Taylor
Partnering with God in Business
(Please listen to Taylor’s story by clicking the white play button at the top of this post. You can read the transcript of the story below.)
My name is Taylor Bloom, I’m the co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Nextdoor Photos, which is a company that just plain and simply exists to advance God’s kingdom through business. My story kind of picks up about a year or two after I graduated college actually. I was depressed. I was incredibly unfulfilled in my career and calling. I always had people speaking into my life growing up in the church and, and in school, saying, ‘God’s just got really big plans for you and really exciting things and you’re going to do great things.’ And then I graduated with a degree in Communications and Marketing in 2009, which was quite possibly the worst time to graduate with that type of degree in the environment that existed in the world. And then I just started to get just depressed. I mean, that was the best way to put it. Where I, you know, interview after interview just led nowhere. So I just remember just talking to God about it just like, you know, “What, what do You have for me? What do You want me to do?”
I finally landed in a place where someone took a chance on me. I came in just as a sales support really and then worked my way up over a couple years into the Marketing Director and a sweet spot. I had a boss who was really coaching me and leading me, helping me develop professionally. That’s just really when I just started to dive into, What does it look like to take God with you after you leave church on a Sunday–to take God with you to work and have that be just your reality seven days a week? Where it’s not just, you know, ‘hey, this is my religion. This is what I do on a specific day of the week;’ but what does it look like to build that in through the rest of the week? That led to great conversations with my boss, who’s the owner of the company, and that started to just grow over time. It was in that role where I actually learned the ins and outs of real estate photography. And so did that for several years. I found myself kind of enjoying it–watching YouTube videos and asking, How do I do this better?
At the time, my wife and I were serving in a church. She was the youth leader at a church near Grand Rapids, Michigan. So we decided that God was really just leading us and calling us back to the Lake Shore, back where we had gone to school together. We decided to sell our house, and this was in 2012, I believe. So the housing market, at least in West Michigan, was incredibly beat up. You know, it was tough to sell something for anywhere near the asking price and there were, you know, just way more sellers than buyers. A very different market that we have today.
I worked with a realtor friend of mine from high school and said, “Hey, I would love to work with you. If you don’t mind, I can take the photos for you to save you a trip out here. I kind of do this for work anyway.” And he said, “Sure.” So long story short, I captured photos of my own home for sale, sent them to the realtor. He put the listing online at like five o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. He calls me two hours later and he said, “You’ll never believe it, but there’s a couple who saw the photos, saw the listing and actually want to walk through your house tonight. And my wife and I were like, “What? That was, that was fast. So we, you know, I think we were eating. We threw everything in the dishwasher, you know, grabbed our infant and, left the house for a while. And within…hearing back from the realtor within two hours, they made an above asking price offer on the home. We sold it in just incredible time–record time, right?
I just knew instantly that it was divine intervention; that God was doing something specific in that moment. Because we had friends and family who were trying to sell homes for, for months, right and inventory was just not moving. And, and so we sold our house, and we moved back to Lake Shore. But the realtor, who is a friend of mine said, “You know, I’ve never had a transaction go that smoothly. Would you be interested in taking photos of my next listing?” And so I said, “Yeah, sure.” So I’m still working my day job, right, 9-5 as the Marketing Director for the vacation rental company. But then on nights and weekends, I started kind of moonlighting as a real estate photographer, working with just a friend of mine. I was doing that for really, it was only a month or two when I started getting calls from other realtors in the West Michigan community. And it just, it just started snowball. I mean, I had no business. I had no nothing and before I knew it, I was working two full time jobs. You know, trying to sneak in photoshoots on my way to work, on my lunch break, after work, and then editing photos all night long.
Finally, my wife sat me down. She’s like, “Hey, God’s doing something. You’re working crazy hours. We miss you. Your six month old son and I, we really miss having dinner together. Do you think that this is actually an opportunity that God is calling you to quit your comfy 9-5 and actually, like, start a business in real estate photography?” And instantly I was like, “What? Absolutely not. That’s, I mean, that’s crazy, right?” And then I just felt this…you know how God just gets a hold of you? And I just couldn’t shake it. It was on my mind. I found myself, right in the morning when I woke up, thinking about it and thinking about it. But every time I was like, “No that’s crazy.” Right? Like that’s, real estate photography might be a big profession in, you know, in New York City or LA or you know, bigger metros, but it’s just, just not really a thing. And back in, you know, 2012-2013 it was, it was still fairly new across the majority of the Midwest and especially in West Michigan. But God just kept, kept prompting.
