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A forged birth certificate at fourteen. A six-figure salary at twenty-four. A bathroom floor, a loaded needle, and a battering ram at the door. Mike’s story moves fast because he spent years running—through promotions, pills, benzos, Suboxone, and the lie that more success would finally make him whole. He tried a church row seat and a secret habit at the same time. He tried a fresh start in Florida and ended up with an arrest, an anxiety spiral, and a doctor who handed him a pharmacy. He even got extradited across the country over a pair of stolen headphones. Still, grace kept finding him.

The turning point wasn’t tidy. It sounded like a man shouting into a squad car ceiling, “I want Your will, not mine,” and watching the back door swing open as police let him walk. It looked like a cop asking, “Do you want help?” and driving him to the first real step toward detox. It felt like grief over a dying father, and forgiveness from a woman named Rachel who chose to believe there was more to him than his worst moments. Then came a Sunday night at Teen Challenge: a simple word from a visiting minister, a collapse to blue carpet, and a flood of tears as fear, shame, and striving finally released. Deliverance brought him out; discipleship has kept him out.

Today, Mike serves instead of performs. He mentors at church, drives vans so men can meet godly leaders, and helps launch Recovery Church—an open-door bridge between the rooms and the sanctuary—where worship, the gospel, and honest small groups meet people early in recovery. He and Rachel founded Redeemed & Restored Ministries to open recovery discipleship homes and build a pathway from detox to durable freedom: spiritual formation, financial literacy, honest community, and a sober re-entry that lasts. Ask him what he prays for most and he’ll tell you straight: his kids to know Jesus and live free.

If you’ve ever believed you were too far gone, press play. You’ll hear how God uses cops and courtrooms, mercy and mentors, to write a better ending. Then share this with someone who needs hope, subscribe for more stories like this, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what moment moved you most?

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A stable childhood in Gilbert, AZ. A stay-at-home mom who became a model of grit and sobriety. Then the punches life throws: manipulative relationships, sexual assault at work, a reputation scarred by lies, and a young marriage carrying more baggage than either of them saw coming. Katie doesn’t sugarcoat any of it. She lets us into the honest work of rage giving way to anger, and anger learning healthier exits. That shift didn’t happen by accident—it grew in the soil of a women’s night that opened the door to a church, a life group that made “doing life together” real, and a Celebrate Recovery room where a sponsor named the harm, cut the chords of self-blame, and taught her what true amends sound like.

There’s a moment you won’t forget: a trivia night she almost skipped, where God quietly delivered news that one of her abusers had found Jesus. Not tidy, not triumphant—just a surprising piece of healing no one could have scripted. From there we trace leadership, launching a CR from the ground up, opening their home for baptisms and team nights, and discovering how hospitality can be holy. And then the floor shifts. Her mom’s stage four diagnosis, a rapid decline, and that singular grief of losing your best friend. Katie talks about counseling, movement, and reading entire chapters of scripture as anchors that made survival possible. She’s candid about church hurt and the lonely season that follows a big transition, yet you can hear it—new pillars are being built.

What stands out most is her vision for ministry where people actually are: gyms, trails, restaurants, and third spaces where churched language feels foreign but kindness still translates. She shows up at services for people she never met, listens, and tells their families why their loved one sounded worth knowing. It’s a way of witness that lets life reveal the gospel before words do. If you’ve ever felt broken open by grief, trapped by rage, or mislabeled by others’ stories, this conversation offers practical tools, steady hope, and the kind of faith that finds you in ordinary places.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so others can find the story and the hope.

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A Friday laugh turns into a frontline reminder: real ministry gets contested. From there, Keith pulls us through Texas hill country and Friday night lights into a childhood that traded safety for control, where a stepdad’s words built worthlessness and a kitchen drawer almost became an exit. Then—an interruption. A vivid picture of his mother’s grief. A life spared. And years later, a football coach points a teenage Keith toward a small Baptist revival after 9/11, where a simple altar call meets the deeper need: love replacing fear, God becoming an audience of one.

What follows is a tour through the guts of church life most people never see. Keith moves from Baptist pews to an Assemblies of God congregation, encountering the Holy Spirit, then dives into youth camps, internships, and midnight setup crews. He joins choir, meets Erica at auditions, and learns to build community by showing up, not showing off. A move to Colorado to help plant a church brings lessons in promises, resilience, and the quiet ministry of encouragement. Back in Arizona, he helps raise walls, runs security with a smile, and finishes LCU. When COVID shatters routines, he and Erica listen to a simple question from their four-year-old—“Can we go to church now?”—and follow a nudge to Living Waters.

There, the polish is thinner and the presence is thick. Keith steps in to stabilize youth, gets ordained, and starts building YCJ—Youth C Jesus—one student at a time. He designs a faith boot camp to turn testimonies into tools, trains teens to share the gospel with clarity and courage, and builds a leadership pipeline led by an 18-year-old with a preacher’s backbone. He pairs series on fear, discipleship, and service with real-world reps: street conversations, Friendsgiving community, and a food bank Christmas. The bigger vision is apostolic—churches praying for churches, sending leaders, sharing what works—and it’s practical, too. He’s raising support to go full time so youth and young adult ministry can scale without starving the church’s mission.

If you’re hungry for transformation that outlasts the service, this story will meet you. It’s about healing that starts when secrets break, a marriage that leads by example, and a church culture that believes testimonies overcome darkness. Come hear how a kid who wouldn’t drink at parties became a pastor who trains teens to speak light in hard places—and why your story might be the spark someone needs today.

If this resonates, follow the show, subscribe on YouTube, and share it with someone who needs courage. Drop a one-word comment—“Jesus”—to boost the message, and leave a review so more people can find hope here.

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What if legacy isn’t built on platforms but around a living room, one simple yes at a time? 

Hapi joins us from coastal Kenya with a story that begins under a leaking thatch roof and grows into a multi-generational testimony of faith, courage, and practical love. His father left a secure government job in 1957 after translating for a Southern Baptist missionary—and that one act of obedience reshaped an entire family line. Hapi unpacks the moment he moved from being busy in church to truly knowing Jesus, the home rhythms of daily devotion that formed his sons, and a cancer diagnosis that turned into a bold, measurable miracle after his son prayed in faith: PSA 14+ to 0.01.

From there we step into A Cord of Three, the movement Happy and Elizabeth are building with their family. Anchored in Ecclesiastes 4:12, the vision braids three strands—youth, families, and churches—held together by sustainable farming at Wateule Farm. Hear how cows and goats became scholarships, how a young man named Kenga went from almost missing university to graduating and giving back, how stable housing restores dignity to single-mother households, and why brick-and-mortar church spaces matter along Kenya’s coast. It’s practical, hope-filled work: education access, family support, church infrastructure, and regenerative agriculture funding it all.

We also explore partnership through One Child and how technology now connects sponsors directly with kids. The through-line is simple and stubborn: it pays to serve God. When families pray together—and let their children lead—faith gets handed down, not just talked about. If you’re longing for a reminder that everyday obedience can lift a community, this story will find you.

If this moved you, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Want to help build the next chapter of A Cord of Three? Message us on Facebook or Instagram (@SpeakLifeAZ) and we’ll connect you with the team. Your yes might be the one that changes someone’s future.

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What if your deepest pain became the catalyst for your greatest purpose? In this raw and powerful conversation, Norma shares how childhood trauma and addiction led to an unexpected journey of healing and redemption.

Growing up in a border town with parents battling alcoholism, Norma's early years were marked by instability. At just seven, she experienced both a divine dream showing God's love and the trauma of predatory behavior from her landlord. When she tried to report it, she faced the crushing experience of being disbelieved and ostracized—a pattern that would tragically repeat when her uncle sexually abused her at fifteen.

These experiences triggered destructive coping mechanisms: bulimia, self-harm, and eventually, a suicide attempt that nearly succeeded. But divine intervention came through an observant store clerk who sensed something was wrong and called for help.

Norma's transformation began in a Pentecostal church where she experienced physical healing, then deepened during nine months at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. There, immersed in continuous worship and prayer, she found the freedom that secular therapy alone couldn't provide—a complete restoration of identity founded in Christ rather than trauma.

Today, Norma's life looks radically different. Married with two children, she runs a bridal boutique that supports trafficking survivors and leads a nonprofit fighting human trafficking in Southern Arizona. Her story powerfully illustrates how God never wastes our pain, and how our deepest wounds, when surrendered, can become our most effective ministry to others.

Whether you're wrestling with trauma, addiction, or simply searching for purpose, this episode offers hope that transformation is possible and that your story isn't over yet.

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What happens when you've hit absolute rock bottom and have nothing left to lose? For Kreg, it was a desperate prayer at a Circle K that changed everything.

Kreg's journey takes us from his early years in California through a 15-year battle with addiction that included overdoses, homelessness, and incarceration. Despite having family who loved him, his addiction progressively worsened until he found himself injecting vodka into his veins and facing the very real possibility of death.

The turning point came in 2016 with a simple prayer: "God, if you have anything different for me than what I'm doing now, just show me and I'll be willing to do it." What followed was a transformation that defies explanation – from addiction to ministry, from hopelessness to purpose.

Today, Kreg and his wife run "Heart for the Hood," a ministry dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness and addiction find resources, recovery, and spiritual healing. Their 24/7 hotline (623-444-4155) has become a lifeline for countless individuals in crisis.

This raw, unfiltered conversation reveals how God works in the darkest moments of our lives and how our deepest struggles often prepare us to help others facing similar battles. Kreg's testimony reminds us that no matter how far we've fallen, redemption is always possible.

Whether you're struggling with addiction yourself, love someone who is, or simply need evidence that second chances are real, this episode will restore your hope in the power of transformation.

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What if your greatest rejections were actually God's divine redirections? 

In this powerful testimony, Kim Green takes us on an extraordinary journey from the segregated streets of 1960s Alabama to finding spiritual community in Arizona, revealing how God's faithfulness transformed childhood trauma into purpose.

Born on the "wrong side" of the railroad tracks that divided her hometown by race, Kim's early years were marked by abandonment, domestic violence, and instability. When her mother's boyfriend attempted to hang her mother, 7-year-old Kim helped her escape through a window. Later, at 17, she would stab her abusive stepfather in self-defense and find herself in juvenile detention. Yet even in these darkest moments, God's protection was evident.

Kim shares how her great-grandmother "Mama Sally" planted seeds of faith that would later flourish, teaching her to pray when words failed. These seeds would sustain her through an unexpected military marriage, periods of separation when God told her "you can leave but you can not get divorced," and multiple cross-country moves that seemed like setbacks but were actually divine appointments.

What makes Kim's testimony so compelling isn't just what she overcame, but how she recognizes the "God winks" throughout her story—those moments when God's orchestration becomes unmistakable. From finding her church through a pastor's name written in her Bible to discovering a new home with everything she had planned to build in her previous one, Kim's life demonstrates that God is working even when we can't see it.

Now married for nearly 40 years with grown children and grandchildren, Kim's story reminds us that our testimonies aren't just for us—they're legacies that impact generations. Her great-grandfather lived past 100 years old, his parents were slaves, and now Kim ministers to a diverse congregation where healing and reconciliation happen every day.

Listen to discover how God can use your chaos, disappointments, and even rejections to create something beautiful you never imagined possible.

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When life's foundation feels shaky, where do you find stability? In this deeply moving episode, we're joined by Starr, whose journey from military child to prayer warrior reveals the hidden strength that holds up a community of faith.

Born into a Catholic military family that moved constantly, Starr's early experiences shaped her resilience and adaptability. Yet it was her mother's genuine love for Jesus—beyond mere religious tradition—that planted seeds for Starr's own spiritual journey. As a teenager in the 1970s, Starr encountered the charismatic movement that would forever transform her relationship with God, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and discovering the power of hearing God's voice directly.

The core of Starr's testimony centers around how God met her in life's darkest valleys. After losing her 19-year-old son Matthew in 2001, she experienced a supernatural peace that defied explanation when God prompted her to worship in the midst of grief. Years later, when her grandson lived only 30 hours, she learned that God sometimes works differently in similar situations—teaching her that faith isn't about avoiding suffering but experiencing God's presence within it.

What makes this conversation especially powerful is Starr's vulnerability about the questions that arise when prayers seem unanswered. Her honest wrestling with God through loss offers profound insight into the "baptism of suffering" that Jesus himself referenced—and how such suffering ultimately transforms us to look more like Him.

Whether you're facing your own dark valley or simply seeking to deepen your faith, Starr's journey demonstrates how becoming a "pillar" in God's house often happens behind the scenes, holding up others through prayer and speaking life when they need it most. Her testimony reminds us that true strength isn't always visible but is essential to everything standing.

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Freedom dawns when we finally understand that despite our best efforts to help loved ones trapped in destructive cycles, their choices remain their own. This transformative episode dives deep into the challenging reality that family relationships often prove the most difficult to navigate in recovery, especially when patterns of addiction have defined those connections for years.

A powerful biblical principle echoes throughout the conversation: once you've warned someone about their destructive path and offered help, you're released from responsibility if they choose to continue. "The blood is not on your hands" becomes a liberating truth for those carrying unnecessary guilt. The parallel drawn to Jesus's rejection in his hometown of Nazareth offers profound perspective – if the Savior himself wasn't welcomed home, we shouldn't be surprised when our transformed lives aren't immediately embraced by family.

The episode transitions into an extraordinary prayer session that reveals God's heart for business as ministry. A detailed vision unfolds for "Speak Life Thrift" stores becoming vehicles to finance recovery homes across the West Coast. The entrepreneurial dream isn't just about commerce but about creating spaces where "men and women find freedom from addiction" and "families are transformed." The prayers carry prophetic weight, declaring that lack will become a testimony of the past and that God has "found you faithful" with what you've been given. Special attention is given to protection over family members, particularly children navigating crucial life transitions.

Whether you're struggling with family dynamics in recovery, seeking divine direction for business, or simply needing encouragement that your best days truly lie ahead, this episode delivers powerful spiritual insights. What dream has God placed in your heart that might become a lighthouse for others still trapped in darkness? Listen, subscribe, and join us in speaking life into existence.

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What happens when childhood abandonment meets God's redemptive love? Shawn Hernandez's raw, unfiltered testimony takes us on an extraordinary journey through the darkest valleys of human experience into the light of transformation and purpose.

Adopted as an infant after his biological mother repeatedly left him crying alone while she frequented bars, Shawn's early life was marked by instability. At age seven, a catastrophic car accident hurled him through a car window, leaving him in a coma for three and a half months with a traumatic brain injury that required him to relearn walking, talking, and basic cognitive skills.

Perhaps most heartbreaking was Shawn's experience of homelessness at just eleven years old when his adoptive parents kicked him out. For two years, he slept on school rooftops, survived by stealing fruit from neighborhood trees, and cried himself to sleep, desperately longing for love and belonging. "You don't have no clue being an 11-year-old kid, hungry, just wanting love," Shawn shares with raw honesty.

This foundation of rejection led predictably into substance abuse, dealing drugs, and eventually prison time. But during his third incarceration, facing a seven-year sentence, Shawn heard God speak clearly: "I'm not going to give you nothing you can't handle." Those words became his anchor through losing both adoptive parents while incarcerated and rebuilding his life from scratch after release.

Shawn's testimony reaches its most beautiful crescendo when he describes becoming "Dad" to three children who lost their mother—bringing his own experience of childhood abandonment full circle through redemptive love. Now he mentors others, leads prayer at his workplace, and lives a transformed life grounded in faith where he attends Life Link Church and loving his family from a distance until they are all reunited once again.

This episode reminds us that no wound is beyond God's healing touch and no past is too broken for divine restoration. Whether you're struggling with rejection, addiction, or seeking purpose after pain, Shawn's journey offers powerful hope that transformation is possible through surrender and faith.

TODAY WE CHOOSE TO SPEAKLIFE AZ!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL 

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