The Unfolding

We'd love to hear what God has done in your life. Share your story.  
 

When you've prayed for someone for years, how do you keep believing their life can change? 

Juan Morales joined a gang at fourteen, finding belonging in a world that would lead him through years of prison. His mother never stopped praying. But after his release, a broken marriage stirred an anger that threatened to pull him back into the life he'd left behind. With plans for revenge already in motion, Juan dropped to his knees: "God, if you're real, create change in me. But I need it now." 

Two weeks later, a stranger approached him at the gym with words Juan couldn't explain, and an invitation he never expected.  In this episode of The Unfolding, Juan shares a story of persistent prayer, an unexpected encounter with Jesus, and the possibility of a different future. If you're waiting for God to reach someone you love, or wondering whether He can change you, this story offers hope. 

Show Notes:  

Redemption Wear  https://redemptionwearbrand.com/ 

Juan's Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/juan.morales.589568 

Hope Center Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/hopecenterurbana 

Alpha  https://alphausa.org/

"And so one day I stopped praying." Laura Wifler had believed in God since childhood, but after a season of suffering, she began questioning whether he existed at all. When she finally told her friend and husband, their response surprised her and helped her face the questions she'd been carrying alone. Laura shares how her trust in God slowly returned, even as some doubts remain. 

Listen to last week's Unfolding Short Stories for another part of Laura's story, about facing an uncertain future for her family. 

Learn more about Laura's new book, This Side of the Sky.

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We'd love to hear what God has done in your life. Share your story.  
 

After moving through twelve foster homes and experiencing abuse and neglect, Tori Hope Petersen believed she was unwanted. She questioned how a loving God could allow children to suffer. But a woman who offered meals, a hidden key, and a safe place to land helped her begin to see God, and herself, differently. 

In this episode of The Unfolding, Tori shares her journey from rejection to belonging, how she came to faith in Jesus, and how God's love shaped her life as a mother and foster parent. For Tori, hospitality became a way to offer others the welcome that had changed her own life, sometimes around a kitchen table, sometimes by opening her home to a family in crisis. 

Her story invites you to recognize God's love in ordinary acts of kindness, trust what He says about your worth, and consider how He might use what you already have to love someone else. This is an encouraging conversation about healing, identity in Christ, and hospitality.  Tori Hope Petersen is the author of Fostered and Safe House. 

Show Notes:  

Link to purchase Safe House: Amazon  

Author Website: torihopepetersen.com   

Facebook: Tori Hope Petersen  

Instagram: @torihopepetersen

"It doesn't feel like I know how to see a bright future." Laura Wifler's husband needed major surgery when doctors told them their newborn daughter would probably never walk or talk. Laura shares how God gave her peace amid uncertainty and helped her see that her daughter's worth never depended on what she could achieve. Her new book, This Side of the Sky: 101 Poems and Scriptures for the Hungry, Hopeful, and Homesick, explores seeing God's goodness in everyday life, even in hard seasons.

Do you feel responsible for keeping everyone happy, or like you have to prove your worth whenever you walk into a room? 

Bestselling author and Bible teacher Angie Smith, known for Seamless and Matchless, learned early to put others' needs and emotions ahead of her own. Through painful experiences and honest conversations with God, she began recognizing how those patterns shaped her relationships, her faith, and the way she saw herself. 

With humor and vulnerability, Angie shares her ongoing struggle with approval, control, and changing seasons, and how she's learning to live in the identity God has given her. Her newest book, Into the Deep, offers a practical path toward recognizing those patterns, working through them with God, and growing in freedom. 

Show Notes:  

Website: https://angiesmithministries.com/ 

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

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

Book:  https://angiesmithministries.com/books/into-the-deep/