So I sat down and I made a pros and cons list, as I think many people do when they’re faced with a big decision. The cons list was actually fairly long, because my wife had just gone from, you know, full time to part time at the church, and we had lost her great benefits and her income. We just had our first child. We didn’t have money saved up in the bank to start a business. In fact, we had student debt up to our eyeballs, you know, still wasn’t necessarily a great economy, although it was, it was just starting to rebound back then. But, there were just so many, so many costs, right? So many–this can happen, this can happen, this can happen. On the pros list it was, you know, create a business that you could actually, from the beginning earmark, and say, you know what, this business exists to advance God’s kingdom. You know, those are exciting things, but they’re not necessarily concrete things, right? Like, I could look at my current job, I knew that I was getting a 3% 401k match, and I had benefits, and I had all these different things, right? That’s, it’s very concrete, definitely very worldly, right, when I’m sitting there looking at the opportunity for both ways.
I remember sitting in church on a Sunday, and the pastor was preaching on Moses and the burning bush, that story. Which, you know, Moses walks up to this burning bush on fire, but it’s not burning up. And you know, God initiates the conversation with him and, and basically asked him this question, “Moses, what do you have in your hand?” And Moses says, “Well, I have staff.” And God asks him to lay it down, right, put it on the floor and then when he picks it up, it turns into a snake. Right? Then later in the story, it would part the Red Sea, and then that staff later would get water from the rock. Right? And so when, when he laid down that staff, there was a moment of surrender in that. There was a moment of deferring to God, and knowing that what was going to happen next would, would be supernatural. Right? And it was! And so the moment he picked it up, it equipped him for the mission that God had called him to. And just in that moment, it was just the Holy Spirit just laser focusing in on my heart. And it’s like every, everything else disappears. Everyone else in the room disappeared. And I don’t know if you’ve had a moment like that where it’s so it’s so clear that the Spirit of the living God is speaking directly to you that it’s almost, it almost takes your breath away a little bit.
In a moment God asked me, God said, “Taylor, what have I put in your hands?” Because I’ve been praying about this pros and cons list and I’ve been staying up at night wrestling with God, is this really what You want me to do? This doesn’t this doesn’t make sense. Like this doesn’t add up in the eyes of the world. This is leaving all safety and security and comfort to do something that’s completely unknown. Then God just cut through all of that and He’s like, “What do you have in your hand?” And I, my answer right away was, “a camera. I’ve got a camera.” And God said, “Good, I want you to lay that down.”
So I remember just, just clear in my mind, just taking this camera and just like laying it at the feet of this burning bush that’s not burning up right, and just like putting myself in Moses’s shoes. Then, man, God spoke so clearly. He’s like, “I want you to pick that camera up. Because now it’s anointed and I want you to go out. I want you to go do this. I want you to go start this business. And I want you to trust Me, because I’m doing it with you.” And it was one of the most…man, even thinking back to it–I can’t help but just like feel the power in that moment.
So on the way home from that church meeting, I remember telling my wife saying, “Hey, God said to do it,” and I told her the story. She knew instantly in her spirit too that it was affirmed and she was like, “I don’t know what this is going to look like, but, but let’s do it.” And so I remember talking to my boss about it, you know. I put in my two weeks saying, “Hey, I got this crazy opportunity. I know it looks wild on paper, but God’s calling me to it.” And he’s like, “Go do it.” And in a way, like, sent me off to launch this business.
So I cashed out the $863 in my 401k, to the surprise of, you know, the person who is financially advising me the at the time. He just kind of shook his head. But you know, I just knew it. And at that point, I had this, like this burning passionate conviction of like, I don’t know what this is gonna look like, but I know what just happened, and I know this experience, and I know what God just spoke to me so…So I’m going to go after it. It grew so fast, this business, that I had such a hard time keeping up; I was bringing on photographers. I was hiring, you know, different people in different regions in West Michigan to try and cover everything, just because the word got out in just an incredibly fast way. So I bootstrapped it and, you know, did a lot of it myself. I created the website and enlisted my brother to helped create the logo and, you know, bartered different things here and there to try to put together this business and God just blessed it.
Then it kind of got to a point where it’s like, Alright, I’ve maxed out, geographically, the territory that I could safely cover. But I knew this was an opportunity that could scale beyond just West Michigan. And so I was just praying, you know, “God, what does that next step look like?” And just another divine appointment, I got connected with an engineer with 30 plus years of business experience, who his specialty with systems scaling, hiring, you know, bringing the right team together and leading larger initiatives and scaling organizations. In the course of like, three hours, definitely supernatural conversation, I remember him asking me, “What, what do you want to do? How do you want to grow this business? How do you want to scale it?” And I said, “You know, I don’t necessarily have all those answers. But I know that this business needs to grow, because God wants to advance His kingdom through it.” You know, he knew the startup story. He knew how it started and at that moment, God was speaking to him.
He was doing some business consulting and I mean, he was, he led some, some pretty large organizations and teams. He said, “Well, what if we do that together?” And in that moment, we created this partnership–He’s still my business partner today–to create the company, Next Door Photos, that is today, which is in six or seven different countries and has 40 plus locations across the United States, and a global editing team of over 400. That’s another supernatural story…
So my business partner happened to be in a church on the other side of the world in Siais, Philippines. Basically, one of the roughest churches around; they intentionally planted it on the side of a squatter cemetery. You know, really run down. But he happened to be there with one of his friends who oversees Vineyard Churches in Asia. So his friend was going to be there at the same time, so he invited him. In the middle of that church service, he met a couple who, God got ahold of their heart and called from two incredible careers in Ireland. He was in finance, and she was a medical doctor. God called and said, Hey, I want you to move to the Philippines and start a business process outsourcing company that employs people rescued from human trafficking. The fact that we happened to be in that church meeting, at that same time with them connected. Then they had, they were doing no editing. They were, you know, they just were doing accounting, and back office work, and database management. Through the course of conversation, again, the Holy Spirit’s speaking to Paul saying, “Hey, you need to, you need to totally redirect the course of why you’re here and you need to spend time with that guy.” And he spent the next couple of days with them.
A kingdom business is one that always partners with heavens viewpoint, and always partners with what the Holy Spirit has to say about someone.
We started working with them right away on some of our back office, accounting system work. Then had the opportunity to basically say, “Would you be interested in training your entire–if you let us train your entire team on how to edit real estate media, photos, videos, floor plans, and be the partner company that grows and scales with us as we expand across North America?” They had 14 people at the time. And they said, “Why not?” That was January of 2017 and now there’s over 300 people who are in the organization. They’ve got a hub in Cebu and now they’re branching out and creating a hub in Kathmandu, Nepal that employs trafficking survivors as well. Basically, being gainfully employed by doing editing work, because every photoshoot requires three to four hours of editing.
We believe that the quickest way to poverty alleviation is through sustainable job creation. And, to create jobs that can provide opportunities for freedom, fulfillment, flourishing for rescued former slaves is a byproduct of our commitment, you know, at the very beginning of the organization, to say, Alright, this is going to be something that creates impact, that creates freedom, and that provides change.
Six months after we partnered together, we got a line of credit from a local businessman who said, “Hey, that’s your business model, I see it growing. I see it being really successful. Here’s a $150,000 or so line of credit. I want to be a part of helping this come to life and helping to see this come to fruition.” Six months after we kicked off, we’re building the parent company. We’re investing in platforms and systems and finding, you know, the right teams slowly as we wanted to, to kind of replicate this outside of where we had started in West Michigan. And I remember one Friday, we get a call, or maybe a text message, from this partner investor who said, “Hey, hey guys, I need to tell you that we cannot do the scheduled draw, like we had, like I previously committed to you today. In fact, we need to have a pretty urgent conversation about, about draws moving forward.” So he came by the office and sat down, and we had a conversation. He was visibly shaken up and you could tell it was hard for him. And you could tell that it was really just painful for him to be there. And he said, “Hey guys, listen, I know we kicked this off six months ago. I know I made this commitment.” And he said, Not only can I, I can’t meet the draw on the timeline of today, I have to, I have to pull out all together. I came into some really difficult things financially that I wasn’t necessarily prepared for and I’m evaluating all of my obligations financially right now. This is just an obligation that unfortunately, I am no longer able to keep.”
We were just getting ready, that following week, to launch our location in Detroit, and we had a local owner who was ready to launch it. We had just that week launched in Grand Rapids. So we had launched our, you know, three locations total. Kind of the one I had started, which someone else was running now, but the other two that we were launching. We find that we have no more runway; that the plug needs to be pulled immediately, you know. So it wasn’t even like we had two weeks to prepare; it was–we’re not getting the funds today to pay us and the rest of the team that we were planning on. What we knew God had an agenda for, was now starting to just unravel and unwind. We’re sitting there hearing that our single sole source of funding was going to be no longer.
