Just when we're getting comfortable, God shows up (in his impeccable timing!) to ask us to step toward something new and scary. That's certainly been the case for Jodi Benson, the original voice of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Jodi shares how her career soared to unexpected heights, and how she strives to be salt and light wherever she goes, even if it's in the pages of a book she never expected to write.

Quotes

"God doesn't call us to be comfortable." - Jodi Benson

I'm like, 'God, this is just this is not me.' And He's like, 'You know what? I can do extraordinary things through ordinary people who obey me. And if you can walk in obedience in something that's terribly uncomfortable, then let me take it from there.'" - Jodi Benson

"It's been incredible, the fact that I have total freedom to be able to just be myself, that I can love other people well, and be light and salt, and use every opportunity that God gives me and every platform opportunity that He gives me to the best of my ability." - Jodi Benson

"The tough things we go through, we can use to comfort others with the same comfort that he gave us. That's when beauty comes from the ashes." - Jodi Benson

"God called me to do something out of my comfort zone, and it's very frightening and very scary. But there is a sense of indescribable peace, knowing that I did what he asked me to do, even though I didn't want to. Then I get to step back and let God do what he's going to do." - Jodi Benson

Guest's Links

Jodi Benson's Facebook

Jodi Benson's Instagram

Jodi Benson's Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Part of My World by Jodi Benson

The Little Mermaid

The Walt Disney Company

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Cinderella

Thumbelina

Toy Story II

Toy Story III

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

What do you do when God calls you from one story into another? For author and speaker Christy Wright, that meant walking into the workplace she'd poured herself into for 12 years and resigning to begin a new chapter. A chapter that, to Christy, looked like a terrifying blank page. But as she put one timid foot in front of the other, Christy began to see the path God was laying for her all along—one she never could've dreamed of on her own.

Quotes

"I felt God telling me that He was asking me to trust Him, that He was calling me into the unknown, similar to Abraham. And so He just kept taking me back to Scripture and showing me He's done this before." - Christy Wright

"We tend to think as Christians is that if you're scared, you don't trust God. But one of the things that I have learned is you can be trusting God with your actions and still feel fear in your emotions." - Christy Wright

"We're all adult children. We're all walking around looking for something. And so much of how we can find intimacy with the Lord is through this story of His Bible." - Christy Wright

"He is with us in the valleys, in the tunnels, when we're walking away from everything we've ever known, when we're overwhelmed with our kids, when we're just having to make a hard decision, He's with us. And while the decision is probably still hard and you might still feel that fear when you're doing that scary thing, the knowledge that God is with you can give you an inner peace and comfort that will follow it through anyway." - Christy Wright

Guest's LinksChristy's Website

Christy's Instagram

Christy's Facebook

Christy's Twitter

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally's website

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

To celebrate the merriest week of the year, author Sally Lloyd-Jones is reading three special Christmas stories from The Jesus Storybook Bible, perfect to listen to with your family. Wherever you are this season, let your heart be filled with childlike wonder and as you remember the miracle of Love that came down as a tiny baby boy. Merry Christmas!

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Jesus Storybook Bible

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram

Sally's website

Sally's Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

While living in one of Washington, DC's most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods, pastor Duke Kwon began to see opportunities to make Jesus' love incarnate. Using Jesus' life as inspiration, Duke shares why he believes his mission is to bring restoration and healing to his community, and how Jesus' love has the power not only to transform our neighbors, but especially to transform us.

Quotes

"It's a glorious and beautiful calling for us to actually embody and to become personal incarnations of the very love of Christ to this world." - Duke Kwon

"Jesus moved into the neighborhood, as it were, by His own loving initiative, and that He laid it all down more than baking us cookies and just being kind to us. He loved us sacrificially. He died for our sins. He lived again by His resurrection to give us life. And the transforming power of that kind of love then should make us true neighbors ourselves when we encounter that Jesus." - Duke Kwon

"Reconciliation is simply the healing of ruptured love. It's love being repaired interpersonally in our relationships." - Duke Kwon

"Christians should be the first ones to jump in line to undo the harms of our injury in a wound-filled past. Christians should be the ones that are the first on our knees to humble ourselves and repent and to love our neighbor as ourselves." - Duke Kwon

Duke Kwon's LinksDuke Kwon's Twitter

Duke Kwon's Instagram

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeGrace Meridian Hill Church

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Justin Giboney knows that people do their best work when they do it together—and he created his own civics organization to prove it. Justin shares how neighborhoods and faith communities who seek common ground can heal and restore the world.

Quotes

"You may not get it perfect, but if you do your due diligence and you work with others and you're listening to others, you can have a profound impact on society and kind of work towards shalom." - Justin Giboney

"It takes some courage and fortitude to do politics differently, to say, 'Yeah, I may be a Republican, yeah, I may be a Democrat, but I'm a Christian first, and I'm committed to doing politics the right way.'" - Justin Giboney

"I was getting deeper into my faith, and I didn't want to be in politics in the same way that I saw a lot of people were. I wanted to take all my Christian convictions with me while having kind of a civic pluralism and respecting others' beliefs." - Justin Giboney

"Even as I do work to move forward with justice and advocate for justice, I'm not saving anybody. It's God who's saving and rescuing us. And this is all under His plan. And we know the best part of His plan is when He comes back to rescue us." - Justin Giboney

Justin Giboney's LinksJustin Giboney's Instagram

Justin Giboney's Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe AND Campaign

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram

Sally's website

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

As we celebrate the arrival of the Christmas season, author Sally Lloyd-Jones reads her beloved picture book Song of the Stars and shares a special prayer: that we would not miss nor forget to celebrate the Rescuer who came into the world, who gives us light amid the cold, dark night.

*Want more ways to celebrate Advent with your family? Download the FREE Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Kit!

Quotes

"What a beautiful prayer to pray this Christmas: that we would not be looking the other way, that we wouldn't miss it, that we would see that God would be born into our lives again this Christmas, that we would not miss Him." - Sally Lloyd-Jones

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram

Sally's website

Sally's Facebook

Sally's Instagram

*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

For many years, writer and self-proclaimed "Lazy Genius" Kendra Adachi struggled with the need to impress, even in the kitchen (after all, Kendra believed, the way we're loved is through our achievements, right?). But over time, Kendra has learned a few things from her time at the table: you don't have to impress to connect. Just bring what you have, because you are loved just as you are, no for what you do.

Quotes

"Eating together is just so deeply human, and it can be fun, it can be thoughtful. It's very disarming. And I just believe that the table is the most alive when it's welcoming." - Kendra Adachi

"I want there to be a process that anybody can go through to love their kitchen, because it's such a beautiful room to experience, and there's so much good that comes out of it. And I want every person, whether they grow their own food or they only use their kitchen to make coffee, to enjoy being there." - Kendra Adachi

"I could sense from my own experiences as someone around the table being fed, like, it makes people smile giving someone food that tastes good, that makes them feel welcome, it makes people feel seen and happy. And that is what the connective tissue was for me, where I was like, I want to help people feel this way." - Kendra Adachi

"Jesus invites us to just share what we have. 'Just be who you are. Bring Me what you have. And I'm going to make it enough.'" - Kendra Adachi

Kendra Adachi's LinksKendra's website

Kendra's Facebook

Kendra's Instagram

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Lazy Genius Kitchen

Rachael Ray

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Gabrielle Beam has made it her life's mission to give children a hope and a future, and she does it through literacy. Gabrielle shares how helping children learn to read (using the Jesus Storybook Bible, no less!) helps them grow into adults who can flourish physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Quotes

"If a child is introduced to the love of God and the fact that they have been created in His image and that He has a plan for their lives, a plan to give them a future and a hope, I just love it." - Gabrielle Beam

"By using the Bible for us as a primary primer, we get to actually tell them how loved they are in God and who they are and what they can hope for." - Gabrielle Beam

"We use the Jesus Storybook Bible to teach [children], because, one, the illustrations are absolutely amazing. I mean, every child can find their image represented within the narratives of the story. And they feel included. And then the way that it is written, I mean, you can't even miss the love of God." - Gabrielle Beam

Gabrielle Beam's LinksGabrielle Beam's Facebook

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeRise to Read

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally's website

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

"Forgiveness is when someone owes you a debt and, instead of making them pay the debt back, you absorb the debt," says our guest, pastor and theologian Tim Keller. Tim shares why forgiveness is crucial to building and keeping relationships, and how daring to forgive brings the humility and empathy we need to restore the world.

Quotes

• "The more I sense that I am a sinner forgiven by God, the easier it is to forgive other people. Why? Because I don't feel superior to them. It's very difficult to forgive somebody that you feel vastly superior to. And it's much easier to forgive somebody that you say, 'Well, you know, I'm a lot like that myself.'" - Tim Keller
• "If you don't know how to forgive, you stay bitter, frankly, and it can just poison your life." - Tim Keller
• "If you don't forgive in your heart, you actually won't be pursuing justice, you'll be pursuing vengeance. And they are not the same thing." - Tim Keller
• "Forgiveness is when someone owes you a debt and, instead of making them pay the debt back, you absorb the debt. No one deserves that, yet we cannot live without it. If you are a Christian, you know that your relationship with God is impossible unless God forgives you." - Tim Keller

Tim Keller's LinksTim Keller's website

Tim Keller's Facebook

Tim Keller's Instagram

Tim Keller's Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeRedeemer Presbyterian Church

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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Sally's website

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

When the winds of change begin to blow, and everything in our lives seems to be slipping through our fingers, entrepreneur and author Emily Ley reminds us to look at the sunrise. Because every morning, without fail, God will always bring up the sun—and He'll always love you, too.

Quotes

"Even when the rest of the world is changing really quickly, or we're really anxious or worried about other things, we don't have to be anxious or worried about that. Because God never forgets to bring the sun up, and He's not going to forget about us." - Emily Ley

"There have been times in my life where God has taught me there's some things you can't do anything about and you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You just have to keep waking up every morning remembering what's true and what's not true and keep going." - Emily Ley

"He's truly showing us who He is. And it doesn't always mean that He's going to fix our problems right away. Sometimes He needs us to walk through them with Him. And then at the end, we can kind of see what He's been working in us." - Emily Ley

Emily Ley's LinksEmily Ley's website

Emily Ley's Facebook

Emily Ley's Instagram

Emily Ley's Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Simplified Podcast

Sure as the Sunrise by Emily Ley

Connect with Sally Lloyd-JonesJesus Storybook Bible Facebook

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*