For many parents, losing a child is one of their greatest fears. How do you believe God is good and trustworthy as you watch your child suffer? When a friend’s daughter received a terminal diagnosis, Esther Lee told God there was no way she could handle something so heartbreaking. When her daughter Ava was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, Esther’s faith was devastated. It felt like God had abandoned her, and she struggled to trust Him. But in her suffering, she found God to be close, walking the journey with her to the point of trusting his goodness regardless of her circumstances. Esther is a wife, mom, teacher, and gifted writer. Her posts on the Team Brighter Days Facebook page during her Ava's illness gained thousands of followers.

Natalie Twedell struggled with fear while her husband Drew was deployed to Iraq. When he passed away while training to become a Navy Seal, her worst fears were confirmed. Anxiety became her constant companion. She referred to herself as a “control freak” who was waiting for the next bad thing to happen. But that way of life is exhausting, and God was calling her to trust him. As a woman overcome with fear, she couldn’t imagine a life of courage or rest.

We are constantly bombarded with things that compete not only for our attention, but to be the source of our identity. It’s tempting to tie our sense of self-worth to our appearance, work, possessions, love relationships, and more. Ami Dean believed she had arrived. She had the house, the car, the spouse, and the kids- all the things that from the outside look like success. But she craved attention. With access to the internet came opportunities to find that attention. What seemed alluring at first turned into addiction to pornography and inappropriate relationships, and that left her in a place of darkness as she watched her world crumble.

In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, Dareth Ly was 7 years old. He spent most of the next 4 years in a work camp, barely surviving starvation and torture. When he landed in the U.S. as an orphan, he forced himself to forget everything about Cambodia. He knew he would never go back. But God can take what others meant for evil, and turn it for good. (Caution for parents: this story contains episodes of violence and is not appropriate for children.)

After experiencing dysfunction and hurt, Tasha Layton left church and set out on a search for truth. That journey led her back to Jesus and a call to use her musical talents. As a gifted worship leader, God opened doors in music but not what Tasha had imagined. She found herself on American Idol and touring the world as a backup singer for Katy Perry, before finding her home writing worship songs and books to help others experience the freedom she found.

If you were old enough to be aware of the events that day, you likely know exactly where you were on September 11, 2001.  In this special 20th anniversary edition of The Unfolding, we are sharing a collection of stories from 9/11.  With each story we move closer to Ground Zero.  We begin 8,000 miles from Manhattan in the jungles of the Philippines. Missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham were being held captive by terrorists with ties to Al Qaeda. Mel Torre shares how a supernatural experience helped him get out of the city that day.  From her vantage point overlooking the World Trade Center complex, Christina Stanton was close enough to not only witness the events but to feel the shockwaves.  The final story takes you inside the South Tower, sharing how Brian Clark, one of only 18 survivors from above the impact zone, saw the hand of God that day.

As a Level 1 trauma nurse, Sarah Derocha had been trained to handle life and death situations. On a medical mission trip to a remote area of Bolivia, she was critically injured in a bus accident. She knew that her chance of survival was slim because of her nursing experience. The only way she could survive would be if God intervened.

Have you ever been afraid that God might call you out of your comfort zone? Brittany Frost had always tried to do things by the book. But a Bible study on the Holy Spirit challenged her to pray, “God, whatever you want, I’ll do it.” God led her on a journey to the other side of the world and radically changed her home. It's a powerful story of trusting God through pregnancy loss and international adoption.

In this special 100th episode of The Unfolding, we talk with Gary Levox, lead singer of Rascal Flatts, about how one night listening to the radio in his mom’s kitchen, changed his life. Many people had told Gary he had a good voice, but he had never really thought of it as a gift, or that God might have a plan for him to use that gift. When he decided to take a leap of faith and move to Nashville, he had no idea he would end up in Rascal Flatts, one of the most successful country groups of all time. To celebrate Page 100, we are sharing YOUR stories of how God has used The Unfolding in your life.

Do you have a story of how "The Unfolding Podcast" has impacted you? We want to know about it, and hope to share more stories like yours on the 100th episode. Share here: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnfoldingPodcast