Halfway There | Christian Testimonies | Spiritual Formation, Growth, And Personal Experiences With God

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 conversation about God, I can honestly say we are brothers in service of the same mission. Get our complete conversation in iTunes, on God Watch’s website or wherever  you get your podcasts. Find Phil on Facebook, too. Hope you enjoy this episode. The post When Podcasts Collide – Phil Gauthier and Eric Nevins appeared first on Eric Nevins.

  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, teaching, and having deep conversations are the things that fill Matt’s soul. He also enjoys hiking and skiing in one of the best parts of God's creation (the Colorado Rockies) with some of God's best people (his wife, Misty, and their two kids, Madison and Tanner). Stories Matt shared: How he found Jesus through Young Life Finding Spiritual formation and how that shaped him Hearing God’s call on a beach (John 21) Seminary and the head vs. heart issue Rediscovering his creative heart through graphic design Lectio divina as a spiritual formation tool and how to practice it Hitting the wall when his father was diagnosed wit

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 critic and observer of events and one of the best conversationalists in the world. To have a conversation with Rob means you’ll walk away smarter and with much to think about. Hope you enjoy his story and the conversation! Stories Rob shared: The missions trip God used to awaken a cross-cultural calling The clever way a neighbor shared Christ with Rob and his family What his experience of God’s speaking to him is like Examples of how the Spirit has led him in ministry The cross-cultural ministries that captivated he and his wife How Christ speaks into every culture The ways he tends to relate to God Why he thought

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 attitude about everything she does. As she describes that passion and how it relates to her ministry, you will be impressed and ready to hear more, too. Stories Sarah shared: How she stumbled on blogging and discovered her calling Her traditional Christian family upbringing and Christian school The mentor that changed how she thought of God’s calling in her life Waking up to the spiritual battle through a Bible study The water heater that nearly killed her What she learned from having to step away from her commitments How her husband serves her to enable her ministry Why helping Christian understand the Bible means

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 Rodney shared: The difficulty of his family life and why he gave up on God His literal mountain top experience when he started praying to a God he didn’t even believe in The snake that helped heal his relationship with his father Sharing the Gospel with his father and his conversion His daughter’s diagnosis with Turner Syndrome God’s provision for his daughter The trip to Cambodia that changed his heart for unreached people groups Great quotes from Rodney: I knew my life was changed. If this was true why wouldn’t I pour everything into it? I can honest say there are moments when I’ve been angry with God and I didn’t

Jimmy Jones is a youth worker to underserved children in Denver and Sheridan, CO. Today, Jimmy shares his heart and calling to serve those children. He traces his story from being one of those kids in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, being drawn to the Gospel, giving his life to Christ at camp, and embracing his call to minister to his neighborhood. Jimmy’s life proves the value of giving a little time to share the Gospel or to disciple a new believer is time well spent. Hope you are encouraged to offer what you’ve received through Jimmy’s story. Stories Jimmy shared: Growing up in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver The big rock he sat on at Camp Frontier where he gave his life to Christ Meeting his wife Andrea at Camp Elam Bill Glover, the man who discipled him Deciding to be the person who Moving to Texas and discovering a mission The vision that drove him to share the Gospel with kids in Dallas The part of the process that breaks Jimmy’s heart The success that said it was time to move back to D

Shane Blackshear is the host of two podcasts, Seminary Dropout and On Ramp. He is a former church planter and pastor who moved into secular work when he realized the job was done, and eventually started a blog and a podcast. He explains how he came up with the name Seminary Dropout, the amazing people he has been able to interview, and why he started a second show last year. Plus, we cover his journey as we go. Hope you enjoy! Stories Shane shared: Why he started a podcast about race with his friend Kerri Fisher How he came up with the name Seminary Dropout for his interview podcast The youth pastor whose teaching made the difference in his life The worst reason to start a church and why Shane did it anyway The audience he was able to reach and why he’s proud of that How he learned that poverty is more complicated that it looks The two points in his life when he had serious doubt Why he left the pastorate Why he started Seminary Dropout Great quotes from Shane: We see our own problems as being complex and h

