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Speaker 1: Life audio find inspiration as close as your phone. Download

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Speaker 1: the Jesus Calling app and get started today for free.

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Speaker 1: Look for the Jesus Calling app in both the Apple

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Speaker 1: and Google Play stores.

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Speaker 2: I think it's the one calling that we sometimes forget

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Speaker 2: as humans, is we are called to support well each other.

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Speaker 2: And I also think we have a God of support,

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Speaker 2: a God that loves and that cares, and that when

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Speaker 2: we're at our lowest, doesn't want us to live at

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Speaker 2: our lowest, that wants to lift us up from the

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Speaker 2: ashes and say go and be fruitful, and be joyful,

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Speaker 2: and go and share with others.

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Speaker 3: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. This week, we welcome

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Speaker 3: Ben Higgins back to the show. Entrepreneur, author, and former

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Speaker 3: star of the Bachelor who has turned public fame into

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Speaker 3: a platform for authentic connection. Ben shares why true connection

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Speaker 3: can't be found through screens or status, but through honest

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Speaker 3: conversation and shared life with others. Later in the episode,

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Speaker 3: we'll hear from Nashville singer songwriter Jamie McDonald from growing

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Speaker 3: up in a home where singing wasn't allowed, to standing

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Speaker 3: on stage is sharing songs of hope. Jamie's story is

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Speaker 3: a powerful reminder that some voices are too full of

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Speaker 3: light to stay silent. Let's begin with Ben's story.

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Speaker 2: Well, my name is Ben Higgins, live in Denver, Colorado

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Speaker 2: with my wonderful wife and seven month old baby girl,

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Speaker 2: Wide Nona, and our dog Whalen. People probably best know

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Speaker 2: me from my time on the Bachelor, but since then

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Speaker 2: I've been running a coffee company called Generous Coffee for

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Speaker 2: the last eight years, and then also am the author

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Speaker 2: of a lone and plain site. It's a book I'm

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Speaker 2: connecting with others. It's about hopefully learning the struggles that

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Speaker 2: others go through, and also the desire for us to

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Speaker 2: connect with each other. My idea of love and connection

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Speaker 2: has grown and shifted and is shifting all the time.

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Speaker 2: But there's a few things for me that have stayed

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Speaker 2: concrete and have stayed the whole time. One is I'm

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Speaker 2: continually reminded that we are not made to do this

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Speaker 2: life alone.

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Speaker 4: We are not.

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Speaker 2: Designed or created or intentioned to do life alone. Seven

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Speaker 2: months ago, when Winona was born, I think one of

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Speaker 2: the key factors for me was I and I think

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Speaker 2: my wife as well, wanted to surround her with people

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Speaker 2: who we knew would love her, who would care for

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Speaker 2: her like we do, and then also help grow her

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Speaker 2: because as a parent, I think you quickly realized, yes,

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Speaker 2: you can do a lot, and you are very important

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Speaker 2: in this child's life, but you also need the support

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Speaker 2: of others and their influences. And so I think here

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Speaker 2: the biggest thing that shifted for me is really my

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Speaker 2: desire to reach out, to be intentioned with people who

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Speaker 2: I trust and who I love and who I know

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Speaker 2: love us, and ask them for help, and clearly ask

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Speaker 2: them for help, because their help is needed right now

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Speaker 2: more than ever. When I originally came off the lode,

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Speaker 2: in plain sight, felt like this whole new hyperconnectivity social

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Speaker 2: media boom was fairly still new. It doesn't feel as

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Speaker 2: new anymore. It feels very entrenched into so many of

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Speaker 2: our lives. And now it's only increasing with the uses

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Speaker 2: of AI and the ability to speak to a computer

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Speaker 2: and ask them questions about their day and they ask

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Speaker 2: you questions about your day, and to almost feel like

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Speaker 2: you have a friendship with a robot on the other side,

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Speaker 2: I think it's only speeding up, and yet the rates

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Speaker 2: for loneliness and the symptoms of loneliness and isolation are

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Speaker 2: more than ever. I can FaceTime my family that's thousand

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Speaker 2: miles away and show them when he's playing, or talk

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Speaker 2: to them about our day. And that's amazing, and it

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Speaker 2: is a resource that I love and that I do

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Speaker 2: think helps build a bond. However, I think we're seeing

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Speaker 2: that even with all that access, there's still this piece

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Speaker 2: of our heart that screams out to sit beside somebody else,

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Speaker 2: to look somebody else in the eye, to ask them

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Speaker 2: the questions that actually matter, not just about the sporting

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Speaker 2: event and not just about their workday, but ask them

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Speaker 2: about their pains and their sorrows and their joys and

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Speaker 2: their successes, and sit and listen in those moments. I

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Speaker 2: think we're seeing that even when everything's handed to us,

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Speaker 2: there's still something missing. And I think that thing missing

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Speaker 2: is the thing we've pushed away, which is the connection

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Speaker 2: to humans face to face. You know, one of the

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Speaker 2: truth to social media today is the ability to start

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Speaker 2: and stop. You can start and stop at any moment.

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Speaker 2: You can retake twenty times to make sure that your

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Speaker 2: smile looks good, that your one eye is not going lazy,

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Speaker 2: that your hair is done, that you didn't stumble or

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Speaker 2: fumble over your words, that you spoke with a level

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Speaker 2: of confidence. The ability to start and stop is something

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Speaker 2: that is a truth to social media. It's not a

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Speaker 2: truth to our real life. And I think if you

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Speaker 2: want to really get to know somebody, if you really

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Speaker 2: want for somebody to get to know you, you have to

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Speaker 2: let them see the stop moments of your life. You

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Speaker 2: have to be able to sit with them in their

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Speaker 2: roughest seasons and also their most joyous seasons, and celebrate

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Speaker 2: when joy is at the table, and also mourn with

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Speaker 2: them when maybe mourning is necessary. Life doesn't give us

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Speaker 2: the gift of hiding out when pain is at the

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Speaker 2: forefront of our experience. I think we've all learned when

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Speaker 2: pain is a part of our life, sitting alone in

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Speaker 2: that is not the most healing. It is getting with

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Speaker 2: people who can relate. It is speaking to professionals who

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Speaker 2: can process. It is getting around friendships who can love

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Speaker 2: on you, getting around family who can give you a hug.

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Speaker 2: I think people still feel lonely. I think they still

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Speaker 2: feel isolated. I think those things are still true. But

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Speaker 2: now when I speak about human connection, divisiveness is a

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Speaker 2: word that's thrown in there, and I agree. I think

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Speaker 2: we are divisive I think people are having a hard

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Speaker 2: time figuring out where to put what maybe tribe they're

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Speaker 2: a part of, what tribe they're not a part of,

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Speaker 2: or what sides to pick on certain topics, And I

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Speaker 2: think it gets chaotic and confusing, and then there's anger

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Speaker 2: because I think we're all frustrated. I think we're frustrated

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Speaker 2: because there's a lack of knowledge. I think we're frustrated

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Speaker 2: because there's a lack of listening. I think we're frustrated

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Speaker 2: because the world isn't working out, and maybe the way

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Speaker 2: as young children we were taught it was going to

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Speaker 2: work out, and we're all starting to come face to

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Speaker 2: face with that. And we're divisive because in a sense,

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Speaker 2: we're panicked the pendulum swings right now. We feel like

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Speaker 2: we're in this very divisive time. I'm hopeful to believe

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Speaker 2: and maybe just naively optimistic to believe that the pendulum

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Speaker 2: will swing back to where we can actually converse again

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Speaker 2: and where we can actually argue again in a healthy

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Speaker 2: way and come do some type of agreements and some

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Speaker 2: type of understandings. And I look at that future hope,

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Speaker 2: and I think of how detrimental it's going to be

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Speaker 2: and how in a sense embarrassing. It's going to be

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Speaker 2: if we burn every relationship that didn't fully agree with

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Speaker 2: our boxes right now because it feels like the popular

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Speaker 2: thing to do and the common thing to do. I

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Speaker 2: want to keep doors open for ten years from now

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Speaker 2: to be able to still sit beside somebody and say, goodness, gracious,

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Speaker 2: we disagree on a lot, don't we, but let's chat

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Speaker 2: about it. Let me learn from you. Why do you

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Speaker 2: feel so strongly when divisiveness is no longer the common

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Speaker 2: thread amongst us as humans. I think we're gonna really

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Speaker 2: look back on a time where we maybe burnt too

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Speaker 2: many bridges and be embarrassed by that. And I want

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Speaker 2: to hopefully give people the warning to not jump too

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Speaker 2: quickly into cutting everybody out that they don't agree with

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Speaker 2: being the public GUYE taught me that the more vulnerable

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Speaker 2: I become and the more outspoken I become on the

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Speaker 2: things that are tough in my life, the more connected

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Speaker 2: I feel to others because there's other people dealing with it. Also.

