EXTRAordinary Lives

Myra is intentional about living her life for Jesus in both happy and tough circumstances.  She and her husband even worked at a Christian orphanage while on their honeymoon in Thailand. And when life has dealt some hard to explain hands, she has stuck with Jesus, hanging on to trust Him and His plans and to feel only the comfort He can give. We’ll hear about a few of those events today. Thanks, Myra, for sharing your valuable stories with us.

Lyn and Andrew’s story has it all: romance, dog stories, and fascinating locales such as Namibia, Greece, the UK, and …Texas. They both worked with Cru on European university campuses. Now, they are busy designing an app called Toucan Together for Cru’s Family Life ministry in the UK that aims to boost relationship wellness with beneficial biblical principles. You can’t help but enjoy and admire this delightful young couple.

And here’s a plug for the mobile device app, which I am loving. It features an interactive relationship health survey, educational modules on communication, handling conflict, loving, money, and growing, along with authentic and encouraging testimonials by real couples. It can be used individually or paired with a partner. It is truly totally awesome and fully confidential! Check it out at the Apple App Store! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/toucan-relationship-advice/id1252586096

Marie Wolfe Grunzke is my darling niece who packs a lot of wisdom. She thinks deeply about life and choices due to the impact of her relationship with Jesus. You’ll hear about an impromptu teaching gig in China, an answer to her plea to God, “Do you really love me?” and her desire to control situations but her decisions to, instead, hand those over to God. Thank you, Marie!

Kristen exudes warmth, thoughtfulness, and a love of adventure - the latter is mandatory since she will soon be sailing around Indonesia with her husband and teenage children. Kristen is anchored in the love of Christ, and she shares extraordinary stories which include some keen losses in childhood, dealing with depression, and developing a love of helping teens through her work with the Christian organization Young Life. Her story is authentic and reassuring; she is an ordinary person whom Jesus is making EXTRAordinary.

The quote Ellen reads is from Recovering from Losses in Life by H. Norman Wright.

Diagnosed with a brain tumor 13 years ago after losing hearing in one ear, Mark was discouraged and angry at God. The tumor affected so many areas of his life: his ability to hear, see, speak, and walk, his love of tennis and his athletic abilities, his career as a lawyer, and providing for his dear wife and son. I hope Mark’s profound and hopeful words will deeply affect your life as much as they have mine.

Fellow UT Vol, Jade Newton, grew up in Chicago as an only child. Her compassionate heart for the Lord and for others shines through in her forthright and confident manner, love of serving and mission trips, and insistence on fully following God and having a real relationship with Him, instead of treating Christianity as a religion or as a one-time commitment. Her stories will inspire you and "spur you on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 12:4).

Alessandro grew up in Italy traveling with his parents who are magicians. He was a Fashion Week photographer in Milan, but after a job photographing orphans in Uganda, he had a change of heart and decided to work for Cru's Agape Studenti and use his art to introduce Italians to Christian themes through high-caliber films. You'll enjoy his fascinating story and his winsome Italian accent! To see the beautiful short film, Altro Mare, mentioned in this episode, go to this URL:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha7RztKZT6M. The Rwanda movie, Unforgiveable, can be viewed at en.imperdonabile.it

Chelsea Street is a millennial whose EXTRAordinary stories revolve around her relationships: with Jesus, her family, her community, and her workplace. She lives out her faith and is determined to keep learning and growing during difficult times. Life has not been easy, but she is enthusiastic, authentic, and wise. You'll enjoy the WOW factor of her stories!

I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing my mom, Linda Warner. She has weathered hardships such as losing her dad at a young age, an almost-deadly illness as a Christian Scientist, a divorce after 26 years, and the death of her second spouse, beloved Fred - and even more! Instead of becoming bitter, she has become better. You'll be inspired by the story of her strength, perseverance, and God's guidance that has taken her life from ordinary to EXTRAordinary.

Matt and Elizabeth discuss living in Italy as Americans and share some funny incidents along with some amazing stories about the EXTRAordinary difference Jesus makes in their lives. They work with students at the University of Bologna, one of the oldest and largest universities in the world, and are on the staff of Agape Italia.