The Unfolding

Content Warning – not appropriate for children.  

Bruce Van Natta's childhood was filled with abuse and trauma, but he had one encounter with Jesus that marked him.  He knew God was real.  What he didn't understand is why God didn't rescue him. As he got older, he clearly heard God call him into ministry, but he was angry, skeptical, and cynical. As a diesel mechanic, Bruce regularly worked on big rigs.  On a fateful day in 2006, he was lying under a logging truck that weighed 18,000 pounds. What happened on that day can only be described as other-worldly; an accident, a near-death experience, and an encounter with the supernatural. This is a graphic story that is not appropriate for younger listeners. Bruce Van Natta is the author of Saved by Angels and the founder of Sweet Bread Ministries. 

Website:  https://sweetbreadministries.com/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SweetBreadMinistries 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Saved-Angels-Expanded-Everyday-People/dp/076844134X

Tara Sierra Mosely didn't feel equipped when she was asked to pray for a dying woman in a remote village in Uganda. But she said yes, and God used that simple act of obedience as part of a much bigger story of salvation and new life. Tara's new book is House of the Forest: Life-Giving Declarations for Strength and Abundance in Every Season.

At seven years old, Lauren Burns was taken by her father from Texas to the Middle East, and her mom had no idea where she was. When the United States government couldn't help, Lauren's mother- supported by private investigators Rick and Beverly Lambert, parents of country artist Miranda Lambert- turned to a team of former military operatives for an extraordinary international rescue. 

The rescue made international headlines. But coming home was only the beginning. Lauren still faced childhood trauma, father wounds and a difficult question: She knew God was real, but was He good? 

Lauren Burns is the author of Stolen: A True Story of Kidnapping, Rescue, and Redemption, a powerful true crime memoir. Her story later inspired a television movie. Today, Lauren is a speaker on trauma, redemption, and faith, and the host of The Redeemed Podcast 

Learn more at laurenburns.net. 

This episode discusses childhood abduction and trauma and may not be appropriate for young listeners. 

Show Notes:  

Website:  https://www.laurenburns.net/ 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/laurenburnsredeemed/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LaurenBurnsAuthor 

Book:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT9VMK3Z?lv=shuf&channelId=520&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Before Roland Warren became CEO of Care Net, one of the largest networks of crisis pregnancy centers in North America, he was just a scared 20-year-old college student facing an unplanned pregnancy with his girlfriend. The pressure to choose abortion was intense. But they made a different choice. And that one decision changed everything. 

Roland's story is a powerful reminder that when we follow God's way, something good always comes from it. 

He has a new book you can check out, called "The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must be Pro Abundant Life".

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, two remarkable World Trade Center survivors tell the story of the day they met as strangers and walked out as brothers. 

Brian Clark and Stanley Praimnath were both inside the South Tower on September 11, 2001. Stanley was on the 81st floor when United Airlines Flight 175 came directly toward him. Brian was on the 84th floor when the tower was hit. In the chaos that followed, Brian heard Stanley calling for help and made a decision that would change both of their lives forever. Only 18 people survived from the impact zone or above in the South Tower. Brian and Stanley were two of them. 

In this special 9/11 25th anniversary episode of The Unfolding, they share what they saw, how they escaped, the extraordinary moments they still cannot fully explain, and how 9/11 transformed their understanding of faith and God's presence in the darkest moments. 

Their story is more than a remarkable account of survival. It is the story of two men who entered the World Trade Center as strangers and came out as brothers.