1 00:00:08,257 --> 00:00:09,696 Speaker 1: Life audio. 2 00:00:11,137 --> 00:00:14,537 Speaker 2: Find inspiration as close as your phone. Download the Jesus 3 00:00:14,576 --> 00:00:16,697 Speaker 2: Calling app and get started today for free. 4 00:00:17,097 --> 00:00:19,337 Speaker 3: Look for the Jesus Calling app in both the Apple 5 00:00:19,497 --> 00:00:31,097 Speaker 3: and Google Play stores. Hi, Welcome to Jesus Listen Stories 6 00:00:31,137 --> 00:00:34,617 Speaker 3: of Prayer. I'm Susie McIntyre Eaton, and I want to 7 00:00:34,657 --> 00:00:37,217 Speaker 3: welcome you to the podcast today where we're going to 8 00:00:37,297 --> 00:00:42,257 Speaker 3: speak to author poet Tanner Olson. He and his wife 9 00:00:42,336 --> 00:00:47,137 Speaker 3: Sarah have a wonderful story, first of infertility and then 10 00:00:47,617 --> 00:00:52,857 Speaker 3: out of those ashes came complete joy and hope in adoption. 11 00:00:53,897 --> 00:00:56,817 Speaker 3: Hey Tanner, it's really good to talk to you today. 12 00:00:57,057 --> 00:00:58,777 Speaker 3: Now where are you? Where do you live? 13 00:00:59,137 --> 00:01:03,057 Speaker 2: Nashville, Tennessee. Every summer we go to northern Michigan for 14 00:01:03,177 --> 00:01:06,137 Speaker 2: my wife's job, so we leave Nashville for the three months. 15 00:01:06,177 --> 00:01:08,777 Speaker 2: So we have some people staying in our house this summer, 16 00:01:08,817 --> 00:01:11,457 Speaker 2: so we're packing everything up and heading out in a 17 00:01:11,457 --> 00:01:14,617 Speaker 2: couple of days. So it's a lot's going on here. 18 00:01:14,817 --> 00:01:18,337 Speaker 3: We have our moments of awesome here on this eart. 19 00:01:18,617 --> 00:01:22,497 Speaker 3: You had an awesome morning, but then there are hard times. 20 00:01:22,697 --> 00:01:24,937 Speaker 3: You're going to have to get that stuff cleaned out 21 00:01:24,977 --> 00:01:27,777 Speaker 3: of your house and put away, you know, for three 22 00:01:27,817 --> 00:01:30,697 Speaker 3: months and move to Michigan. And that's going to be hard. 23 00:01:31,297 --> 00:01:33,457 Speaker 3: But in the midst of it, you've got a God 24 00:01:33,537 --> 00:01:34,577 Speaker 3: that's walking with you. 25 00:01:35,137 --> 00:01:38,777 Speaker 2: Yeah. So back in twenty twenty one, my wife and 26 00:01:38,857 --> 00:01:42,577 Speaker 2: I we were diagnosed with unexplained infertility, and as you 27 00:01:42,617 --> 00:01:46,017 Speaker 2: can imagine, that's when a lot of grief and frustration 28 00:01:46,537 --> 00:01:50,577 Speaker 2: and just a lot of uncertainty entered into our story. 29 00:01:50,617 --> 00:01:52,617 Speaker 2: And so we spent a lot of time asking God 30 00:01:52,697 --> 00:01:55,337 Speaker 2: how and why. And during this time, you know, a 31 00:01:55,337 --> 00:01:57,897 Speaker 2: lot of our friends were also having kids. They were 32 00:01:57,937 --> 00:02:00,177 Speaker 2: getting pregnant every time we got on social media, which 33 00:02:00,217 --> 00:02:02,337 Speaker 2: is a dangerous thing to do, but anytime we got 34 00:02:02,337 --> 00:02:04,497 Speaker 2: on social media, it was it was a new announcement 35 00:02:04,537 --> 00:02:08,017 Speaker 2: that somebody was having another kid. And after we got 36 00:02:08,056 --> 00:02:10,537 Speaker 2: done asking God how and why, we eventually started praying 37 00:02:10,577 --> 00:02:13,457 Speaker 2: what's next, and we were led to adoption, and so 38 00:02:13,496 --> 00:02:16,417 Speaker 2: we began the adoption process. And during that time, I was, 39 00:02:16,497 --> 00:02:18,697 Speaker 2: you know, I was writing, Like I am a writer 40 00:02:18,777 --> 00:02:20,417 Speaker 2: by trade, this is what I get to do. So 41 00:02:20,697 --> 00:02:22,857 Speaker 2: I sat down and I would write and write and write. 