Maybe God With Eric Huffman

Host Eric Huffman asks the Maybe God family for help with an urgent Christmas wish.

The Maybe God Podcast team recently sat down with Greg and Gaebri Kelley, featured on the recent Showtime docu-series "Outcry", to share one of the most chilling and troubling cases of wrongful accusation you’ll ever hear. It’s the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching story of two young people in love who fought for justice against all odds, and found God along the way. For more of Greg & Gaebri's story, visit sho.com/outcry to stream the entire docu-series.

Randy Travis overcame all odds to become a country music legend, but few people know the whole story. After surviving an abusive childhood and struggling to stay sober and out of trouble as a young man, Randy's determined work ethic and signature baritone voice propelled his meteoric rise to superstardom. In the years that followed, however, his life slowly fell apart, and in 2013, he suffered a stroke that took away his ability to speak, sing, and walk. On this episode, we ask Randy and Mary Travis how it's possible to keep trusting God when your life feels like a country music song. 

Maybe God host Eric Huffman sits down with seven people of color who are members of his church for a frank conversation about what it's like being black or brown in a predominantly white congregation. 

In the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others, the flames of rage engulfed our national conscience. Some of the anger was righteous indignation fueled by a genuine longing for justice; some of it was violent, opportunistic, and even deadly. Where do we go from here? Are we ready to deal with systemic racism? Should we "dismantle whiteness"? For those of us trying to follow Jesus, what is the Christian response to racism? We tackle all these questions and more with the help of Dr. Esau McCaulley, author of the new book "Reading While Black," as well as a Texas couple with a truly unique perspective on recent events in our country.

As tensions continue to rise over race in America, Eric Huffman revisits a conversation from season one with author, pastor, and humanitarian Rudy Rasmus about baptizing Beyonce, pledging allegiance to the flag, and being Black and Christian in Trump's America. With a potent blend of grace and brutal honesty, Rudy reminds Eric of his responsibility to speak out about racism and white supremacy - a reminder that we all need to hear.

Has a global pandemic been a welcomed break from the busyness of everyday life? Over the years, we've warned people about the intoxicating nature of money, sex, pride, anxiety, and shame, but we've failed to alert people to the most popular gateway drug of our time: busyness. Pastor and author of "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" John Mark Comer warns that constant distraction and hurry are the greatest threats to our spiritual and emotional health. According to John Mark, hurry is incompatible with love, and if God is love, hurry prevents God from truly transforming our souls. Eric and John Mark suggest that this COVID-19 moment could be our best chance to declare independence from the soul-sucking busyness we sold-out to years ago, and they offer simple, practical ways to reject chronic busyness and to embrace real life and real love.

What do you do when you can't feel God in the struggle? What do you say when no words can heal what's broken? On Maybe God, we start by listening to each other's stories. For this first episode of Season 4, host Eric Huffman cold-calls listeners from all over the world to find out how they're coping with the fallout from COVID-19. He expects to hear voices trembling with uncertainty and fear; what he encounters, however, are people full of faith, hope, and love. Each person has a story to tell about how the pain from their past prepared them to find peace in the present. Through their stories of resilience, we can hear the voice of God.  

Host Eric Huffman looks back at Season 3 and invites Maybe God listeners to the biggest Maybe God LIVE event yet on September 15, 2019 in Houston.  

As the crisis intensifies along the southern border, scoring political points is easier than getting to the heart of the matter. Some say the US has a moral obligation to receive all refugees; many others, including 68% of white evangelicals, insist we have no responsibility to receive any refugees at all. But what if we're looking at this crisis from the wrong point of view? By giving migrants a platform to share their powerful stories of faith, this episode compels us all to walk a mile (or 2,000) in their shoes. When we take the time to listen, their faith will change our hearts, and when all our hearts are changed, we'll change the world together.   *Please support Pastor John Garland’s work with the refugee community in San Antonio by visiting semillascommunity.org today, and go to maybegodpod.com to sign up for exclusive updates.

Since 2014, the number of migrants crossing the border has skyrocketed, leading to the highly politicized border crisis we've seen in the news. In debates like this one, we’re so quick to point out who the villains are and what the solutions are that we forget to answer the most important questions: Where is God in this crisis? What does He want us to learn from it? What does He want us to do about it?  On this episode, the Maybe God team travels to El Paso to search for God’s voice in voices the asylum-seekers and their allies. 

