“I’ve made mistakes… but I want Jesus to say ‘well done.’” — Mike Baldwin shares the faith that sustained him as a First Responder.In Part 1, we heard how former law enforcement officer Mike Baldwin’s career shaped his perspective on service, identity, and the unseen spiritual battles faced by First Responders. In Part 2, the conversation moves deeper, into faith, intentionality, and the eternal “why” behind the badge.In this powerful continuation, host Jeremy Wade sits down with Mike Baldwin, former Arizona law enforcement officer, to explore what it truly means to live with Courage, Faith, and purpose in one of the most demanding professions in the world. Baldwin shares how many First Responders unknowingly anchor their identity in the uniform, only to discover that the job alone cannot sustain the weight of trauma, responsibility, and moral decision-making.Drawing from decades of experience in law enforcement, Baldwin offers practical wisdom on maintaining spiritual strength while navigating high-pressure decisions, exposure to darkness, and the emotional toll of serving others. Through personal stories, from split-second decisions in the field to quiet moments comforting victims on their worst days, he reveals how faith transforms not just how officers work, but how they see people.At the heart of this episode is Mission First Alliance’s calling: reaching an often-overlooked mission field, the First Responder community, with hope that lasts beyond the shift. Baldwin’s expertise in leadership, character development, and faith integration provides a roadmap for living intentionally, leading with integrity, and pursuing a life that seeks eternal approval rather than temporary recognition.This conversation challenges listeners to move beyond performance-based faith and toward daily spiritual discipline, showing how small, consistent choices build resilience, clarity, and lasting impact both on and off duty.Through honest reflection and hard-earned insight, this episode speaks directly to First Responders, families, and anyone seeking to live with deeper Courage and Faith in difficult environments. It’s a reminder that influence isn’t built through loud words, but through consistent, Christ-centered living that others can trust.Because in the end, the greatest success isn’t recognition on earth, it’s hearing “well done.”Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-upJoin the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.Follow UsWebsite: https://missionfirstalliance.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstallianceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAllianceContent AdvisoryThis episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

What if God sent you to make a difference? In Part 1, veteran law enforcement leader Mike Baldwin shares how faith reshapes the mission of a First Responder.In this powerful opening episode of the Living Mission First Podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down with Mike Baldwin, a respected law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of frontline experience, to explore the unseen spiritual battle faced by today’s First Responders. From the very first question,“God, why do you allow this?” this conversation moves beyond headlines and into the heart of service, sacrifice, and calling. Mike shares how a career he never planned became a lifelong mission shaped by Courage, Faith, and a deep desire to make a difference in even one life.Part 1 traces Mike’s journey from teacher and coach to patrol officer, detective, and mentor, revealing how purpose is forged not only in high-risk moments but in quiet acts of leadership and compassion. Drawing from years investigating violent crime, training officers, and mentoring the next generation, Mike offers honest insight into the emotional and spiritual toll carried by First Responders, and why many struggle not because of the streets, but because of what happens within the system itself.This episode exists for a deeper “why” To remind those who serve that their work matters, that their oath has eternal significance, and that they are not alone. Through real stories and hard-earned wisdom, Mike highlights how faith restores identity, anchors leadership, and renews purpose in the middle of difficult careers.Listeners will discover how Mission First Alliance seeks to reach this often-overlooked mission field, bringing hope, encouragement, and Gospel-centered support to the men and women protecting our communities every day.About Mission First AllianceMission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-upJoin the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.Follow UsWebsite: https://missionfirstalliance.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstallianceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAllianceContent AdvisoryThis episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

What happens when God calls Jeremy Wade to leave everything secure behind, and step into the unknown mission field of first responders?

Recap: In Part 1, Jeremy and Ketryna shared how God began stirring their hearts amid the growing darkness surrounding law enforcement. In Part 2, the calling becomes undeniable, and the cost becomes real.

In this powerful continuation, Jeremy Wade shares firsthand what it meant to serve the frontlines during one of the most volatile seasons in modern policing, where spiritual warfare was not just symbolic, it was palpable. As a veteran First Responder and leader, Jeremy witnessed the emotional, psychological, and spiritual toll on officers facing relentless hostility, fear, and uncertainty. Yet in the middle of chaos, God was strengthening his foundation, preparing him not just to endure, but to lead.

Ketryna offers a deeply personal perspective from home, revealing the quiet courage required of families who stand behind those who serve. Together, they unpack the tension between security and obedience, and how God used prayer, fasting, Scripture, and unexpected confirmation to make their calling unmistakably clear.

