Great Stories by Haven Today

What do you do when the unthinkable happens? When your faith is tested and you are confronted with your greatest fears? On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen speaks with three widows who know this grief well. They all lost their husbands around the same time, but then they found each other. 

In their church community, Cherrie, Linda, and Susan are known collectively as "The Strand of Three." Each of their testimonies are unique, but together they also have a shared testimony of loss, grief, and the Lord's unending mercies. It's a touching conversation that we pray will give you hope and encouragement for your own dark valleys.

At the age of 16, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was the youngest U.S. track and field athlete to compete in the Olympics since 1972. Eight years later, she's broken the world record in the 400 meter hurdles five times and won two Olympic gold medals—yet, by the time listeners tune in, these stats may already be out of date.

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen is partnering with Jason Romano from Sports Spectrum by sharing a conversation he had with Sydney earlier this year where they talked about preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the release of Sydney's new book about her life and faith called Far Beyond Gold.

Known as the Flying Scotsman, Eric Liddell had high Olympic hopes. But he also wouldn’t run on Sunday … even if that meant missing out on a gold medal for himself and his country. What happened next stunned the world. 

100 years after his historic race and stand for his faith at the Paris 1924 Olympics, the games have returned to Paris and Eric Liddell's story is just as relevant as ever.

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen reflects on Eric's life as an athlete and, more importantly, as a Christian. Eric's granddaughter, Patricia Russell, makes an appearance. You'll also get to learn more about the lesser-known, but no less incredible, parts of Eric's story following the Olympics, as well as the sacrifice he made before his death in a prison camp. 

We’ve all been there. Peer pressure, desire for acceptance, fear of rejection. These aren't just issues for teenagers in the lunchroom. From young adulthood into old age, these struggles are still an issue for many of us. The Bible calls it fear of man and demonstrates it against the backdrop of fear of God.

Ultimately, they cannot coexist.

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen is joined by Dr. Ed Welch to discuss these common struggles. Using his book When People are Big and God is Small as a launching pad for the conversation, this episode strives to help you—whether you have been aware of it up until now, or not—to grapple with the tug-of-war between fear of man and fear of God. 

What are you ashamed of? If you're like most people, a blunt question like this has the power to resurface long-ago-buried memories of wrongdoing. It doesn't even matter whether you were caught or got away with it, shame can stay with us for many years—and yet it is too often ignored and unresolved. 

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen and his wife, Marci, are joined by author and counselor Heather Davis Nelson. In this conversation, they discuss the destructive force shame can have on the life of a believer, how it is as old as sin itself, and how Jesus ultimately redeems us and rescues us.

For more on how to find freedom from shame, visit haventoday.org to receive a copy of Heather's book "Unashamed" as our thanks for your gift in support of this podcast ministry. 

"Weakness on one side, fatigue all around." Charles Morris was 18 months old when he contracted Polio. And while the Lord spared him the most debilitating parts of the disease, he's had to live with the effects ever since. Those effects only become more amplified with age.

On a special episode of the great stories podcast, David Wollen speaks with Charles Morris about what his everyday life is like with post-polio and how it reminds him of the Lord's strength when he is feeling weak. No matter what troubles and weaknesses you may be facing today, this episode will keep you looking to Jesus.

Did you know that Haven Ministries is celebrating 90 incredible years of ministry?

If you missed our live 90th anniversary celebration, no worries! You can catch all the highlights and heartwarming moments in this episode of the Great Stories podcast. Be encouraged as David Wollen, Charles Morris, Joni Eareckson Tada, and more reflect on Haven’s rich history of sharing the gospel for 90 years … and counting! 

Watch the video version of this episode on Haven's blog at haventoday.org.

It all started on an early foggy morning in 1934, when Paul Myers, a former Los Angeles radio personality and station manager of leading radio stations woke up near a wharf in San Diego. Hungover, he heard the sound of a ship’s bell ring out eight times at 4:00 a.m., signaling “all’s well.”

Only one month later, Myers would be back on the radio, but this time, sharing his newfound faith in Jesus. What happened in between is the extraordinary story of how Myers would go on to found a Christian radio program that continues till this day. At that point, it was called “Haven of Rest,” and Paul Myers would endearingly become known as First Mate Bob. Now, 90 years later, that ministry is called Haven Today — the very same ministry publishing this podcast.

Hear Paul Myers tell this story in his own words. It’s also our story here at Haven Ministries. We pray this episode will serve as a reminder that the Lord is in the business of redeeming sinners and using them to go on to do great things for the Kingdom. 

The data is clear. Our world and culture are shaping our kids in ways that are often difficult to detect. For parents and grandparents, the natural reaction might be to shield them from danger—but this tactic in isolation may end up doing more harm than good. So, what's a well-meaning caregiver to do?

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, David Wollen speaks with Julie Lowe. A licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a registered play therapist supervisor, Julie has over 20 years of experience helping children, teens, and families work through difficult issues. In this conversation, she provides practical, biblical help that, in many ways, runs counter-intuitive to the culture we live in. For many, this episode may serve as a wake up call regarding the types of dangers and issues children and young people are facing every day.

As a thank you for your support of this podcast by Haven Today, we'd love to send you a copy of Julie's recently published book Safeguards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping Our Kids. To learn more, visit haventoday.org

A lot has been said about C.S. Lewis the writer, the professor, the theologian, the apologist. But what about C.S. Lewis the friend? Joseph Kohm has written extensively about the surprising, yet tragic, friendship between Lewis and his childhood pal, Arthur Greeves.

On today's episode of the Great Stories podcast, Kohm joins David Wollen to discuss how Lewis considered friendship to be the chief source of happiness—and his friendship with Greeves lasted for half a century. This conversation also covers Lewis' life story, the unique approach he took to defending Christianity, and how his words continue to speak to us in our modern world.

Whether you are a longtime fan of Lewis' writing or you're just wanting to learn more about his life and work, this conversation will likely shed new light on one of Christianity's most beloved writers.