Episodes

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when people are socially distancing and sheltering in place, Brian Becker and his son Jeff looked back at what they had written in their book Tender Lions: Building the Vital Relationship Between Father and Son. They discovered that while they had not written it specifically for these circumstances, the book contained practical wisdom for these anxious times. When family, health and finances are threatened, people experience a lot of stress. The current pan...

There are approximately 21 million people who find themselves unemployed each year. Dale Kreienkamp was a Human Resources executive and consultant who personally experienced two seasons of unemployment. During his time off, Dale sought out resources for spiritual support and found many books on how to deal with death, divorce, illness, but not much on unemployment. During the first season after 25 years of employment, Dale began writing devotions for himself as a way to process the experience an...

“I caused a great deal of pain in my family that destroyed the trust between me and my wife, my son and my daughter. Somehow, by the grace of God, I was able to get honest, get help and get humble. Thankfully, this led to many difficult and yet vitally important conversations that began the process of rebuilding the trust and love that was lost in our family.” Brian reached a point where he could no longer hold a dark secret that he had been hiding. Through the support of caring friends, he told...

God’s invisible qualities can be shared in so many ways! Bill Carambelas responded to God’s call and left a high-paying career in the tech industry to become a Certified Financial Planner and launch his own financial services business, Alpha Omega Financial. In this episode, Bill shares the way God super-naturally provided as he prepared and made the transition, and as his business has developed. Reflecting God’s heart comes through in the way Bill cares for people. Personally, he’s not afraid t...

Sometimes the circumstances around us can seem overwhelming! There are so many that are often in our prayers where we have no control or ability to make any significant change, and yet we care and pray. Our heart hurts and concern can slip into worry or overwhelm. During one of these seasons, my guest Melody Hester was inspired to reflect on the names and attributes of God when praying for a multitude of circumstances that felt heavier than what she could bear. In doing this, God inspired what h...

What do you see when you look around? …God’s amazing abundance and provision? …the love in people? …human potential? Judy Schmidt has a way of seeing the world that will inspire you to see the world through a lens of grace. She has a compassionate spirit and a heart fueled by God’s love, which has led her to start several endeavors blessing people in her hometown of Sheboygan Wisconsin. Buckets of Love – helping teens help people in their hometown by fixing up the living spaces in shelters Made...

Experiencing music, liturgy and worship in a local church were experiences that God used to shape Ashley Danyew for ministry. Devotional practices in her family as she grew and opportunities to serve and be mentored as a teen prepared Ashley along the way. Serving as staff who serve in a tiny church did not allow her a wealthy of resources to lead the music ministry. Ashley said: “I know what it’s like to not have a budget and needing to build your own thing…” As Ashley served and studied, she d...

Ben Ward has a passion for creating an environment and leading people in the worship of God. His personal exploration of prayer and devotional practices led him to the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer, out of the Episcopal tradition. Reading selections of Scripture (Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Gospel) along with confession and prayers impacted him so much that he began recording so that others could benefit too. Join me to hear Ben’s story, and tune into his Morning Praye...

What is love calling you to? In her mid 40’s, Kate began asking God, “what’s next?” As she opened her heart, mind and hands to God with that simple question, God prepared her for something that she never expected – serving in war-torn Afghanistan as a Christian humanitarian aid worker. Living in a culture that was vastly different than the United States taught Kate many things that continue to shape what she is doing now. “When I was in Afghanistan, I had to enter the story before I could presen...

What would the world see if people in churches opened their homes to welcome in families, the lonely, people new to town, to gather, build friendships, care for one another and give thanks to God? Jason and Ashley live a missional community lifestyle doing this very thing, and are helping other to do it too. They are learning that real relationships take time, they can’t be rushed. Each relationship is unique and takes time to build. By having regular time together, the elements of trust in a re...

A trip to the Philippines to provide retreat care for ministry workers exposed Amy to a world she never knew existed. Visiting villages where women were making wallets and purses from plant materials and food wrappers just to eek out a meager income, prompted a simple thought, wondering what she could do to help? SORA Products began small, with Amy sharing these handmade products with her friends and family. Step by step, partnerships were established for shipping and distribution channels. Thro...

ABC, NPR and the WB… Sarah was a rising talent in secular media when she stepped away because of a sense that she didn’t align spiritually. Little did she know that taking a job in ministry media would only be a season of preparation before God nudged her to step back into the world she thought she had left for good. There came a point in time when she felt a sense of calling to serve individuals and organizations back in the world of secular media, which was confirmed by her peers and her emplo...

Phil and Brenda openly said: “We’re not dog people,” and yet, God called them to be the primary caretakers and lead the comfort dog ministry at their local church. Phil reminded us that God doesn’t always call the equipped, but He always equips the called! “We can see how God has equipped us throughout our lives for this!” The Sasha Comfort Dog Ministry offers the mercy, compassion and the grace of Jesus Christ through a ministry of presence and prayer. Sasha travels with a handler and a compani...

Craig has a passion for being in God’s Word himself, which blossomed into sharing what he was taking in with other people. His personal journaling moved into social media posts, then into small devotional resources, and ultimately into a published book. Each small step led to another. Craig’s own story is one that is reflected in his writing, “Meet Jesus.” He’s an equipper, recognizing when we are personally meeting with Jesus and getting to know God more fully, we are better equipped to help ot...

With a growing awareness that each person has one short life to live, Chris and Jenna Badeker were feeling a desire to pursue music full time, so in 2017 they made some bold moves of faith! Jenna stepped away from her career as a teacher, they rebranded their band as Wild Harbors, they recorded a record, and they are living the adventure of encouraging others to live their one life well… in whatever way that may be! What does it take to pursue a God-sized dream? Though Chris and Jenna didn’t say...

Nate Simons leads Blue Heron Ministries, a conservation nonprofit Indiana focused on restoring the natural wetlands by cultivating the native plant species of the area. Through stewarding our natural resources, Nate has the opportunity to share the wonder of God with the people who engage in service projects. Bringing a vision to reality is not always a smooth path, and the way forward often has twists, turns, ruts, failures, and for those who persevere, sometimes it blossoms into being. Nate’s ...

“We don’t realize the difference that encouragement makes.” Sue helped develop and now leads Upworks, a ministry in St. Paul Minnesota whose mission is “Celebrating and developing each person’s God-given potential to contribute to our world.” Listening to Sue, it is evident how she has been encouraged along the way and each experience in her life built upon another that prepared her for the work she is leading today. Upworks utilizes a network of Life Advocates, business partners and nonprofit p...

Mifflin came full circle, from studying accounting in college, to serving a call from God in pastoral ministry, and ultimately back to accounting… this time with a ministry perspective. When we open ourselves to God, he nudges us in directions where we’re able to use our skills as gifts of grace. Any new challenge can be scary, just getting outside of our comfort zone can seem risky, but when you’ve been there awhile, you’ll eventually be comfortable again. Mifflin’s perspective is “When we’re b...

Words uttered in haste over twenty years ago: “I don’t pray,” turned a personal conviction into a growing movement called Visual Faith. Connie Denninger, a Lutheran-trained educator and pastors wife has been on a personal journey of learning how to be in consistent relationship with God. As Connie became aware of her own need, she also began paying attention to the ways others, especially young moms, were yearning to be in relationship with God. God has a way of revealing areas of weakness and b...

As empty nesters who were exploring options for what they could do now that their four children were out of the house, Lorelei and Ray Vargo had been exploring businesses and other ventures. On another continent, a pastor and his wife in India were trying to help the orphans and widows in their town, but needed more training and support. Through an incredible leap of faith, the paths of these two couples intersected, with each taking small steps of faithfulness that eventually led to a friendshi...

Debbie Ellinger served 6 years as a police officer, with one of those years in a unit investigating sex crimes against children. She has a beautiful heart and little did she know then that those experiences would lead her to forming a nonprofit ministry many years later to serve young girls who have been victims of sex trafficking where she could bring healing out of darkness. At the time of this interview, Elli’s House 313 is renovating a home they have purchased and are preparing to welcome an...

William joyfully says his life began at 40. Lost and found could be the theme of William’s life. Blending the experiences of his military career as a U.S. Army Drill Sergeant and time in corporate America, William shares how his journey led him to use the skills learned in these settings to serve a ministry in South Dallas Texas, helping at risk individuals re-enter the workplace and speaking life into people experiencing a sense of hopelessness. Broken, flawed and LOVED is the way William descr...

Have you heard it said… “be careful what you ask for!” When I spoke a thought to God in prayer many months ago, I never imagined where it would lead! Here’s the backstory… I’m SO EXCITED to celebrate the launch of the Faithful Innovation Podcast, something I never dreamed of doing, yet it was the prompting of God (who can be very persistent) that brought this about. Join me for a short episode where I’ll share the story of how we got here! There lots coming! You can peek at the lineup for the ne...

https://faithfulinnovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Promo-Invite-Web-FINAL.mp3 I’m excited to announce that my podcast will be launching with a short episode on May 29 to tell the backstory of how this podcast came about, and the first full episode on Wednesday, May 30, followed by weekly episodes every Tuesday. I hope you’ll join me! I invite you to listen first… you’ll find us on iTunes and Stitcher. If you think it will encourage others, please share it! I welcome your input! If you’d l...