Jeremy’s expertise as a First Responder and his lived experience inside law enforcement uniquely positioned him to reach this overlooked mission field. Through faith, courage, and surrender, Jeremy and Ketryna stepped away from stability and into full-time ministry, trusting that obedience to God’s calling mattered more than comfort.

This episode is a powerful reminder that the mission field is often closer than we think, and that God prepares His people long before He calls them to go.

Faith, courage, and obedience define those willing to step into darkness and carry hope, and in our next episode, you’ll hear a story of courage and faith from another first responder.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: ⁠⁠www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up⁠⁠
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: ⁠⁠https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/⁠⁠
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: ⁠⁠https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/⁠⁠
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: ⁠⁠www.missionfirstalliance.com⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance⁠⁠

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

What happens when your calling as a police officer collides with your identity in Christ? Jeremy Wade shares the turning point that changed everything.

In this two-part series on the Living Mission First Podcast, Jeremy Wade sits down with his wife, Ketryna, to share the raw, unfiltered story behind their journey through law enforcement, marriage, and faith. From the early days serving 13 years with the Seattle Police Department to the unseen spiritual battles that followed, this conversation reveals the true cost, and eternal purpose, of serving as a First Responder.

This story goes beyond the badge to uncover the heart behind Mission First Alliance. Jeremy reflects on the excitement, intensity, and trauma of his early career, including responding to violent calls, line-of-duty deaths, and navigating a culture where hope often felt absent. As a law enforcement officer striving to be “all in,” Jeremy found himself slowly losing sight of what mattered most, his faith, his family, and his identity in Christ.

Ketryna shares her perspective as both the daughter and wife of First Responders, offering powerful insight into the emotional and spiritual toll carried by families behind the scenes. Her story reveals the Courage required not only to serve, but to support those who serve. Together, Jeremy and Ketryna reveal the moment everything shifted: when their identity was no longer defined by the job, but anchored fully in Christ.

Countless First Responders are silently wrestling with the questions: How do you hold onto Faith in the face of darkness? How do you serve with Courage without losing yourself? And how can God use even the hardest seasons to build a mission greater than you ever imagined?

Jeremy’s experience in law enforcement, combined with his calling to ministry, provides a rare and credible voice into the spiritual realities facing First Responders today. His journey is not just a testimony, it’s the foundation of a movement bringing hope into one of the most unreached mission fields in America.

This episode will challenge, encourage, and remind you that your calling is never separate from your identity in Christ, and God is always at work, even in the darkest places.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: ⁠⁠www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up⁠⁠
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: ⁠⁠https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/⁠⁠
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: ⁠⁠https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/⁠⁠
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: ⁠⁠www.missionfirstalliance.com⁠⁠
• Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance⁠⁠

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

“Is life even worth living anymore?” Marcus Allred shares the moment his faith, and his future as a first responder, hung in the balance.

If you listened to Part 1, we followed Marcus Allred’s journey into law enforcement and the unseen spiritual battles that shaped his calling as a first responder.
This Episode of the Living Mission First Podcast takes us into the deepest valley of Marcus Allred’s story, a place marked by loss, isolation, and the crushing weight of shame. In a raw and unfiltered conversation, Marcus opens up about divorce, hidden sin, and the moment he questioned whether life was worth continuing. This episode reveals what many first responders quietly carry: the internal cost of courage without surrender.

Marcus, a veteran first responder and committed follower of Christ, shares how God met him not after he “fixed himself,” but in the middle of his brokenness, alone in a car, later in a hotel room, with nothing but a Bible and a desperate heart. Through Scripture, the Holy Spirit reminded him that even in failure, he was still loved, still called, and still held.

This episode gets to the heart of reaching first responders where they actually are, not with platitudes, but with hope that holds up under pressure. Marcus unpacks the difference between head knowledge and heart surrender, the danger of “doing” faith instead of living it, and how unresolved pain impacts marriages, families, and spiritual health in the first responder community.

With honesty and humility, Marcus speaks to the long road of faith, the cost of not dealing with internal wounds, and the courage it takes to fully surrender control. This conversation is for every first responder who feels disqualified, exhausted, or stuck.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: www.missionfirstalliance.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

Key Chapter Markers:• 00:00–04:30 – Hitting rock bottom: divorce, despair, and questioning life• 04:30–06:30 – God’s intervention: Scripture, conviction, and comfort• 06:30–10:00 – Carrying pain into the job and the home• 10:00–16:30 – Marriage, family strain, and the hidden cost of first responder life• 16:30–22:00 – From head knowledge to true surrender and renewed faith

What happens when God redirects your calling without removing your heart? In Part 1, Marcus Allred shares how faith sustained him in law enforcement and dispatch.

