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"What if the hardest thing you're walking through isn't happening TO you—but FOR you? What if you were actually chosen for this season?"

This isn't your typical "chosen" conversation—it's a paradigm shift about surrender, submission, and the sacred journey of trusting a faithful God even when nothing makes sense.

In this deeply moving episode of Just Talking About Jesus, Jan welcomes Angie Clayton (compiler of the book Chosen: Sacred Journeys with a Faithful God) and Ruth Cowles for an honest conversation about what it really means to be chosen by God—especially in the seasons that break you.

For show notes, scriptures, and updates on the book release, visit https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you."

00:00 - Welcome & Introduction 

00:38 - What Does "Chosen" Really Mean? 

00:50 - Introducing the Book: Chosen: Sacred Journeys with a Faithful God 

01:51 - Angie's Story: Chronic Illness & the Refiner's Fire 

03:29 - Changing Your Attitude Changes Everything 

04:34 - Open Hands vs. Clenched Fists 

05:05 - Ruth's Story: Chosen to Submit 

06:23 - When You're Both Right: Navigating Marriage Decisions 

09:24 - The Little Girl Who Found Her Forever Family

 11:06 - Did We Hear God Wrong? 

12:15 - How Submission Strengthened Their Marriage 

13:20 - Jan's Story: Another Adoption Journey 

14:29 - Avoiding Resentment When Plans Change 

17:16 - Jan's Healing: Sexual Trauma & Vindication 

21:45 - The Vision That Changed Everything

 22:37 - Beauty FOR Ashes, Not FROM Ashes 

23:25 - Angie's Foster Care Journey Begins 

24:34 - Trauma, Broken Children & the Call to Adopt 

26:45 - The Heartbreak of Disrupted Adoption 

27:53 - Two Failed Adoptions & God's Perfect Plan 

29:32 - Nothing Is Ever Wasted 

30:19 - Believing You Were Chosen for the Hard Stuff 

32:01 - Other Ways We're Chosen: Estrangement, Death, Blame 

33:23 - When God Chooses, He Enables (Moses at the Burning Bush) 

34:25 - Jesus: The Ultimate "Chosen"

 35:06 - Intimacy with God Through Chosen Seasons 

36:12 - Your Daily Bread: Chosen for the Small Things Too 

37:28 - Closing Thoughts & Book Release Information

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What happens when the Christian life you imagined doesn't match the reality you're living? 

When the prayers aren't answered the way you hoped? 

When suffering becomes your daily companion?

Paula Romang thought that if she just did all the things and checked all the boxes, God would deliver her version of the wonderful Christian life on a silver platter.

Good Christians don't suffer.

What she found out was that lie wasn't true.

Paula Romang shares her raw, beautiful, heartbreaking journey of raising twin boys—one healthy, one with severe special needs and a terminal seizure disorder.

Paula discovered that God doesn't promise an easy road—but He promises to never leave us on it.

Isaiah 43:2 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Paula Romang's website

0:26 Paula's Beauty for Ashes Story Begins
0:36 The Infertility Journey & IVF Process
1:38 Pregnancy Complications Begin
2:16 Matthew's Struggles Become Clear
3:16 Emergency Delivery Decision
3:37 The Twins Are Born
4:37 Paula's Christian Foundation
5:29 Faith Forced Into Action
6:18 Living with Heart & Apnea Monitors
7:21 The Exhausting Feeding Schedule
8:21 Shattered Expectations
8:51 "Good Christians Don't Suffer" - The Lie
9:31 Learning We Are Not in Control
11:00 Crisis of Faith & Wrestling with God
11:52 The Truth About Quiet Times
12:31 The Day She Turned Off the TV
13:34 Truth Pouring Into Her World
14:23 Christians DO Suffer - Biblical Truth
15:12 The Growing Disparity Between the Boys
16:05 Diagnosis: Developmental Delay
16:54 Matthew's First Seizure at 18 Months
17:25 The Ambulance in the Driveway
18:26 "I Will Never Leave You"
19:32 Moses & the Tent of Meeting
20:24 Learning to Trust at New Levels
20:42 Walking the Rope Bridge of Faith
22:13 The Barren Place - Book Title Origin
23:13 Christianity is Relationship, Not Religion
24:18 Finding a God Who is Tender & Terrifying
25:20 Getting as Close to God as Possible
25:50 Matthew's Special Needs Journey Continues
26:21 Lennox Gastaut Diagnosis
27:19 First Near-Death Experience at Age 10
28:10 The Feeding Tube & Hospice Decision
28:47 Matthew Wants to Be Home
29:02 Singing Him Home with Hymns
29:17 Everything Paula Wanted for Matthew
29:28 We Grieve with Hope
29:39 Advice for Special Needs Parents
30:37 Scripture is Where You'll Find Help
31:17 Final Encouragement
32:00 How to Connect with Paula

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Amy Miles thought she knew her story: adopted as a premature baby with cerebral palsy by loving Christian parents. But when she decided to search for her birth mother after having her first child, she discovered a truth that would change everything—she had survived a failed abortion at 27-30 weeks gestation.

In this powerful episode, Amy shares her journey from shock and survivor's guilt to forgiveness and purpose. She opens up about:

• The moment she learned she was an abortion survivor
• How she went from being angry at God to leaning on Him more than ever
• Finding community with 750+ other survivors through the Abortion Survivors Network
• Forgiving her birth parents and reaching out to her birth mother
• Why she now advocates for life and shares her story publicly

Amy's testimony is proof that every life has value, regardless of how it begins. God knew her before she was formed, and He had plans for her life from the very beginning.

Key Statistics:

• ~1,734 babies survive failed abortions in the US annually
• 750+ survivors connected through Abortion Survivors Network
• Many states have no protections for babies born alive after abortion

Resources: AbortionSurvivors.org "The Way to My Heart" by Jan (novel based on Amy's story)

Scriptures: Jeremiah 1:5, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 139:13-16

If you've been touched by abortion in any way, please know your story matters. There is healing, community, and hope available.

#AbortionSurvivor #ProLife #Faith #Testimony #AdoptionStory #EveryLifeMatters

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Michelle Fewell shares her remarkable testimony on Just Talkin' About Jesus, Episode 91. 

From a childhood marked by kidnapping and displacement, through years of anger and rebellion against God, to a life-changing encounter in a small Bronx church—Michelle's story demonstrates God's faithful pursuit. 

This conversation offers hope for parents praying for prodigal children and reminds us all that God's word never returns void. 

Discover how forgotten keys became a divine appointment and why dwelling in the secret place of the Most High changes everything.

I would love for you to create a short recording:

• Your name
• Where you live
• What you're doing while you listen
• What you like about Just Talkin' About Jesus
• Email to: [email protected] and I'll include it in an episode

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Jan Johnson has started Let’s Talk About It! once a month where we have a few of us dissecting a topic. Today’s episode is one of those.

 Do you ever get stuck in stinkin’ thinkin’?

You know what I’m talking about. 

Someone says something to you that sticks in your head… and not the good kind of something. 

The next thing you know, you start to believe it because you ruminate on it. 

It keeps coming to the forefront of your mind.

It starts to attack your identity.

Marti Darcangelo and Angie Clayton join me today as we dig deep into the topic Transforming our Minds. 

 Not only do we hash out how that appears in our own minds, but lead you to what to do about it.

 Problems with solutions.  Join us now.

 Psalm 19:7. the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, for your word has given me life

Philippians 4:8 Finally brethren whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, just pure, love are of good report, if there is any viture and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.

 Col 1:9-14 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

 Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.””

Romans chapter 12 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

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Join us for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Angela Deulen, professor of psychology at California Baptist University, and Mary Nauha, certified neuro coach, as they explore the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and Christian faith.

 Discover how your brain is designed to connect with God, the neurobiology of forgiveness, and why spiritual practices like prayer and meditation literally reshape your brain for healing and wholeness.

 Learn about the "God spot" in your brain, how trauma affects our nervous systems, and practical insights for emotional regulation rooted in both science and Scripture. 

Whether you're struggling with forgiveness, seeking deeper faith, or curious about how science confirms biblical truth, this episode offers hope, healing, and a fresh perspective on God's incredible design.

