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.

Cathy White has worked with horses for 14 years and uses equine therapy to help kids. In this story, she shares how God brought her and her husband Bob together and called them to a ministry through horses and helping children to overcome difficult life circumstances.

Cait Taylor believes God can take even the hardest parts of our stories and make something good. Cait was born in England to a single mom.  From an early age she believed she was a mistake. For seven years she lived under the tyranny of an abusive stepfather. She focused all her energy on simply surviving. This led to an eating disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. By the time she was 17, she hit rock bottom. That’s when she was introduced to Jesus and the power of Romans 8:28. Today, Cait is the founder of 828 Women, a Christian ministry that encourages women with Biblical truth, and the 828 with Cait podcast. 

Destiny Thomas shares about the times God revealed Himself throughout her time of dealing with infertility. 

In this world, you will have trouble.  The question is, how will you respond?  The Bible says to count it all joy when you experience trials because it makes your faith strong.  Heidi Lee Anderson was 23 years old when she faced the first real trial of her life.  She was diagnosed with cancer.  The prognosis, the side effects, the dire warnings about her future all threatened to take away her hope.  She felt overwhelmed by fear.  How could she count it all joy?   Heidi is the author of “P.S. It’s Going to Be Good,” and the host of the Trade a Lie for a Truth podcast. 

Stephen and his wife, Anna, are missionaries to Mexico. As they embark on their 4th new mission to Mexico over 11 years, they've seen God show up in little ways, showing glimpses of the path of the journey that He has them on. Stephen shares in this episode some of the ways they've partnered with God in the everyday. 

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After listening to this episode, if you feel led to help Stephen and Anna with the purchase of their Guadalajara home, you can give here: https://pushpay.com/g/thevineyardchurchmissions Select 'Guadalajara Home - Prices' if you choose to give towards the matching fund. 

A special episode for Memorial Day. We often hear the phrase, “Pray for our troops.” During his time in Afghanistan, Capt. Kyle Swanson saw prayer change things- the weather, the course of a grenade, and so much more. When Kyle says prayer changes things, it’s not a trite phrase. It’s his real-life experience and his story will inspire you to believe YOUR prayers can change things too.  

Kayla Gahagan shares about the Radical Joy she discovered as she shifted her focus from being a career mom to a stay-at-home mom. After avoiding a near tragedy with a bathtub incident, she felt God's pull to go all-in. As a mom of four, she's sacrificed aspects of a career in journalism, laying down and surrendering, and somehow, God used her writing career in ways she never could have anticipated. 

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 and singer of “Come Jesus Come.” Nearly 40,000 people have come to know Jesus through his TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram lives. 

April Wilson is a morning show host on Christian radio in Waterloo, Iowa. In this episode, she shares two deeply personal stories intertwining addiction and motherhood.

The first tale recounts April's own struggle with addiction, her journey to faith, and the life-saving gift she gave her mother through an organ donation. The second story shines a light on April's daughter's battle with addiction and the power of a mother's prayers in her recovery.