Francis Chan is back with Candace, and before anything else, he stops to pray, asking God to do what no conversation can do on its own. It doesn't matter whether someone grew up with parents who loved them well or with parents who didn't, he says. Either way, experiencing God's love takes a miracle, so he's asking for that miracle as they begin.

From there, Francis gives a glimpse of his life right now: seven kids, five grandkids, his four oldest are all worship leaders, and he loves how much the family will end up in the living room with their instruments and singing. He's been married to Lisa for 32 years and says he misses her more when he travels now than he ever has.

Francis is 58 and still giving most of his energy to the generation coming up. He talks about how that shift started at 50, when he read Numbers 8 and realized God had told the Levites to step back from temple service at exactly that age, not because they'd run out of usefulness, but so they could pour into the 25-year-olds behind them. He didn't want to hear it. He was in the best shape of his life. But the more he sat with it, the clearer it got. There's a candle illustration he uses: at some point, the wisest thing the old candle can do is stop trying to stay lit and just light the new one. Olivia writes in saying prayer feels awkward to her, even when she's alone. Francis says that's more common than people admit, because most of us were never actually taught how to do it. He starts with Ecclesiastes 5, which says don't rush into God's presence with a flood of words. Stop first. Think about who you're talking to. From there he moves through awe, then grace, then what it looks like to sit quietly and let God work.

The episode closes with two stories about that last part: a moment in Hawaii where Francis heard something he couldn't explain and a stranger sitting next to him said the exact same thing out loud, and a moment Candace had while reading Beloved, when she felt God’s direct encouragement. 

Connect with Candace and Francis 

Candace on Instagram @candacecbure 

Follow the Podcast on Instagram @candacecameronburepodcast 

Follow the Podcast on TikTok @ccbpodcast

Francis on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DWT8kswCPMj/

Francis on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@CrazyLoveMinistries

Website: https://www.crazylove.org/

Sponsors For This Episode

Lovebird lovebirdfoods.com/bure and use code BURE for 25% off

IFCJ ifcj.com

Vanman vanman.shop/bure and use code BURE for 15% off

GCU gcu.edu

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices