We are truly honored to be sharing today's conversation with you. Our host Sarah Schalow was joined by Jacqui Christianson in the studio to share the story of her precious son Teddy.

⚠️ Before you listen, we do want to give you a trigger warning for this episode. Pregnancy complications and the death of an infant are discussed in this conversation. ⚠️

Being raised her whole life in Arizona, Jacqui was ready to get out of state after college and decided to move to the Seattle area to start a career and a new life. She ended up living there for a little over six years while working as a Radiological Control Technician at a shipyard. During that time, she met her husband Matt who was serving in the Navy through mutual friends. They had been married for about three years when they decided to start a family and move back to Arizona to be closer to family. Jacqui was three months into her pregnancy when the doctors told her that her baby had something called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). This is a condition in which the baby's left side of the heart does not form correctly. This diagnosis changed everything. Though this condition was not unheard of it still was considered rare and required a lot more doctor appointments and preparation for birth and life after. Jacqui and her husband had to begin preparing for multiple heart surgeries for their son, the first being just days after birth. In November of 2014 they got to meet their precious son Teddy. His first heart surgery was successful, and Jacqui and Matt did all they could to settle into a new normal being first time parents with a son who needed extra attention and care. There were complications but at the same time Teddy was developing well. There was hope. God at times works in ways that we do not understand, and Jacqui and Matt had to soon say goodbye to their son. We feel privileged that Jacqui was willing to share such a deep point of pain with us, but we know that you are going to be inspired by Jacqui's strength and her willingness to release her pain to the Lord. 

Information on HLHS: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypoplastic-left-heart-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350599

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Bill Reeves is someone who goes back to almost the very beginning of Desert Springs as we know it and we are so glad to be featuring him on The Stories Collective podcast this week! Bill came to know the Lord as a teenager when a friend shared his faith with him. Shortly after that Bill moved away but kept in touch with those friends as he really desired to have Christian community. He eventually moved to Arizona for his college career and began attending Palmcroft Church. One day while driving home from church Bill complained to his friend about the radio in the car being too loud - except the radio wasn't on. Next thing he knew he was waking up in a hospital with a doctor explaining he had a brain tumor. This event changed everything for Bill as he became very passionate about finding his purpose in the Lord beyond coming to know Him. You'll hear about what life looked like after recovery, the early days at Desert Springs, being a part of planting Palm Valley Church and the impact of Greg Rohlinger, transitioning to work in the business world and so much more. Bill is a great example of what it looks like to engage with God, connect with others and live on mission in everyday life. You will be inspired by Bill's passion for godly purpose and how he loves to come alongside those who are trying to discover that. 

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

Welcome back to The Stories Collective podcast! Pam Maurer joined us in the studio to share some significant mile markers in her life. The first mile marker is from 1992 when a tragic accident that resulted in three deaths totally changed Pam's life both in the day-to-day and spiritually. At age 36 Pam felt that she had been living a "good Christian life", but this accident caused her to reevaluate everything. She realized that she had been caught up in checking the boxes of the faith versus having a thriving relationship with Jesus. Pam shares about how she came to understand where she was at in her walk with Christ and how life changed moving forward. Pam and Sarah cover a lot of life as you'll hear about some more ups and downs in Pam's faith journey and how serving overseas and snow birding in Arizona has been a gift from God. Through teaching Sunday School Pam became very passionate about Bible study and this passion turned into a desire to ask and answer questions. God is now using Pam to help others when they have questions! She has been a writer for Got Questions since November 2022, and you'll see how even that all connects back to that first mile marker in 1992. We hope that this episode encourages you to look at your own mile markers in your life and fills you with hope as you see how faithful God has been to you. As Pam says in her interview God doesn't require that we understand but He asks that we accept by faith the sovereignty of His Lordship in our lives.  

Check out Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org

Kevin Wilkinson's Testimony, "The discipline of God; letting go of the controls": https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ysfV7ixMam0wBgqnx0Q8U?si=9ddf15ee5ec44c21

Rich Holland's Testimony, "The Church as a family": https://open.spotify.com/episode/4O9jSmbkZgC9taWVeRiqxS?si=4e17b402ebed4f43

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

We have a powerful testimony of God's literal saving grace to share with you today. We're talking with our friend Ryan Risselman and we think this is an episode you're definitely going to want to share with those around you. 

