Happy Summer everyone! We couldn’t think of a better way to officially kick-off summer than to have a conversation with our friend Lydia Engram. Lydia has been a part of Desert Springs for 11 years as she serves in Women’s Ministry, leads worship, runs our First-Time Visitor Ministry and is married to our Worship + Missions Pastor Jamie Engram. Lydia shares so much heart and wisdom with us as she walks us through her life growing up as a Pastor’s kid in California. Lydia is the oldest of 8 children and her family has quite the testimony as 3 of those kids were adopted during an unexpected tragedy in their church.  We also hear about how Lydia and Jamie met, what life has been like since moving to Arizona and just how important mentorship and community is. You’ll be inspired by Lydia’s heart and passion for what connecting with others looks like. Grab some coffee or tea and join these friends for this really encouraging conversation!

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We think today's episode is going to be a bright spot in your week! Our host Sarah Schalow is talking with Brian DeFrancesco who has such a refreshing and positive outlook on life. Brian shares a couple of stories with us from coming to Christ after being raised Catholic, moving all over the west coast with the agriculture industry, what it's like being a husband and parent; Sarah and Brian cover a lot of ground. The thread that ties it all together is how God has been faithful all lifelong. Brian shares a positive perspective on marriage and parenting and how being involved in a church is a major pillar for those things. Sarah and Brian even cover what it looks like to engage with God, connect with others and live on mission on a week-to-week basis. The next 35 minutes are going to encourage and uplift you this week!

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Hello to all of you! We have a powerful conversation to share with you today. We have the privilege of hearing from Kathleen Witt. 

⚠️ Before you listen, we do want to give you a trigger warning for this episode ⚠️ 

Kathleen has a truly powerful story about how God has worked in her life but unfortunately there are some parts of her story that are heartbreaking and difficult. Sarah and Kathleen talk through Kathleen's experience with child abuse, self-harm, suicide and domestic violence. If that is something you are sensitive to we wanted to let you know ahead of time. 

BUT we say all of this to say that God has truly worked powerful healing in Kathleen's life. All of the things that she experienced ultimately showed her His protection over her life. Kathleen is incredibly vulnerable with us but points each difficult experience that she had to Christ and how He brought her through the darkest days. This conversation will give you a lot to think about and will fill you with hope to keep persevering. We look forward to you hearing this!

National Domestic Violence Hotline - https://www.thehotline.org

800-273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Hotline)

Arizona Child Abuse Hotline - https://www.azccrr.com/arizona-child-abuse-hotline.html

Mending The Soul - https://mendingthesoul.org

For help at DSCC email Pastor Trevor - [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!

Happy Wednesday to all of you! Today's episode of The Stories Collective is a special one as our host Sarah Schalow sits down for a conversation with our friend Ron Talley. Ron and his wife Shirley started attending Desert Springs in 2007 and have been a part ever since. Ron and Shirley were married for 60 years (together for 65!) when Shirley died in the fall of 2018. Ron shares with us about their marriage over the years, the ups and downs, the joys and heartache, how they dealt with all that life brings. Ron and Sarah share a lot of laughs from Ron's stories but also touch on the difficulties that can appear in marriage. Whether you're married or not there is so much truth that Ron shares about making sure your relationship with God is your number one priority but then also making sure your earthly relationships are in a healthy place. Good communication is a major theme that is discussed. We don't want to give it away; you just have to listen to this inspiring and encouraging conversation!

Click below for the devotional Ron mentions in his interview: 

Surviving Widowhood: 40 Devotions of Hope by Sharon Engram + Lori Rohlinger - https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Widowhood-40-Devotions-Hope/dp/1646456688/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EA08VP8S7LS2&keywords=sharon+engram&qid=1654021206&sprefix=sharon+engram%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1

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 our host Sarah Schalow has a conversation with our new friend Venesa Hernandez. Venesa and her family started attending Desert Springs in November of 2021 after her husband Manny accepted the High School Pastor position here at the church. We would love for you all to get to know Venesa as she has an amazing and sweet story about how she came to know the Lord, how God saw her through a surprising medical diagnosis, being a single Mom and even how God has been faithful to her and to Manny through their marriage and being involved in full-time ministry. Leaving their home church to come and be a part of Desert Springs was a huge decision for their family, but we are so glad that they have joined us. Venesa reminds us that God is always faithful even when it looks different in each person's life. We think you're going to really love this conversation and we hope you'll get to know the Hernandez family even more!

