Today is Wednesday which means it is time for another episode of The Stories Collective! Back in the late spring our host Sarah Schalow had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Van Sant. Mark serves as an elder here at Desert Springs and it was so cool to hear him share his heart and story with us. A major theme throughout Mark's story is the incredible and miraculous provision of God. You can hear the tenderness in his heart when he shares about the care God has provided for him and his family throughout the years. You'll get to hear many stories of when he didn't know what to do and God came through; there was never a moment that God wasn't there. If anything, this story will fill you with hope and bring a positive outlook to the difficult times in life. You too will be thankful for God's provision. We're excited for you to listen!

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 an incredibly powerful conversation to share with you today. Our host, Sarah Schalow, sits down with Rachelle Graves to hear a story of unimaginable pain, extraordinary healing, and the transforming power of God's grace.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse. ⚠️

Rachelle describes herself as a modern-day Jonah because God called her to do something she never could have accomplished in her own strength. Her story begins with the heartbreaking reality that some of her earliest childhood memories are of sexual abuse. For ten years, she endured abuse in her own home before a traumatic event in her teenage years led her to leave and begin rebuilding her life.

At 20 years old, Rachelle married her husband, started a family, and moved to Arizona. Grateful for the life God had given her, she hoped to leave the pain of her past behind. But everything changed one day when she heard a message about forgiveness on the radio. What followed was a years-long journey of healing, surrender, and obedience to God, one that eventually led her to share the Gospel with the very person who had abused her.

This is a remarkable testimony of God's redeeming work and the freedom that can be found through forgiveness. We are honored to share Rachelle's story with you.

Mending The Soul at DSCC

"God Made All of Me" by Justin + Lindsey Holcomb

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! 

SURPRISE! We have a bonus episode of The Stories Collective for you today! We have the opportunity to hear from one of the missionaries that we help to support, Eric Yodis. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2022 and we're so glad that we're getting to share it with you now. Sarah gets us into the interview, but we have a special guest host, our Missions Pastor Jamie Engram interviewing Eric who has served in the Ukraine for over 30 years. We would encourage you to listen to this episode, hear Eric's heart and story and learn more about our missionaries by emailing [email protected]. You can also learn more at our Missions Connect Wall in the Desert Springs lobby. Let's be praying for all of our missionaries!

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 on The Stories Collective is going to resonate with a lot of you and we're so glad for the opportunity to share it here! Our host Sarah Schalow is talking with our new friend Riley Gardell. Riley, a Texas native, moved to the Goodyear area in May of 2021 for his work as the Site Engineer at a solar farm. Riley talks with Sarah about how a lot of times we gravitate towards testimonies that are about radical change and miracles but so many of us by the grace of God have known Him since childhood and can't necessarily relate to those incredible stories. In this conversation, Riley shares about the power and the blessing that is found in the testimonies of those who came to know God at a young age. Riley walks us through coming to know the Lord as a 2nd grader, the faithfulness of his parents in raising him in a Christian home, coming to a more solid faith in college, being baptized here at Desert Springs and how he has seen the gracious hand of the Lord over his entire life, even in the moments that might be considered "boring." We think this is a very relatable story and we can't wait for you to hear from Riley's heart!

August Baptism Services - https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1305269

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 episode of The Stories Collective features someone who is probably familiar to a lot of you. We are talking with our friend Kelly Lashua! Kelly and her family have been at Desert Springs for over a decade, and we are so thankful for the ministry that they have been a part of. We get to hear about Kelly's early life growing up in a Christian family and learning what following the Lord looks like, especially in her college years. She shares about how she and her husband Robby met at Arizona Christian University (formerly known as Southwestern College) and what life has looked like raising four children and homeschooling. The importance of knowing the Lord through studying His Word, even when it isn't "perfect" is a major theme in this dialogue with Sarah. Kelly shares so much wisdom with us in this episode, we think you're going to want to take notes! Grab a pen and paper (or the notes app on your phone 😉), some coffee and settle in for this encouraging and challenging conversation!

"Sing The Bible" resources from Slugs & Bugs - https://slugsandbugs.com/collections/music-1

Seeds Family Worship - https://www.seedsfamilyworship.com

We are so blessed by today's Stories Collective podcast guest David Reyna. God's faithfulness was something that was very evident in David's life from the beginning in the early 1960s in west Texas. Being number 11 of 12 kids, David shares how he saw his parents live out their faith each day. The way his parents modeled their faith set a firm foundation for the rest of David's life. David shares with us about how being shy was something he had to work through not only in relationships but in his walk with Christ. We get to see snapshots of God's faithfulness in his life through growing up in farm life, coming to know the Lord, losing his brother in an accident, getting married, mission trips and more. You'll be inspired by David's challenge to obey the Lord's call no matter how you're feeling. We'd love for you to listen!