⚠️ Before you listen, we do want to give you a trigger warning for this episode. Suicide and suicide ideation/idealization are discussed throughout this conversation. ⚠️

We teased this episode with Ryan back in November 2022 when Kevin Wilkinson in Episode 40 shared about a time when he was able to help lead someone to the Lord. We're looking forward to sharing it with you today! Those of you who have been at Desert Springs for a few years may remember when Ryan was featured in a testimony video in our 2020 Christmas Eve services. Ryan and our host Sarah Schalow begin their conversation talking about the pop punk music scene as that was a big part of Ryan's life living in Chicago. He worked as a tour manager for a band and spent years traveling with them on the road. Growing up as a child of divorce Ryan remembers always having a desire to feel like he belonged. That was tough as he was going back and forth between homes, schools and friend groups. Church was not at all a part of his upbringing. In some ways the road life provided stability and Ryan was all in with everything that the music scene brought. Ryan met his wife Erica at House of Blues in Chicago and they married in 2009. After Ryan and Erica got married they moved out to Arizona and Ryan's focus shifted to being a husband and soon-to-be father. Finances began to overwhelm Ryan and it was something that he felt he had to handle all on his own. The pressures of life and a few cross country moves were weighing heavily. Ryan began to drink to cope with the pressure and felt he was living a double life in trying to provide for his family. He was hiding all of his struggles and felt incredibly alone. He was beyond depressed describing himself as without hope. In September 2019 it all became too much and Ryan had made plans to take his own life. But God in His saving grace used a Post-It Note to stop that from happening. We encourage you to listen to this miraculous story as Ryan describes when he first BELIEVED God was real, how Dave Ramsey's ministry got him and his family connected at DSCC and what life has looked like since choosing to surrender to Jesus. You will truly be amazed when you see where Ryan was and where the Lord has brought him to. Our God is real and He is working; there isn't a moment He misses. That is seen so clearly in Ryan's story.

Christmas 2020 Testimony Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwplGDZvbXM

Email Pastor Trevor at [email protected] for information on FPU at Desert Springs

Learn more about Dave Ramsey: https://www.ramseysolutions.com

Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Text HOME to 741741to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counselor

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

Today's conversation is one that has been highly anticipated and we're so glad to finally be sharing it with you. Paige McMahon joined us in the studio right at the beginning of 2023 to share her heart and her husband's legacy with us. Those of who you have been Desert Springs for a while may remember when Paige's husband John McMahon was tragically killed in a plane crash on June 27th, 2017. This summer will mark six years since John went to meet Jesus. Paige gives us the background of how she and John met (it involves TPing a house 😉) in middle school and how their relationship eventually developed in their high school and college years. They got engaged during their time as SMI leaders at Palmcroft Church and had 19 years of marriage together with three wonderful children. John had a passion for ministry, and he pursued that passion both on staff at a church and later working for the City of Buckeye. The McMahon family came to Desert Springs in 2013 and quickly became involved with the youth ministry. John had even served at Xtreme Zone just two weeks before his death. Paige felt that the last four years of their marriage together on earth were some of the sweetest years they shared. She walks us through the events of June 27th, 2017, and explains with a realness how she had to begin to repair all of the different pieces of her broken heart with the help of Jesus. Paige gives us a more in depth look at what intense grieving looks like but ultimately points it all back to Christ - even the moments of deep pain were seen and heard by God. Your heart will be moved by John's legacy, and you will be inspired by Paige's strength and devotion to Christ.

If you're ever in the lobby at Desert Springs, you can check out the Missions Connect Wall which is dedicated to John McMahon who served on our Missions Team. The plaque is displayed in the bottom right corner.

