Unveiling Grace Podcast

The next chapter of Audrie's story is marked by surprise at an unexpected pregnancy that quickly turns difficult. Through sickness, uncertainty, and then a diagnosis that meant she could lose her child at any time, Audrie's faith is tested like never before. This an honest and raw episode providing an inside look at how pain, grief, grace and hope can co-exist through the most difficult of circumstances.

Audrie's life has not been easy, but her story is one of God's grace and pursuit. She's seen him at work through her LDS childhood, her parents' divorce, and meeting Jesus at age 11. Later, she and her husband find their world rocked by the birth of a son with a rare and serious chromosomal condition. Audrie's testimony of God's goodness in the face of difficult circumstances provides encouragement and a reason to go deeper with Jesus. In him we can experience a grace that heals. 

Tensions escalate as Jason moves toward Jesus and away from the LDS religion until Jason's boss reveals he too has doubts about Mormonism. Together they explore Scripture and find grace and truth and Jason finds his anger dissipating. Meanwhile, Amber's world is rocked by discovering Lucifer's role in the Mormon temple ceremony. In the end, they both find grace, bringing new peace to their relationships with God and each other.

Jason and Amber traced their LDS ancestry back to the 1800s. They were multi-generation LDS, married in the temple, committed, stalwart Mormons until ...  Jason's experiences within the LDS leadership hierarchy, coupled with personal research into LDS history caused him to re-evaluate the claims of his Mormon faith.  Suddenly they are a house divided, and Amber fears losing everything that's most important. In part 1 they candidly share their journeys, struggles, and what happens when Amber calls in an LDS General Authority to talk to Jason about his concerns.  Can grace bring them back together? Join us this week and next to find out.   

Have you ever felt drawn back to your performance-based religion, even when you knew it was toxic and false? Ever wonder why people go back to abusive situations they know are bad for them? In part 3 of this series Joel and Lynn explore the core lies common to performance religion, how we wrap these around our wounds, and what we need to do to break free. It's a personal, practical, and fast-moving episode with personal stories and scripture to help you experience a grace that heals your past, redeems your present, and gives hope for your future. 

Have you ever felt drawn back to your performance-based religion, even when you knew it was toxic and false? Ever wonder why people go back to abusive situations they know are bad for them? In part 2 of this series Joel and Lynn explore the triggers that can create the attraction or cause people to react in the extreme. They then provide personal and biblical insight, as well as practical steps for protecting yourself so you can experience a grace that heals your past, redeems your present, and gives hope for your future.  

Have you ever felt drawn back to your performance-based religion, even when you knew it was toxic and false? Ever wonder why people go back to abusive situations they know are bad for them? In this series of podcasts Joel and Lynn explore how performance religions create dependency, what are the triggers that create the attraction, and what are some of the lies that leave us vulnerable. They then provide personal and biblical insight, as well as practical steps for protecting yourself so you can experience a grace that heals your past, redeems your present, and gives hope for your future.

Unemployment, health issues, religious shaming - none of it fun stuff, yet it was some of what God used to bring Richard and Melissa out of their performance-based religion and into faith in Jesus. And to them, it was all worth it to have the weight gone, the pressure off, and see the benefits to their health, their spiritual lives, and their marriage. Listen in as they share how they experienced a grace that heals. The same can be true for you.  

Baptists, busses, and baptisms - all played a part in Richard and Melissa's Mormon story.  They candidly share about their in-and-out, up-and-down history with the LDS church. Richard talks about his culture shock going from Arizona to Kentucky for his mission, and Melissa opens up  about what it's like to have everything be fine within a performance-based religion -- until it's not.  Sometimes grace beats down the door, and other times it simply sneaks in a side window.  Either way, it brings healing and hope to spiritually hungry hearts.

Our previous episode (155) ended with Brandy feeling doomed to a life that would never know mental healing or spiritual peace. In this episode, she finds both. Brandy talks about what God used to open her eyes and her heart to grace, and the huge relief at finding out her husband also had concerns about their performance-based religion of Mormonism.  For Brandy, grace brought mental, emotional, and spiritual healing beyond anything she'd ever experienced. 

Performance religion defined much of Brandy's life. She was raised a Jehovah's Witness, but following her parent's ex-communication and later divorce, her family moved to Utah and as a teenager found herself a stranger in a strange land.  Drawn by friendships and family culture she converted to Mormonism. Fast forward through some rough years she finally found herself with the husband, family, and temple marriage she thought would bring her peace. Instead, her exterior world only masked growing feelings of unworthiness and despair, something she felt doomed to feel forever. But God was about to intervene and change everything.  

As a former Mormon missionary, how do you go back and tell the people you converted to Mormonism what you taught them was a lie? With one family that Micah baptized into the LDS church after the death of their young child, helping them leave was a long, difficult, and painful process. What is one of the most effective things we can do to reach Mormons, especially ones that are hostile to the message of grace? How do you navigate the danger of knowing so much about Mormonism (or any other religion) that your knowledge might actually hurt the effectiveness of your witness? Lynn, Joel, and Micah explore all these topics in this deep, rich, and at times emotional episode. Join us for a podcast full of insight and moving stories that will encourage and move your heart as you experience a grace that heals.  

When Ashley, a Baptist, starting dating Adam, a Mormon, her parents were not happy. Despite all their efforts, her new romance won out over her religious background, and Ashley not only married Adam she converted to Mormonism.  In this episode, we discuss why attacking Mormonism seldom works, and learn how God rescued both Adam and Ashley out of the Mormon religion and brought them both into deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus and each other. 

Adam was a faithful 3rd generation Mormon. When a friend sent him a video of Micah Wilder's testimony, he set out to prove Micah and his friend wrong. In the process, he ran across several issues that rocked his LDS world, and discovered truth from the Bible that touched his heart. After coming to faith in Christ his biggest question was: "Where is my Mormon father who died with a testimony of Joseph Smith and the LDS Church?" Together with Adam, Lynn and Joel address that question from Scripture. Then Adam shares his transition out of Mormonism that culminated in a tearful, heart-cry to God while on his knees in his living room. Jesus answered with healing grace and Adam has never been the same. 

Adam was a faithful 3rd generation Mormon. When his Baptist girlfriend started working with him at Dairy Queen, they fell in love, he converted her, and he married her instead of going on his LDS mission. But that's just the beginning of their story.  Adam shares candidly about deliberately keeping certain Mormon teachings hidden from Ashley, even while he was troubled himself with certain parts of LDS doctrine. He provides a fascinating inside look at life as a committed but sometimes questioning Mormon.