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. 

From the Archive: Page 102: Tasha Layton: Singer/songwriter shares story of healing to help others find freedom

Christine O’Dell’s world slowly shrank as she lived with a fear of fear.  Panic disorder, anxiety, and agoraphobia lead her to impose restrictions on anything that might trigger an attack. For more than two decades she never traveled more than 15 miles from home. Their kids’ out-of-town games, relatives' funerals, college visits for their kids, visiting elderly parents- she could do none of these. Christine and her husband Les learned to function, but never to be free from the fear that ruled their family. It seemed obvious this wasn’t God’s will for their lives, but change, healing, and hope all felt impossible. But God used an illness that could have been a death sentence to give Christine new life.  Christine shares more of her story at GodIsInThisStory.com 

Page 150: Christine and Les O’Dell: Living with Fear

Praying for healing can be tricky.  Sometimes we pray and see miraculous results.  Sometimes we pray and it seems like God isn’t listening.  Weez Stockton loves to pray. She has used her voice for decades on the radio, leading worship, and praying for others.  She has been both the pray-er, and the one prayed for; especially during the long years when she faced multiple health challenges.  If you deal with chronic illness, her story will inspire you to pray and give you hope. 

Page 149: Weez Stockton: Prayer, Healing, and Chronic Illness 

When you work in the fashion industry, image is everything.  As a young woman, Hannah Corwin moved to London and began working as a photographer in the fashion industry.  It was an environment where it was easy to get caught up in believing you are what brand you wear. Image meant everything, and her identity was completely wrapped up in her job.  Today Hannah works in Nashville, shooting artists and musicians in the country music and Christian music industries.  Along the way, God got hold of her heart and her camera, and He’s using it to tell about the miraculous things He’s done, through a beautiful book of photography and stories called, “But God.” 

Page 148: Hannah Corwin: Fashion Photographer Meets Jesus and Follows His Plan to Create a Book of “But God” Stories 

Marcus Rixon grew up in a 12’ x 6’ home with no running water in Kolkata, India.  One of the challenges he faced was the box that kids like Marcus grew up in- a box that defined him and his potential. But his parents prayed for a way out of poverty, and the first answer to that prayer was sponsorship through One Child that allowed him to go to school.  It was the beginning of a series of events that radically changed the trajectory of his life.    

Page 97: Marcus Rixon: Sponsored Through One Child, Now He Helps Hundreds of Kids Get Sponsored  

    Jo Saxton is one of those people who seems naturally gifted to lead. She’s an author, speaker, podcast host, and leadership coach. But the early years of her life were filled with experiences that fed a deep insecurity. Her gifts and talents were buried beneath the weight of the baggage she carried. If you’ve ever questioned whether God could use even you, you’ll want to hear Jo’s story. 

From the Archive: Page 46: Jo Saxton:  Author and Leadership Coach Dealt with Crippling Insecurity  

Have you ever felt God’s presence?  The Bible says one of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” In this special Christmas episode of The Unfolding, we asked our guests to share stories of how they have experienced God’s presence in supernatural ways.  We hear stories from worship leaders Paul and Hannah McClure, Mike Weaver from Big Daddy Weave, Pam Peoples, and Katie Brink, with special contributions from Mallary Hope and Sisters & Company. 

Page 147: Emmanuel God With Us:  Mike Weaver, Paul and Hannah McClure and others’ stories of experiencing God’s presence 

When Mike Donehey thinks about Christmas as a kid, he can’t remember the gifts he received most years.  But one Christmas stands out.  It was the year there were no presents in the Donehey family.  His parents came to the Donehey kids with a proposition – they could afford Christmas presents or surgery to save their dog, Sam. Mike talks about how sometimes, not getting what we hope for, can be a gift.  Mike is the former lead singer of Tenth Avenue North and author of “Finding God’s Life for My Will.”  

Page 146: Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North: The Christmas Without Presents 

When God calls you to something, sometimes it takes years before it actually comes to pass.  Rob Wallstrom has had a very successful career as a retail executive, leading companies like Vera Bradley and Saks Fifth Avenue’s outlet division. But years ago, his goal wasn’t to lead companies.  As a teenager, he felt a clear call from God to be a pastor.  It’s been 35 years since then.  Now, it seems to be time to pursue that dream.  If you find yourself in a season of waiting, Rob’s story will encourage you. 

Page 145: Rob Wallstrom: Vera Bradley CEO Pursuing Call to be a Pastor 

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you do if you knew God was with you?  Ryan Leak is a teaching pastor, speaker, executive coach, and author.  He is widely known for his documentary, “Chasing Failure.”  He asked himself: What would he do if he knew he could not fail?  The answer was easy- he’d be in the NBA- and since the only way to know if that dream could be a reality was to try, that is exactly what he did. 

