Travis West knows what it feels like to run on empty. Early in his marriage he was working multiple jobs and caring for his wife Mariah through a long illness. A study trip to Jerusalem changed everything. When the city slowed to a standstill on Friday nights, Travis experienced Sabbath rest for the first time. In this episode he explains how that weekly pause brought new life to his family and why he believes Sabbath is a practical gift for anyone today.

Book:

The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight

www.travis-west.com

https://www.travis-west.com/practices

What happens to a boy's heart when his father stands a few feet away in church every Sunday, but never really shows up at home? Singer and songwriter Jaye King grew up playing drums on the platform while his dad directed the music. They served in the same services. Created the same worship moments. But outside the church walls, his father wasn't consistently present in his life. That tension shaped how Jaye saw himself and how he saw God. In this hope-filled conversation, Jaye shares about wrestling skepticism, navigating father wounds, and the slow process of discovering that God doesn't leave the way people sometimes do. What unfolds is a story of identity, forgiveness, calling, and the hidden years that formed him long before the spotlight. Today, Jaye King is a singer and songwriter with Centricity Music, known for songs like Hard Places and Falling Into It. His music carries the very themes you'll hear in this episode- healing, hope, and a Father who stays.

Show Notes:

Website: https://www.jayeking.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayekingmusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayekingmusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JayeKingMusic

"I've often felt I can be too much, but the more emotive I am, the more God surprises me."

Growing up in a family and culture where men were often reserved, Nigel Massenda felt out of place for expressing his emotions so freely. But when his mother traveled abroad for a funeral and could not return for two long years, loneliness and unanswered prayers pushed him deeper into raw, honest faith. Through caring neighbors, silent prayers, and a steady hope, Nigel discovered that embracing vulnerability before God not only shapes our perspective but can transform our very lives.

Faith Podcasts are made possible by your support. You can click here to give.

What if the hardest chapter of your life didn't get the final word? Esme Crawford shares the story of how she survived domestic violence, crippling shame, and a distorted view of God; and how faith in Jesus led her into healing and freedom. Esme was born in a small Mexican village and faced many challenges from birth. As an adult, she found herself in an abusive relationship that slowly stripped away her identity, confidence, and sense of worth. She believed the lie that it was her fault. But God never left her. Esme talks about wrestling with shame, learning that God is a loving Father, finding healing in Jesus, and reclaiming her identity as a daughter of the King. If you've ever struggled with guilt, fear, or questioned where God was in your suffering, this episode will remind you that you are seen, loved, and you are not alone.

Content Note: This episode includes references to domestic violence and some strong language.

Show Notes:

WINGS - Women In Need Growing Stronger: https://wingsprogram.com/

To reach Esme, Send a Direct Message via Instagram WILLOW WLN:

https://www.instagram.com/willow_wln

Additional Resources: Selah Empowers - Pause and find strength for the journey

Metropolitan Family Services

As a Black Hebrew Israelite, Jasmine spent years trying not to mess up or break God's law, living under strict expectations. After long prison phone calls with the man who would become her husband, she began to see Jesus differently, not as a taskmaster but as Savior. This is her story of laying down a heavy yoke and finding rest in Jesus.

Faith Podcasts are made possible by your support. You can click here to give.

If you know the music of MercyMe, then you know the voice of Bart Millard. He's the songwriter behind "I Can Only Imagine"- written after watching his abusive father transform from a monster into a man that loved Jesus. It is the best-selling Christian single of all time, with more than five million copies sold. With that kind of success, you might imagine Bart was living a life beyond anything he ever dreamed. But in 2004, the year "I Can Only Imagine" crossed over to mainstream radio and became a global smash, Bart and his wife Shannon were being gutted by one life-altering pain after another. Their son Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and that diagnosis came alongside multiple family losses and medical crises that all seemed to hit at once. While MercyMe's career was soaring, Bart was unraveling - slipping into depression, hiding behind touring, and struggling to hold it all together. A new film I Can Only Imagine 2, and book Even If - Trusting God Through the Fire tell Bart's story.

Show Notes:

Official Movie Website: https://icanonlyimagine.com/

Even If book: https://mercyme.org/products/even-if-trusting-god-through-the-fire-the-official-book-for-i-can-only-imagine-2

MercyMe website: https://mercyme.org/

Bart on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBartMillard

Bart on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bartmillard/

"I could only pray three words. I trust you."

Scripture tells us that every good gift comes from God. What do we do when a gift is taken away? Kim Snyder lost the voice she used to sing, speak, and serve God in Christian radio. In the stillness that followed, Scripture led her to a simple prayer, "I trust you."

Faith Podcasts are made possible by your support. You can click here to give.

Dr. Henry Cloud is known as a leadership expert, clinical psychologist, and New York Times bestselling author of Boundaries. But before helping millions build healthier relationships, Henry had to face his own unhealed trauma and depression. In this episode of The Unfolding, Henry shares how early childhood trauma shaped his emotional and relational patterns, why depression became a turning point in his life, and how real healing required more than spiritual platitudes or performance-based faith. Through therapy, honest community centered on Jesus, and Scripture lived out in practice, Henry discovered freedom that transformed how he loves, leads, and relates to God. This conversation explores the intersection of faith and mental health, why "performing your way out of pain" doesn't work, and how God meets us not with formulas, but with His presence. Dr. Henry Cloud's newest book is To Know Him: A 90-Day Invitation to Come to God As You Are.

Show Notes:

Website: https://www.drcloud.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drhenrycloudofficial/

"To Know Him" Book: https://www.drcloud.com/books/to-know-him

"Why I Believe" Book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Believe-Psychologists-Thoughts-Suffering-ebook/dp/B0CK8C76LD

Website: https://www.boundaries.me/

"I jumped in the way of the knife." Once surrounded by gangs, violence, and prison walls, Justin Glover encountered the grace of God that changed everything. Today, he shares how Jesus rescued him and is using his story to point others to faith and freedom.

Faith Podcasts are made possible by your support. You can click here to give.

Stephen McWhirter grew up watching his traveling evangelist dad live a double life. He was one man behind the pulpit and abusive to Stephen's mother at home. Stephen decided that if God was real, He wasn't good. His earthly father and his heavenly father became the villains in his story. Angry and rebellious, Stephen fell into addiction, eventually addicted to meth for six years. But one night in a miraculous encounter, Stephen experienced the presence and love of God, and he's never been the same. Today Stephen is a worship leader, singer of "Come Jesus Come," and the author of Radically Restored. Nearly 40,000 people have come to know Jesus through his TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram lives.

Show Notes:

Website: https://worshipjesus.life/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenmcwhirter/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephenmcwhirtermusic?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephenmcwhirtermusic/

New book: https://u.worshipjesus.life/book-sneak-peek