I remember sitting in that moment, instantly in my head I’m like, What, like, what do we do? Like, how are we going to raise this money? How are we going to keep this team? What am I going to tell my wife, after we risked everything and invested everything into this opportunity? I mean, all of our eggs are in this basket. And, you know, How much are we going to be on the hook for? How long is that going to pay? You know, so all of these tapes are going on overdrive when you’re sitting there hearing news like that. And I remember like it was yesterday, because my business partner, he said after, after this investor who was pulling out, stopped talking, he just looked at him and he said, “I’m just so sorry. It must be such a really challenging thing that you’re going through financially in your life. Taylor and I would like to spend some time praying with you if you’re okay with that.”
That was the initial reaction. That was the first response.
And I had to catch myself instantly from being like, What? Everything is falling apart, is crumbling before our eyes, and you want to sit here and have compassion and empathy on this person who’s backing out from an obligation, putting us in an incredibly difficult spot, when we’re in a kind of a vulnerable position to begin with? And the first thing you want to do is have compassion on this guy and pray for him? And I man, I was just washed with conviction from the Holy Spirit of like, Yes! Like, that is my agenda. That is my agenda in this moment, to make sure that this investor knows that there are people who, in spite of hearing this devastating news and the implications that surround it, the first thing that they want to do is to pray and love. To spend time saying, “That must be really hard right now. I’m so sorry, you’re carrying that. I’m sure it’s not an easy situation. We’d just love to pray for you that God would intervene in your life financially and that you’re able to put back some pieces back together.”
It was in that moment–it’s just a flash, right? It’s just one small example. But at the end of the day, that’s what a Kingdom business is. A kingdom business is one that always partners with heaven’s viewpoint, and always partners with what the Holy Spirit has to say about someone in their situation. Because, it’s not about the fact that our funding was going to get the plug pulled on it. Like, it wasn’t about that. It was about, in a time of crisis, reacting and meeting a crisis with love and meeting a broken down distraught investor who generally did not struggle financially with an opportunity to hear straight from the heart of heaven…Hey, like it’s not about your money. Like, it’s about you understanding God’s love for you, despite your circumstances and we’re going to, we’re going to speak that over you and we’re going to react in love and figure the rest out later.
We prayed for him. We laid hands on him, Holy Spirit moves, and I have to imagine it’s a moment that he’ll never forget in his life. Just like it’s a moment that I’ll never forget in mine. And I remember he just didn’t, he just couldn’t do anything but he just thanked us, you know, and then he left. It was just my business partner and I, we’re sitting there and he’s like, “We need to pray that God comes through. That God comes through big time, because we know He’s going to come through.” And, and true story. While this meeting was happening, I get a text from my wife. And it, I mean, it was relatively common for me to get texts throughout the day; just like cute update photos of my son at home while she was with him and different things like that. But she sent me this text, while this is happening, and she said, “Hey, God just really put this on my heart very, very clearly for you and I need to share this verse with you.” She’s like, “I feel like, most of the time I’d just wait to talk to you about this over dinner tonight. But there’s so much urgency on it that you need to hear the word of the Lord right now.” She sent me Isaiah 43:19 and it says, “See I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.” I just, I just looked at that text and my mouth just hit the floor. I was like, “Paul, you’ll never believe what my wife just sent me.” I showed it to him and we’re both sitting there emotional, right? Like, “Alright God, You’re making a way. You’ve got streams in the wasteland.”
So we got together and we said, “Okay, we’ve got a run rate to run this organization for two weeks. If we don’t raise a couple hundred thousand dollars, we’re gonna have to figure out something to do because this business can’t can’t sustain itself.” You know, we’ve got investment costs, we’ve got people on payroll…We had two weeks to raise those funds. Some of you listening might know the time it takes to properly go about fundraising. But, it takes longer than two weeks because you’ve got to build up financials, you have to have a pitch deck and you have to have a network of people you’re going to go to. We’re sitting there saying, “All right God. You’re going to do something new. There’s streams in this desert. We feel it. We believe it. You’ve spoken. Now give us eyes to see where that is.”
In 24 hours, we had built the financial outlook in the picture. We had put together a deck and in 10 days, we raised a quarter million dollars and fueled the business that didn’t skip a beat. The launch in Detroit went incredibly well. The launch in Grand Rapids went incredibly well, you know. We finished the year 2016, with three locations and now we’ve got 45 and counting as we continue to grow across the US and Canada. So if there’s anything that I’ve learned through this journey, and there are so many more stories of, of how God’s not looking for us to work for Him, God’s actually looking for us to work with Him. Because Kingdom business only happens through partnering with the Holy Spirit because God is the source of endless creativity. He’s the source of endless excellence.
