I Can Only Imagine became one of the highest-grossing music biopics of all time. In this episode, producer Cindy Bond shares the unexpected, grace-filled journey behind the film and the highly anticipated I Can Only Imagine 2.

Before she became a Hollywood producer, Cindy Bond was raised by her grandparents, came to faith at a Billy Graham Crusade at Candlestick Park, and pursued acting alongside actors including George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. Unexpectedly, she stepped in to produce a theater show when the original producer quit. What she didn’t know then was that God was shaping her into what she now calls a “media missionary.”

Despite hardship, detours, and closed doors, Cindy’s life is a testimony to how struggle creates empathy--and empathy opens the door to grace.

In this powerful conversation, we talk about forgiveness, second chances, staying grounded in a competitive industry, and the debut of I Can Only Imagine 2.

🎙 In This Episode, We Discuss:

This episode will gently challenge your perspective and invite you into grace beyond your limitations. Cindy reminds us that redemption isn’t just cinematic, it’s personal.

"Struggle creates empathy and empathy leads to grace.”

"We're not just playing church anymore. We're being real. We're being authentic. And these moveis are filled with second chances, just like we need."

“Movies are a mission field. For two hours, we get to pour in hope and redemption to a captive audience."

🌿I Can Only Imagine and I Can Only Imagine 2

🎶 Cindy's go-to grace songs I Can Only Imagine, Even If, It is Well with My Soul

Website: ICanOnlyImagine.com

Ep. 61 Walking in Grace and Other People's Shoes with Neil Matthews

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How does grace survive in the face of deep injustice? In this episode, Jennifer Sakata explores Japanese American Incarceration during World War II and the unexpected grace that emerged from unimaginable loss and trauma.

On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens. Jennifer reflects on this history through personal stories that reveal not only what was taken, but what endured: faith, dignity, and grace.

Jennifer closes with a prayer inspired by Psalm 139 and a call to extend unexpected grace, protect civil liberties, and choose forgiveness over bitterness.

Jennifer ends with a prayer inspired by Psalm 139 and a call to:

"Behind these facts stand the lives of people whose families, livelihoods, and futures were completely and sometimes irreparably upended."

"Many people offered pardon in place of finger-pointing. Because grace always takes a different path."

"Grace compels us to extend forgiveness beyond our ability to give it."

Ep. 36 Don't Hoard Your Healing with Nancy Manassero

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Have you ever wondered what’s really going on behind those smiles? On today’s episode of Living the Grace Life, I’m joined by Joe and Tara Buchanan, co-hosts of the Behind Our Smiles podcast, who vulnerably share how God’s grace met them in the middle of a marriage most counselors would have said won't last, and how healing replaced heartbreak.

In our conversation, we explore:

At the end of the day, grace invites us to wrestle with Joe and Tara's question "We all need fixing, and we all need God to transform us, but into whose image, and into what kind of person?"

Whether your marriage feels strong and life-giving or fragile and exhausting, today’s episode is an invitation to real grace for your real life--the kind that meets you behind the smiles and leads you toward deeper healing and hope.

"Grace is not going to flow when I'm still in my head counting.”

"The source of grace is the Vine. Maybe I haven't received grace from my husband recently, but I've received grace from the Lord and that's the starting point."

“It may not get better tomorrow or next week or next month. But in time, as you trust God, He will lay out the plan. He'll give you the next step. Not the next 10. But if we trust Him with one step at a time, He will lead. In time, we begin to see extraordinary advances in our marriage."

John 15

🌿Joe and Tara Buchanan on Behind Our Smiles podcast 

Website: behindoursmiles.com

Ep. 71 How to Live Deeply Loved | Bill and Kristi Gaultiere

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Do you believe you were meant to Live Deeply Loved? According to Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, “empathy is oxygen for the soul.”  Learning how to live deeply loved begins with receiving and offering empathy in our most important relationships--with God, others, and ourselves.

In this episode of Living the Grace Life, Jennifer Sakata sits down with Bill and Kristi Gaultiere, founders of Soul Shepherding and authors of Deeply Loved, to explore how empathy leads to emotional healing, spiritual maturity, and deeper connection. We often settle for shallow relationships but this conversation shows us a better way forward.

Bill and Kristi unpack how empathy transforms the way we love, apologize, listen, and grow. You’ll learn how to move beyond surface-level interactions and experience the safety, belonging, and freedom God intends for your relationships.

In our conversation, we explore:

As Bill and Kristi remind us: “Truth without empathy is harsh, but empathy without truth is inaccurate. Responsibility without empathy is drudgery, while empathy without responsibility is coddling.” Growth happens when empathy, truth, and responsibility work together.

