Stories of Sacred Endurance

Karen Ellis is passionate about theology, human rights, and global religious freedom. She is the director of the Center for the Study of the Bible and Ethnicity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. Karen holds degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary and the Yale School of Drama. She shares with us how she came to faith through searching for the Truth, and her studies of how countless other cultures have endured through religious persecution. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @K_A_Ellis

Harold Smith joined Christianity Today in 1984 and served as the president of the magazine from 2007 - 2019. He serves on boards and is grateful to have taught an adult Sunday school class. He is a faithful member of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois and has been married for almost 46 years. Harold shares with us how God’s faithfulness has changed and shaped his life and encourages us to endure in failings and trials.

Josh Deckard is the founder of Hammerstone Capital, an investment company focusing on early-stage opportunities. Before launching Hammerstone Capital, Josh was the Assistant Press Secretary to President George W. Bush and the longest-serving member of the press office staff. Josh and his wife, Ali, live in Arlington, Virginia with their four children. He shares with us the trials that come with fatherhood and the endurance in Christ needed to get through.  You can follow Josh on Twitter at @jsdeckard

Nick Rynerson is the Chief Creative Officer and Michael Wojcik is a digital lead at Useful Group, a creative agency in Bloomington, IL. Nick and Michael are two believers who work in both Christian circles and the secular world. They share with us the patience and care that goes into creating a good podcast, and where they see the Church using podcasts today and going forward. You can follow Useful Group on Instagram at @usefulgroup.

Karen Swallow Prior is a professor of English at Liberty University, the author of several books, and writes frequently on literature, culture, ethics, and ideas. Her writing appears at Christianity Today, The Washington Post, Vox, and The Gospel Coalition to name a few. An outspoken voice in her work, Karen shares how she perseveres through pushback and criticism.   You can follow Karen on Twitter at @KSPrior.

We've come to the end of the first season of Stories of Sacred Endurance. Thanks so much for joining and listening. We've had some amazing guests this season–please go back and listen and be encouraged towards your own sacred endurance.   This podcast is based on my book, Sacred Endurance. The race is hard, but you are not running it alone. Find strength and courage to endure and finish well in sacred endurance. Don't forget the special offer available for my podcast listeners.   Head over to ivpress.com and use the code SACRED30 for 30% off and free shipping on your new copy of Sacred Endurance, available for a limited time to U.S. residents.

June tells us about the persecution that Chinese Christians are facing today and how they continue to follow God even in the face of intense adversity.

Tom and Linda Strode met at First Baptist Church in Little Rock and were married in 1978. On this episode they share how to push on in following Jesus in everyday, mundane life.

Costi comes from a family of well-known prosperity gospel teachers, but had a radical encounter with God’s Word. He shares with us the challenges and victories he now embraces since following Jesus Christ.

Dr. J. Todd Billings was diagnosed with incurable blood cancer in 2012. Todd shares with us how his hope in Jesus Christ has helped him endure the everyday questions and struggles that come with his diagnosis.

Louie and Jamie join us and draw on their 40 years of marriage as they speak to the rewards, struggles, and hope that come from a marriage and life centered on Christ.

Joni joins us to share with us on how becoming a quadriplegic through a diving accident and enduring suffering in community brought her into a meaningful relationship with Christ.

Michael joins us to share his experience being in the Christian Music industry most of his life and the role community has played in his sacred endurance.

Jon joins us to tell us how his troubled teenage years of gang affiliation brought him to meet and follow Christ in a prison cell at the age of 19, changing his life forever.

In conjunction with my book, Sacred Endurance, we’ve developed this podcast—Stories of Sacred Endurance—to take the biblical call to run the race with endurance and to bring it to life with stories of modern day Christians. The race is hard, but you are not running it alone. Find strength and courage to endure and finish well in Sacred Endurance. Head over to ivpress.com and use the code SACRED30 for 30% off and free shipping to U.S. residents! Offer valid through the end of March 2020.