The Unfolding

Doctors kept giving Sierra Emison more reasons to worry about her unborn daughter, but she kept feeling like God was telling her to trust Him. Through prayer, people around her, and even the words "miracle child," Sierra felt encouraged  again and again . Today, McKenna is  21 months  old, growing, thriving, and still surprising doctors.  

Justin and Trisha Davis  appeared to be  living the dream- a beautiful family, successful ministry, and a future filled with promise. After planting their first church, Justin had an affair with a staff member who was also Trisha's best friend. Their marriage, family and careers were simultaneously blown  apart,  and they were forced to come to terms with their brokenness .   It seemed their story...

    Jessica Ronne was caring for her son Lucas, who has profound disabilities, while trying to meet a book deadline and lead a nonprofit. She felt frustrated that caregiving kept interrupting what she believed was her important work.  Then God showed her that caring for Lucas was holy work. Years later, that quiet faithfulness grew into a home where Lucas and three other adults with disabilities ...

  Scott Spiezio knew God. During some of the best years of his Major League Baseball career, he was surrounded by believers and openly sharing his faith. But after reaching the height of success, Scott moved away from what had kept him grounded. As addiction took hold, shame told him he was too far gone, while the mindset that made him a champion convinced him he could save himself. He couldn't ....

Jaron Lockridge spent years quietly struggling with pornography while wrestling with doubts about God. Then an unexpected sermon from Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell led to the  most sincere  prayer Jaron had ever prayed, and by the next morning, everything had changed. Now free from that addiction, Jaron is using his gifts as a filmmaker to tell honest stories about faith, struggle, and community....

  What happens when you finally get the success you wanted  and realize it  still is  not enough?   For Donovan Donnell, the stage had always been a place where he felt seen. But after years of disappointment and rejection, his desire for attention and approval led him into the world of exotic dancing. He found money, recognition, and success, but none of it could give him the life he really wante...

"This makes you way more real to us."   That's  what Amber Albee Swenson's kids told her after she finally  opened up  about her past.   She had spent years teaching the Bible and leading her family in  faith, but  still carried silent shame that was creating distance. One conversation changed everything. Vulnerability became the key to deeper trust, healing, and faith.   Amber's latest book is ca...

  Have you ever wondered if your past has already determined your future?   The circumstances of your childhood, painful family relationships, mistakes  you've  made, or words someone spoke over you can leave you wondering whether your future has already been decided. Jonathan Almonte knows that feeling.   Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Jonathan experienced extreme poverty, family brokennes...

After a chaotic childhood, Doug Hannah came to Christ at 15 and finally understood that he was deeply loved, but years later, he realized he had turned faith into something he had to perform. This is the story of discovering grace... twice... and learning to rest in a love he never had to earn.  

  Most people know Stephen Bargatze as the father of comedian Nate Bargatze. But long before audiences knew Nate's name, Stephen was living a story marked by childhood abuse, rejection, depression, and pain.   Growing up, Stephen  believed he was unwanted. His mother told him he was a mistake. He struggled with thoughts of suicide and spent years carrying the wounds of his childhood. But God  wasn...

  Have you ever struggled to trust God after bad news ? Shinia Dittman had prayed for a baby, but during pregnancy, doctors discovered that her son had a serious birth defect that could threaten his life. Afraid, angry, and overwhelmed, Shinia  got alone with God and prayed honestly, and God met her with peace. After surgery, healing, and so many unexpected details, the sound of her son's first cr...

  Jinger D ugg ar Vuolo grew up on television .   From the age of 10 until she was 27, her family appeare d  on TLC's reality shows  19 Ki d s an d  Counting  an d   Counting On . As the sixth chil d  of Jim Bob an d  Michelle  D ugg ar, she grew up in a strict religious system le d  by a teacher who claime d  to speak for Go d .   That belief system contribute d  to a view of Go d  as an angry ju...

