In this episode of The Hope Pandemic, host Jessica Gilliam sits down with Liz Jack, a woman whose journey reads like a love letter from Heaven. Liz has faced childhood divorce, early widowhood at just 31, failed marriages, and the heartbreaking loss of her grandson Noah. Yet, instead of letting bitterness take root, Liz discovered that God’s refining fire doesn’t destroy us. It reveals the gold He always sees in us.

Today, alongside her husband Greg, Liz is building The Ponds at Shiloh:  a sanctuary of healing, prayer, and restoration. From a prayer chapel dedicated to Noah, to a garden where people can pick vegetables and encounter Scripture, Liz’s story reminds us that our scars can become sanctuaries and our pain can become pathways for others to experience God’s love.

This episode will leave you inspired, strengthened, and full of hope that your hardest chapters may just be the beginning of your most beautiful ones.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

✨ Liz’s first encounter with God’s overwhelming love at age 12 and how it sustained her through seasons of loss.
 🔥 What it feels like to walk through God’s refining fire—and how to recognize His grace even in our failures.
 💔 Widowhood at 31 and the surprising ways hope showed up when life felt stripped bare.
 💡 How God used Greg, her soulmate, to restore her ability to dream again.
 🌿 The vision for The Ponds at Shiloh: a chapel, a garden, and a family legacy of faith.
 👶 Why the property is dedicated to her grandson Noah, and how grief can be transformed into redemption.
 🙌 A message of hope for anyone currently walking through their own refining fire.

Key Scripture

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9

Connect with Liz & The Ponds at Shiloh

📧 Email: [email protected]

📘 Facebook: The Ponds at Shiloh

How You Can Help Liz

Right now, Liz and Greg are building two beautiful projects:

1. The Back-to-Eden Garden — a place where people will pick vegetables, encounter Scripture, and find prayer. They need compost, wood chips, cardboard, and volunteers.
2. The Prayer Chapel — a sacred space dedicated to Liz's grandson, where people will encounter God’s presence. Needs include stained glass windows, pews, a steeple, and financial support.

If you feel stirred to be part of this God-sized vision—whether through prayer, skills, materials, or financial giving—reach out to Liz directly.

In this episode, host Jessica Gilliam talks with certified Christian life coach Alexandria “Lexi” Wanamaker, who shares her powerful story of losing her home, financial security, and peace—only to encounter the God who revealed her identity while never letting go.

Through a season of fear, depression, and spiritual warfare, Lexi discovered unshakable faith, radical obedience, and a fierce calling to help others heal. Her testimony reminds us that God can redeem even the darkest seasons and use them to prepare us for greater purpose.

In this episode, we unpack Lexi's journey:

• Walking through the breaking season (loss, fear, and isolation)
• Choosing faith over logic and learning radical obedience
• The battle of spiritual warfare and identity in Christ
• Shifting from survival to supernatural purpose

If you’re in a wilderness season, this conversation will encourage you to press into God’s Word, surround yourself with faith-filled believers, and believe that redemption is on the horizon.

🔗 Connect with Lexi

• Website: lexiwanamaker.com
• Facebook: Alexandria Wanamaker
• Instagram: @lexi_wanamaker_ministries
• Email: [email protected]
  
  

❤️ Support Lexi’s Mission- The Hope Pandemic will match any seed sown up to $10! Lexi is working to raise $8000 to publish her new book, The Weight Of Dreams.

• Book Fundraiser: Give Send Go – Lexi’s Book Project
• Services: 1:1 Christian Life Coaching, Inner Healing Coaching, and Prophetic Ministry available at her website. 

In this episode, I dive into the life-changing power of our words. What you think, you will speak. What you speak, you will see. That’s why the Bible reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).

We’ll look at why so many Christians still struggle Monday through Saturday, even after Sunday services, and why aligning our thoughts and speech with God’s Word is essential for living a life of true freedom and hope.

I also share some eye-opening statistics from The Barna Group about how many adults in the U.S.—and in Texas specifically—actually live with a biblical worldview. The numbers may surprise you, and they reveal why hope-filled, faith-filled words are needed more than ever in today’s culture.

Why your words shape your reality

• What it means to live with a biblical worldview (and why so few Christians actually do)
• Hope is an action-oriented skill anyone can practice
• My personal declarations from 2020 that reshaped my mindset and my future

The Barna Group’s Worldview Statistics:

• Texas has an estimated 31.8 million residents in 2025 (World Population Review).
• Of those, only about 1,086,778 adults—less than 4%—hold a biblical worldview (Barna, 2025).
• Despite Texas being known as a conservative and highly Christian state, Barna’s research shows it actually ranks 30th out of 45 states in the proportion of “Integrated Disciples”—those consistently living out a biblical worldview.
• Nationally, the trend reveals a significant decline over the past three decades, showing how culture increasingly shapes faith, rather than faith shaping culture.

Barna defines a biblical worldview as “experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality through the lens of biblical principles.” In other words, believing that absolute moral truths exist, are defined by scripture, and apply to every part of life.

If we want to see change in ourselves, our families, and our culture, we must first ask: What am I contributing to what I see? Are my words sowing frustration and hopelessness, or are they planting seeds of faith and hope?

Resources & Links:

• Arizona Christian University: Barna AWVI 2025 Report – State-by-State Worldview Analysis
• My personal Hope Declarations Download from 2020
• Eyes That See and Ears That Hear (how to discern the Lord’s voice:
• Song: “Spirit Lead Me”

💬 Let’s Connect:

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend who needs hope today. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming conversations about living with hope and aligning your thoughts with God’s Word.

Can't wait to see you next week!

In this empowering episode of The Hope Pandemic, I welcome Kimberly Christian, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and faith-based therapist, for a deep dive into the intersection of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and spiritual growth. Together, we explore how CBT techniques—when paired with faith—can help individuals break free from limiting beliefs, anxiety, depression, and emotional patterns that hold them back.

Kimberly shares real-life insights from her 17 years of practice, practical tools for renewing your mind, and how scripture and science can work together to restore hope and mental resilience.

Whether you're struggling with emotional pain or seeking a healthier mindset rooted in faith, this episode offers the encouragement and strategies you need to start breaking free.


In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
-What CBT is and how it works to change thought patterns
-How faith and scripture enhance the therapeutic process
-Real-life examples of transformation using CBT and prayer
-How to align your thoughts with truth and break free from negative cycles
-Practical steps to apply CBT techniques in your daily walk with God

Visit our website: https://www.thehopepandemic.com for show notes
Connect with Kimberly Christian, LCSW (free phone assessments offered) https://www.kimberlychristianlcsw.com
Learn more about CBT at Kimberly's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@themindandthemessiah⁩ 

📲 Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to The Hope Pandemic wherever you listen to podcasts
• Follow us on Instagram/Facebook: @thehopepandemicpodcast
• Leave a review to help us spread hope to more hearts

In this deeply personal and faith-filled episode, I share the origin story of Hope Pandemic — a journey birthed during one of the most uncertain seasons of my life. In the spring of 2020, as the world slowed to a halt, my own life hit a crossroads. I had just quit my job in the midst of burnout, navigating numerous changes brought about by shelter-in-place, and was wrestling with a deep emptiness of not knowing what the future would hold.

It was in that stillness — armed with my bible and journal, waves of grief, and a desperate prayer — that God began to rebuild my hope, vision, and identity. I learned that hope is not denial of your current circumstances, but a confident belief that God’s promises will come to pass.

Through scripture, worship, surrender, and the painful yet beautiful process of transformation, God began to exchange my coats of shame and unworthiness for a calling and vision far greater than I had ever imagined. And now, I believe He’s calling you into that same journey — to ignite hope, to dream again, and to become a vessel of His light in a dark world.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
🌿 The backstory of Hope Pandemic and how it began during COVID lockdowns

📖 How God used a season of isolation to awaken a new dream for my life
💔 The painful yet necessary process of letting the “old me” die
✨ Why hope is the seedbed for transformation — and how it starts in surrender
🦋 The “chrysalis” metaphor and what it taught me about God’s timing
🎶 The worship song that became my anthem during this season (The Blessing by Elevation Worship)
📚 The books and resources that helped me rebuild faith, vision, and purpose
🙌 An invitation for YOU to dream again, rise again, and spread contagious hope

Scriptures Mentioned:
Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Romans 8:28-31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Isaiah 42:3 – “A smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”

Resources & Links:
🎵 The Blessing – Elevation Worship [YouTube Link]
📚 Your Divine Fingerprint – Keith Craft
📚 The Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life – Erwin McManus
📚 Change Your World – John Maxwell

If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who needs a dose of hope today. And if you’re ready to step into this journey with me, subscribe so you don’t miss the upcoming stories from those carrying messages of resilience, restoration, and relentless hope.