First Person with Wayne Shepherd

Michele Altman gave her life to Christ after childhood abuse, drug addiction, and prostitution. Now the Founder of Cornerstone of Grace for women, she tells her story.  (click for more...)  

Website:  www.Cornerstoneofgrace.org

Michele Altman shares a powerful testimony of redemption, describing a childhood marked by loss and abuse that led her into years of drug addiction, prostitution, and repeated brushes with death. Though raised with an early knowledge of God, Michelle spent years believing the lies spoken over her—until a decisive moment when she cried out to Jesus and experienced dramatic deliverance and freedom. Grounded in her restored identity in Christ, she now lives a life of daily surrender and obedience to God’s will. That transformation gave birth to Cornerstone of Grace, a Wisconsin-based residential ministry she founded to provide a safe, faith-centered environment for abused, homeless, and trafficked women and their children, equipping them through counseling, discipleship, and practical support to discover who they are—and whose they are—in Christ.

            NEXT WEEK:  Doug Cobb on finishing the Great Commission

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Joining Wayne Shepherd, Abdu Murray recounts his conversion from Shia Islam to Christianity and discusses his book, Fake ID, about AI and gender ideology.   (click for more...) 

Website:  https://embracethetruth.org

YouTube:  www.youtube.com/@AbduMurrayOfficial

In this First Person interview, Abdu Murray recounts his nine-year journey from devout Shiite Islam to Christian faith, describing how rigorous study, thoughtful dialogue with Christians, and a deep search for truth led him to conclude that Christianity uniquely answers both intellectual and existential questions, particularly through the self-sacrificial love of Christ demonstrated on the cross. He explains the personal cost of conversion, including challenges to identity and family relationships, while emphasizing the spiritual closeness to God that often comes through suffering. Murray also discusses his book Fake ID, arguing that the combined forces of “AI mania” and gender identity ideology are contributing to a cultural “reality collapse” by eroding objective truth and authentic human personhood. He contends that both trends push society toward seeing humans either as machines or self-created gods, ultimately denying God as Creator, and concludes that the only stable anchor for truth and identity is the Christian understanding of personhood grounded in the image of God as revealed in Scripture.

                                      NEXT WEEK:  Michele Altman

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A former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot, KJ Johnson is interviewed by Wayne Shepherd about his testimony and role as Director of Chicago's CS Lewis Institute. (click for more...)   

Website:  www.cslewisinstitute.org/chicago/

Karl “KJ” Johnson, Lt.Col., USMC (Ret.), a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot with a 20-year military career, shares how God redirected his life toward intentional spiritual discipleship after recognizing a personal lack of being deeply discipled despite growing up in a Christian environment. Raised in Chicago with strong faith influences from his mother and grandmother, Johnson drifted spiritually during college and early military years, but recommitted his faith after marriage and fatherhood, developing a hunger for Scripture and Christian thought. His transformative experience came through the C.S. Lewis Institute, where structured, relational discipleship—focused on heart and mind—provided mentoring, community, and theological depth that reshaped his life and calling. Now the director of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Chicago, Johnson leads a yearlong, interdenominational discipleship program emphasizing intentional commitment, mentorship, and holistic spiritual formation, equipping believers from all walks of life to grow in Christlikeness and live out their faith in tangible ways.

NEXT WEEK:  Abdu Murray, author of Fake ID; How AI and Identity Ideology Are Collapsing Reality and What to Do About It

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Former radio shock-jock Phil Reaser tells his story of coming to faith in Christ and redirecting his life to follow God's call.    (click for more...) 

NOTE: In addition to this normal length of our interviews, you can also listen to the extended version of Phil's story here.        

VoiceOver: [email protected] 

Website: reaservoice.com

Phil Reaser shares a powerful testimony tracing his journey from growing up as a pastor’s son with an early love for Christ, through years of rebellion marked by a shock-jock radio career, substance abuse, and spiritual emptiness, to a dramatic return to faith. After achieving professional success in secular radio, Phil became deeply convicted through a Billy Graham broadcast and later experienced a profound personal encounter with Jesus that led him to fully surrender his life to Christ at age 37. This turning point redirected his career into Christian radio, Bible training, teaching, and ultimately a life of mentoring others in faith. Now retired, Phil emphasizes the importance of spiritual encouragement, unconditional support, and mentoring—offering others the same guidance that helped restore his own life and align it with God’s purposes 

                                                 NEXT WEEK:  KJ Johnson

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Gregg Quiggle, author of BREAD AND BIBLES, talks with Wayne Shepherd about 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody and his focus on not only evangelism but social action as well.  (click for more...)  

Website:  www.moodypublishers.com/bread-and-bibles

Dr. Greg Quiggle joins First Person to discuss his book Bread and Bibles, which reframes the legacy of D. L. Moody as a figure who integrated evangelism with extensive social action. Drawing from letters, biographies, and contemporary records, Quiggle explains that Moody not only preached the gospel but also addressed poverty through job placement, education, aid to the poor, Civil War relief work, and ministries for children, orphans, and the urban disadvantaged. While acknowledging Moody’s moral failures—particularly his compromises on racial segregation and silence on lynching—Quiggle presents a balanced portrait of a deeply influential yet imperfect Christian leader whose life challenges today’s polarized debates by demonstrating that faith-driven evangelism and social responsibility need not be opposed but can, and should, work together.

                                            NEXT WEEK:  Phil Reaser

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Kevin Belmonte, a biographer of D.L. Moody, shares Moody's thoughts about Christmas with host Wayne Shepherd.     (click for more...)              

Website:  https://kevinbelmonte.wordpress.com

The First Person Christmas episode features Wayne Shepherd in conversation with author and biographer Kevin Belmonte, reflecting on how famed evangelist D. L. Moody understood and celebrated Christmas. Through personal stories, historical anecdotes, and direct quotations, Belmonte presents Moody as a warm, humorous, deeply relational figure whose faith made spiritual truths accessible and vivid. The discussion highlights Moody’s love of family, home life in Northfield, simple pleasures like games and carriage rides with his grandchildren, and his ability to connect Christmas with themes of hope, heaven, and reunion. Moody’s descriptions of Christmas as a “lamp of promise” and heaven as a “great Christmas” reveal his gift for expressing profound theology through everyday imagery, culminating in a heartfelt prayer from 1870 that underscores his evangelistic passion and enduring spiritual legacy.

Next Week:  Gregg Quiggle, Author of Bread and Bibles

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Noted Christian apologist, Lee Strobel, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about his book, The Case For Christmas.     (click for more...)      

Website:  https://leestrobel.com/

Lee Strobel—former atheist, journalist, and now well-known Christian apologist—joins Wayne Shepherd to discuss The Case for Christmas and the historical credibility of the Christmas story. Drawing from his investigative approach, Strobel explains how a deeper look at language, culture, and prophecy clarifies long-held misunderstandings, such as the translation of the Greek word kataluma, which likely refers not to a commercial inn but to a guest room in a first-century home, suggesting Jesus was born in a family setting rather than a detached stable. He also highlights that many supposed parallels between Christianity and ancient myths collapse under scrutiny, reinforcing the uniqueness of the virgin birth and the reliability of biblical accounts. Strobel examines the legitimacy of Isaiah’s prophecy about a virgin birth, noting its placement within a cluster of Messianic expectations and its accurate rendering in early translations. The conversation touches on modern skepticism—particularly among Gen Z—yet Strobel notes a surprising openness to truth when evidence is thoughtfully presented. He emphasizes that Christianity rests on solid historical and factual foundations, but ultimately invites a heart response to God’s incarnation and redemptive mission. Strobel closes by expressing optimism about spiritual awakening among young people and announces his forthcoming film, The Case for Miracles, which documents contemporary evidence of God’s ongoing work. 