Maybe God host and Story Houston pastor Eric Huffman tackles some of the biggest questions and doubts we have about prayer: Why do so many of our prayers appear to go unanswered? And why does it so often take so long for Him to act?

Even as our culture grows more cynical toward monogamy and marriage, the overwhelming majority of young Americans still hope to find The One and get hitched. Deep down, we still believe in life-altering, breathtaking, rapturous love. But what if the love we're searching for isn't the kind of love we really need? On this episode, a young woman shares the story of how one man's love changed her life forever in the most unexpected way. Their love story left us wondering if we've lost the plot when it comes to dating and relationships. What if the love we need isn't necessarily romantic or sexual? Maybe there is something better than mere marriage for singles in search of love.

Most of us grew up being told that one day we’ll find The One, get married, have babies, and grow old together. It’s a formula that seems to have served past generations well, so as we came of age, the search was on. And we liked our chances because, thanks to dating apps like Tinder, we have more options at our fingertips than any generation before us. Still, fewer young adults than ever are walking the aisle, and for the first time in America’s history, single adults outnumber married ones. On this episode, we explore the wild world of online dating, which empowers singles to accept or reject hundreds of potential mates an hour without ever really seeing them, and we ask the question: with all these choices, why aren’t more people finding The One? Featured guests include Gossip Girl actress Zuzanna Szadkowski and world-famous psychologist Barry Schwartz.  

What’s the first thing you do when you see a flaw in the mirror? You look for a way to conceal it. Hide it. Cover it up. Either with cosmetics or wardrobe tricks, the idea is to mask the imperfection. What if the same principle applies to our minds? On this episode, renowned psychiatrist and author of The Soul of Shame Dr. Curt Thompson explains what’s happening in our brains when we spend our entire lives concealing who we really are, and how we can unroot the shame that’s holding us back from leading healthy lives. Eric and Julie also admit their own battles with shame, past and present.

To mark the one-year anniversary of Casey Smith's death, Eric Huffman reminds us what this heartbreaking story teaches us about God, family, the importance of saying “I love you,” and walking with your brother. Listen to Maybe God's most-downloaded episode from season one. 

Please note: this episode contains content that is not suitable for young audiences. As the United Methodist Church stands at an impasse in the decades-old debate over the marriage and ordination of LGBTQ people, a split appears unavoidable. Conservatives accuse liberals of disrespecting the Bible; liberals suggest conservatives are on par with slave-owners and misogynists. At times like this, maybe we don't need better arguments or stronger doctrine; maybe we need more stories. On this episode, former anti-Christian gay activist David Bennett, author of A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Following Jesus, shares the shocking story of his conversion to Christianity. Maybe God host Eric Huffman reveals, for the first time, his views on homosexuality and the Bible. Also, the remarkable story of Aimee, a member of The Story Houston, that producers didn't see coming.  

LGBTQ rights have taken center stage in the struggle over the future of America's second-largest Protestant denomination. Heading into this month's Special Session of the General Conference to vote on the marriage and ordination of queer people, conservative and liberal United Methodists have reached a stalemate. Can unity prevail, or is it time, after 40 years of debate, to split up? On this episode, Maybe God host and pastor Eric Huffman sits down with some of the key players on all sides of the debate, including the church's first openly-gay, married bishop, Karen Oliveto, the founder of the largest United Methodist church in the world, Rev. Adam Hamilton, and a leader of the conservative side, Rev. Rob Renfroe.  

What is a miracle? Is it simply an answered prayer? A supernatural phenomenon? Or is there another way to understand the miraculous in our midst? Maybe God host Eric Huffman explores these questions with two women who both say they witnessed a miracle, even though their "miracle stories" had very different outcomes. One of these women is rising Nashville star Alisa Turner. Hear how her story inspired her new hit song, Miracles.   MUSIC CREDITS: "My Prayer For You" & "Miracles" From the Integrity Music release, Miracle Or Not featuring Alisa Turner All rights reserved. Used by permission.  

Do you value happiness above joy? Are you stuck in a season that's left you feeling ungrateful? On this minisode, Maybe God host and Story Houston pastor Eric Huffman reveals the power of chasing joy over happiness. The message he delivers to a room full of Houstonians during the busy holiday season applies to every one of us, any time of year.