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Speaker 2: It might not be in the same way with having

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Speaker 2: a following and being on TV for a short period

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Speaker 2: of time, but people have similar experiences. For me, prayer

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Speaker 2: has always been the tool that's been most helpful. It

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Speaker 2: is the moments of deep silence with God, of allowing

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Speaker 2: God to speak through me and into me, and praying

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Speaker 2: to God with all of my pains and my sorrows

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Speaker 2: that the most healing has come for me. Because I

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Speaker 2: believe there is a God that exists. I believe that

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Speaker 2: is a God that loves, and that it is active

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Speaker 2: and that is moving and groven in this world at

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Speaker 2: all times in all places. Jesus Calling has been a

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Speaker 2: part of my life for a long time growing up

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Speaker 2: in the church. The message of Jesus Calling, the resources

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Speaker 2: that Jesus Calling puts out into the world have always

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Speaker 2: been a function of the household that I grew up in.

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Speaker 2: I remember exactly where I was at for my first

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Speaker 2: interview with you all, and I've just done a lot

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Speaker 2: of interviews. It's actually what I do for a living

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Speaker 2: kind of and I remember the exact place I was at.

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Speaker 2: I was in Franklin, Tennessee, at my in law's house,

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Speaker 2: and I was so excited to talk with Jesus calling

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Speaker 2: because it's a trusted resource. I think we have a

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Speaker 2: God of support, a God that loves and that cares

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Speaker 2: and that when we're at our lowest, doesn't want us

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Speaker 2: to live at our lowest, that wants to lift us

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Speaker 2: up from the ashes and say, go and be fruitful.

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Speaker 4: And go and be joyful, and.

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Speaker 2: Go and share with others. And so for me, when

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Speaker 2: I'm at my rough, I love to talk to my wife,

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Speaker 2: but I really love to sit in silence with God

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Speaker 2: and to lay it all out there and say, God,

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Speaker 2: I need you, because every time there's been words spoken

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Speaker 2: to me that have healed.

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Speaker 3: To learn more about Ben Higgins, visit Theban Higgins dot com.

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Speaker 3: Also be sure to check out Generous Coffee at Generouscoffee

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Speaker 3: dot com and the new expanded version of his book

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Speaker 3: Alone in Plain Sight available at your favorite retailer. Stay

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Speaker 3: tuned to Jamie McDonald's story after a brief message. These

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Speaker 3: uncertain times bring anxiety and fear, But Jesus Listens Prayers

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Speaker 3: for Every Season gives you daily prayers of comfort with

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Speaker 3: seasonally inspired illustrations. This beautiful book includes prayers that speak

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Speaker 3: to your situation, whether it's a time of stress or strength.

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Speaker 3: Look for Jesus Listens Prayers for Every Season wherever you

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Speaker 3: buy books. Our next guest is Nashville based recording artist

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Speaker 3: Jamie McDonald. Growing up in a small town, in a

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Speaker 3: difficult childhood and complicated family dynamics, Jamie's journey to finding

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Speaker 3: her voice wasn't easy. Singing had always been a source

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Speaker 3: of joy and healing for her, even when circumstances tried

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Speaker 3: to silence it. Through songwriting, teaching in a women's prison,

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Speaker 3: and caring for her ailing father, Jamie's story is one

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Speaker 3: of resilience, hope, and the power of expressing truth through song.

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Speaker 5: I'm Jamie McDonald and I'm a recording artist here in Nashville, Tennessee,

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Speaker 5: brand new on the Christian artist scene. So I'm having

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Speaker 5: an amazing time sharing my songs and story for the

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Speaker 5: first time. And God has really saved me out of

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Speaker 5: a lot, and I love to sing about it and

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Speaker 5: share about it. I grew up in a pretty small town.

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Speaker 5: My parents divorced at a young age, and so I

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Speaker 5: was kind of raised by a single mom for a

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Speaker 5: number of years, and I remembered a lot of sad,

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Speaker 5: lonely moments in my childhood where I didn't really feel

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Speaker 5: like I was able to use my voice or speak

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Speaker 5: up at all. And so around the age of twelve,

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Speaker 5: I got invited to a church camp, and that really

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Speaker 5: changed everything for me because they sang so much there

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Speaker 5: and I got introduced to Jesus and just the way

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Speaker 5: the counselors treated me. I just felt so special, and

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Speaker 5: for the first time, I knew that God loved me

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Speaker 5: and that he had a plan for my life.

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Speaker 4: And so we sang a lot at camp.

