Most people know Stephen Bargatze as the father of comedian Nate Bargatze. But long before audiences knew Nate's name, Stephen was living a story marked by childhood abuse, rejection, depression, and pain.

Growing up, Stephen believed he was unwanted. His mother told him he was a mistake. He struggled with thoughts of suicide and spent years carrying the wounds of his childhood. But God wasn't finished writing his story.

In this moving conversation, Stephen shares how one family's extraordinary kindness introduced him to the love of Jesus, how God's grace transformed his life, and why, decades later, he found himself standing beside his dying mother with a choice that would define the rest of his life.

It's a remarkable story of forgiveness, mercy, redemption, and the God who can bring beauty from even our deepest wounds.

If you've ever wondered whether God can redeem a painful past, or whether forgiveness is really possible, Stephen's story will encourage you.

⚠️ This episode includes discussion of child abuse, suicide, and family trauma. Listener discretion is advised for younger audiences.

Show Notes:

Out In a Minute Comedy Special - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV-aKVmH98s

Nate Bargatze's YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@Nateland

Stephen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenbargatze

Stephen's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbargatze

Have you ever struggled to trust God after bad news? Shinia Dittman had prayed for a baby, but during pregnancy, doctors discovered that her son had a serious birth defect that could threaten his life. Afraid, angry, and overwhelmed, Shinia got alone with God and prayed honestly, and God met her with peace. After surgery, healing, and so many unexpected details, the sound of her son's first cry became a beautiful reminder that God was in the details.

Jinger Duggar Vuolo grew up on television. From the age of 10 until she was 27, her family appeared on TLC's reality shows 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. As the sixth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, she grew up in a strict religious system led by a teacher who claimed to speak for God. That belief system contributed to a view of God as an angry judge waiting for her next mistake. Motivated by a fear of rejection, she was driven to be a people pleaser, trying to keep everyone happy all of the time. But as she grew to know and understand God's love, she realized the loving thing to do was speak the truth. Jinger Duggar Vuolo is the author of Becoming Free Indeed, and People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations.

Website: https://www.jingerandjeremy.com/

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

Book: https://www.amazon.com/People-Pleaser-Breaking-Imaginary-Expectations/dp/140034171X

"I see God very clearly through the rearview mirror."

Tim Mulgrew was trying to move closer to God, but the more intentional he became about faith, the more tension grew at home. His wife resented it, and that conflict eventually boiled over into a painful public moment at church. Tim's story is about coming to real faith, even when choosing God made life harder before it got better.

Link to Google form for guest submissions: https://forms.gle/bJqjKjBUBCAYwNg68

A grizzly bear attack in the Canadian wilderness nearly took Jim VanSteenhouse's life.

As he was being flown to safety, Jim found himself confronting a question he could no longer avoid: If he died that day, where would he spend eternity?

But this story begins long before the bear attack. When Jim and Liz met, their relationship was, in their words, "a high-speed train wreck." There was addiction, heartbreak, years of unanswered prayers, and a marriage that seemed unlikely to survive. After Liz gave her life to Christ, she spent years praying for her husband while God transformed her own life in ways she never expected. Then came the phone call that changed everything.

In this episode of The Unfolding, Jim and Liz share their remarkable story of addiction, redemption, healing, a grizzly bear attack, and a God who never stopped pursuing them.

If you've ever prayed for someone you love, wondered whether God was listening, or needed a reminder that no one is beyond His reach, this conversation is for you.

Show Notes:

Website: https://thebearman.com/

Emily Wierenga grew up sensing that God was close, but one careless comment about her body helped lead her into a long battle with anorexia. At five foot eight, Emily dropped to 60 pounds, and yet God kept reaching into her life with reminders that she was loved, chosen, and not forgotten. Today, Emily is using her words and her story through her book God Who Became Bread and through The Lulu Tree, where she helps feed mothers and children in Africa while pointing them to the hope of God's Word.

In 1 John 3:1 it says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" God is our Father. Sometimes that can be challenging to comprehend. It's easier to grasp when you've had a good relationship with your earthly dad. It can be more complicated if your relationship is unhealthy or strained. This week on The Unfolding we are sharing three stories of fathers, from Mark Schulz, Gina Copeland and Jeremy Rosado. Each story gives a perspective of how God works healing in and through fathers, whether they are biological, adoptive, or those who simply choose to step into the role of dad.

Show Notes:

Mark Schultz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markschultzofficial/

Mark Schultz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markschultzofficial/

Gina Copeland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.d.copeland

Jeremy Rosado Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjeremyrosado/

Jeremy Rosado Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAMJEREMYROSADO/

Link to Google form for guest submissions: https://forms.gle/bJqjKjBUBCAYwNg68

For most of her life, Rebecca Corwin called herself an agnostic, and sometimes even an atheist. But looking back, she could see moments of protection, peace, and unmistakable prompting that kept pointing her toward God. At 56 years old, after a lifetime of being pursued, Rebecca finally gave herself completely to Jesus.

How do you learn to recognize God's voice?

Michael Boggs has spent much of his life asking that question. Long before he became a member of the Christian music group FFH or wrote the beloved Christmas song "Come You Unfaithful," Michael watched God transform his family through his father's dramatic conversion and began discovering for himself what it means to follow Jesus.

In this episode of The Unfolding, Michael shares the pivotal moments that shaped his faith, from walking away from athletic scholarships to joining FFH, touring the world, serving in ministry, and eventually becoming a worship pastor in Oklahoma. Along the way, Michael learned powerful lessons about God's leading, identity, and unconditional love. He talks about comparison, loneliness, calling, and the freedom that comes from understanding that our worth isn't found in what we accomplish, but in being loved by God.

Show Notes:

Website: https://michaelboggs.com/

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

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelBoggsMusic

Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Jesus-Michael-Boggs/dp/0891126244

"We began to… say the Nicene Creed."

That decision changed everything for pastor and researcher Glenn Packiam, when a 2006 scandal rocked his Colorado Springs church. In this Unfolding Short Story, the Barna Group scholar and host of The Resilient Pastor podcast recounts how repeating the Creed each week knit a fractured congregation back together, and how its ancient words still steady believers facing today's confusion and corruption.

Want to dig deeper? Check out Glenn's book What's a Christian, Anyway?: Finding Our Way in an Age of Confusion and Corruption.