What does it look like to follow Jesus in the places where faith isn’t always talked about out loud?

In this episode of This Is My Story, Pastor Paul Basden sits down with Becca Baker to talk about faith, family, work, and what she has learned through years of developing and coaching leaders in some of the country’s largest companies.

Becca shares how a faith that began when she was seven has continued to shape the way she leads today. From coaching C suite executives to navigating career changes, raising two boys, serving as an elder at Preston Trail, and learning when to say yes and when to say no, her story is a reminder that following Jesus shows up in the everyday choices we make.

She and Paul also talk candidly about living out your faith in the workplace. For Becca, it isn’t about forcing a conversation. It’s about relationships, authenticity, humility, and trying to reflect Jesus in the way you treat and lead people.

And for anyone who has ever wondered whether they really deserve a seat at the table, Becca offers this:

“You belong. You deserve to be where you are.”

This is a conversation about finding your voice, leading with humility, building relationships that matter, and trusting that a faithful life doesn’t have to be dramatic to be a story worth telling.

• Matthew 5:13–16

What do a Halloween “hell house,” the Texas Rangers and a lesson in trusting God have in common?

Corey Jones.

In this episode of This Is My Story, Pastor Paul Basden sits down with Corey to talk about a life that has taken some pretty unexpected turns. Corey shares how a decision to follow Jesus as a teenager grew into a faith that would later carry him and his wife, Jenny, through one of the most uncertain seasons of their lives.

He also shares how that same willingness to trust God and say yes has shaped his career. Corey started as a customer service representative at 19 and, 27 years later, serves as a senior vice president at Globe Life. Somewhere along the way, an idea he was told was a little crazy helped lead to the Globe Life name appearing on not one, but two Texas Rangers ballparks.

“The circumstances don’t dictate the faith.”

This is a conversation about trusting God when you don’t know what comes next, saying yes when an opportunity feels bigger than you, and learning to look back and see God’s fingerprints all along the way.

• Hebrews 11

What does it look like to choose life when you've walked through so much death?

In this episode of This Is My Story, Paul sits down with Kelly Carter to explore a life marked by profound loss, unwavering faith, and the sustaining presence of God. From losing loved ones at a young age to walking beside her husband through an aggressive cancer diagnosis, Kelly has experienced more grief than most. Yet through every season, she has discovered that while loss changes us, it doesn't have to define us.

Along the way, Kelly shares how foster care and adoption expanded her family's story, how the Church became the hands and feet of Jesus during unimaginable hardship. She offers a moving perspective on grief, reminding us that sorrow and joy often exist together, and that our deepest hope is found not in avoiding suffering, but in knowing Christ.

Whether you're walking through grief, caring for someone you love, or simply wondering how faith holds up in life's hardest moments, Kelly's story is a powerful reminder that your life is bigger than your loss.

What happens when the faith you inherited leaves you searching for something more?

In this episode of This Is My Story, Paul sits down with Mandy Hinerman to explore her journey from a Jewish upbringing to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Raised in a family that faithfully observed Jewish traditions and holidays, Mandy spent much of her life believing in God, but never truly knowing Him. When tragedy, loss, and unanswered questions began to shape her story, she found herself searching for a faith that offered more than ritual and obligation.

As Mandy began reading Scripture for herself, she discovered something that changed everything: the promises and prophecies she had grown up hearing pointed directly to Jesus. What followed was a journey marked by healing, peace, unexpected friendships, and a growing confidence that Jesus truly is the Messiah promised throughout the Jewish Scriptures.

Mandy’s story is a powerful reminder that God often meets us in our questions, our grief, and our searching and that His invitation is always rooted in grace rather than fear.

Faith is more than tradition or performance. When we encounter Jesus personally, we discover the peace, grace, and assurance we’ve been searching for all along.

At just 14 years old, CeCe has already faced a struggle that many students—and adults—know all too well: anxiety.

In this honest and encouraging conversation, CeCe shares how anxiety began affecting her life, faith, friendships, and school experience, and how God met her in what felt like a dark season. Alongside her mom, Ryan, she reflects on the role of community, counseling, prayer, and honest conversations in helping her find hope and healing.

Whether you're a student navigating anxiety, a parent walking alongside a child who is struggling, or someone wondering where God is in the middle of difficult seasons, this episode is a powerful reminder that you are not alone—and that God never leaves us, even when He feels far away.