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!

Wednesday is here which means we're bringing you another great conversation surrounding God's faithfulness! Our host Sarah Schalow is talking with longtime friend of Desert Springs Nick Spano. Nick shares some stories from the early days of Desert Springs going all the way back to being a kid growing up at the Glendale campus. We hear about his walk with Christ and how he has learned that there is no better life than to walk with the Lord. You'll also learn about Nick's love for the Phoenix Suns despite how hard it is to be an Arizona sports fan. The main part of this conversation centers around coping with loss and grief. Nick is very open with us as he shares what it was like to lose his father somewhat suddenly in July of 2014 and how that has impacted him. Though there is sadness and hardship Nick points to the ultimate hope that he has in Christ and how he knows that he will one day see his Dad again. 

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 are so looking forward to all of you hearing this conversation with our friend Tayler Burcham. Tayler and her husband were married for four years and had two kids with one on the way when an affair came to light. In a single moment, their family life was changed forever. Tayler had a choice to make - she could leave and start life completely over or lean into what the Lord would ask her to do. Tayler's choice to engage with God and hold onto faith throughout darkness and devastation brought about a beautiful story of restoration. Tayler challenges all of us to hold onto hope and lean into the Lord as hard as we can no matter the circumstances we are facing. This story is going to lift your spirits! We've linked some resources from Tayler below. 

Tayler's website: https://www.theinterruptiblelife.com

How God worked through the infidelity:  https://youtu.be/RzbeOLvt55I

Testimony of God's work in 2020: https://youtu.be/-PhgSJwvjgM

DSCC Christmas 2020 Testimony Video: https://www.facebook.com/DesertSprings/videos/232158384979731

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!

Thanks for joining us for another episode of The Stories Collective! You have probably seen today’s podcast guest all over Desert Springs as he serves in so many different ministries. We’re spending time today with our friend Tyler Pollard. The Lord has been so amazing in Tyler’s life - and that is an understatement! You’ll hear in this interview how Tyler was feeling so lost and broken at rock bottom but a simple phone call from a friend changed everything. Tyler gets real with us about the emptiness that comes with partying and substance abuse but reminds us that God can redeem any situation. His story shows the power about what Christ can do. Tyler encourages us to remember that our true identity lies in Christ and cannot be found anywhere else. We don’t want to give too much away about Tyler’s story but trust us, you’re going to want to listen to 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!

It is Wednesday which means it is time for another episode of The Stories Collective! We are sharing an inspiring testimony of God's work and healing with you today. Our host Sarah Schalow has a conversation with longtime DSCC member, stroke-survivor and author, Lori Vober. Almost 20 years ago Lori suffered from a massive stroke at age 29. Long and grueling months in the hospital followed and even after she began to recover the doctors were not giving her much hope for her quality of life. But through Lori's strength and determination that she received from the Lord, her family and community she has been able to recover with little side effects and continue to live life. Lori is a testimony of what life looks like when you live with a perspective that is focused on the life that God has given you and what He has for you. We're also excited to share that Lori has recently written a book called "Choices" which covers a lot of her story! You can buy her book through multiple retailers which we've linked below!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Choices-When-Faced-Challenge-Choice/dp/1685560873/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?crid=3C04UJTA3N6LP&keywords=choices+by+lori+cober&qid=1650999517&sprefix=choices+by+lori+vober%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1-fkmr0 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choices-lori-vober/1140873875?ean=9781685560874

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Choices-When-You-Are-Faced-with-a-Challenge-What-Choice-Will-You-Make-Paperback-9781685560874/538305410

Christian Book Distributors: https://www.christianbook.com/choices-faced-challenge-choice-will-make/9781685560874/pd/560874?event=ESRCG

Lori's Website: https://lorivober.com

Connect with Lori on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lori.vober

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 is a little bit different - and we are so excited to share it with you! Our host Sarah Schalow is talking with our friend Steven Martin who shares multiple stories about how God has been faithful throughout his life. Steven grew up in Flagstaff, AZ but has lived all over the U.S. He has experienced a lot of life and the thread through it all is God's leading and His faithfulness. He offers some incredible encouragement about how God can even use painful moments to remind us of His faithfulness. Steven encourages us all to be collecting and piling our own (figurative) stones, just as the Israelites did to remember God's work and faithful hand. Steven even described this podcast as being a collection of digital stones which we absolutely loved! Listen to this conversation and be encouraged! 

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!