The Stories Around Us

When Dave Goffeney got the call that his older brother Mark had overdosed, he was the first one to enter Mark's now empty apartment. Dave recounts the powerful scene of standing in that apartment and finding drug paraphernalia next to open bibles and devotionals. Mark, a guitarist born without arms, had a dynamic faith in Jesus. Growing up in a broken home and wrestling with addiction almost his entire life, Mark had a profound impact on Dave's life and walk with the Lord.

In this episode, Liberian Refugee Marcus Doe shares his experience of growing up in a civil war and his journey of immigrating to the United States. But even though he escaped the war, one thing still haunted him– his vengeance toward the man who murdered his father.Watch Marcus's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDkbuqrxeCA

CHAPTERS1:06 Intro1:35 Mary's Conversion4:19 Mary's Cancer Diagnosis7:02 Did You Ever Feel Alone?10:06 How God Built Mary's Faith10:58 Who Encouraged You on This Road?13:10 Mary Shares Practical Ways to Minister to Someone in Suffering14:00 Mary's Words of Encouragement to Someone Who's Just Gotten a Hard Diagnosis

Shannon Butler talks about coming to Christ at a young age, but navigating the next several years without much needed discipleship. From spending his first night in Juvie to playing professional arena football, Shannon tells the story of how God led him to full-time ministry in Arizona and some of the lessons he's learned along the way.CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:25 How did Shannon Butler get to this point? 02:03 Sean kills a gnat...really.03:05 “Salvation came early, and it was real.”06:12 No discipleship 06:48 What did high school look like? 07:35 Dust-up that led to Juvie 10:49 Arrested, expelled & juvie 12:25 Visit from mom 15:48 Ever wonder what if you stayed on that path? 17:37 Football in college 21:35 Where is Jesus while you were in college?23:35 “God got a hold of my heart all over again”25:52 Christian ministry 29:09 Sabina, Arena Football & full-time Christian ministry 32:10 Redemption Church AZ take-aways 34:22 Secret to contentment 35:47 How has God shaped you this last year and a half? 44:00 Impact of worship on you this last year and a half? 47:36 Concluding thoughts 

Kyle Liggitt is a Police Officer serving with the Chandler Police Department in Chandler, AZ since 2016. He and his brother both followed their father's footsteps into law enforcement. Kyle shares what it's like to be a police officer in these challenging times, and more importantly, what it's like to be a Christ-follower in his difficult line of work.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro 01:25 “Duke of Hazzard” jump 03:07 Dunkin Donuts 04:37 Do you use the 10-code at home? 05:35 Journey into Law Enforcement 07:30 Going from ministry to Law Enforcement 08:36 Has your job lived up to your expectations? 10:00 What do you wish people understood about the life of an Officer? 11:41 How do you deal with people who hate you? 13:45 How are you affected by other officer's bad or illegal choices/behavior? 16:15 How does your faith inform you when people hate on you? 20:19 Do you feel the freedom to be open with your faith? 21:37 Has been a Jesus-follower made your life as an officer easier or harder? 23:15 How do you describe & combat “compassion fatigue?” 25:03 How do you protect yourself from cynicism? 28:47 Firefighters vs. Police Officers 29:30 Setting the tone at a crime scene 31:54 The “power” of being a police officer 32:55 What role does humility play in good policing? 33:52 How can believers pray for Officers and their families 35:09 How to be a good friend to a police officer 36:27 Remembering Officer Chris Farrar 38:06 Officer Chris Farrar's impact 41:17 A grateful community says thank you 42:09 Kyle thanks Sean 42:52 Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts?

In this episode we'll be talking to Enock Chitheka – a brother from Malawi who now lives in Gilbert, Arizona and studies at Grand Canyon University. This was such and amazing conversation that we completely lost track of time…so, we are going to divide it into two episodes. In Part 1, we talk about things like the culture shock he experienced after moving to the United States, the differences in the communal culture of Malawi versus the individualistic culture of the US. But the most amazing part of this conversation is hearing Enock talk about his father and his mother, and the indelible, eternal impression they made on his life that defines him to this day.

This is part 2 of our conversation with Enock Chitheka from Malawi. Enock is a follower of Jesus living in Gibert, Arizona while studying at Grand Canyon University. His father is a pastor in Malawi, and his mother is a godly woman who learned how to read after marriage by studying the Bible. In this episode Enock tells the story of how his mother, father and sister nearly died in 2020…and the miraculous provisions that saved their lives. There's something unique about this episode…our cameras kept rolling to capture the powerful and encouraging conversation after our “conversation”.

Host Sean Warren sits down to chat with his Muslim friend of six-years, Oday Shahin. They discuss how they became friends, how their friendship has weathered the storms of changing culture, and the importance of having relationships with people who see the world differently.Watch the full episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/O3xzbAoL_Po

Nick Clancy, a Chicago-native now living in Phoenix, grew up with dreams of playing professional football. Nick tells the story of making it to the precipice of the NFL, and then God creating a different path for him. He talks about the heartbreak of broken dreams, and the peace of learning that even broken dreams are a part of our journey of becoming who we were made to be.

Justin Harvey tells his story of growing up as a poor, fatherless hustler who comes to the end of himself and finds his true father. Now he spends his days in the dark places surrounding our communities finding and helping others who like him, wondered far from home.===========================CHAPTERS===========================00:00 Justin Harvey01:28 Working with the poor02:35 Growing up poor and fatherless04:25 Seeing the poor through different eyes05:05 Why are the poor and vulnerable seemingly invisible?06:44 So what do you do for the poor and vulnerable?08:44 “Are you my guardian angel?”12:37 Tower for the poor in the East Valley13:38 Gentleman gangster 16:30 A villain18:04 Alcohol19:05 Low point20:23 “And he came to himself.”26:56 New and mended relationships28:33 “It's gonna be okay. All the instructions are right here.”29:27 Two tattoos31:04 If you were to get a new tattoo, what would it be?31:21 What does Jesus mean to you?31:41 Favorite Bible stories33:20 Where is Jesus in the East Valley right now?33:40 “Well done, good and faithful servant.”34:00 Thank you Justin===========================LINKS===========================LUKE 15: http://www.luke1517.comJustin's Non-Profit Ministry is called Luke 15. Their mission is to help people find their way back to God by going into the dark places surrounding our communities to seek lost believers and help them find their way home.JUST 1 LIFE: https://www.just1.usJust 1 Life is a behavioral health company helping people survive and recover from life's hard times. Their team has experience treating PTSD, anxiety, phobias, mood issues, addiction, trauma, grief, re-entry, crisis survival, relationship challenges, life transitions and vocational rehabilitation.

Trailer for Episode 1 of "The Stories Around Us" where we talk with Justin Harvey. Justin Harvey tells his story of growing up as a poor, fatherless hustler who comes to the end of himself and finds his true father. Now he spends his days in the dark places surrounding our communities finding and helping others who like him, wondered far from home.