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Speaker 5: But then when I got back from camp, my stepdad's

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Speaker 5: rule for me was no singing in the house, and

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Speaker 5: so he really just wanted a quiet home and he

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Speaker 5: really loved my mom, but never really wanted kids, and

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Speaker 5: so it was really after that it was a wrestle

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Speaker 5: for me with my voice because I loved singing so much,

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Speaker 5: and you know, I would sing in school and sing

225
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Speaker 5: outside in the woods, but I would get punished for

226
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Speaker 5: singing at home, and so it turned into this wrestle

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Speaker 5: for me with my identity around music. What's the one

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Speaker 5: thing that brought me the most joy throughout some of

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Speaker 5: my lonely, hardest times when I was young, So I

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Speaker 5: knew I felt good singing and it brought me happiness

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Speaker 5: and peace, and it was also a way to encounter

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Speaker 5: God's presence. And so from camp on those songs that

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Speaker 5: I learned as a little girl. Those stayed in my memory.

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Speaker 5: So whenever i'd i'd feel lost in the world, those

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Speaker 5: songs would just come to mind and I would sing

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Speaker 5: those words.

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Speaker 4: I'd hit rock bottom, God, can you save me?

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Speaker 5: You know, I needed saving and I needed miracles because

239
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Speaker 5: I had messed up my life so bad. I couldn't

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Speaker 5: just turn around and go in a different direction. I

241
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Speaker 5: had no direction to go in. I didn't have a car,

242
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Speaker 5: I didn't have a driver's license, didn't have a job.

243
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Speaker 4: You know.

244
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Speaker 5: I was just really at rock bottom, and I didn't

245
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Speaker 5: have a high school diploma. So there was just a

246
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Speaker 5: lot of miracles that he did in my life to

247
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Speaker 5: get me out of that place. And it's been a slow,

248
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Speaker 5: steady climb, a lot of behind the scenes work that

249
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Speaker 5: he's done in my heart to heal me fan all

250
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Speaker 5: the identity issues that come with letting your life hit

251
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Speaker 5: the bottom. So it's been a beautiful process to just

252
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Speaker 5: have the Lord take his time with me. And at

253
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Speaker 5: the age of twenty one, I.

254
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Speaker 4: Had an encounter with Jesus.

255
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Speaker 5: I had been at a party and there was a

256
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Speaker 5: lot of people passed out on the floor. We were

257
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Speaker 5: actually at our house, but people were doing drugs and

258
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Speaker 5: I just heard a voice speak to me that said,

259
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Speaker 5: this is not the end of your story. I've still

260
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Speaker 5: got a plan for your life. And so I just

261
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Speaker 5: heard that loud and clear, and I just answered the call,

262
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Speaker 5: and I said, God, if you could get me out

263
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Speaker 5: of here, and if you could show me what that

264
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Speaker 5: plan is, I'd love to have a new start at life.

265
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Speaker 5: And so from then on, I started getting into my Bible,

266
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Speaker 5: and I started encountering God through just worship music and

267
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Speaker 5: I was watching Joyce Meyer on television and just trying

268
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Speaker 5: to get as much as I could. And you know,

269
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Speaker 5: it was like one taste of God's presence and even

270
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Speaker 5: just looking into the light, because I had been living

271
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Speaker 5: in such darkness that it was just that's all I wanted.

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Speaker 5: After that, I was like, God, I got to have

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Speaker 5: more of you, And you know, You've been all around

274
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Speaker 5: me all along, and I just never knew it.

275
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Speaker 4: I was never looking. And so from then I just ran.

276
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Speaker 5: As fast as I could into the presence of God

277
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Speaker 5: and into the body of Christ. I left Nashville for

278
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Speaker 5: the first time in twenty nineteen during the pandemic twenty twenty,

279
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Speaker 5: but I left Nashville and thought, I'm kind of done

280
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Speaker 5: with the music industry. I'd tried a few things and

281
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Speaker 5: just thought it was exhausting and it just wasn't for

282
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Speaker 5: me at the time, because I was like, man, I

283
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Speaker 5: really want to make sure it feels like God's the

284
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Speaker 5: center of all this, because I lived half of my

285
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Speaker 5: life getting it wrong, and I just thought, I want

286
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Speaker 5: to do something that really feels pleasing to the Lord

287
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Speaker 5: and not just a business. And I had my first

288
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Speaker 5: experience with Nashville felt like more of a music business opportunity.

289
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Speaker 5: And I hadn't released music in about seven years, and

290
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Speaker 5: so by the time I got into the women's prison,

291
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Speaker 5: I had prayed and asked God that you know, I'd

292
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Speaker 5: love to sing again, but I don't really feel strong

293
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Speaker 5: enough to do like the artist thing where I'm you know,

294
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Speaker 5: putting myself out there on the internet and just getting

295
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Speaker 5: on stages. And so I prayed and wrote in my

296
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Speaker 5: journal I'd love to sing in a women's prison.

297
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Speaker 4: While I got a call a week later from somebody and.