    "I see God very clearly through the rearview mirror."   Tim Mulgrew was trying to move closer to God, but the more intentional he became about faith, the more tension grew at home. His wife resented it, and that conflict eventually boiled over into a painful public moment at church. Tim's story is about coming to real faith, even when choosing God made life harder before it got better.  

  Link to Google form for guest submissions:   https://forms.gle/bJqjKjBUBCAYwNg68   A   grizzly bear attack in the Canadian wilderness nearly took Jim VanSteenhouse's life.   As he was being flown to safety, Jim found himself confronting a question he could no longer avoid: If he died that day, where would he spend eternity?   But this story begins long before the bear  attack .   When Jim and Li...

    Emily Wierenga grew up sensing that God was close, but one careless comment about her body helped lead her into a long battle  with anorexia. At five foot eight, Emily dropped to 60 pounds, and yet God kept reaching into her life with reminders that she was loved, chosen, and not forgotten. Today, Emily is using her words and her story through her book  God Who Became Bread  and through The Lu...

  In 1 John 3:1 it says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" God is our Father .   Sometimes that can be challenging to comprehend .   It's  easier to grasp when  you've  had a good relationship with your earthly dad .   It can be more complicated if your relationship is unhealthy or strained. This week on The Unfo...

    For most of her life, Rebecca Corwin called herself an agnostic, and sometimes even an atheist. But looking back, she could see moments of protection, peace, and unmistakable prompting that kept pointing her toward God. At 56 years old, after a lifetime of being pursued, Rebecca finally gave herself completely to Jesus.

  How do you learn to recognize God's voice?   Michael Boggs has spent much of his life asking that question. Long before he became a member of the Christian music group FFH or wrote the beloved Christmas song "Come You Unfaithful," Michael watched God transform his family through his father's dramatic conversion and began discovering for himself what it means to follow Jesus.   In this episode of...

"We began to… say the Nicene Creed."   That decision changed everything for pastor and researcher  Glenn  Packiam , when a 2006 scandal rocked his Colorado Springs church. In this Unfolding Short Story, the Barna Group scholar and host of The Resilient Pastor  podcast recounts how repeating the Creed each week knit a fractured congregation back together ,  and how its ancient words still steady be...

  When Brandon Heath heard the Gospel as a teenager, he was hungry for truth, love, and healing. His parents' broken relationship had left him hurting and carrying a heavy load of resentment. When he heard God is love, and more specifically, God loves him , it was life changing. But transformation and healing take time. God was putting people in Brandon's life, including a guy named Bob Goff. They...

    "I believe God gave me this dream because He has healed your body."   When David Stine was fifteen years old, doctors gave him about six weeks to live. His family was bracing for the worst. Then David's grandfather, one of the only strong Christian believers he knew, called with a dream and a deep conviction that God had done something. Years later, David can look back and see how this moment...

At 25 years old, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and worship leader Tim Timmons was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 cancer and told he likely had five years to live. More than two decades later, Tim is still here and still learning what it looks like to trust Jesus in the middle of grief, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. In this conversation, Tim talks about wrestling with God, living with unan...

"We're craving hamburgers."   Frank Agundes helps lead Lily of the Valley Children's Home in Mexico. When the kids asked God for hamburgers, He answered in a big way.  In  this Unfolding Short Story, Frank shares how God called him to serve at the orphanage and how he keeps seeing God provide in both big and little ways. To learn more about the orphanage or give, visit  https://www.lilyofthevalley...

  She's  the voice behind the hit song  Desperate ,  a powerful anthem that soared to number one and struck a chord with thousands. But Jamie MacDonald's story runs much deeper. In this episode, Jamie shares about growing up in a house where singing was banned and hope felt out of reach. After being kicked out at 15 and dropping out of high school at 16, she spent years bouncing between couches an...

Some stories sound almost impossible to believe. Terrell Scott was in prison after a life of drugs and crime when God sent Brandy, the woman he had robbed at gunpoint during a drug deal, to share the gospel with him. Brandy had every reason to hate him, but after meeting Jesus, she began praying for the man who had hurt her and asking God to help her forgive. What followed was repentance, transfor...