Topics include:

READ: 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Download The Feelings Wheel

What happens when Scripture comes alive—not just on the page, but beneath your feet?

In this special episode of This Is My Story, Paul is joined by his wife, Denise, to reflect on their recent journey through Greece tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Together, they share stories, insights, and meaningful moments from walking through places like Philippi, Thessaloniki, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Patmos, and Crete—places where biblical history moved from imagination to reality.

From worshiping near Lydia’s baptism site and standing on Mars Hill where Paul preached in Athens, to experiencing communion among the ruins of Corinth and reflecting in the cave believed to be where John received the Revelation on Patmos, this episode offers both practical travel reflections and spiritual insight.

Along the way, Paul and Denise also share what surprised them most, how ancient places deepened their faith, and why sometimes the most meaningful spiritual experiences happen when history becomes personal.

Whether you’ve been to Greece, dream of going, or simply want to experience Scripture in a deeper way, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at faith, history, marriage, and the beauty of seeing the biblical world firsthand.

What happens when the version of Jesus you learned growing up doesn’t match the Jesus you encounter in Scripture?

In this episode of This Is My Story, Paul sits down with Aubreigh Cox to explore a journey from fear-based faith to a deep understanding of God’s grace, love, and peace. Raised in a highly rule-focused and performance-driven religious environment, Aubreigh spent much of her life believing that God was distant, angry, and waiting for her to fail.

But everything began to change when she encountered the real Jesus.

Through seasons of anxiety, depression, questions, and spiritual rebuilding, Aubreigh shares how worship, community, baptism, and Scripture reshaped her understanding of who God truly is. Her story is one of healing, surrender, and discovering that grace—not fear—is at the center of the Gospel.

This conversation is for anyone who has wrestled with legalism, church hurt, anxiety surrounding faith, or the fear of never being “good enough” for God.

In this episode you'll hear: 

Key Takeaway: 

The real Jesus is not waiting to reject you—He is inviting you into grace, peace, and belonging.

What happens when the house gets quiet, and you’re left rediscovering who you are without the rhythms of raising children?

In this episode of This Is My Story, Paul sits down with Rick and Clancy Denton to talk about marriage, parenting, faith, and learning to embrace the empty nest season with intentionality and hope. After spending decades raising two children in a Christ-centered home, Rick and Clancy found themselves facing a new reality: life as just the two of them again.

Rather than viewing the empty nest as something to fear, they chose to lean in.

Through honest conversation, they share how church community, transparency at home, intentional connection in marriage, and a strong foundation of faith helped prepare both their children—and themselves—for this next chapter. They also discuss the grief, identity shifts, and unexpected joys that come with parenting adult children and learning to let go with grace.

Whether you’re years away from an empty nest or already living in one, this episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical insight for navigating one of life’s biggest transitions.

The empty nest is not the end of purpose—it’s an invitation into a new season of connection, growth, and joy.

What do you do when life doesn’t go the way you planned—and the questions feel bigger than the answers?

In this episode, Paul sits down with Jamie Bryson to explore a story marked by faith, doubt, resilience, and an unshakable trust in God. From a late introduction to faith in high school to pursuing a PhD in Hebrew Bible, Jamie’s journey was rooted in a deep desire to understand God and help others do the same.

But along the way, things shifted.

A season of intellectual questioning led to years of wrestling with belief, identity, and calling. And just as clarity began to return, life took an unexpected turn. In 2021, Jamie was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s and kidney cancer—within the same year.

What follows is not a story of easy answers, but of steady faith.

In this conversation, Jamie shares what it looks like to keep showing up, to let go of needing certainty, and to trust that God is present—even in suffering. His story is a powerful reminder that faith is not about having everything figured out, but about knowing where to turn when you don’t.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear:

You don’t have to have all the answers to have real faith. Sometimes the most powerful faith is simply choosing to stay.

What happens when God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you hoped?

After fighting to save their marriage, Matt and Mary Beth believed the hardest chapter was behind them.

But then came a diagnosis no parent is prepared for.

Their unborn daughter had a fatal condition.

And they were faced with an unthinkable decision.

In Part 2 of their story, Matt and Mary Beth share:

This isn’t just a story about loss.

It’s a story about faith in the unknown.

Song: Held by Natalie Grant