Paige's Interview on The Influencers Podcast: https://cityserve.us/2022/12/14/widow-and-single-mom-shares-about-the-gift-that-got-her-through-an-unexpected-tragedy/

12News Article: https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/buckeye-airport-coordinator-1-other-person-dead-in-plane-crash-near-gila-bend/75-452760854

Meals & More Ministry: https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/groups/care-support-group/meals-more-ministry

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

Today's interview is one where time just flew by - we had so many things to discuss! Our host Sarah Schalow was able to connect with Bill Mansker and we are so glad that she did. Bill has an incredible story and loads of wisdom for all of us to learn from. So much of what Bill shares comes back to being consistent in Christ and recognizing the Lord's continuous grace and faithfulness to us. Bill begins the conversation by sharing a time that he felt the Lord showed up in a miraculous way. Then Bill and Sarah backtrack where we learn that Bill was born in 1949, living all of his childhood in Tulsa, OK. He grew up in a completely segregated community and never attended school or lived life with a white person until he was accepted to Dartmouth College. Bill remained close to the Lord through his entire undergraduate career and excelled in college because of his high school education (you'll understand why when you listen). He later attended law school at the University of Chicago and graduated in 1974. This began a highly successful law career for over 30 years in Chicago, being involved in the political scene. You will be inspired by how Bill describes he was able to practice law in a corrupt environment with integrity and ultimately a focus on Christ and what is true. You will get to hear many amazing stories of how the Lord used Bill, but we love how Bill wants to continue to grow and be mentored even at the age of 74. He desires to pour his heart and wisdom out to others but also wants to continue to be poured into. This is something we can all strive to do, and we would very much encourage you to listen to this interview from beginning to end. We wish that we had more time but are thankful for what we got! God works all things together for good and that is evident in the story of Bill Mansker. 

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

Welcome to Episode 50 of The Stories Collective! We can hardly believe it. It is almost Valentine's Day, and we have a very sweet interview to share with you today! Lori Britt helps to lead our Marriage Mentoring ministry at Desert Springs and we are so glad she joined us in the studio. We've all heard the phrase, "when you know you know" and Lori is a testament to the validity of that phrase. Lori and her husband Quinton will have been married for 20 years this September! Lori describes their marriage as a fairytale and believes that everyone can have hope for their relationships and marriages to be that way. But as we all know life isn't always a fairytale and Lori gets real about the difficult parts of marriage and cultivating a thriving relationship. Lori and Quinton both had been married before but when they met each other they knew that God had something special ahead for them. Lori was a single foster care mom and Quinton was a recent widower raising his boys and baby girl on his own when they met at First Baptist Church in Tempe. A sweet old church librarian introduced them when she noticed they would often pass each other in the halls of the church. Their relationship developed quickly and even in the whirlwind, they wanted to do their best to honor God in each aspect of their upcoming marriage. You will be encouraged as Lori tells the story of how the Lord brought the two of them together and how they both feel passionate about helping others develop healthy and thriving marriages. You will also get an inside look into how Marriage Mentoring (includes pre-marital and marriage mentoring) works and how you might be able to benefit from that. 

Marriage Mentoring at DSCC https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/900260

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

We have a story of life change through the Gospel to share with you today. Greg Huggins joined us in the studio to share how the Lord brought him to Himself. Greg has been at Desert Springs for many years, leading many Sunday morning classes and Bible studies and now serving as an elder. Though Greg did not come to know the Lord until he was in his early 30s, he feels that God's hand was working in his life even before that. Greg moved to Arizona when he joined the Air Force after high school. He was serving at Luke Air Force Base and began to somewhat settle in Arizona after getting married. Greg struggled in his commitment to his marriage and attempted to live a bachelor lifestyle while also being a husband and father. During those years he would play basketball at a church in Phoenix that opened up their gyms on Saturday mornings. They would do short devotionals in between pickup games and though Greg didn't resonate with the messages then that ministry would meet him many years later after he came to Christ. But before that Greg reached a point where, in his words, he wanted to be free of his marriage and he decided to divorce his wife. He felt stuck in a cycle of sin. Shortly after that process wrapped up Greg was driving on a Tuesday afternoon and while sitting at 51st Ave + McDowell he felt the tangible presence of the Lord come upon him. Though it wasn't audible, he felt the Lord clearly speaking to him saying, "Come to Me." It was a powerful moment that changed his life forever. Greg walks us through what the Lord did in his life after that moment, how God radically changed his heart and life, how being discipled strengthened his walk as a new believer, his desire to serve and how passionate he is about discipleship and the fellowship in Christ. 

For information on Men's Discipleship email Shawn Jones at [email protected]

For information on Women's Discipleship email Tracy Walker at [email protected]

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

As you may know this past Sunday, January 22nd was Sanctity of Human Life Day. Today's guest Nancy Beeman is someone who has done a lot of work and advocacy for ending abortion in the United States and we are blessed to have her be a part of Desert Springs. Nancy was raised primarily in Southern California but in college fell in love with Kentucky and Tennessee when she was serving in a community mission helping children living in group homes. During that time, she met a man who would later become her husband. Unfortunately, after a few years and having some children together the discovery of an affair on her husband's part brought about a divorce. Heartbroken after the split Nancy was adjusting to being a single mom and trying her best to get through the day to day. A male coworker began expressing interest in her and because of the emotional state she was in she gave into his advances and began what Nancy describes as a sexual relationship. This was big for Nancy as she had been very committed to her Christian faith and hadn't exhibited behaviors like this before. After a few months of seeing this man Nancy discovered that she was pregnant. The coworker immediately requested she get an abortion which was not something she ever wanted to do. But feeling completely stuck, confused, hopeless and alone, already raising children on her own, Nancy went through with the abortion. The procedure was done at a clinic that scammed her into paying more money and she spent the weekend alone in a cheap hotel room recovering. For years Nancy lived with intense guilt and shame over the act she had committed and engaged in destructive post-abortive behaviors in the months following which again was extremely out of character for her. There finally came a point where Nancy knew she needed to accept love and forgiveness from the Lord and move onto a new chapter in her life. You’ll hear about how Nancy began to heal, how she started to share her story and how she strongly believes there is grace and forgiveness from God no matter the sin you’ve committed. There are so many lies surrounding what abortion is and what it does to women, and we are so thankful to Nancy for her vulnerability in sharing the truth with us today. 

For more information on Surrendering The Secret, a support group for women who have had abortions, click here: https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1117386

Pregnancy centers in the Phoenix area:

New Life Pregnancy Center - https://newlifepregnancy.com

Choices Pregnancy Center - https://www.choicesaz.com

If you are pregnant and needing help, please know that you are not alone. We would love to walk with you in this. Send an email to [email protected] if you need help. 

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness! 

We have a powerful and important conversation to share with you today. If you regularly attend Desert Springs, you'll likely recognize our guest, Nate Fish. Nate and his family began attending Desert Springs in the spring of 2021, and it wasn't long before he became a regular worship volunteer, singing and playing piano in our Modern Services. Some of you may also remember that Nate's wife, Suzanne, joined us on Episode 2 of this podcast.

Nate begins by sharing what life was like growing up as the son of an Army officer. In his words, his family moved a "gazillion" times, but no matter where they lived, his parents prioritized being involved in a local church. Their family believed that the Church was their family wherever God placed them.

Although Nate came to know Christ at a young age, he shares that his faith often felt more focused on following rules than cultivating a thriving relationship with Jesus. He became consumed with "what not to do" and struggled to reconcile his personal challenges with the expectations he felt as a Christian.

As he entered college, those struggles became increasingly difficult to ignore. During that time, Nate became involved in a large church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he served on the worship team and participated in a small group. While in that group, he felt God prompting him to share some of his deepest struggles with one of the group's leaders. Terrified but determined to be honest, Nate opened up during a conversation at a Starbucks, hoping to find support and understanding.

At first, it seemed his vulnerability was received well. But before long, Nate's worst fears became reality, and he experienced a painful season of church hurt that left deep wounds.

Thankfully, we serve a God who never abandons His people. In this episode, Nate shares what happened next, how God met him in his pain, reminded him of his identity in Christ, and ultimately brought healing and restoration through the very institution that had hurt him.

We encourage you to listen closely to Nate's story and be challenged by his perspective on grace, forgiveness, and the faithfulness of God. His testimony is a powerful reminder that our identity is found in Christ alone and that God can redeem even our deepest wounds.

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God’s faithfulness!