NEXT WEEK:  DL Moody Biographer Kevin Belmonte

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Doug Shaw, the author of CURATIVE CULTURE, Stepping Away from A Toxic Workplace, talks with Wayne Shepherd.   (click for more...) 

Websites: www.dougshawperspective.com AND www.douglasshaw.com

Doug Shaw, chairman and CEO of Douglas Shaw & Associates and author of Curative Culture, discusses his humble upbringing in a hand-built cabin in Washington and how those early experiences shaped his sense of purpose and work ethic. He explains the concept of a “curative culture” as the opposite of a toxic workplace—an environment grounded in hope, opportunity, trust, and recognition of each person's humanity, influenced by his Christian faith and the belief that people are created in the image of God. Shaw emphasizes servant leadership, the legitimate use of power, and the responsibility of leaders to desire the success of their coworkers and support them through personal and professional challenges. Drawing from personal stories, including the loss of his father and past unhealthy work experiences, he advocates for values-driven organizations where excellence, empathy, accountability, and genuine care shape how people work together. His book aims to help both nonprofit and for-profit leaders create healthier, more life-giving workplaces.

NEXT WEEK:  Lee Strobel, the author of THE CASE FOR CHRISTMAS

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Anita Deyneka has a long history of ministry to the people of Soviet and post-Soviet cultures, including children. She talks with Wayne Shepherd.  (click for more) 

Websites: missioneurasia.org Read about giving a gift of hope at Christmas

 afamilyforeveryorphan.org

Anita Deyneka is a longtime missionary, author, and advocate for vulnerable children, whose life and ministry have spanned the Soviet era, the collapse of communism, and the current crisis in Ukraine. Raised in Washington State and called to Christ at age 11, Anita later married missionary Peter Deyneka Jr., joining the influential Slavic Gospel Association founded by his father. Together they supported Christian radio broadcasts, distributed Bibles, and worked closely with persecuted believers across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union—efforts that sometimes resulted in denied visas due to their advocacy writings.

After communism fell, Anita played a major role in expanding ministry opportunities, including leadership of Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries (now Mission Eurasia) and development of programs for emerging Christian leaders. Her deepest long-term focus, however, has been orphan care. Inspired by Ukrainian believers after the Soviet collapse, she helped encourage national movements such as Ukraine Without Orphans, Russia Without Orphans, and eventually the global coalition World Without Orphans, now active in over 90 countries.

Today, Anita’s central concern is the plight of Ukrainian children affected by Russia’s 2022 invasion, including the forcible abduction of more than 20,000 children into Russia and Russian-controlled territories, where they are separated from families, indoctrinated, or even forced into military service. She urges prayer, awareness, and support for bipartisan U.S. legislation aimed at ensuring the safe return of these children and upholding family unity.

This conversation reflects Anita’s lifelong commitment to bringing the hope of Christ to vulnerable communities and championing the well-being and protection of children in crisis.

                                          NEXT WEEK:  Douglas Shaw

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As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, Dr. Bill Thrasher joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about the spiritual discipline of prayer and thanks.  (click for more) 

Website:  https://victoriouspraying.com  

Dr. Bill Thrasher reflects on the meaning and discipline of Thanksgiving, tracing its American roots to Bradford and Lincoln while emphasizing its deep biblical foundation. He explains that gratitude cures pride, restores perspective, and brings spiritual transformation, citing examples such as Nebuchadnezzar, the psalmists, and New Testament figures. Thrasher acknowledges the pain many people face but stresses that everything apart from judgment is God’s grace, and that thanksgiving—empowered by the Holy Spirit—helps believers behold God, replace bitterness, experience unity, and receive guidance. Through personal stories, scriptural insights, and practical suggestions for families during the holiday season, he encourages cultivating gratitude daily, including thanking God even for difficult circumstances, trusting God’s sovereignty, and allowing thanksgiving to deepen relationships and invite God’s presence.

                                       NEXT WEEK:  Anita Deyneka

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