives are frequently negative. Those negative influences can include the media, people whose values are ex...

Kawan Glover describes the inception of and his current progress of overcoming the effects of three surgeries to correct and recover from a cavernous malformation of the brain. At the time of this recording, the left side of his mouth is numb while having about 40% mobility with his right side. Some people might declare themselves a victim of this type of surgery, its effects, and the recovery tim...

Rick Bradley had an early life of feeling inadequate in many areas of his life. He turned to substance abuse to overcome these inadequate feelings. He learned that drinking was merely temporary relief. His mother had the temerity to ask for professional help because of her father's alcoholism. Through her efforts and perseverance, Rick is now free of his past. He is passing forward his life experi...

Donna Tashjian describes her life journey of forgiveness. As she details in Episode #1, she had a traumatic childhood that robbed her of what would consider a normal childhood. She describes her feelings of and journey to achieve a life of freedom. She describes forgiveness as freeing yourself of the past without feeling the person who wronged you is held blameless. She also describes the freedom...

Donna Tashjian experienced a major trust betrayal early in her life. For a period of her life, she could not trust males or females. Through this very difficult part of her life, she has learned the journey to re-establish trust. She is helping others establish and re-establish trust through her life experience. Trust is established through a life journey that involves working through emotions whi...

Donna Tashjian discusses in this episode emotions that become feelings. Do those feelings accurately define who we are? Not necessarily. Those feelings may not accurately represent our values. Listen closely to the four aspects of gratitude, self-talk affirmations, self-care such as talk with God, and inspiration as it relates to our feelings. We must be intentional about our self-awareness to ens...

Donna Tashjian, ordained Pastor and certified coach, has taken the best of her storied past and is applying life lessons to her and other's future. Awareness is an important aspect of our lives, as Donna explains. Being aware of who we are and what inspires us to action are very important aspects of determining if we are performing at our full potential. Some of us allow past events to dominate ou...

Donna Tashjian became pregnant when she was 14 years old through an unfortunate circumstance. Because of this, she was socially shunned and left partially to defend herself. Rather than choose to be a victim of her circumstance or rely on others to support her, she became determined to become self-sufficient while overcoming many of her self-assessed inadequacies. Through her relationship with God...

Matt Koroncai was in third grade when he started a drug habit. He thought drugs would help him overcome the empty feeling of no relationships or connectedness. He longed for acceptance. For a time, drugs helped him overcome those feelings of deep inadequacies. That, combined with a strong will of defiance, led to a life of addiction. Through a friend he didn't even like, that person chose to inves...

Dan Bartol felt disconnected as a teenager. To gain acceptance, he turned to alcohol and drugs that led to a life of dependency. He endured this dependency for nearly 16 years. As of this recording, he is celebrating nine years of freedom from chemical dependency. He is now serving at one of the Recovery Centers of America, dedicating his life to showing he cares by serving others to help them ove...

Chris and Jessica met each other through the Friend of Sinners Ministry. They met there because of their respective chemical dependency addictions. As with everyone, each of us has a unique background and upbringing. However, each of us needs acceptance and genuine relationships. Chris and Jessica describe their respective childhoods and what brought them to the point of decisions they would rever...

Kathy Green is Seth Barnhart's mother who had persevered nearly 30 years of her son's substance abuse. Seth's podcast is available to download in a previous episode. Kathy exercised tough love by knowing what would enable her son to continue substance abuse. She agonized with sleepless nights while relying on God to assure her that God is always with her and will never leave her. While feeling con...

Seth Barnhart is living a life helping others overcome addictions. He describes his former life of addiction and how he overcame his past of not feeling friendly even while having a good home life. He speaks with a confident resolve that through a relationship with Christ our Lord and Savior, anyone can overcome a life of addiction. It is a matter of resolve, relationships, perseverance, accountab...

Raj Kapur immigrated to the United States from India with $20 and the hope to take advantage of opportunities. Through a multi-year discipline, he developed the mindset to overcome bankruptcy, distrust, and similar obstacles to get a Masters's Degree and become a very successful and well-known Chief Financial Officer. He is now coaching others to pass forward what he has learned through his life a...

Pastor Bryan Lloyd is the Live Venue & Recovery Pastor, Oak Ridge Baptist Church. He shares his life experience of drug-disease with the hope of helping those who are engaged in active addiction. His message also applies to those who have the propensity to engage in this life-altering activity. Addictions come in many forms. They are frequently symptoms of deeper problems. Loved ones who want to h...

Dan Hall has a very inspiring life story of overcoming a very dark time in his life. Through his focus, resolve, dedication, structure, mental toughness, and life discipline, he overcame his past to be an inspiration for his future. He is passing on to others what he has learned from his life experiences. Intentionality and consistency are required to maintain a focus. Feeding your mind with posit...

Jordan Wilson overcame an early life of substance abuse. He needed recognition that manifested itself in substance abuse. That became an overpowering influence in his life for a period of time. His Mom and Dad cared enough about him to take him to the church where he committed his life to Christ. While Christ transformed his life away from substance abuse, it was a process that took time and perse...

Jack Beavers speaks with a resolve about being focused, having a life purpose, knowing your passion, and thinking positive thoughts to lead a positive life. These life qualities are the attributes that will help us process thoughts that could lead us to distraction. This is a faith-based perspective of how we are continuously encountering spiritual warfare with an adversary who wants us to be dist...

David Norris is Senior Pastor of Free at Last Ministries. Episode 1 describes his past life as profiled in his book Free At Last. His ministry helps others through what he has encountered and overcame in a past life. He describes some in his circle of influence who are without life purpose and while being pampered through at least part of their life. Have we gone too far in sheltering others from...