Richard Jacobson of Unchurching shared the story about how unchurching became a theme in his life way back in episode 15. Now he’s creating an Unchurching comic book “to let Christians know they don’t have to go to church to be the church.” You can be part of it by joining the Kickstarter campaign to fund the book. Hurry because the campaign ends Monday, September 11, 2017 at noon CT. The post Support Richard Jacobson’s Unchurching Comic Book on Kickstarter appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Today, we revisit an episode with Doug Hazen who powerfully shared his experiences with God back in episodes #26 and 27. Doug shares how God revealed his goodness to him once again, the emotional work it took to understand evil from God's perspective, and how God led him to his current position in ministry. Please enjoy and share with a friend! Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. The post Replay: Doug Hazen on God’s Extravagant Love appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Halfway There is on summer hiatus but not without great content! This week is a replay of episode #34 with Quentin Banks who shared his story of serving jail time, finding and experiencing the love of Jesus in a miraculous way, a suicide attempt, and how he began to trust God even while he had more questions than answer. Please listen, share, and review us on iTunes! Thanks! Keep the faith! Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. The post Replay: Quentin Banks on Trusting God without All the Answers appeared first on Eric Nevins.

On episode #60 of Halfway There we are trying something new: a podswap! This episode originally appeared on The Godwatch Podcast as episode #20 but the host of that show, Phil Gauthier, was gracious enough to propose a swap of interviews and the winner is you because this conversation Phil has with Jason Kane is one of the more amazing conversion stories I’ve heard. God sometimes uses the things you wouldn’t expect to get our attention but if you listen carefully, you’ll see his handiwork all over Jason’s life. Hope you enjoy this one! Follow The Godwatch Podcast on Facebook, subscribe in iTunes, and check out Phil’s website. Let him know you heard him on Halfway There! Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. The post From Death to Life with God Watch Podcast’s Phil Gauthier and Jason Kane appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Tammy Helfrich is a coach, speaker, writer, and podcaster who shares her growing trust in God. Her podcast called Right Where You Are is an encouraging listen that should be added to your podcast rotation. Just jump over there and subscribe right now. Tammy shares stories that all seem to have one theme: trusting God with it all including her career, her family, and her current ministry. If you enjoyed Tammy’s story, you can connect to her on Twitter or Facebook, or her website. Stories Tammy shared: The feeling of God’s love she had from a very young age The disconnect she felt between her legalistic church and her understanding of God’s heart for her including the casket incident The people who shaped her: Group of women How Nicole Nordeman’s music filled her with hope by showing her other people who get God the way she did Meeting Nicole and sharing how God used her music to share Tammy and the amazing way that story reciprocated the ministry Her baptism and the moment that God nudged Tammy to stop figh

Billy Hallowell is a journalist who has appeared in places like the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, Fox News, and worked at TheBlaze.com for several years. Now, he is the senior editor at Faithwire.com. His most recent book Fault Line is about the cultural forces that shape our thinking and how to respond to them. Today he shares how Christians can build bridges to culture using a little kindness and some good stories. Stories Billy shared: What he has learned about navigating differences with people who disagree with you His latest book Fault Line: How a Seismic Shift in Culture Is Threatening Free Speech and Shaping the Next Generation (affiliate links) Why the Church needs to embrace even the unpretty stories Choosing Christ in New York City in his senior year of college What it’s like as a Christian conservative to work with liberal outlets How stories help him deal with the his questions for God Why he wrote Fault Line and how he hopes it challenges the Church to not abandon cultural engagement G

Today’s guest is Michael T. Cooper, president and CEO of International Needs, an organization whose vision is to “transform lives and change communities by helping Christians serve both God and neighbor within their own countries.” He shares the story of how he came to Christ at a student event, the ministry that God led him into ministry planting churches in Eastern Europe, and people who invested in him. Stories Michael shared: Growing up in a nominally Christian family. Girls, Beer, and Fighting How he came to Christ at a student venture event from Campus Crusade and going to the old hangout to share with his friends Leading within Campus Crusade to Poland with his future wife The guy who invested in Michael: Bud Hinkson – The Apostle  Paul of the 20th Century Why he flushed money down the toilet The legacy of Bud The questions he asks of God Why haven’t we reached the world yet? 1 Corinthians 2:9 Great quotes from Michael: Jesus is for everybody. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in