Page 144: Ryan Leak: What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid to Fail?

If you have experienced a devastating loss, you may wonder how anyone could survive such debilitating grief. How do you live through that kind of sadness? That’s what Kyle and Betty Mertens thought when they lost their one-year-old daughter Ella. They were drowning in grief, but they were determined to find a way through it with God. In the wake of their tragedy, they created a journal to keep their grief from pulling them apart.  Their experience gave them an unexpected expertise on grieving, and they suddenly found themselves helping others navigate loss.  Kyle and Betty are authors of the book, “Unraveled: When Loss Changes Everything.”    

Page 143: Kyle and Betty Mertens: After Experiencing Loss, Couple Helps Others Navigate Grief 

Courtney Smallbone’s family has followed Jesus for generations.  But as a teenager, Courtney was unconvinced.  Then a pivotal experience changed her from skeptic to whole-hearted believer.  She saw God doing the impossible, and that marked her for life.  It changed her expectations and prepared her for a day when she would need to believe for something that seemed impossible.  Courtney and her husband Luke, who is half of the duo For King and Country, have four children and live in Columbia, Tennessee. 

Page 142: Courtney Smallbone: Believing God for the Impossible

Despite what we often believe, success doesn’t solve the problem of insecurity. Mike Weaver is the lead singer of Big Daddy Weave. For more than 20 years, the band has experienced amazing success – awards, gold and platinum records, and #1 songs.  They’ve toured across the U.S. and beyond.  But all that affirmation wasn’t enough to quiet an inner critic.  For Mike Weaver, he was never enough.    

Page 141: Mike Weaver: Big Daddy Weave lead singer finds success doesn’t solve insecurity 

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.)   

From the Archive: Page 103: Dareth Ly: Survivor of Khmer Rouge Becomes Missionary to Cambodia

Nobody sets out to be a failure, but what if failure is exactly what we need? Dallas Jenkins is the director of The  Chosen, the first ever multi-season show about Jesus. Long before The Chosen, Dallas wasn’t interested in making faith-based films. He dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. What God taught Dallas through failure became part of the incredible story that led to The Chosen.   

From the Archive: Page 47: Dallas Jenkins: How failure led to The Chosen

For missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham, a night to celebrate their wedding anniversary turned into a nightmare.  On May 27, 2001, they were kidnapped from a resort in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf, a militant organization with ties to al Qaeda.  Held hostage for over a year, the Burnhams were forced to live in the jungle with little food or water, endure gun battles, and witness atrocities by their captors.    

Archive Page 77: Gracia Burnham: Missionary held captive by terrorists 

Sparkle Sanders was driven to succeed in everything she did.  One of her greatest fears was failure. Nothing made her feel more like a failure than motherhood. When Sparkle became a mom, it didn’t look anything like what she expected.   Every day was hard, and the struggle with postpartum depression made her feel miles away from God. Sparkle is the founder of Beautiful Truth, a for-profit, global ministry that aims to encourage, empower and teach others that through Jesus they can have and live a good, fulfilling life. 

From the Archive: Page 86: Sparkle Sanders: Struggling with Postpartum Depression 

When Anne Wilson was growing up, she wanted to be an astronaut.  She made plans, started taking classes, and set her hopes on traveling to space.  But one tragic summer night in 2017 altered the course of Anne’s life.  The death of her brother Jacob set off a series of events that made clear to Anne that God’s purpose was different than her plan.  Anne sang in front of an audience for the very first time at her brother’s funeral. That was also the moment God clearly called Anne to spend her life praising and worshipping Him.  Her first song, “My Jesus,” debuted at #1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel music chart.   

From the Archive: Page 98 Anne Wilson: The Story Behind the Song “My Jesus” 

Nathan Sheridan experienced more tragedy as a young boy than many of us face in an entire lifetime.  Born to addicted parents, Nathan and his sister were passed between relatives.  The abandonment of his parents was followed by even more heartbreak, and that left Nathan carrying a heavy load of grief.  Sometimes that kind of heartache can make you believe nothing good could ever come of your story.  That was true for Nathan.  He dreamed of becoming a singer and songwriter, but he struggled to believe he would ever be good enough for that dream to come true.   

Page 140: Nathan Sheridan:  God rewrites songwriter’s story

Karen Horne got really good at “pretend normal.”   Her husband was living a lie and she was pretending everything was fine. When you are married to a pastor, there is intense pressure to appear as if all is well.  Betrayal, deceit and hidden sin had eaten away at the foundation of their family. Karen would have to go undercover to find out the truth.  This episode contains references to pornography and sexual addiction.

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