298
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Speaker 5: They said, hey, we got your number from this other

299
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Speaker 5: person and we were curious if you'd like to sing

300
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Speaker 5: in a Georgia prison with the choir. They're looking to

301
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Speaker 5: feature you and they wanted to sing some songs with you,

302
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Speaker 5: and I just thought.

303
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Speaker 4: That was a fast answer to prayer.

304
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Speaker 5: And so I show up to the prison and I

305
00:17:12,937 --> 00:17:17,017
Speaker 5: just had this powerful encounter with God again. And it

306
00:17:17,057 --> 00:17:19,617
Speaker 5: had been a while since I sang, and so it

307
00:17:19,657 --> 00:17:22,537
Speaker 5: was just God restoring my love for music through singing

308
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Speaker 5: in this prison choir. And we had scheduled to do

309
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Speaker 5: one big performance together, but it was just so special

310
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Speaker 5: that I said, girls, what if I came back once

311
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Speaker 5: a week and taught songwriting and just kept hanging out

312
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Speaker 5: with you guys. And so that kind of became my church.

313
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Speaker 5: And I got to see just how powerful Christian music

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Speaker 5: has been for them to just keep them afloat in

315
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Speaker 5: there and keep them filled with hope. I left Nashville

316
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Speaker 5: and I came up with this songwriting model. It was

317
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Speaker 5: my birthday and I was like, all right, I want

318
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Speaker 5: to write a song with fifteen people. I was like,

319
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Speaker 5: just to make sure nobody makes any money, and it

320
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Speaker 5: was just like this. We got around a campfire for

321
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Speaker 5: my birthday and there was kids and grandparents and all

322
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Speaker 5: different ages, and I was like, I want to hear everybody's.

323
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Speaker 4: Thoughts on the topic of hope.

324
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Speaker 5: And so we went around the circle and I just

325
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Speaker 5: asked each person what does hope mean to you? And

326
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Speaker 5: I'd write down all these beautiful phrases, and then I

327
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Speaker 5: took all those lines and compiled them into a song

328
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Speaker 5: and it worked so well, and suddenly I had all

329
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Speaker 5: these beautiful things that I never would have thought of.

330
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Speaker 4: And half the.

331
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Speaker 5: People in the circle didn't have a musical bone in

332
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Speaker 5: their body, but they helped write this song with me.

333
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Speaker 5: And so I had this epiphany, anybody's a songwriter. We

334
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Speaker 5: all have stories to tell. And so I took that

335
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Speaker 5: model into the prison and we all sat in a

336
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Speaker 5: big circle and.

337
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Speaker 4: I said, Okay, let's think of a topic to write about.

338
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Speaker 4: And it was like the love of God.

339
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Speaker 5: And then I go around and each person would share

340
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Speaker 5: what that means to them in a prison.

341
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Speaker 4: I mean, the answers were so.

342
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Speaker 5: Complex and so deep and so beautiful because they've all

343
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Speaker 5: had to wrestle so hard with finding the truth in

344
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Speaker 5: such a dark place.

345
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Speaker 4: And so we would do that.

346
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Speaker 5: Same thing, collect the thoughts, and then we would grab

347
00:19:07,377 --> 00:19:10,417
Speaker 5: instruments and find melodies, and you know, I'd play a

348
00:19:10,457 --> 00:19:13,297
Speaker 5: little something and ask them like, how does this make

349
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Speaker 5: you feel?

350
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Speaker 4: Does this feel right? Maybe we change this chord?

351
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Speaker 5: And so it was a group effort and we wrote

352
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Speaker 5: I think we wrote five songs together and then we

353
00:19:21,617 --> 00:19:23,696
Speaker 5: got to turn around and sing those.

354
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Speaker 4: To the rest of the inmates, which was really really special.

355
00:19:27,137 --> 00:19:30,776
Speaker 5: Singing in the prison really gave me courage again and

356
00:19:30,897 --> 00:19:34,737
Speaker 5: hope to sing, and it really gave me my why

357
00:19:35,457 --> 00:19:38,577
Speaker 5: because when they sing in there, there's no cameras, there's

358
00:19:38,657 --> 00:19:41,537
Speaker 5: no nobody putting them on you too. It's all for

359
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Speaker 5: the Lord, and it's all an encounter with God's presence

360
00:19:44,697 --> 00:19:48,177
Speaker 5: and a ministry to each other. And I think that's

361
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Speaker 5: what I was missing in Nashville, was just that doing

362
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Speaker 5: it for the love of music and the love of

363
00:19:54,737 --> 00:19:57,337
Speaker 5: each other and for the love of the Lord. And

364
00:19:57,377 --> 00:20:00,936
Speaker 5: so I think that got cemented back into me in

365
00:20:00,977 --> 00:20:04,817
Speaker 5: a really firm foundation where I'm like, I know why

366
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Speaker 5: I'm doing this, and I know that's.