You want to run your business excellently? Take a look at Kingdom Principles that operate in the realm of excellence, in heaven, and start applying those in the way you love people, and the way you partner, and the way that you use business as a way that does way more than just making money for people and making investors get a financial return. You can actually partner it with solving complex problems, like combating sex slavery in the world today. Solving complex problems through business in a way that is sustainable, in a way that is far reaching, in a way that it brings heaven to earth, because God always has something to say about every aspect of our lives and learning that there’s always an opportunity to partner with Him. Even when we see a roadblock, God says, “Nope. See that desert? It looks like a desert but there’s actually streams.” You know, “See that, see that wasteland? It actually looks like a wasteland but that’s actually a luscious path that I have for you.” It’s been through that journey where we’ve just been able to see it time and time again.
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Leaving the Pew
Unsatisfied with traditional church, John and Eva long to be used by God and leave the pew to be the church to those in need.
Catching Fire
From theological seminary to radical Holy Spirit encounters, John shares his journey of head knowledge Christianity to catching the fire of Holy Spirit that ignited his passion for [...]
Religion Makes You Crazy
Erin's world was falling apart. Her religious life left her feeling defeated and crazy, until she was taught her true identity and authority in Christ.
Tablets of Testimony
Adam and Brooke sit down to discuss what Adam has learned about the tablets of testimony and how their depth reveals something much greater than a law.
Exposing Fear
During his bout with Covid and extreme fatigue, God exposed fear in David's life as the root for putting his beautiful children above the Lord.
God Knows Where We Are
Ken has seen and experienced a lot in his 60+ years of ministry. One thing he knows for sure, God knows where we are and He wants to meet every need.
Jesus is The Truth
Searching for the truth most of his life, Brian's life is transformed by Jesus after Brian placed His word over his own circumstances.
Learning to Love
Jane has found that learning to love as God loves looks radically different from what we've been taught.
Divine Setups
Refusing to see the difficulties in life as anything other than the divine setups of God, Kathleen shares a few of her own challenges and how God brought her through.
The Blessing
What's happened since the break-in? Today we share how God has shown up in a mighty way through blessing after blessing.
The End of Me
Years of addiction and lies bring Ron to the end of himself and to the feet of God. He encounters God in the back of a police car and feels free for the first time.
Walk of Faith
Benedikt's walk with God takes him places he never expected as his faith grows with each step.
God Hears
After years of infertility and heart break, Holly questions if God even hears her cries. His answer changed her life forever.
TUS Update
Brooke and Adam return home from vacation to find their home has been robbed. They process their loss and the future of the podcast with you, their listeners.
Healing the Broken Places
While playing a game with her youth group, Isabella falls and breaks her jaw. When she asks God for healing, He mends more than the broken places.
Seed of Faith
God gave JK a dream that has transformed his life and his entire family. What started as a seed of faith has overflowed to abundant blessings for many.
My True Identity
After years of confusion, abuse, and same sex attraction, Leslie was introduced to Jesus and found her true worth and identity.
Foolishness of God
As a performer and writer, Fiona has seen God use foolishness to confound the wise and draw many to Himself in the most unlikely of scenarios.
Radical Faith
Wanting more of God, Dave moves his family from Australia to California where radical faith is stirred up through obedience that moves mountains.
The Gift of Compassion
During a mission trip to Congo, Lisa was moved with deep compassion for sexual abuse survivors. She now sees that compassion as a beautiful gift from the Lord.
The Mystery of Prayer
Seeking to understand why some of his prayers are answered and others aren't, Keith finds their is a greater mystery to prayer.
In Need of a Father
After years of neglect and abuse, Mary Beth's father walked out and she found herself in need a of Father that would never leave her nor forsake her.
Finding Abundant Life
Looking for life and happiness in all the things of this world, Joe finds abundant life in the last place he ever expected.
Revival of the Heart
As Hillary longs for revival in the church, God breathes revival into the lungs of a little boy and Hillary's heart.
Open to The Call
Through her own testimony of God's goodness, Dawn sees value in everyone and is open to the call of God to make sure they see it too.
God Chose Me
From depressed and suicidal to healed and joyful, Damian has seen the work of God in his life. Damian has been chosen by God for something greater.
Lost and Found
Growing up, Adira struggled to fit in amongst her peers and found acceptance in the LGBTQ community. Then God moved and what was lost became found as her identity was restored.