42 00:02:22,857 --> 00:02:24,737 Speaker 2: And mostly when I sat down to write, it was 43 00:02:24,897 --> 00:02:29,937 Speaker 2: poetry or essays or thoughts and self reflections. But one day, 44 00:02:29,937 --> 00:02:32,817 Speaker 2: I started writing a children's book about a little girl 45 00:02:32,857 --> 00:02:36,177 Speaker 2: who begins to pray all by herself, and we signed 46 00:02:36,217 --> 00:02:39,697 Speaker 2: the book contract for it in August of twenty twenty three. 47 00:02:40,937 --> 00:02:44,697 Speaker 2: On Sunday, November fifth, we received a phone call that 48 00:02:44,737 --> 00:02:47,817 Speaker 2: we had been chosen to be parents. Our son was 49 00:02:47,857 --> 00:02:50,937 Speaker 2: born that night, and he came home two days later. 50 00:02:51,537 --> 00:02:53,776 Speaker 2: Back in twenty twenty one, and I'm still learning today 51 00:02:53,817 --> 00:02:56,937 Speaker 2: is you're able to hold more than one emotion at 52 00:02:56,937 --> 00:03:00,457 Speaker 2: the same time. So even while I was angry, I 53 00:03:00,617 --> 00:03:03,897 Speaker 2: was still hopeful. Even while I was frustrated, I was 54 00:03:03,937 --> 00:03:07,777 Speaker 2: still trusting. Even when I was broken hearted, I was 55 00:03:08,177 --> 00:03:11,737 Speaker 2: still I was still hopeful. And now that we get 56 00:03:11,777 --> 00:03:14,137 Speaker 2: to be a parent, it is just it is a 57 00:03:14,137 --> 00:03:14,776 Speaker 2: true joy. 58 00:03:14,977 --> 00:03:17,977 Speaker 3: My husband's a pastor. He spoke the other day at 59 00:03:18,097 --> 00:03:20,977 Speaker 3: church and he said, we might as well expect life 60 00:03:21,057 --> 00:03:25,257 Speaker 3: to be hard, and then in those great moments, we 61 00:03:25,857 --> 00:03:29,937 Speaker 3: are going to just jump for joy because life is hard. 62 00:03:30,417 --> 00:03:33,737 Speaker 3: But if we go out the door thinking everything's going 63 00:03:33,777 --> 00:03:36,377 Speaker 3: to work fine for us today and the first thing 64 00:03:36,457 --> 00:03:40,177 Speaker 3: we do is have a flat tire, we crumple. We 65 00:03:40,257 --> 00:03:46,457 Speaker 3: absolutely crumple. So in these times of somebody's out there today, 66 00:03:46,777 --> 00:03:50,217 Speaker 3: wondering why God hasn't blessed them with a child, and 67 00:03:51,057 --> 00:03:53,817 Speaker 3: it's he may do it another way. 68 00:03:54,257 --> 00:03:57,297 Speaker 2: And I want to share with people like, it is 69 00:03:57,377 --> 00:03:59,537 Speaker 2: okay that life has not gone the way that you 70 00:03:59,617 --> 00:04:03,377 Speaker 2: thought it was going to go. Beautiful things are still happening. 71 00:04:03,777 --> 00:04:06,817 Speaker 2: God has not forgotten you. You are still seen. But 72 00:04:06,817 --> 00:04:08,537 Speaker 2: I also at the same time, I want to tell like, 73 00:04:08,577 --> 00:04:11,057 Speaker 2: it is very hard. It is hard, and it is real, 74 00:04:11,137 --> 00:04:13,577 Speaker 2: and you are allowed to feel the way that you do. 75 00:04:14,377 --> 00:04:16,296 Speaker 2: It is like, do you do not have to skip 76 00:04:16,337 --> 00:04:18,017 Speaker 2: to the part where we say God is good all 77 00:04:18,017 --> 00:04:20,337 Speaker 2: the time? We know that God is good all the time, 78 00:04:20,377 --> 00:04:23,376 Speaker 2: but sometimes the time that we are in is not good. 79 00:04:24,017 --> 00:04:26,456 Speaker 2: God can still be good and life can be really 80 00:04:26,496 --> 00:04:29,176 Speaker 2: really hard, and it's important for us not to just 81 00:04:29,337 --> 00:04:32,057 Speaker 2: skip to being like, Oh, it's okay, Everything's going to 82 00:04:32,097 --> 00:04:34,616 Speaker 2: be okay. I'm a firm believer. If you read through 83 00:04:34,616 --> 00:04:36,777 Speaker 2: my work, I will tell you time and time again 84 00:04:36,856 --> 00:04:39,176 Speaker 2: that everything is going to be okay. But I'm only 85 00:04:39,176 --> 00:04:41,736 Speaker 2: telling you that everything is going to be okay because 86 00:04:41,736 --> 00:04:44,817 Speaker 2: I know that the story ends with everything being okay. 87 00:04:45,496 --> 00:04:47,337 Speaker 2: That is, I'm not saying that everything is going to 88 00:04:47,416 --> 00:04:51,897 Speaker 2: be okay today tomorrow. But one day, right, one day, 89 00:04:52,376 --> 00:04:53,816 Speaker 2: everything will be okay. 90 00:04:54,296 --> 00:04:57,736 Speaker 3: In all of this, out of the ashes came a 91 00:04:57,777 --> 00:05:01,817 Speaker 3: wonderful blessing. I mean, you started this book during this 92 00:05:01,897 --> 00:05:06,217 Speaker 3: hard time, and you you say you wrote the book 93 00:05:06,296 --> 00:05:09,056 Speaker 3: for all the kids who called you mister Tanner and 94 00:05:09,257 --> 00:05:14,456 Speaker 3: Uncle Tanner, those who are those honorary children that you. 95 00:05:14,616 --> 00:05:17,176 Speaker 2: Oh, I do remember I started writing this book. We 96 00:05:17,257 --> 00:05:21,016 Speaker 2: have some dear friends and they were in South Africa 97 00:05:21,056 --> 00:05:25,897 Speaker 2: adopting their daughter, Nolita, and so I started writing this 98 00:05:25,936 --> 00:05:29,296 Speaker 2: book really with her in mind of thinking, what is 99 00:05:29,337 --> 00:05:32,377 Speaker 2: something that I want to share with her one day? 100 00:05:32,416 --> 00:05:35,457 Speaker 2: What's something that my friends, their kids call me mister 101 00:05:35,496 --> 00:05:38,497 Speaker 2: Tanner or Uncle Tanner, or my brother's kids they call 102 00:05:38,537 --> 00:05:40,537 Speaker 2: me Uncle Tanner? Like, what is the thing that I 103 00:05:40,616 --> 00:05:43,217 Speaker 2: want to share with them? And it all comes back to, 104 00:05:43,416 --> 00:05:45,056 Speaker 2: like I want to share them about the power and 105 00:05:45,097 --> 00:05:47,856 Speaker 2: the beauty of prayer, because, like we just said, life 106 00:05:47,897 --> 00:05:51,097 Speaker 2: is hard. Right now, they see life as this beautiful 107 00:05:51,137 --> 00:05:54,017 Speaker 2: and wonderful thing. But I know one day life's going 108 00:05:54,097 --> 00:05:58,976 Speaker 2: to get real difficult, real hard. And if they start 109 00:05:58,976 --> 00:06:01,657 Speaker 2: reading this book or other books about prayer and they 110 00:06:01,777 --> 00:06:08,097 Speaker 2: understand how beautiful and foundational and powerful prayer is at 111 00:06:08,137 --> 00:06:11,976 Speaker 2: a young age. How much will that change the rest 112 00:06:12,296 --> 00:06:13,457 Speaker 2: of their lives? 113 00:06:13,897 --> 00:06:16,856 Speaker 3: Awesome? Awesome, that's going to be a number one Christmas 114 00:06:16,976 --> 00:06:19,616 Speaker 3: Birthday gift for me to get to my kids. So 115 00:06:20,097 --> 00:06:23,217 Speaker 3: I hope. So, yes, sir, Yes, sir, thank you so 116 00:06:23,337 --> 00:06:27,856 Speaker 3: much for being on today. We usually wrap things up 117 00:06:27,897 --> 00:06:32,496 Speaker 3: with Jesus. Listens, I'd like to pray for you, and 118 00:06:32,577 --> 00:06:36,777 Speaker 3: as I read this, it would be awesome if you 119 00:06:36,856 --> 00:06:41,057 Speaker 3: pray