In this powerful Part 1 episode of the Living Mission First Podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down with Marcus Allred, Alliance Coordinator for Mission First Alliance, to unpack a calling shaped by faith, resilience, and deep love for first responders.

Marcus never set out to be a dispatcher, but God’s redirection placed him exactly where lives were hanging in the balance. From growing up on the mission field, to pursuing law enforcement, to being medically disqualified from patrol and stepping into the unseen weight of 911 dispatch, Marcus shares an honest account of what it means to serve behind the scenes while carrying responsibility for dozens of officers at once.

This episode dives into reaching first responders where they are, acknowledging the cumulative trauma of the job, and reminding them they are not alone, spiritually or emotionally. Marcus speaks candidly about crisis moments, the cost of caring deeply, and the tension of living out faith in high-stress, high-stakes environments where courage is demanded daily.

Listeners will gain rare insight into the world of dispatchers, the emotional toll, the unseen heroism, and the faith required to keep showing up. Marcus’s story highlights how God uses every role, every setback, and every calling to bring hope to the frontline community.

This conversation is for police officers, dispatchers, firefighters, medics, and anyone who carries the weight of serving others while quietly wrestling with faith, identity, and purpose.

In Part 2, Marcus shares how God rebuilt his identity after burnout, how peer support and mission-focused faith changed everything, and what hope looks like on the other side of crisis. Don’t miss it.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: www.missionfirstalliance.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

Key Chapter Markers:• 00:01 – Growing up on the mission field & early faith• 00:05 – Entering law enforcement & unexpected redirection• 00:10 – Life as a 911 dispatcher and cumulative trauma• 00:14 – Crisis moments, loss, and emotional toll• 00:25 – Living out faith and courage behind the console

“Max Gomez: ‘First responders struggle with Christ because we’ve taught them a soft Jesus, yet He’s the Lion and the Lamb.’”
In this powerful continuation of the Living Mission First podcast, host Jeremy Wade sits down again with Canadian police sergeant Max Gomez, a veteran with 19 years of law-enforcement experience. If you missed Part 1, this episode picks up where we left off, delving deeper into the spiritual and emotional realities that first responders face daily, and the urgent need for the Church to portray Christ’s full identity.

Max speaks with clarity, courage, and compassion about how first responders are trained to face darkness, yet often feel disconnected from a Christ who is presented as gentle and distant. He challenges the misconception that faith must be “soft” to be loving—reminding us that Jesus is both warrior and servant, the Lion and the Lamb. This is a conversation about identity, surrender, and mission: how first responders can live out their calling with integrity, courage, and the gospel at the center.

The urgency is real. Max warns that cultural Christianity is sinking, and God is separating those who are merely “playing Christian” from those who are truly following Christ. He calls first responders, leaders, and believers to stop waiting to “clean up first,” and instead to take their seat at the Father’s table, fully redeemed and fully empowered. This episode is a mission-focused wake-up call, an invitation for first responders to become the community’s living testimony of justice, mercy, and humility.

Max’s message is clear, the world doesn’t need more “better behavior.” It needs first responders who know who they are in Christ, who can bring justice with mercy, courage with compassion, and truth with humility.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: www.missionfirstalliance.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

Key Chapter Markers:

• 00:01:11 – 00:03:12 – Jesus as Warrior & Servant: Lion and Lamb
• 00:05:28 – 00:09:14 – Why Urgency Matters: Cultural Christianity is sinking
• 00:09:55 – 00:11:17 – Surrender: the barricade call analogy
• 00:15:18 – 00:18:20 – Leadership, wellness, and the missing link of faith
• 00:19:33 – 00:22:52 – Leadership challenge: “Would you follow you?”

What happens when the job you love starts eroding the man you’re called to be? Police Sgt. Max Gomez shares the cost and the crossroads.

In Part 1 of this powerful two-part conversation, Mission First Alliance Executive Director Jeremy Wade sits down with Max Gomez, a Canadian police sergeant with nearly two decades of frontline, investigative, and intelligence experience. What begins as a law enforcement origin story quickly becomes a raw, unfiltered testimony of moral injury, identity fracture, and spiritual surrender.