A Collection of Tears
As a young girl, Erin cried herself to sleep over the loss of her baby brother. Decades later, God used the collection of her tears to bring true healing and redemption.
Conduit of Love
Julian grew up in the charismatic church, but it wasn't until God used him as a conduit of love that he really began to understand the manifestations of the Spirit.
God’s Timing
When Steve received word after word from several people about his future ministry, he had no idea how different God's timing would be from his own.
God’s Favor
Through incredibly difficult circumstances, Sharon has learned that God's favor doesn't mean happiness and the life of her dreams. It's actually better than that.
Life is a Gift
A tragic accident changes all of Matthew's plans for the future. God shows him that life is a precious gift, both here and in eternity.
Surrender
Leaving his ways and plans behind, Bob chose to surrender everything to the Lord. In doing so, he found true freedom.
There is Always Hope
Throughout her life, Britni has been told by several doctors that there is no hope. But she knows that with God, there's always hope.
Letting Go
Striving for years, Darin never dreamt that letting go of his ministry plans would be God's plan for desire fulfilled and a life of joy.
The Life God Intended
He had everything the world could offer, but it wasn't the life God intended for Michael. God had a better plan, one that Michael had to hit rock bottom to find.
Love Your Neighbor
Born at 28 weeks and later diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Maddie wasn't expected to live. Rejected by her mother, it was the love of her neighbors that changed her life.
Never Alone
Picked on for being different; confused and lonely, but never alone. Justin has always felt God's presence, The One who never gave up on him.
Prayer is the Answer
As Tracey struggles to find peace amid life's many challenges, she finds prayer is the answer and the only way forward.
Offensive Forgiveness
Beaten and sexually abused as a child, Kathy leans on God to find freedom through love and a forgiveness that is culturally offensive.
Citizen of Heaven
Displaced by war, now a refugee, and questioning his place because of the color of his skin. God shows Yves his true identity as a citizen of heaven.
A Better Me
Transformed by the love of Jesus, Sara becomes a better version of herself as she spends time with Him and stops working for approval.
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength
Circumstances and people no longer define Alma. Her identity is secure and the joy of the Lord is her strength.
Coming Out In Christ
For Samuel, a lover of Christ at an early age, coming out to his parents and God filled him with fear and uncertainty.
Finding God in Disappointments
Despite divorce, cancer, and other trials, Denny found God's greatest blessings in the midst of life's disappointments.
There’s Power in the Presence
When the world and all it offers no longer works for Kim, she finds the power and presence of God through worship music and the prophetic.
Setting Captives Free
Once a slave to addiction and pornography, Anthony is now setting captives free through his non-profit and restoring their God-given identity and value.
The Process of Becoming Free
As Cody sings and worships the Lord, he has a revelation that leads to breakthrough in his anxiety. He walks us through those emotions and steps, as he surrenders control to God.
Freed from Anxiety
Afraid to go anywhere by herself, Tiffany was gripped by fear, worry, and anxiety. For years she prayed for freedom and found healing when she least expected it.
Hope’s Family
Little moments can transform a life. That's just what happened to Lindsey as she spent time with Hope's family. They gave her a hunger for God's Kingdom that she now shares with [...]
Sharing God’s Love
Lonnie's desire to share God's love with his community transforms an entire town. From trimming hedges to baking cookies, God uses it all.
God’s In a Good Mood About Me
Delivered from the fear of man, Bri learned her identity in Christ and now lives in freedom to bring that revelation of His goodness to others.
A Message for Single Mothers
Veronica has experience and victories as a single mother, God compels her to write a book expressing His love and compassion for single moms.
Send Me a Cardinal
A mom makes a promise to her daughters to send a cardinal from heaven. The day after her funeral a cardinal hits the window of their home. Be sure to watch the video of what [...]
The Power of Story
As a sports writer and pastor, Tyler knows the power of story and shares the profound impact stories have to encourage others, lift spirits, and honor God.
Sowing Seeds
As racial issues divide a nation, Eniola shares her desire to go beyond unity to sow seeds of oneness for the next generation.
A Picture of Grace
Prison seems an unlikely place to receive a picture of grace. But for Delton, 47 months in prison gave him a sense of anticipation to see God working daily.
Persisting In Faith
As Lauren fights an incurable disease, she wrestles with the truths and promises of God despite her physical results. After trying every medical treatment possible and every inner [...]
A Journey of Trust
Jordan grew up in the church experiencing the miraculous. He learned quickly to defend his faith from the bible and to trust God in the journey.