367
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Speaker 4: Never going to be confused again.

368
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Speaker 5: I think where all of the best songs come from

369
00:20:12,337 --> 00:20:15,057
Speaker 5: is when you can be yourself and you're not trying

370
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Speaker 5: to reach a certain audience necessarily or try to be commercial,

371
00:20:20,417 --> 00:20:23,897
Speaker 5: writing to the Lord and writing for each other unlock

372
00:20:23,977 --> 00:20:33,976
Speaker 5: something for me. In twenty twenty, I reunited with my

373
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Speaker 5: dad after many years of not seeing him, and he

374
00:20:38,897 --> 00:20:42,857
Speaker 5: had a lot of mental and physical issues. He used

375
00:20:42,857 --> 00:20:45,657
Speaker 5: to be a professional boxer and so he had the

376
00:20:45,777 --> 00:20:49,857
Speaker 5: latter stages of Parkinson's and dementia when I moved in

377
00:20:49,897 --> 00:20:52,857
Speaker 5: with him in twenty twenty, and what I thought was

378
00:20:52,897 --> 00:20:55,496
Speaker 5: going to be a couple weeks long of a quarantine

379
00:20:55,577 --> 00:20:57,737
Speaker 5: because nobody really knew what that was at the time,

380
00:20:58,457 --> 00:21:02,337
Speaker 5: turned into me living in Georgia for four years and

381
00:21:03,577 --> 00:21:07,736
Speaker 5: becoming his primary caregiver. So that's when I laid down

382
00:21:07,777 --> 00:21:12,417
Speaker 5: the music and really just had a really special time

383
00:21:12,457 --> 00:21:14,976
Speaker 5: with my dad. And you know, he was facing the

384
00:21:15,057 --> 00:21:16,897
Speaker 5: end of his life, and so that made it really

385
00:21:16,937 --> 00:21:19,617
Speaker 5: really hard. There were times where he didn't know who

386
00:21:19,697 --> 00:21:24,617
Speaker 5: I was. But one special thing was I remembered all

387
00:21:24,657 --> 00:21:26,496
Speaker 5: his favorite songs from when I was a kid and

388
00:21:26,537 --> 00:21:28,417
Speaker 5: he used to play him in the car, and so

389
00:21:28,497 --> 00:21:30,497
Speaker 5: it was a lot of Michael W. Smith and Stepher

390
00:21:30,537 --> 00:21:33,377
Speaker 5: Curtis Chapman, and so I started playing in all his

391
00:21:33,457 --> 00:21:35,377
Speaker 5: old songs and that was kind of how him and

392
00:21:35,417 --> 00:21:38,817
Speaker 5: I connected, and we would sing the songs together and

393
00:21:38,897 --> 00:21:41,936
Speaker 5: we couldn't always have a conversation. We always sang, and

394
00:21:42,017 --> 00:21:45,537
Speaker 5: so that was really what made that time extra special.

395
00:21:45,657 --> 00:21:48,737
Speaker 5: And then he passed away at the end of twenty

396
00:21:48,777 --> 00:21:51,337
Speaker 5: twenty four, and I was with them when he took

397
00:21:51,377 --> 00:21:54,696
Speaker 5: his last breath, and it was just such a full circle,

398
00:21:54,817 --> 00:21:59,057
Speaker 5: really beautiful time that God gave us. From then, I

399
00:21:59,177 --> 00:22:02,737
Speaker 5: moved straight to Nashville. I gathered my prison girls, I

400
00:22:02,737 --> 00:22:05,657
Speaker 5: said goodbye to everybody, and I have packed up and

401
00:22:05,697 --> 00:22:09,217
Speaker 5: moved to Nashville and immediately signed a record deal, which

402
00:22:09,297 --> 00:22:12,097
Speaker 5: was just so the Lord. And then shortly after that,

403
00:22:12,177 --> 00:22:16,577
Speaker 5: I'm getting into writing rooms and meeting all these producers

404
00:22:16,617 --> 00:22:17,937
Speaker 5: and people in Nashville.

405
00:22:18,057 --> 00:22:20,457
Speaker 4: Was just like, how exciting you sign a record deal,

406
00:22:20,577 --> 00:22:22,696
Speaker 4: Like your whole life is about to change.

