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In this conversation, J.D. speaks with Haig Kherlopian, a leader, a pastor, and even a stand-up comedian. He shares a brief history of the first Christian nation, Armenia, and details how ping-pong brought his family to the United States. You will want to hear his whole story. Listen and be encouraged.
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Today's conversation is with Jason Squires, a worship leader, songwriter, and speaker who travels around the country leading worship and teaching at conferences. His passion is leading people to Jesus through creativity and inspiring creatives to reach their full potential. Listen to his story and be encouraged.
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
Jason: https://jsmusic.net
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J.D. has a conversation with Andrew Alesso. His full-time job is helping non-profit companies to develop and grow their fundraising. He also happens to be the lead pastor of Thrive LA church. Listen to his story and be encouraged.
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J.D. has a conversation with serial church planter Jay Nickless. Listen to his story and be encouraged.
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
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Alex Sweng is the pastor of Missio Dei Oakland, an Urban House Church Network in Oakland, CA. If you have been watching the news lately, Oakland is having quite a season. If you were to ask Alex if the news is all true, he would say that it is worse than you think and better than you think. Despite the city's challenges, God is working in the lives of those in need. Alex, a son of Korean immigrants who worked seven days a week for 30 years straight, wasnât raised in church. He felt interested in reading the Bible in high school and read it through three times before graduating. He became a Christian in college and began working with The Navigators ministry. Ultimately, this work led him into full-time vocation ministry. Be sure to listen to his journey. You will be encouraged.
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Jeff Snodgrass is the Lead Pastor at Unite Church located in Pasadena, CA. He grew up in Southern California, where, at 16, he made a life change and began to follow Jesus. After hitting rock bottom in his junior year, he prayed, âLord, the life I live is now yours. Do with it as you will.â This is the same prayer that led him into ministry and is the same prayer he continues to pray daily. He has been in full-time ministry since 2006 and has an intense passion for making disciples, maximizing the ability of all around him, and mending racial divides. Listen to his story today, and you will be encouraged.
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Josh was born and raised in Sacramento, California. He worked as a youth pastor in Atwater and Santa Rosa. In 2005, he moved back to Sacramento to pastor Northside Church, a church re-planted from Arcade Church. Like most church plants, bringing it back to a healthy place took work. Through all of that, he developed a partnership with Venture Church Network. He is now on their staff as a Regional Director. Working to develop church leaders and working with church planters. You will be encouraged by his journey and see how God has been faithful to his commitment to serve in ministry.
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
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Today's conversation is with Al Soto from Shingle Springs, California. You can't say much more about his journey to become a Christian and his call to ministry; it could be a movie script. His life and journey took turns that one might find hard to believe. This is a conversation you won't want to miss and won't want to end. Make sure that you listen to this one, and you will be amazed at how God can work even today.
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Itâs just easier to call him Pastor Vlad. Todayâs JD has a conversation with Vladimir Kotyakov. He came to the United States at the age of 11. Vladimir has a rich Christian heritage. A grandfather died for his faith in a Russian gulag, and his father and other family members were also pastors in Russia. He is currently serving as pastor at the House of Bread church near Sacramento, California. His journey will inspire you, and you wonât want to miss this conversation.
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
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Brett and Karla Burner, from Spring Valley, California near San Diego, are from two different backgrounds and countries. They met at a summer camp and have been together ever since. Brett jumped into ministry. Bible studies led to teaching, which led to pastoring. Their journey will encourage you. And if you ever see Swell soda on the menu or in a store, you can thank Brett.
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Jim began his walk with Jesus as a seventh grader in Cookeville, Tennessee, when he walked the aisle during a revival meeting and received Christ as his Savior and Lord. He later answered Godâs call to the pastorate between his Junior and Senior years in college. His journey with Jesus has spanned five decades and has taken him across the country three times, serving as a lead pastor in four churches. Looking back on his journey with Jesus, Jim joyfully testifies to Godâs amazing grace and faithfulness. You will be encouraged by his story.
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
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A coach at heart, Steve Clifford lived the âFriday Night Lightsâ life as a high school football coach in Texas. But it was an invitation to a summer camp that changed his life in high school. There, he committed his life to Christ and didnât look back. Early work in Young Life eventually led to a two-year volunteer commitment to help a church. That two-year commitment turned into a lifetime spent in ministry. Steveâs journey proves that God will provide what you need to succeed. The churches where he served were healthy, caring, and supportive. Not something that is always the case. That support was needed when he and his wife lost their son at the age of 25. Donât miss Steveâs story. You will be encouraged.
