Why in the world do I have a podcast? Good question. In this fiftieth episode of Exempla, I want to tell you about the series of events that led to me starting this podcast back in 2021. It encourages me to reflect on how God led, and I hope it will encourage you too.

Scott Pauley's podcast "Enjoying the Journey"

Paul Hastings's podcast "Compelled"

Proclaim Podcast Network

Episode transcript

When I first met my wife, I was attracted to her—but I thought she was way out of my league. And I was right. But that didn’t keep us from accidentally ending up on a date… that led to a relationship… that led to marriage. In this replay of an episode from season 2, I tell the story of that first date and how maybe it wasn’t as much of an accident as I originally thought.

Transcript: exemplapodcast.com/2025/06/07/accidental-first-date-replay/

When war upends Gladys Aylward’s life, she finds herself responsible for the care of two hundred children. When she discovers there’s a bounty on her head, she leads ninety-four of those children on a daring escape across China. In this final chapter of her story, we ask: What is her legacy—and what can we learn from her life of faith and sacrifice?

Listen to Gladys tell her own story

Listen to my interview on No Higher Calling or watch on YouTube

Episode transcript/pictures/sources

Gladys is finally in Yangcheng, China, where she can begin her missions work. But during her years in Yangcheng, Gladys’s life is going to take some unexpected turns. Through it all, she will learn that God sometimes uses the unexpected and the unconventional to further His work of spreading the gospel.

Transcript/sources: exemplapodcast.com/2025/05/10/gladys-aylward-foot-inspector/

Gladys Aylward was a small, unassuming woman from England—but her determination was unmatched. When a missions agency told her they couldn’t send her to China, she simply decided to find another way. In this episode—part one of Gladys’s story—you’ll hear about her incredible journey to China and be challenged by her powerful example of perseverance and faith.

Transcript/sources: exemplapodcast.com/2025/04/26/gladys-aylward-rejected-missionary/

My son broke his arm, and I didn’t know what to do. In the moment, I felt lost, but through all the fear and uncertainty, I learned something about God. This episode is about that day, what it taught me, and the quiet ways God shows us that He is a perfect Father.

Transcript/photos: exemplapodcast.com/2025/04/05/running-to-daddy/

What happens to the soul of an Olympic athlete when he in interned at a prison camp during a war in which he has no part? Most would grow bitter or discouraged… but not Eric Liddell. You may know about Eric’s Olympic career from the movie “Chariots of Fire”, but you probably don’t know the story of the moving last chapter of Eric’s life.

Pictures/sources/transcript: exemplapodcast.com/2025/03/22/eric-liddell-passes-the-baton/

How many doughnuts is too many doughnuts? In Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price, a doughnut machine malfunctions, resulting in a hilariously enormous surplus of doughnuts. In this episode, I share this lighthearted tale and explore how its chaos mirrors the real-life mistakes we make when we stop thinking, stop praying, and simply let circumstances take over.

Transcript/pictures: exemplapodcast.com/2025/03/08/way-too-many-doughnuts/

Podcast artwork illustration by Robert McCloskey

In the 1980s, Ted Ngoy’s American Dream turned into a nightmare. He unexpectedly started to lose all the things he held most dear… and it was no one’s fault but his own. In this second part of Ted’s story, I explain what happened and share a warning about the power of sin.

Pictures/sources/transcript: exemplapodcast.com/2025/02/22/fall-of-the-donut-king/

Podcast artwork photo by Giulio Di Sturco

Ted Ngoy had to flee his home in Cambodia and start fresh in the United States. But even though he arrived as a destitute refugee, Ted managed to leave his mark on the entire LA area. In this first part of Ted's story, I'll tell you why so many doughnut shops in southern California are owned by Cambodians and why Ted Ngoy is known affectionately as the "Donut King".

Pictures/sources/transcript: exemplapodcast.com/2025/02/08/rise-of-the-donut-king/