Halfway There

Today, Tonya Jewel Blessing shares how she learned to love the mess and serve with a joyful heart. It wasn’t always easy and we talk about the long process God used to prepare her for life in rural South Africa. But the process was full of moments that inspired her to trust just a little bit more.

Tonya is also the author of The Whispering of the Willows (Amazon affiliate link), work of fiction that connects her to her roots. Her parents grew up in the area of Appalachia where the story is set and she drew from that inspiration. While she describes it as “a girl book,” (there is a budding romance in the selection she reads for us), the book is a fine depiction of the period and Tonya’s way with words makes for easy and delightful reading.

Listen today for the following stories:

• How Tonya found Jesus

Great quotes from our conversation:

Ministry wasn’t just about standing in a pulpit preaching, it was about coming alongside people and helping people.

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If we respond to somebody else’s sin in a negative way and shocked by what someone has done, those ministry moments are lost.

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Serving God isn’t for the feint of heart.

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It’s the servants of God who see the miracles.

If you haven’t gone into iTunes to leave a rating & review for Halfway There, please do that right now! It helps more people find us. Thanks!

The post Tonya Jewel Blessing and the Servants Who See the Miracles appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Today’s episode features author of Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb, Keith Giles (Amazon affiliate link which means if you buy from this link Amazon sends a little my way).

How integrated should the Kingdom of God and the leaders of a nation be? The question may seem strange to Evangelical ears when the objective of some for multiple decades has been to pass laws and “influence” political leaders. But just because this has been the case does not mean it is what ought to be.

Here, I need to give you a confession: I’m a political junkie. I like everything about politics including the maneuvering, the process of elections – especially at the presidential level – and watched with fascination the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump as president. I worked, talked, and voted as conservatively as anyone in the 1990s and 2000s.

In fact, my first online experience was a blog about Christians in politics where I read and wrote about various policies and issues of the day. I even saw a Sarah Palin event once. So, I was invested in conservative politics, the Tea Party, and all that means.

But the blog found little traction and I began to alienate friends with my views which I was willing to do for the right cause but was unsure I had found it. Then, one day, I read a book that changed everything for me.

Free books was one of the main benefits of blogging and I received one by Os Guinness called A Free People’s Suicide. If you haven’t heard of it, that’s okay. Most people I talk to haven’t. But I love this book because it changed my life.

You can click that link above to read my full review if you’d like but here’s the life-changing point that he made: The Constitution matters less than the character of the people because adherence to the first depends on the second. In other words, if Evangelicals want to change the culture they are far more effective changing hearts than laws.

My views of God and the political process began to change as I sought for opportunities to offer positive value to both the American culture and the Evangelical subculture. Now, instead of yelling and arguing about which laws to pass, I sought heart-level connections with people.

If you have been paying attention you will know where this is going. Halfway There tries to be that kind of positive voice that lets you into the real experience of becoming a Christian and learning to live life with God. It seeks to change our character into more trusting and faithful followers by sharing when God was faithful to others. It is about the experience not the theological category. And, yes, that’s the agenda I have in every interview which I’m sure longtime listeners perceive.

Confession over.

I tell this story not to distract from Keith’s story but to let you know that if our conversation about separating church and state is challenging for you, I understand why. That was me just a few years ago. But it also comes with an invitation to listen, consider what he says, and decide for yourself.

I highly recommend Jesus Untangled by Keith Giles (Amazon affiliate link which means if you buy from this link Amazon sends a little my way) as a starting point for the conversation about

Great quotes from our conversation:

• We are constantly being asked if we are going be disciples or not.

Also mentioned was

• Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks in which Keith interview Dallas Willard and

Did you relate to Keith's story? Be sure to pick up Jesus Untangled for more. And tell someone you know who would enjoy Halfway There about the show. It's the highest compliment you can give.

Also, if you haven't yet, stop by iTunes and subscribe. Leave a review which helps our visibility in the rankings.

The post Jesus Untangled Author Keith Giles and Separating Church from State appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Quentin Banks met Jesus in the St. Louis County jail. That’s just the beginning of his story. He is one of my favorite people ever to share on Halfway There because of the powerful work God has done in his life. Quentin is the definition of a man seeking after God’s heart while still wrestling with a world that is far from His ideal. The stories he shares about how he comes to trust God will encourage you, too.

As always, please subscribe in iTunes and while you're there please leave a review of the show. It helps.

The post Quentin Banks is Free in Christ Forever appeared first on Eric Nevins.

What have I learned after asking over 25 people about their life with God? Trust in God is learned sometimes the hard way.

Today we look at how this experience of learning to trust God over a long period of time is common, even in Scripture. I show through the Abraham’s story that he learned to believe God through the ups and downs of his own life so that by the time God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22 he just does it.

The following stories are featured in clips from today’s show:

• Amy Patton shares how she grew in faith and finally trusted God with more than her eternal destination but her whole life at a funeral.

What was true for Abraham all those years ago is true for you and I, my friends. Trust in God isn’t experienced once. Trust in God is learned by experience over our lifetimes.

The post Trust in God is Learned (Sometimes the Hard Way) appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Celebrate the New Year with these fresh start stories about how God changed the lives of three past guests of Halfway There.

Many were happy to see 2016 go and a new year begin. Admittedly, the year was a strange one in many ways between a vicious U.S. election cycle featuring unpopular candidates, Trump’s win in spite of (or because of?) his political incorrectness, celebrity deaths, and an otherwise uneasy feeling many of us seemed to have.

But for me, 2016 will forever be the year Halfway There became more than just an idea; it became a reality. The two years between idea and the eventual realization of the dream seemed like forever and at times I did not think it would ever happen. But I believe God has a reason for this show and so on June 6, 2016 it finally came to pass.

Before I get to the notes for the show, I want to share with you a few highlights of the year:

• 2 seasons complete and available in the archives in iTunes, Google Play Music, or Stitcher Radio

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening and sharing Halfway There with your friends and family. I hear from people every week about how they were encouraged to think new or differently about God and their trust in Him because of the show which makes all the work worth it.

In the spirit of the New Year, today’s episode features three new beginning stories from past episodes when God dramatically changed the lives of my guests. My prayer for you is that God will work in your life with the same power in 2017.

Here are the stories you will hear:

• Chuck Malott shares the story of how he became a believer and the remarkable story of the woman who prayed for him weeks before

Here’s to a new beginning for you, your family, and your walk with God!

As always, please subscribe in iTunes and while you’re there please leave a review of the show. It helps.

The post New Beginnings: Three Conversion Stories from the Archives appeared first on Eric Nevins.