Listen in and discover how to Live Deeply Loved, and extend that love to others in ways that transform your relationships and your soul.

"We need more than willpower. Empathy helps us go deeper.”

"Empathy plus truth plus responsibility equals growth."

“Empathy is oxygen for the soul."

1 Corinthians 15:10

🌿Bill & Kristi's Book Deeply Loved

Website: soulshepherding.org

Ep. 40 Be Still and Be Loved | Michael John Cusick

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“God’s grace is not flashy or loud; it quietly redeems what’s broken.” In this episode of Living the Grace Life, Bible teacher and author Mariel Davenport invites us into the story of Ruth — a tender, powerful picture of God’s pursuit, redemption, and grace when we have nothing to offer Him.

Once an atheist, Mariel shares how Scripture transformed her faith and how Ruth’s story reveals a God who draws near to the disqualified, the weary, and the empty-handed. Together, we explore how God’s grace meets us in ordinary faithfulness, how community shapes spiritual formation, and how Scripture becomes a living encounter with a pursuing God.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God could really be after you — especially in seasons of loss, doubt, or spiritual dryness — this conversation will remind you that grace is already moving toward you.

In this episode, we talk about:

If you’ve ever felt too far gone, empty-handed, or unsure where you belong with God, Mariel offers a gentle, hope-filled reminder: grace does its best work in unlikely places — and God is already moving toward you.

“God is after the heart of each one of us."

"We are all the ones who have nothing to offer God. But He pursues us and under His wings we come to take refuge."

"God's grace is not flashy or loud; it quietly redeems what's broken.”

The Book of Ruth

🌿Mariel Davenport's Bible Study Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected

Website: marieldavenport.com

Ep. 69 How to Love Your Morning | Jennifer Dukes Lee

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Do mornings motivate you, or do you kind of dread them? What if loving your morning has nothing to do with waking up earlier and everything to do with waking up differently? In this episode, we talk about how to love your morning in a grace-filled, life-giving way that helps you start your day with peace, intention, and joy.

Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of How to Love Your Morning (April 2026), believes that being a morning person has nothing to do with the hands on the clock, but rather how you wake up. Having researched the 200 mornings that appear in the Bible, she has concluded that not only are you a morning person, but God is too!

In our conversation, we talk about:

Jennifer is a best-selling author, a fan of queso, bright lipstick, and singing loudly to songs with great harmony. She lives on a fifth-generation farm in Iowa with her husband, where together they've grown crops, pigs, two beautiful humans, and an enduring faith.

If you've ever struggled with how to love your morning, let today's conversation help you reframe how you experience the start of your day--with real grace for your real life. 

“If you have something to wake up for, it's easier to put your feet on the floor.”

"God is always there. He doesn't come in the measure of time [you] spend with him. "

"We see a God who seems to have a soft spot for mornings, an invitation into hopefulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23 "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Psalm 30:5 "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

Genesis 1:3 "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."

🌿Jennifer Dukes Lee's Book (April 2006, available for pre-order): How to Love Your Morning

Website: jenniferdukeslee.com

Ep. 59 Chased by Grace | Carol McLeod

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Are you longing for a gentle, thoughtful start to your year? These two reflection questions for a grace-filled year offer space to breathe, and to notice and invite God into what’s truly life-giving. January doesn’t magically erase December’s grief, stress, or exhaustion—but it does offer a quiet invitation to pause, reflect, and listen for what your soul needs as you enter a new season.

In this episode, I share how I’ve learned to appreciate January not as a month of pressure and hustle, but as a tender reset where God meets us in the quiet. Inspired by Emily P. Freeman’s reminder that “reflection is a lifestyle, not a one-time event,” I walk through two simple yet deeply grounding questions that help uncover what God is teaching, restoring, and nurturing in us.

1️⃣ What was life-giving?

I share honestly from my own reflections—like the ways ignoring food sensitivities and trying to manage other people’s emotions drained life from me this past year. And I talk about the gentle, grace-filled practices that breathed life back in: breath prayers, worship songs, and choosing a word of the year.

These questions aren’t about performance or perfection. They are an invitation into grace, awareness, and partnering with God as He leads you forward.

Why January can feel hard—and how God meets us there

Why reflection isn’t about being “late” or “behind”

How these two simple questions can reshape your spiritual and emotional health

Real-life examples of draining patterns and life-giving rhythms

Encouragement to move into the year with compassion, clarity, and grace

Whether you’re grieving, hopeful, exhausted, or somewhere in between, you’re not behind. You’re right on time. And God is with you—inviting you to notice, breathe, and step forward in grace with Him.