long, my King. Your thoughts are not my thoughts, 120 00:06:41,457 --> 00:06:45,056 Speaker 3: neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are 121 00:06:45,137 --> 00:06:48,657 Speaker 3: higher than the earth, so are your ways and thoughts 122 00:06:48,697 --> 00:06:52,216 Speaker 3: higher than mine. Help me to rejoice as I ponder 123 00:06:52,296 --> 00:06:55,256 Speaker 3: how great you are. I marvel at the wonder of 124 00:06:55,296 --> 00:06:59,537 Speaker 3: being able to commune with you, the King of the Universe, anytime, 125 00:06:59,816 --> 00:07:04,377 Speaker 3: in any place. Please don't ever take this amazing prayer 126 00:07:04,496 --> 00:07:08,456 Speaker 3: privilege for granted, even though you are infinitely higher and 127 00:07:08,496 --> 00:07:12,217 Speaker 3: greater than I am. Your training me to think your thoughts. 128 00:07:12,617 --> 00:07:15,816 Speaker 3: As I spend time in your presence, reading your word 129 00:07:15,937 --> 00:07:20,097 Speaker 3: and praying, your thoughts gradually form in my mind. I 130 00:07:20,177 --> 00:07:24,256 Speaker 3: realize your spirit is the director of this process. He 131 00:07:24,377 --> 00:07:27,497 Speaker 3: guides my mind while I'm waiting in your presence, making 132 00:07:27,577 --> 00:07:32,137 Speaker 3: plans or mulling over problems. Sometimes he brings specific Bible 133 00:07:32,217 --> 00:07:36,817 Speaker 3: verses to mind just when I need them. These communications 134 00:07:36,816 --> 00:07:39,857 Speaker 3: strengthen me and prepare me for whatever is before me 135 00:07:39,977 --> 00:07:43,377 Speaker 3: on my life path. Lord, spending time with you has 136 00:07:43,417 --> 00:07:46,537 Speaker 3: blessed me far more than I dared to ask or 137 00:07:46,617 --> 00:07:52,816 Speaker 3: even imagine. In your majestic name, Jesus, Amen, we're so 138 00:07:52,937 --> 00:07:56,577 Speaker 3: glad you joined us today on Jesus' Listen stories of Prayer. 139 00:07:56,617 --> 00:07:59,337 Speaker 3: I told you you'd like Tanner. I wish I could 140 00:07:59,377 --> 00:08:01,896 Speaker 3: meet his wife Sarah as well, and hug on that 141 00:08:02,017 --> 00:08:05,897 Speaker 3: little boy named Judah. What a happy little family that 142 00:08:05,937 --> 00:08:10,857 Speaker 3: they are. Listen to me, keep your eyes focused on Jesus. 143 00:08:11,257 --> 00:08:15,136 Speaker 3: If you're dealing what they were dealing with in twenty 144 00:08:15,297 --> 00:08:19,696 Speaker 3: twenty one, Stay steadfast, stay in prayer, keep your eyes 145 00:08:19,737 --> 00:08:23,297 Speaker 3: on Jesus, and that no matter what happens, it's going 146 00:08:23,377 --> 00:08:26,456 Speaker 3: to be okay. We'll be back with another guest and 147 00:08:26,537 --> 00:08:30,696 Speaker 3: another episode, But until then, remember Jesus hears you, he 148 00:08:30,857 --> 00:08:34,256 Speaker 3: cares for you, and he is just a prayer away. 149 00:08:34,577 --> 00:08:35,657 Speaker 3: We'll see you next time. 150 00:08:43,057 --> 00:08:45,897 Speaker 1: Be sure to follow us on social media and on 151 00:08:45,977 --> 00:08:48,897 Speaker 1: the Jesus Calling podcast on Apple or wherever you get 152 00:08:48,937 --> 00:08:51,457 Speaker 1: your podcasts so that you can keep up with our 153 00:08:51,457 --> 00:08:54,777 Speaker 1: weekly audio episodes and special monthly series like this one, 154 00:08:55,257 --> 00:08:57,777 Speaker 1: and be sure to subscribe to the Jesus Calling channel 155 00:08:57,857 --> 00:09:01,377 Speaker 1: on YouTube, where you'll find the video version of this interview. 156 00:09:01,737 --> 00:09:02,497 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.