Rebecca Lemke is a 21 year-old housewife, mom, and author about her experiences in what’s known as “Purity Culture.” We talk about how the strict legalism of some people around her almost overshadowed the grace preached at her own church, how God brought the right people into her life to give her a better understanding, and why she wrote a book about the experience. You can get her book The Scarlet Virgins: When Sex Replaces Salvation at Amazon (affiliate link). Stories Rebecca shared: How Purity Culture came about The Lutheran church she great up in and how it shaped her faith including her confirmation How isolation and spiritual darkness almost led her to suicide Her pastor’s surprising response to the deep questions she was asking The first time she like a boy, a love note, and her first exposure to purity culture Appropriate use of the Bible in forming theological opinions How her husband shared some good exegesis that began to change her mind The pastor who invested in her and change her worldview Gre

In today’s short episode, I share my review of a book that changed how I think about engaging the culture. The book was A Free People’s Suicide by Os Guinness. Have fun celebrating independence and freedom! And think about how you can promote each in the coming year. The post Happy Independence Day! appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Ever since I first read Richard Foster’s book called Prayer and learned that there were many different ways to pray and connect with God and not just the intercessory approach my evangelical church practiced, I’ve thought that it’s valuable to learn about those other methods. Today’s guest is Rich Lewis who blogs teaches about centering prayer at Silence Teaches. He shares how he discovered the contemplative practice called centering prayer, how he goes about it every day and what the benefits are in his life. Some of the stories Rich shared with us: Growing up in Pennsylvania and the spiritual climate of his childhood How leading a small church and leading the youth group helped him grow The family issue that moved him to quit his job and led to a dark night of the soul The books about Christian mysticism that changed his life His daily prayer routine including using a prayer rope and a lectio divina A how to on centering prayer Sit comfortably Choose a word to focus on (i.e. love, peace, joy) Close your ey

Mike Sares is a pastor and author at Denver’s Scum of the Earth church. Today, he shares how he became the founding pastor of Scum, the unique ways God has spoken to him, and why risk and art are so important to the church, even today. This is an episode you won’t want to miss. Get Mike’s book detailing his story, God’s work in his life, and the challenges of his unique ministry. Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained and the Grace of God Stories Mike shared: How he came to Christ after high school The unique way he heard from God to ask his wife to marry him The frustrating period of time when he tried to get into full time ministry How Scum of the Earth started including the Five Iron Frenzy crowd The risky decision to let a poet use the F-bomb during a Christmas Eve service Why we have to take risks for evangelism Why art is so important for society including the Church Great quotes from Mike: God does not give these supernatural experiences capriciously. Usually it’s because we’re going to need one.

Trevor Kapralos is a nurse in the Washington DC area. I met him through another Halfway There guest (and good friend) Rob Karch. That’s appropriate because if there’s a theme in Trevor’s life it’s the power of Christian community for living this life of faith together. Trevor the power of Christian community in the following stories: The unusual assignment to cover a Belarussian church in Uttica, NY (10:45) The amazing background of the church and the powerful way God brought them to the United States (16:40) The story of Tatiana and her powerful faith (18:32) The Christian community in Seattle (27:15) Why he changed careers and enjoys nursing (34:58) The power of community in his life (50:36) Great Quotes: The newspaper gave multiple pages, it ran over multiple days and it was pretty well received but the impact was personal for me and for my wife. You are not the first person to go through this, nor the last. I don’t know where we would be without community. Mentioned links: Keith Giles Denver Area event

Paul Sohn is an author, public speaker, and coach who works with millennials to answer life’s biggest questions. He recently founded Qara, an organization dedicated to providing resources for those in the formative adult years, the 20s. His book, Quarter-Life Calling: Pursuing Your God-Given Purpose in Your Twenties, helps guide young people through confusion into the purpose God has for them. But how did Paul get here? We talk about that and so much more: Paul’s shares how his family’s life was changed when Bill Graham came to Korea in 1972 and his father gave his life to Christ. Paul grew up in a Christian family and finally committed his own life to Christ at age 14 and his faith personal when he decided to study abroad in Vancouver at a Christian school. (5:49) How he overcame being a people pleaser. (12:45) The time he quit the job he should have been comfortable in and the amazing way God provided as a result. (19:05) His passion for helping others find their purpose. (26:40) The realization that pursu