Created to Create
For Codye, painting is like breathing. Growing up there was a holy restlessness in all she saw, heard, and felt as she read God's word--Codye was created to create for His glory [...]
Partnering with God in Business
Taylor describes how God led him to start a Kingdom Business and gives examples of how Holy Spirit has empowered them to focus on Godly principles.
From New Age to New Creation
Seeking peace, Michelle begins a spiritual journey through the New Age movement. An answered prayer leads her to Jesus and life as a new creation.
Made Perfect
Left with two options, believe the doctors or believe the Lord, Krissia chooses the word of God, that He made her daughter perfect. Her faith in that promise changed everything.
A Mother’s Wound
Anita offers a simple honest prayer to God after years of pain as she begins the process of hope and restoration from the mother wounds that she experienced in her childhood and [...]
But I Am Innocent
Joe is convicted and sentenced to 6 months in a federal prison. Crying out to Him of his innocence Joe hears the Lord speak back, "so was I".
Jesus Came in Like a Boss
After years of addiction and lies, Jamie says that "Jesus came in like a Boss" and delivered her from all of it. Her life has been redeemed and restored.
Silencing the Inner Critic
Growing up Christian, David saw himself as a disappointment. God's audible voice silenced the inner critic that had tormented David most of his life.
Moved with Compassion
A young boy is shot in the head and on life support. Moved with compassion Justin pushes past his fears and enters the NICU to lay hands and pray for him.
God is After You
Joseph needed more than religious do's and don'ts to comfort his broken heart. A new friend told him "God is after you!", which led to him hearing from God and his healing.
Prompted by Holy Spirit
Kyle is prompted by the Holy Spirit to "bless the feet". Later that morning, his feet are blessed so that all ministry expenses can be paid in full. He also details an encounter of [...]
Don’t Give Up. Rise Up.
On a mission trip in Nigeria, Ayelen contracts Ebola. Upon returning to Argentina, she is hopitalized and left for dead. As she cries out to the Lord for help she hears the Lord [...]
Vehicle for the Gospel
Rapping and preaching the gospel all over the country turns out to be quite difficult when you don't have a vehicle. Moses prays and fasts for a month asking God for help. The Lord [...]
Awakening to God’s Love
God's reckless pursuit of Seth, despite his anger and drug use, comes to a head as his parents' deteriorating health leads Seth to his knees and an awakening to God's beautiful love.
Defined by the Father
Trying to live up to his father's expectations, Colin was depressed, hopeless and lost. At a conference Colin encounters the living God, he is healed physically, spiritually and [...]
Leaving Everything for Jesus
Searching for fulfillment and satisfaction in what the world offered left Lance broken and longing for something real. When he encountered the reality of the righteousness [...]
Just One
Despite the challenges of running a group home for troubled teens, Tiffany and her family discover it's all worth it if they can save just one from the system and introduce her to [...]
God Speaks a Better Word
Two of her three boys are diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome but God speaks a better word to Jeffie through the Holy Spirit prophetic words, and the Bible.
Power of Hope
Living in abundant hope, faith and power, Caroline refuses to let her diagnosis of infertility define her faith, her purpose, or the goodness of God.
Stop Rejecting Me
He spent his entire life rejecting God until kidney failure went from dialysis to a nearly fatal organ transplant, causing Chris to stop running from the only One who could save him.
Simple Prayer of Faith
Wade shares how a simple prayer of faith and following Jesus' example of laying hands on the sick has lead to supernatural healings and salvations. The ultimate goal is to follow Jesus.
A Buddhist Hears From Jesus
Growing up Buddhist, Allison sought academic praise and worldly achievements, doing all the right things but never finding peace. In the midst of a suicide attempt, she hears the [...]
The Gift of Trust
Faced with infertility, Rod and his wife choose to trust God and His plans for them through the gift of adopting a child with Cerebral Palsy. God has supernaturally revealed [...]
Spiritual Roots
After years of unexplained medical issues, Renee hears that her symptoms have spiritual roots. At the end of her rope, she considers the supernatural. Renee's faith is challenged [...]
The Forgiveness of an Adulterer
A broken past leads to lies and adultery as the foundation of their marriage. Through God's incredible grace and forgiveness, hope is found and a marriage is restored.
The Forgiveness of an Adulterer
A broken past leads to lies and adultery as the foundation of their marriage. Through God's incredible grace and forgiveness, hope is found and a marriage is restored.
The Forgiveness of a Murderer
Ryan is able to forgive his brother's murderer and offer him the same redemption and hope he has found in Christ. I was a son who needed to be redeemed and rescued. That reality [...]