Panel Discussion - https://dscchurch.nucleus.church/media/playlist/be-radical/be-radical-panel-discussion

Sign up for baptisms in August here - https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1305269

For more information on Missions at DSCC email Jamie Engram 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! 

On June 24th, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned giving states the ability to regulate abortions. This historic decision prompted Susan Glass to share her story with us. This is a story that demonstrates how one decision can change the course of a family's life forever.  In 1990 Susan was 24 years old and married with 2 children. A lot of life had been lived up to this point despite Susan being so young. Jim, her husband, (whose story you can listen to in episode 3 😉) had been stationed in Guam with the Navy. While Jim was back and forth being out at sea, Susan was taking care of their children which was difficult being so far away from friends and family. She felt alone and exhausted, trying to find strength to go on. Susan was struggling and in a dark place when she found out she was pregnant with her 3rd child only 6 months after her 2nd baby had been born. Susan knew she did not want any more children and she began to consider her options. She was making this decision regarding her baby on her own. But a change in a law halted everything. Through this conversation you will hear about God's incredible grace as Susan shares how one of the most difficult seasons in her life became the biggest blessing, changing her marriage and family forever. We don't want to give anything else away, you just have to listen!

For more information on Surrendering The Secret, a support group for women who have had abortions, email [email protected]. 

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!

If you regularly attend Desert Springs today's guest is no stranger to you. We are talking with Shawn Jones! You may not know this, but Shawn came to know the Lord right here at Desert Springs in December of 2006. Since then, he has been a big part of ministry here at the church even before he became a full-time staff member. Shawn gets personal with us today and really shares his heart and passion for living the Christian life every day. We hear about his early life growing up in Phoenix, the first time he heard the Gospel as a boy, becoming a teen parent, being a Marine, walking through divorce, the joy of being married again, working in ministry - Shawn tells all! But as many of you have experienced you can't have a conversation with Shawn without his devotion to Christ and evangelism and discipleship coming up. We get to hear some really exciting things as Shawn shares how God worked in his heart in 2020 through covid and brought a new direction and passion for evangelism and discipleship. You will be uplifted, challenged and inspired to live out life for Christ now. Sarah shares an exciting announcement in this interview that you won't want to miss! 

Shawn's Testimony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn_8EEPidV8

For more information about being involved with Evangelism + Discipleship at Desert Springs email Shawn Jones 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!

We hope that you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! We are back with another episode of The Stories Collective and this week we're talking with Jenn Lorn. The simplest way to put it is that Jenn has a story of hope. It is a story that starts in a dark place as her childhood was surrounded by alcohol. Jenn came to know the Lord through a friend at school and her life was changed forever. But as we all know, life can sometimes take us to some unexpected places and Jenn found herself married to a non-believer in her mid-20s. Thankfully that is not the end of her story! Jenn faithfully prayed for years and years for her husband to come to know the Lord and she never gave up. She kept persevering and kept seeking the Lord. This story truly is filled with hope at every turn; we'd love for you to listen to it. We guarantee that you are going to be encouraged by Jenn's heart in this conversation!

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!

Thank you for joining us for another episode of The Stories Collective podcast! Today we have a really cool opportunity to hear from not only one guest, but two! Sarah Schalow sat down with Ed + Carol McNiece back in April before they left to spend the summer in Minnesota. Ed + Carol have an amazing story to share about how their son was healed after a shocking accident that caused a traumatic brain injury 22 years ago. You can still hear the emotion from Ed + Carol as they recall this story and what it was like to walk through the uncertainty of not knowing if their son would live. They also provide tips and insight on how to get through supporting someone who is going through a medical crisis. The power of prayer is extremely evident in this story as well as the community that tragedy can bring. We admire Ed + Carol as they were so faithful in engaging with God through this trying time. We look forward to them being back with us in the fall!

Streams in the Desert Devotional - https://www.amazon.com/Streams-Desert-L-B-Cowman/dp/0310210062/ref=sxin_10_mbs_w_global_sims?content-id=amzn1.sym.167d0880-9da0-400b-938e-4382731a4102%3Aamzn1.sym.167d0880-9da0-400b-938e-4382731a4102&crid=352BKDLV5A0JI&cv_ct_cx=streams+in+the+desert+devotional&keywords=streams+in+the+desert+devotional&pd_rd_i=0310210062&pd_rd_r=9d2790b6-62a1-4aed-bac5-6edfa695f585&pd_rd_w=OBu1D&pd_rd_wg=QNNN0&pf_rd_p=167d0880-9da0-400b-938e-4382731a4102&pf_rd_r=8S66ZW0ATHK66KXVVQ51&qid=1656355564&sprefix=streams+in+the%2Caps%2C121&sr=1-2-9e7645f9-2d19-4bff-863e-f6cdbe50f990

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!