🎶So Much Grace by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser

🎶Roses by Andrew Ripp

Ep. 21 A Word of the Year to Transform Your 2025 | Jennifer Sakata

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Have you ever been surprised by God—truly caught off guard by His kindness, His timing, or the quiet ways He’s been pursuing your heart? In this final week of our Advent series with author Cynthia Ruchti and her devotional The Spirit of Christmas, we bring the journey full circle as we explore what it means to live in a continual awakening to the Spirit.

Many of us move through December longing for wonder, craving peace, or carrying the weight of a year that felt heavier than expected. This closing conversation invites you to pay attention to the sacred surprises tucked into your everyday life—those moments when the Holy Spirit whispers hope, guidance, and grace right when you need it most.

Christmas Day may come and go, but the Holy Spirit stays. He continues the work Jesus began—forming in us a generous spirit, awakening grace within us, and guiding us into deeper belonging with God.

So listen in, lean close, and join us in an awakening to the Spirit of Christmas in this culmination to our Advent journey.

 "Our gratitude rings loud and strong for You, Holy Spirit, as we move forward in Your power to bless others as You have blessed us. May we never lose sight of where You are, where You're working, and how near You've chosen to remain with us. Amen." -Cynthia Ruchti

Consider the Holy Spirit as One who gives, provides, enables, comforts, infuses, and fills throughout our Advent longings. Choose one of these actions that reflects the Holy Spirit to bring joy to someone this week.

🎄Cynthia's The Roles of the Holy Spirit downloadable

🎶 Cynthia's go-to grace song: Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans

Website: cynthiaruchti.com

Ep. 66 Grieving with the Spirit of Christmas | Cynthia Ruchti

🎁 My FREE gift to you: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas

Christmas isn’t all romance movies or bright paper packages tied up with string. For many, December ushers in the reality of a baby in the NICU, a dying loved one, an empty chair at the table, or a pending divorce—leaving people crushed and brokenhearted. Grief has a way of rising to the surface during the holidays, even when we don’t invite it.

What if, instead of trying to push past these deep pools of pain, we learned to make sacred space for them? What if grieving with the Spirit of Christmas looks like entrusting our sorrow to the Holy Spirit—the Comforter who meets us where we are?

It's the third week of Advent, and we are back with Cynthia Ruchti, Author of the Advent devotional, The Spirit of Christmas.

In this tender and hope-filled episode, we explore:

If you’re aching or hurting this Christmas, there is grace for that—real, sustaining grace through the Holy Spirit. Listen in and be reminded that the Spirit brings what Jesus came to bring: God’s generosity, His nearness, and His unending grace upon grace.

 " Spirit of God, thank you for not leaving Mary or us alone. As we carry out the assignments and the adventures, and even the griefs into which you have invited us, soften our hearts to be eager with our yes to you. And to lean into the comfort that you have provided. Amen." -Cynthia Ruchti

"The Holy Spirit is Emmanuel who never leaves us." -Cynthia Ruchti. What difference does this truth make in your grieving?

🎄Cynthia's The Roles of the Holy Spirit downloadable

🎶 Cynthia's go-to grace song: Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans

Website: cynthiaruchti.com

Ep. 65 Pausing with the Spirit of Christmas | Cynthia Ruchti

🎁 My FREE gift to you: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas

What if pausing in the Spirit became part of your preparation this Christmas? What might shift in your heart if you slowed your pace, lingered a little longer, and allowed the Holy Spirit to meet you in the quiet? Advent invites us not just to keep moving toward Christmas, but to make space—to breathe, to notice, to reflect on what God is doing right here.

In week two of our Advent series, Cynthia Ruchti guides us into a deeper understanding of the Hebrew word Selah—a word woven through Scripture that means to stop, to weigh what you’ve heard, and to let its truth settle in your spirit. Together, we explore what it looks like to step aside from the rush and give room for the Spirit’s gentle work.

In our brief and meaningful conversation, we talk about:

It’s never too late to release the habits that have pulled you away from the Holy Spirit. Join us and take one small step toward a renewed awareness of the Spirit of Christmas.

 "Spirit of God, open our eyes wider. Open our hearts broader. Open our spirits to the work of Your Spirit so that we don't miss the wonder in this wonderful season. Amen."

Where is the Holy Spirit in the room--or in your space--right now? What difference does that make in what comes next?

🎄Cynthia's The Roles of the Holy Spirit downloadable

🎶 Cynthia's go-to grace song: Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans

Website: cynthiaruchti.com

Ep. 64 Living with a Yes Heart at Christmas | Cynthia Ruchti

🎁 My FREE gift to you: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas