Enjoying the Journey

We’re back after RiseFest with new episodes of “Enjoying the Journey”! Today we are so excited to be joined by our good friend, Mark Young, founder of “Missionary and Servants of Yahweh" (M.A.S.Y.). Mark founded the organization with his wife in Marietta, Georgia, with the goal of encouraging churches and individuals to engage with youth, and develop them for mission work. While based out of Marietta, M.A.S.Y. reaches out to other communities and cities throughout the United States, South America, the Caribbean and Africa. M.A.S.Y.’s ministry efforts are focused in direct relation and partnership with the local Churches and organizations within their community. Their vision remains the same wherever they go: “Mobilizing, Engaging and Developing the next generations of urban youth for Missions”. M.A.S.Y.’s aim is to develop urban youth for missions through sustainable outreach and evangelism through the local Churches with the end goal of making disciples. Listen in to hear Mark talk to Rob about his background and upbringing, the creation and goals of M.A.S.Y., and creating unity within the body of christ, between churches and people groups. We’re so excited to have you with us and to be back with new episodes, stay tuned for an exciting few weeks ahead!!!

On episode 25 of "Enjoying the Journey", we had such an amazing time talking to our new friend, Shane Pruitt! Shane serves as the National Next Gen Evangelism Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He and his wife, Kasi, reside in Rockwall, TX with their five children – Raygen, Harper, Titus, Elliot, & Glory. He has been in ministry for over 18 years as a denominational worker, church planter, lead pastor, and student pastor, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies, and a Master’s Degree in History. Shane is also a traveling communicator, evangelist, and Bible teacher, and speaks to tens of thousands about the good news of Jesus Christ every year. Shane is the author of a popular blog, which has over 3 million views, and his articles have been picked up by RELEVANT, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, The Gospel Coalition, CrossWalk, Church Leaders, The Baptist Press, FaithIt, HelloChristian, and many others. Shane and his wife, Kasi, were featured as ABC’s Nightly News “Persons of the Week” in August 2017. Shane has recently written a book with the major publishers, Waterbrook Multnomah and Penguin Random House, and "9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God’s Truth Is Infinitely Better' is available everywhere books are sold. Listen in this week to hear Rob and Shane talk about the way their stories relate, about reaching and ministering to "gen Z" and our youth, about the process of adopting children, and about adopting a child with a severe disability. Thanks so much for listening!!!

On episode 24 of the podcast, we are so blessed to be joined by our new friend, Shaila Visser! Shaila is the National Director of Alpha Canada, Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International, and Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016). Prior to her work with Alpha, she was on staff with Power to Change in Canada. Shaila has a heart for people coming to know Jesus and helping the local church flourish, is known for her strategic leadership and her ability to bring people together, and is recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Christian Women in Canada!!! She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband Ryan, a K9 Unit Police Officer. Listen in to hear Rob and Shaila talk about her journey, wrestling with God's plans, and "making much of Jesus"!!! Thank you so much for tuning in!

On episode 23 of “Enjoying the Journey”, we are so excited and honored to be joined by Mr. Steve Hanamura! Born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, and blind for his entire life, Steve lives with an enthusiasm and perspective every day that is truly amazing. He is the president and founder of Hanamura Consulting, Inc., a firm he founded in 1986 to provide coaching, training, consulting, and speaking. He is widely sought after in the areas of leadership development and innovation, managing and leading diversity initiatives, building effective teams, working with people with disabilities and managing personal and organizational change. Steve has authored two books, “In Search of Vision” and “I Can See Clearly“, and has served as past president of the Portland Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (now ATD, the Association for Talent Development) and was chair of the board with the Oregon Commission for the Blind for six years. He is an emeritus member of the Diversity Collegium, a group of thought leaders in the field of diversity. Beyond the numerous awards Steve has received for his leadership and diversity training, he was an Olympic Torchbearer for the 1996 Olympics! Though blind, he enjoys running and is an avid sports fan, and he and his wife, Becky, live in Beaverton, Oregon, and have 3 adult sons. Rob and Steve had such an amazing time talking about staying positive and hope-filled through the things life throws our way (and their specific situations), and being “transmitters of hope”, and we are so happy to have you listening in!!!

We are so excited to be joined by Brent Crowe today on “Enjoying the Journey”! Brent is a thought-provoking visionary and communicator who has a passion to present the life changing message of the gospel. He uses humor and real-life situations to relate to people at the heart of their struggles. The roles of husband, father, minister, evangelist, author and leader have allowed Brent to influence people from all walks of life throughout his twenty years in ministry. Brent speaks to hundreds of thousands across the nation and abroad each year and is currently serving as Vice President for Student Leadership University, a program that has trained over one hundred and fifty thousand students to commit themselves to excellence. He is also the author of Moments ‘til Midnight, Sacred Intent: Maximize the Moments of Your Life, Reimagine: What the World Would Look Like If God Got His Way, Chasing Elephants: Wrestling with the Gray Areas of Life, the Associate Editor of IMPACT, The Student Leadership Bible and the co-author of The Call. His latest work will be released in November 2021. Listen in to hear Brent and Rob talk about Student Leadership University, the story of Brent’s family adopting three children, how to make Godly decisions when the Bible doesn’t talk about your situation specifically! This one is AWESOME, check it out!!!

On episode 21 of the podcast, we are so excited to share our awesome conversation with pro skateboarder, Brian Sumner! Brian is an Evangelist/Pastor/Speaker, Host of The Foolishness Podcast and Author of the “Never Fails” Marriage Book, and came to faith in 2004 at the height of his professional skateboard career. Born in Liverpool England, Brian transplanted to America at age 15 to become part of Tony Hawk’s Birdhouse Skateboards, building a successful (over a decade!) career riding for some of the biggest skate companies in the world, reaching international acclaim. His marriage is one of the most amazing parts of his faith story. In 1999, Brian was married, and soon expecting a child with his with, Tracy. Within just a few years of marriage, without either of them having faith, they were soon fighting, struggling, and divorced, leaving Brian angry, depressed and even suicidal. A year of separation led Brian in search for truth, ultimately to prove there was no God, with the goal of proving life had no purpose. As Brian challenged the different faiths, asking tough questions and digging into Gods Word, he had a life changing experience leading to his coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Listen in to hear Brian talk to Rob about finding God, and the amazing journey that has included re-marrying Tracy! We are so excited you’re here!

On episode 20 of Enjoying the Journey (20 episodes!!!) we are SO excited to sit down with founder of “BLDR Faith” apparel, Blake Stanley! After growing up being taught about using his gifts and talents to glorify God, Blake decided to use his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to spread the gospel of Jesus, and created “BLDR Faith” in 2017! BLDR’s mission is to spread the message that Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life of servanthood, died so that we may live, and was raised from the dead showing that He alone can conquer sin and death and is worthy of our praise. Blake’s hope is that by wearing BLDR apparel, you will be able start many conversations, leading you to boldly share the hope, love, salvation, and message of Christ. BLDR is an acronym for “Birth Life Death Resurrection” and is pronounced  "BOLDER." Because of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are offered the free gift of salvation and can receive the Holy spirit. Therefore we may share our faith with boldness. BLDR is a source for Gospel proclamation tools, so if you are looking for a simple way to share the Gospel, and doors for Christ centered conversations to be opened, check them out! Thanks for tuning in, we’re so glad you’re here!!!

On Episode 19 of the podcast, we are so blessed and excited to be joined by founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries, Greg Stier! After growing up in a violent family in the inner-city of Denver, Colorado, Greg saw those same family members transformed by the power of the gospel, which inspired him to pursue a life of spreading the gospel himself! Greg founded Dare 2 Share in 1991 to train teens to share their faith, and, in 1999, decided to pursue Dare 2 Share full time. He has been speaking, writing books, training, and teaching about youth ministry and evangelism ever since! We are HUGE fans of Dare 2 Share, which exists to see the gospel advanced and makes disciples of today’s youth. They equip youth leaders to build Gospel Advancing Ministries, providing training for youth pastors, curriculums for youth groups, and platforms for youth to start conversations with others and start hosting their own events! It was amazing to talk to Greg about his upbringing in the inner-city of Denver, the moments that inspired him to take up ministry full-time, and to hear about the amazing passion he has for speaking to youth and youth leaders around the country. If you are a youth pastor, student, or a person wanting to learn more about becoming an active disciple, Greg is the guy to listen to, and we are so excited to share this episode with you!!!!

Today we were so excited to be joined by Carson King for episode 18 of the podcast! Carson is the founder of the “Carson King Foundation”, and the Iowa State student who raised $3 million for the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital! Carson went viral on all kinds of social media platforms after his sign (“Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished, Venmo: Carson-King-25”)was seen all over TV when he held it up during ESPN’s College GameDay coverage of an Iowa State University football game. After the first few hundred dollars worth of contributions came through, Carson decided to donate the total amount to the children’s hospital after setting aside $18.00 to purchase one case of Busch Light. Word spread of Carson's intentions, and the story gained the attention of Annheuser Busch and Venmo, who committed to matching King's donation. Contributions continued to pour in, eventually climbing to over $3 Million from more than 35,000 donors. That event sparked a passion for charitable work in Carson’s life, and he is now the head of the “Carson King Foundation”. Listen in to hear him talk to Rob about his rise to stardom, the purpose and goals of the “Carson King Foundation”, about the fun ways that people can support Iowans in need, and even about the crazy power that social media has in today's world! Thank you so much for tuning in!!!

On today's episode of "Enjoying the Journey", we are so excited to be joined by the Senior Publicist for Bethany House Publishing, Holly Maxwell! Bethany House has been publishing high-quality books for more than 60 years, beginning as the publishing arm of a missions organization, to (now) a division of Baker Publishing Group, the industry’s largest independent Christian book publisher. Recognized as the leader in inspirational fiction, Bethany House publishes many of the bestselling names in historical and contemporary romance, Amish fiction, romantic suspense, and many other genres, and Bethany House nonfiction includes award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors who are influential teachers, pastors, and ministry leaders. Their list encompasses a variety of subjects that help readers deepen their faith, including Christian living, devotions, family resources, and many more. It was amazing and so interesting to talk to someone who has reached such a high level of success at such a young age (25 years old!!!), and to ask her about how her faith has evolved through such professional success. From being thankful for the people with you on your journey, to taking time for small moments daily and letting yourself laugh, Holly has so many great thoughts, and we are so excited for you to take a listen!!!