This dialogue blends scientific insights with theological perspectives, emphasizing the healing power of forgiveness and divine design.

Angela's YouTube short on forgiveness

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6LeixOTwf8U

https://www.angeladeulen.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@DrAngelaDeulen

Mary Nauha's Instagram: Retraining_your_brain

The Bipolar Bear Family

Come On, Come On film

https://youtu.be/RlhENlpi4cE

jan-johnson.com

janjohnson.author.substack.com

The Joy of Waltzing

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What happens when you come to the end of yourself and cry out to God one last time? In this powerful episode, Luba Shalya shares her remarkable journey from underground churches in Soviet Ukraine to a life-changing encounter with God in Portland, Oregon.

Raised under religious control and later battling deep depression after divorce, Luba reached a breaking point that became her breakthrough. On January 31, 2006, she gave God an ultimatum—and experienced a supernatural transformation in just 15-20 seconds that completely changed her mind, heart, and spirit.

Through tears and triumph, Luba shares about breaking generational curses, learning to hear God's voice (even when it means giving $100 to a stranger), and the difference between religious obligation and falling deeply in love with Jesus. Her story will challenge you to move beyond spiritual milk to solid food, to hunger for more of God, and to trust Him through the painful process of transformation.

Whether you're struggling with depression, religious trauma, or simply want to go deeper with God, Luba's testimony reminds us that God sees our hearts and is always waiting for that final roar of desperation that leads to deliverance.

Guest: Luba Shalya - businesswoman, mother of 9, and passionate follower of Jesus whose name literally means "Love"

Connect with Luba:

• Instagram: @lubashalya
• Facebook Messenger: Lyubov Shalia
• Substack @lyubovshalya

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If you are new here, welcome! I’m Jan Johnson, your host. I’m glad you’re joining us and I hope that by the end of this show you feel encouraged and strengthened. 

 Today is December 30, 2025, and as it’s the end of the year and a beginning of a new year, I wanted to start doing one episode a month that is more of a round table discussion on a topic.

So, this episode is the beginning of that.

Joining me today are my daughter Sister Mercy, my husband Ed, and friends Marti and John Darcangelo.

 Our topic is Faith, and bottom line, why we believe.

What leads us to believe in what others might call fairy tales of the Bible?

A talking donkey

A man swallowed by a whale and thrown up alive

People like Isaiah going to heaven who never died.

People like Jesus and Lazarus and some boy dying and rising again

1 Corinthians 1:18, 

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

1 Corinthians 1:23 adds:

"but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles."

There's also 1 Corinthians 2:14, which expands on this idea:

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic of Faith.

Why exactly do you believe?

Let me know in the comments.

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In this episode of Just Talking About Jesus, host Jan Johnson meets with Kim Oswalt to hear her heartfelt testimony about discovering faith during her teenage years in Utah. 

Despite her family's irregular church attendance, Kim's journey took off when a move prompted a deeper connection to God through a local church community.

 Her story highlights the value of youth groups and finding mentors who inspire bold, everyday faith. 

Kim shares how God’s presence in her life has been evident through various life upheavals, paving the way for unexpected yet beautiful outcomes.

Do you ever feel like you're fighting a battle no one can see?

Lies like “You’re not enough” or “You’ll never change” don’t just hurt—they shape how we see ourselves, others, and even God.

What thoughts have taken root in your mind that God never planted?

You may like the Battle for Our Minds, and that one is uncovering the lies that we've been told and being able to replace them with the truth of what God says about us in His Word.

https://www.kimoswalt.com/

 

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In this episode of Just Talking About Jesus, author Teresa Abell Haynes shares her lifelong walk with the Lord—from childhood prayers on the school bus to the deep faith that carried her through life’s hardest seasons. Theresa reveals the fascinating research journey behind her novel The Queen’s Priest, a powerful story of integrity and courage inspired by the real-life martyr Thomas Abell, a man who stood for truth against King Henry VIII.

We explore the cost of obedience, what it means to stand for righteousness in the face of pressure, the role of Scripture in shaping conviction, and the importance of spiritual perseverance today. Whether you’re a history lover, a person of faith, or simply someone seeking encouragement, this conversation will strengthen your spirit.

The Queen’s Priest

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