All That To Say

In this long-form conversation Steve Arterburn, founder and chairman of New Life Ministries, dives deep into his life’s journey through loss, grief, mental health issues, and shame and into freedom and redemption. 

He speaks frankly about his own experiences confronting abortion, human sexuality, homosexuality, and toxic leadership and abuse in the church. And he discusses some of his most-loved books including Healing is a Choice, Every Man’s Battle, and Toxic Faith, which he co-authored with Jack Felton. 

Steve Arterburn is the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries and host of the #1 nationally syndicated Christian counseling talk show, New Life Live!, heard and watched by over 2 million people each week. Steve is also the host of New Life TV, a web-based video channel dedicated to transforming lives through God’s truth, and the founder of the Women of Faith conferences attended by over 5 million people. 

In this intimate, long-form conversation, Bill and Gloria Gaither reflect on their 55-year, international Christan music ministry, from writing gospel songs in their Indiana living room to singing for millions across the globe. Hear how they fell in love over poetry, and how “the stewardship of fusing words” is still core to their ministry.  

They also tell the origin stories of beloved Gaither songs like “Because He Lives” and “There Just Something About that Name,” and reflect on the influence of their ministry on other Christian music artists like Sandi Patty and Michael W. Smith. 

Since 1962 Bill and Gloria Gaither have been writing, recording, publishing, and performing some of the world’s most cherished music. Their collaboration has resulted in more than 700 popular gospel songs, eight Grammy Awards, and more than two dozen Dove Awards from The Gospel Music Association, including eight “Songwriter of the Year” titles. Bill and Gloria are still writing and touring today.

In this long-form conversation, USAID’s faith-based office director Adam Phillips talks about his journey in faith-rooted advocacy that ultimately led him to a position in the Biden-Harris Administration.  

From Guatemala to Ethiopia, from clean water to COVID, Phillips discusses his work identifying and coordinating with embedded faith communities around the world that are the “last mile,” as he says, “loving their neighbor as themselves, and in their own traditions, and looking to serve the greater good.” 

Hear his deep convictions about why unity is critical to solving the world’s biggest problems, and why he believes “the divisions that we might have at home can translate into opportunities to lean in together and serve our neighbors around the world.” 

Adam Nicholas Phillips is USAID’s director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Former lead pastor at Christ Church: Portland, he has served in community development and advocacy initiatives with the ONE Campaign, World Vision, Micah Challenge, Bread for the World, One Days Wages, and Oasis. 

In this inspiring, long-form conversation, Sseko Designs founder and social entrepreneur Liz Forkin Bohannon tells the story of how her fair-trade, by-women-for-women lifestyle brand literally began on the back of a motorcycle in Uganda.

 She also discusses her book Beginner’s Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now, why she believes leaders need to “channel their inner beginner,” and how gender inequality is just as damaging to men as it is to women.

 And she dives into the philosophies that have built Sseko into what it is today: That every human deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and that how we spend our money matters. “As consumers, every dollar we spend is a vote for how we're saying, this is how we want the world to work,” she says.

 A former journalist, Liz is passionate about conscious consumerism, social justice, creative leadership, gender equity, risk-taking, and empowering women. She believes deeply that business is a powerful platform for social change and that girls are our future.

In this in-depth conversation, CityServe’s vice president of children & youth initiatives Lynn Johnson recounts her journey from a pardon and parole officer to being tapped for a position in the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration. 

Hear her describe in detail the state of the foster care system in America, and her firmly-held belief that real change can happen when government, churches, non-profits, and the business community work together for kids in need. 

Johnson is the former Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and has spent most of her career advocating for the underserved, the homeless, the incarcerated, and most recently children and youth. 

The guest for this episode is a Jordanian refugee we call “Samir.” After converting to Christianity as a teenager, he was questioned by the secret police and forced to flee the 97% Sunni Muslim country because of threats to his life and his family. In this in-depth conversation, Samir discussed his experience of how 14 centuries of culture, poverty, and ignorance have fed a distorted view of God that has led to suffering, hate, and war. 

He also reflects on the American intervention in Afghanistan, how the figure of Jesus is perceived by other religions in the Middle East, and how the Christian ideals of human dignity, human rights, and freedom have the potential to change a centuries-old culture of fear. As Samir says, “Christianity is the only faith in the word that tells people, ‘I don't care about your performance. I love you regardless of your performance.’”

Hosted by: Jim Lyon

SUBSCRIBE to the All That To Say podcast on YouTube (http://youtube.com/allthattosaypodcast​) or wherever you listen to podcasts.

- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-that-to-say/id1555624956

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7jDZ3gy653r3jhyS8mWXF2?si=rRo81YRZTF6Zmg2hnPqf5Q&nd=1 FOLLOW the conversation and like us on social media:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllThatToSayPodcast

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllThatToSay​

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthattosaypodcast/

LEARN MORE about the podcast online: http://www.allthattosay.org/​

#AllThatToSay​

In this intimate conversation, Immigrant Connection executive director Zach Szamara tells the story of how a two-week assignment in Logansport, Indiana evolved into a life passion that has affected thousands of U.S. immigrant families, refugees, asylum seekers, and dreamers. From offering start-up immigration legal services in his local church to 18 locations coast-to-coast, the non-partisan Immigrant Connection has become a trail guide to those navigating legal paths to citizenship. 

Listen in as Zach discusses the history of U.S. immigration, and his efforts to change the ways that Americans view immigrants today. "Immigration is an issue," he says, "but immigrants are people." He also discusses what the Bible has to say, and the church’s place in all of this. 

A Department of Justice accredited legal representative since 2014, Zach has served more than 2,200 immigrants from 100+ nations in the last seven years. He also serves as the pastor of The Bridge Community Church – a multilingual, multicultural, multiethnic church in Logansport, Indiana. He has spoken nationally on the topic of immigration, diaspora, multi-cultural/multi-ethnic diversity, and holistic outreach to immigrants and refugees. 

Hosted by: Jim Lyon

_____________________________

SUBSCRIBE to the All That To Say podcast here on YouTube (http://youtube.com/allthattosaypodcast​) or wherever you listen to podcasts.

- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-that-to-say/id1555624956 

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7jDZ3gy653r3jhyS8mWXF2?si=rRo81YRZTF6Zmg2hnPqf5Q&nd=1 

FOLLOW the conversation and like us on social media:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllThatToSayPodcast 

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllThatToSay​

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthattosaypodcast/ 

LEARN MORE about the podcast online: http://www.allthattosay.org/​

#AllThatToSay​

In this episode, we sit down for an intimate conversation with Steve Brallier, lead author of Mitka’s Secret: A True Story of Child Slavery and Surviving the Holocaust. Listen in as he traces his unlikely career path from director of information for Anderson University; to concert promoter with the William Morris Agency representing gospel megastars like Bill Gaither and Amy Grant; to storyteller and author. 

Hear him relay the heartbreaking story of Holocaust survivor Mitka Kalinski escaping execution in the German concentration camps, his seven-year enslavement by a German officer, his rescue by American GIs, and his ultimate journey to safety, love, and redemption. Steve also discusses the fear and difficulty of the writing process, and how writing Mitka’s Secret led him to his own personal redemption from hurt and pain. 

In this long-form conversation, General Superintendent Emerita and Ambassador of The Wesleyan Church Jo Anne Lyon talks about the life and work of John Wesley who, much like Jesus, ministered at the intersection of spiritual, cultural, and political change. It’s in that light she reflects on the question of the church’s role in policy, as well as her participation as a member of the Council on Faith in the World Economic Forum, examining how faith affects the health and prosperity of nations.  

Jo Anne also speaks frankly about what the Bible has to say about the roles of women in the church, how early feminism – and its backlash – shaped those roles over the last several decades, and where the church is headed from here. “We need to come back and reclaim who we are,” she says. 

And don’t miss her reflections on racial justice, compassion, common ground, and the next generation of believers. 

Dr. Lyon holds a master's degree in counseling and has been granted five honorary doctorates. She authored the book The Ultimate Blessing and has served over 30 years in pastoral ministry. She has been an adjunct professor at both Indiana Wesleyan University and Asbury Theological Seminary. As the founder and CEO of World Hope International, she directed the faith-based relief and development organizations into over 30 countries to alleviate suffering and injustice. 

In this intimate conversation, author, Bible teacher, and spoken-word artist Hosanna Wong offers reflections on the global pandemic as it relates to faith, loss, leadership, and where we go from here.  

 The daughter of a heroin addict and Chinese gang member in San Francisco, she recounts her father’s transformation through faith, the impact of his loss, and how she met that loss with “the only thing I knew how to do,” which was poetry. 

 She also speaks bravely about finding and embracing her identity as a Chinese American and as a Chinese American woman, and her passion to empower others – especially young people – to lean into their own unique identity and God-given worth in order to live out their purpose in a changing world 

 Hosanna is the teaching pastor at EastLake Church in the San Diego area and the executive director of Calvary Street Ministries, an outreach bringing hope to the homeless and low-income families in San Francisco. Under the name Hosanna Poetry, she has released two spoken-word albums—Maps, Boots, & Other Ways We Get There (2013) and Figless (2015)—and authored three books, I Have a New Name (2017), Superadded (2018), and her new best-selling book, How (Not) to Save the World, available now.