Max’s journey, from growing up in Colombia during the height of cartel violence, to leading major organized crime and human trafficking investigations in Canada, reveals the unseen toll the job can take on the soul. As a first responder and committed Christian, Max wrestled with the growing gap between who he was at work and who he was called to be at home. The result was a slow erosion of integrity, family strain, and a breaking point that forced him to choose between self-preservation and full surrender to Christ.

This episode exists because first responders are often celebrated for their strength but abandoned in their brokenness. Mission First Alliance believes the Great Commission doesn’t stop at church doors, it extends into patrol cars, briefing rooms, and crime scenes. Max’s story speaks directly to those silently carrying guilt, shame, or spiritual exhaustion while serving their communities.

With clarity and humility, Max unpacks the danger of compartmentalization, the lie of self-reliance, and the freedom found in repentance and obedience. His experience offers hope to anyone wondering if God can still redeem what the job has damaged—and how faith can be lived out boldly within secular systems through ministry collaboration and brotherhood among first responders.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: www.missionfirstalliance.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

Key Chapter Markers

00:01 – Calling & Early Life: From cartel-era Colombia to Canadian policing

00:07 – The Hidden Cost of the Job: Moral injury, integrity drift, and identity conflict

00:15 – Hitting Rock Bottom: Exposure, brokenness, and the truth coming into the light

00:19 – The Decision to Surrender: Choosing Christ regardless of the outcome

00:29 – Psalm 51 & True Repentance: Healing the soul, not just behavior

The Living Mission First Podcast exists to tell the stories most people never hear, and to bring lasting hope to those who see the darkest sides of humanity every day. Created by Mission First Alliance, this podcast is dedicated to serving first responders and their families by sharing real, unfiltered testimonies of men and women who are living out their faith in the middle of law enforcement, fire service, EMS, and other frontline professions.

This is not just another wellness podcast. While mental health, leadership, and organizational challenges are part of the conversation, the “Living Mission First” Podcast goes deeper, addressing the soul of first responders and the burdens they carry. Each episode highlights how the gospel of Jesus Christ intersects with the realities of shift work, trauma, isolation, cynicism, and the calling to run toward danger when others run away.

Hosted by Jeremy Wade, a former Seattle police officer with 13 years of experience, the podcast creates space for long-form conversations that honor the unique culture of first responders. These stories are meant to be “show me, not tell me” examples to prove that it is possible to follow Christ, serve with integrity, and remain grounded in hope.

The heart of the podcast is simple but urgent: to help first responders see their profession not just as a job or even a calling, but as a mission field. By grounding identity in Christ and embracing the Great Commission, listeners are equipped to live mission first on every call, in every community, and in every season of service.

About Mission First Alliance

Mission First Alliance is a national non-profit bringing Real Hope to first responders and their families. We believe the first responder culture is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our country today, and it’s a mission too important to do alone. Through collaboration and Christ-centered resources, we are not only bringing them the Real Hope found in Christ but we are bridging the gap between the Body of Christ and these brave men and women who serve and sacrifice for us each and every day.

• Connect: Subscribe to our email list: www.missionfirstalliance.com/email-sign-up
• Join the Alliance: Do you have a desire to join us in the effort to bring Real Hope to first responders? Are you a First Responder looking for a community, encouragement and support? Become a member. Membership is Free: https://missionfirstalliance.com/membership/
• Contact Us: Reach out to our team at: https://missionfirstalliance.com/contact-us/
• Share: Help us grow the mission. Share this podcast and mission with others. Because every first responder needs Real Hope.

Follow Us

• Website: www.missionfirstalliance.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionfirstalliance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionfirstalliance/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionFirstAlliance

Content Advisory

This episode includes honest discussions about the experiences of first responders and the challenges they face. Graphic situations may be distressing for some listeners and younger audiences. Discretion is advised.

This conversation is shared to bring awareness, hope, and encouragement to those serving on the front lines. If this episode connects with you, reach out or seek trusted professional support. You are not alone.

Key Chapter Markers

00:01 – Why This Podcast Is Different

03:09 – Can You Be a Christian and a First Responder?

05:15 – Identity, Calling, and Living Mission First

08:23 – The Missing Piece in First Responder Wellness: The Soul

11:49 – From Survival to Abundant Life (John 10:10)

The Living Mission First podcast shares the real stories of real hope from active and retired first responders amidst the tragedy and chaos these professions bring.

Takeaways

• First responders carry burdens few will ever see
• Finding real hope in Christ

Chapters

• 00:00 First Responders: More than a Calling