407
00:22:22,737 --> 00:22:25,497
Speaker 5: And I wasn't really feeling all of that because I

408
00:22:25,577 --> 00:22:28,937
Speaker 5: had just lost my dad and I was grieving and

409
00:22:29,137 --> 00:22:32,097
Speaker 5: really coming out of five years of isolation, and so

410
00:22:33,097 --> 00:22:35,337
Speaker 5: I had a lot to sing about. But it wasn't

411
00:22:35,457 --> 00:22:40,617
Speaker 5: the upbeat Christian bop. It was the heartfelt, deeper songs.

412
00:22:40,817 --> 00:22:44,577
Speaker 5: So I was processing in real time with my peers

413
00:22:44,697 --> 00:22:48,497
Speaker 5: and the music industry about losing my dad and about

414
00:22:48,897 --> 00:22:53,297
Speaker 5: struggling through having brokenness in a broken pass and my

415
00:22:53,377 --> 00:22:57,696
Speaker 5: family not all speaking to each other. They were just

416
00:22:57,737 --> 00:23:00,297
Speaker 5: really kind and they just said, let's write about that,

417
00:23:00,457 --> 00:23:03,057
Speaker 5: Let's dive into that. And so there was a lot

418
00:23:03,057 --> 00:23:07,937
Speaker 5: of tears and hugs and special moments writing a lot

419
00:23:07,977 --> 00:23:09,617
Speaker 5: of these songs that are going to be on my record.

420
00:23:10,217 --> 00:23:12,337
Speaker 5: It's the words that I really needed all through those

421
00:23:12,377 --> 00:23:15,377
Speaker 5: years looking after my dad and walking him through his

422
00:23:15,497 --> 00:23:19,897
Speaker 5: last breath. And then now it's become a tool for

423
00:23:20,177 --> 00:23:21,377
Speaker 5: other things I'm going through.

424
00:23:22,657 --> 00:23:23,177
Speaker 4: The Bible.

425
00:23:23,617 --> 00:23:28,257
Speaker 5: Devotionals like Jesus calling seriously have carried me throughout these years,

426
00:23:28,297 --> 00:23:32,377
Speaker 5: where like who am I again? I need the truth

427
00:23:32,737 --> 00:23:36,337
Speaker 5: daily to you know, remind me who God says I am.

428
00:23:36,737 --> 00:23:40,417
Speaker 5: It was really my first year as a believer, and

429
00:23:40,537 --> 00:23:43,377
Speaker 5: what I loved about it was it helped me understand

430
00:23:44,217 --> 00:23:47,017
Speaker 5: how the Lord speaks to us, and it gave it

431
00:23:47,137 --> 00:23:50,736
Speaker 5: such an approachable tone versus if you're reading the Bible

432
00:23:50,977 --> 00:23:55,457
Speaker 5: or even hearing other people talk about God. It helped

433
00:23:55,497 --> 00:24:00,297
Speaker 5: me develop my internal interpretation of his voice. He's kind

434
00:24:00,337 --> 00:24:02,777
Speaker 5: and he's loving, and he cares about little things, he

435
00:24:02,857 --> 00:24:07,216
Speaker 5: cares about big things. And have an earthly father growing up,

436
00:24:07,297 --> 00:24:11,016
Speaker 5: so it reframed what a father's voice would sound like

437
00:24:11,057 --> 00:24:14,617
Speaker 5: for me, and it was really really good. Well I

438
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Speaker 5: was getting a little emotional about that, but yeah, it's

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Speaker 5: a loving book. This formed my way that I talked

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Speaker 5: to God and the way I hear his voice. My

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Speaker 5: cousin actually just started with Jesus calling, and she's kind

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Speaker 5: of having a similar experience to me, where it's like

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Speaker 5: I didn't know I could talk to God like this.

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Speaker 5: So it's been really sweet to see her starting out

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Speaker 5: on her faith with that. This year, I hit my

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Speaker 5: twenty year baptism anniversary and just looking over those years,

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00:24:42,697 --> 00:24:45,297
Speaker 5: how he's been so faithful to me. I just don't

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00:24:45,377 --> 00:24:48,377
Speaker 5: question him anymore at all. And so no matter what

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00:24:48,537 --> 00:24:52,137
Speaker 5: doors close or open, or where my life's headed, even

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00:24:52,177 --> 00:24:54,297
Speaker 5: throughout those years where I was looking after my dad

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Speaker 5: and I was in my mid thirties and I quit

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00:24:58,057 --> 00:25:01,216
Speaker 5: doing music for five years or for seven years, it's

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Speaker 5: like I wasn't super concerned. I just trust him with

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Speaker 5: my life story, and even if that was looking after

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Speaker 5: my dad for another five years, I was just like,

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Speaker 5: he's got it and he's not going to let me

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Speaker 5: miss what he has for me. And I think that

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Speaker 5: has been cemented into my heart over the last twenty

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Speaker 5: years of just walking with him and listening to his

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Speaker 5: voice and learning to trust and know his voice above

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Speaker 5: all others. Looking back on my baptism, it was the

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Speaker 5: feeling of being washed clean after years of making terrible

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Speaker 5: choices and struggling with my identity and carrying the weight

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Speaker 5: of shame and guilt and sin. And I was carrying

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Speaker 5: so much, and I felt like when I went under

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Speaker 5: that water, I just came out a brand new person

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00:25:51,017 --> 00:25:54,737
Speaker 5: and I was washed clean and I felt born again.

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Speaker 5: And really, from that point on, I've never been the same.

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Speaker 5: God is really good at picking up the broken pieces

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Speaker 5: and making it into something beautiful.

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Speaker 4: And I want people to know that it's never too late.

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Speaker 5: And no matter what you've done in your life, when

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Speaker 5: you give it to Jesus and you turn to him

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00:26:13,017 --> 00:26:17,217
Speaker 5: and you confess and you give him those things, he

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Speaker 5: even chooses to forget them. Talk to the Lord and

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Speaker 5: run toward him when your low moments. Don't run away

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Speaker 5: from God.

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Speaker 4: Jesus listens. January tenth.

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Speaker 5: Dear Jesus, please help me learn to appreciate difficult days,

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Speaker 5: being stimulated by the challenges I encounter, rather than becoming

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00:26:35,297 --> 00:26:38,617
Speaker 5: distressed as I journey through rough to reign with you.

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00:26:39,137 --> 00:26:43,017
Speaker 5: I gain confidence from knowing that together we can handle anything.

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00:26:43,737 --> 00:26:46,057
Speaker 5: When I look back on my life, I can see

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Speaker 5: how much you have helped me through the difficult days

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00:26:48,137 --> 00:26:51,097
Speaker 5: in the past. Yet I easily fall into the trap

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00:26:51,137 --> 00:26:55,737
Speaker 5: of thinking, yes, but that was then and this is now. Instead,

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00:26:55,857 --> 00:26:59,137
Speaker 5: I need to remember that though my circumstances change immensely,

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Speaker 5: you remain the same throughout time and eternity.

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Speaker 4: Moreover, in you, I live and move and have my being.

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Speaker 5: As I live close to you, aware of your loving presence,

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00:27:09,897 --> 00:27:13,377
Speaker 5: I can go confidently through my toughest times in your

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00:27:13,497 --> 00:27:14,137
Speaker 5: worthy name.

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Speaker 4: Amen. To learn more.

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Speaker 3: About Jamie MacDonald, visit Jamie McDonald music dot com and

495
00:27:21,777 --> 00:27:24,017
Speaker 3: be sure to check out her self titled debut album

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00:27:24,137 --> 00:27:27,017
Speaker 3: wherever you get your music. If you'd like to hear

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00:27:27,057 --> 00:27:29,977
Speaker 3: more stories about being fully known by God, check out

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00:27:29,977 --> 00:27:39,177
Speaker 3: our interview with Ali Gilkison. Next time on the Jesus

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Speaker 3: Calling podcast, we'll hear from Jordan Smith, who won NBCES

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Speaker 3: The Voice in twenty fifteen. Jordan shares how he stays

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Speaker 3: rooted in faith and family through the ups and downs

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Speaker 3: of life.

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Speaker 6: I have to be extremely intentional about keeping up my

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Speaker 6: prayer life, because I've found when I begin to lose

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00:28:01,097 --> 00:28:08,257
Speaker 6: focus on my relationship with God, an unhappier person, I'm

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00:28:08,257 --> 00:28:12,617
Speaker 6: not as kind as I should be. My words start

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00:28:12,657 --> 00:28:16,537
Speaker 6: to become unkind, I start to worry more, I start

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00:28:16,617 --> 00:28:20,137
Speaker 6: to give in to stress and anxiety. I start making

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00:28:20,537 --> 00:28:24,976
Speaker 6: questionable decisions, and so I have to be extremely intentional

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Speaker 6: to remain prayerful each day.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Jesus Calling Stories of Faith

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Speaker 1: podcast on the Life Audio Network. Every week, we'll bring

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Speaker 1: you stories from people who share their journeys of faith

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Speaker 1: and how prayer and a relationship with God transform their lives.

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Speaker 1: Be sure to follow us on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or

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00:28:56,457 --> 00:28:59,737
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a review

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00:28:59,817 --> 00:29:04,017
Speaker 1: so others can be inspired weekly by these stories of faith. Finally,

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Speaker 1: you can find encouragement resources and more on the Jesus

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Speaker 1: Calling website at Jesuscalling dot com