Sponsorship of this podcast is in part by our ministry partner, Christian Community Credit Union. Find out more at: https://mycccu.com/excel
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If the state of Arizona were a dartboard, the city of Payson would be in the bullseye. It is located near the geographic center of the state. Dr. Aaron Walp, who goes by âWalpâ because of serving in law enforcement earlier in life, is J.D.âs guest today. Walp currently serves as the head administrator for a Christian school. Like so many kids, he experienced divorce in his parentsâ marriage, and that brought him to a very dark place in his life. He had thoughts of suicide and developed a visceral hate for God. He eventually served as a police officer and detective. His sergeant gave him a tape series to listen to. Because he respected her, he listened to them, and his life was changed. You can call it a call or a stirring, but he started hearing people around him tell him he needed to go into ministry. This led to serving in churches, planting a church, and jumping into Christian education. Walpâs journey is unique; listen today, and you will be encouraged.
Walpâs Website: http://www.agwalp.com
Ministry Partner: https://mycccu.com/excel
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If you were thinking about planting a church, the last place you might consider is Flint, Michigan. It just so happens that Steven and Katrina Bentley followed Godâs lead and did just that. From their first date at Taco Bell to enjoying grandchildren today, the Bentleys have always sought after what God wanted them to be doing. Even when people around them said they weren't making âsmartâ choices, they stepped out in faith and were rewarded for obeying Godâs purpose for their lives. When you listen to their story, you will be encouraged.
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If you ever wanted to know someone who was from Peoria twice, J.D.âs guest, Jim Powell, is your man. He is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of Palm West Community Church. While he grew up in a Christian home, Jim went through all the mechanics of the Luther church his family attended. But he never really understood what it meant to have a relationship with Christ. In college, Jim worked as a DJ in a club and would finish work early in the morning. He is probably under the influence of an adult beverage. While watching late-night television infomercials, he orders a copy of âPower for Living.â He forgot that he ordered a copy. Eventually, he started reading it, and it changed his life forever. You will be encouraged by Jimâs journey.
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You may have never wondered where Panhandle, Texas, is located. If you wanted to find it on a map, think out the square top of Texas, and itâs right in the middle of that. J.D.âs guest on this episode is Brent Warren, pastor of The River in Panhandle. Running from an abusive father when Brent was three, his mom took him and his sister to live with his Godly grandparents. At an early age, he felt the call of God to serve as a pastor. Life challenges led to a failed church plant and a marriage that ended. Brent thought he was done with ministry. But as it usually goes, God was not done with him. He found a life partner in ministry, remarried, and returned to ministry. Eventually, he finds himself at The River church. Brentâs story will encourage you.
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J.D.'s guet on this episode is Tom Mercer. Odds are, if you have worked in ministry, you have probably read at least one of Tom's many books. He gew up in a Christain homa and his father was a pastor. Tom had always thought he would go into the âfamilyâ business of ministry. However, he witnessed the mistreatment of his father by the church he was serving in, and decided he wasnât going to be a part of that. He left seminary and joined a friends marketing firm. It was a conversation with that Christian friend that finally made him realize he needed to get back to ministry. However, his time in marketing was not wasted. God has a way to make all things work together. Tom ultimately realized that the gospel needed to be represented (marketed) well ââŠconduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Phil 1:27). The rest is history. Tom has made his lifeâs work encouraging Christ followers to represent the Gospel in a manner that will honor Jesus Christ and demonstrate the care and compassion God has for this world. Listen and be encouraged.
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Sometimes, what makes you different makes you who you are. While that may seem obvious, that cannot be truer for Eric Gamero, the pastor of The Local Church in South Florida. Eric had a Cuban father and a Korean mother. The culture clash eventually led to his parent's separation. Spending weekends with his mom meant that he grew up in a Korean church. Accepting Christ at 12 while at a summer camp, he didnât understand what that looked like until he was 15 and decided to commit his life to serving God. Being one of two Asian kids in his high school made him very aware of what it means to be on the âoutside.â This understanding still feeds his desire today to find those in the world outside of the love of Jesus and to help them see it. Listen today and be inspired.
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Our guest today comes all the way from Holland. Not the land of Tulips, Holland, Michigan. Travis Rae is the Discipleship Pastor at Central Wesleyan Church and the Director of Waters Edge, a church building and planting organization. It truly is a miracle that you can hear from Travis today. His parents (mom pregnant with Travis) were traveling in Eastern Europe on April 26, 1986. The date may not ring a bell, but maybe the word Chornobyl sounds familiar. If not, the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploded. The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded for any civilian operation. As a result, after returning to the United States, Travis was born with the extremely rare genetic disorder, C9 Immune Deficiency. We wonât spoil the story, but you will want to hear how this miracle led to a life committed to supporting church leaders and a passion for witnessing the baptism of new Christians.
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Jamal Jones knows he was fortunate to be raised in a Christian home with both of his parents. The youngest of five children, he learned early that he wanted to dedicate his life to serving the Lord. He wasn't sure what that would look like. A successful high school football experience led to a scholarship to play for the Fresno State Bulldogs. While at Fresno State, he became involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His experience in FCA eventually led him to choose a career in Christian counseling, and now he has a practice in Fresno, CA. Listen to his story, and you will be inspired.
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