Inner Healing and Deliverance
Kelsey thought inner healing and deliverance was weird until she experienced it for herself and truly understood the gospel at a deeply personal level. I think, until we as [...]
Made to Worship
Learning to pray to the Lord through singing, Aiva became connected to God. It is in worship that she found His comfort and peace in the midst of tragedy.
Keeping a Promise
Diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age in Mexico and ostracized from her family for her faith, Tethe keeps her promise to the Lord.
Voice of God
The appearance of perfection was important for Craig as a Pastor's son, but when he hears the voice of God everything changes. I heard the voice of God in a way that I didn't know [...]
A Friend of Jesus
He's carried a 12 foot wooden cross all over the world, has story after story that movies are made of, and only wants to be remembered as a friend of Jesus. He has given us an [...]
Purposefully Homeless
Led by God on a purposefully homeless journey, Rachel leaves her job, home, and modern day comforts to find the one thing money can't buy.
Light in the Darkness
Suicidal and diagnosed with over eight mental illnesses, in and out of over 20 different psych wards, on 10 psych meds, Alexis is instantly healed.
In Need of the Gospel
Through missional outreach, Jesse finds that he is in need of the gospel as much as those who haven't yet received it.
Raise My Son
Her son was dead for 21 minutes and brain dead for 2 days. In a sea of doctors, Angelic cries out to God and prays over her son through the power of the Holy Spirit, "Raise my [...]
Your Life Is Not Your Own
Rosie has attempted suicide twice since losing her son and is planning a third attempt the very day that she meets Tyler and Andy who share that her life is not her own and God has [...]
When Heaven and Earth Collide
An instrument maker by trade, Caleb receives a digital download of an instrument he has never seen and a tribe name in a dream. This dream ignites a journey where heaven and earth [...]
Unraveling Addiction, Restoring a Marriage
Aaron's life was unraveling because of his addiction and his wife uncovers the truth. Restoring their marriage becomes possible through Jesus, love, and recovery ministry.
I Give You My Life
Fourteen years old Chethan plans his suicide. He cries out to God, "I give you my life" and is overwhelmed by the presence and power of the Lord.
Knit Together
Ultrasounds revealed and confirmed, in utero, that Ashley's son August had polycystic kidney disease in both kidneys. After months of prayer, God knit together a miracle for family [...]
The Father’s House
When things don't add up, God's miraculous provision provides further confirmation for missionaries to create a discipleship house for lost sons –The Father's House.
Through the Wilderness
A seasoned hiker loses his trail and is lost for seven days. Desperate for help and ready to give up, Josh hears a Voice that guides him through the wilderness, giving him peace in [...]
Going All In
Unable to go under water due to his tracheotomy, Landon gets completely healed and is going all in for the first time at his baptism.
Hal-Le-Lu-Jah
Born with severe sleep apnea, 21 month old Landon receives a tracheotomy and doctors say he will never talk. His parents pray for complete healing and receive a miracle with one [...]
Not Ashamed
Her heart is for women caught in sex industry and life on the streets, but Nadia shares how Holy Spirit directed her to share the Father's heart for a pimp.
Running With The Gospel
After multiple confirmations of his calling, God anoints Peter's feet to run with the gospel. When a father affirms a son, there's nothing more powerful.
Give Jesus a Try
Holiday YouTube scrolling is used by the Holy Spirit to entice Machelle to give Jesus a try instead of numbing out and her identity is transformed.
God Has the Final Say…Not Cancer
Doctors sent him home to die. Sure that God had the final say and not cancer Jeff maintained, prayed without ceasing and the cancer ravaging his body was healed.
An Impossible Conception
She has battled cancer multiple times and through those challenges is told conception is impossible. But God...After 17 years of infertility, she becomes pregnant.
When All Seems Lost
On suicide watch all seems lost when JD loses nearly three quarters of a million dollars in three days. But faithful obedience pays off. I thought God was going to bless me. And [...]
Heart for the Homeless
Circumstances in her own life gives Karen a deep understanding and heart for the homeless that leads serving in South Dallas faithfully for over 23 years.
Co-Laboring In Love
A shared love for hair and Jesus finds two stylists co-laboring to bring the beauty and hope of the gospel to their downtown salon. The safest place is in His will. And, the [...]
Reclaiming the Past
Unable to trust God after the loss of his sister, EJ looks for answers and is able to reclaim the past when he has multiple encounters with Jesus.
The Risk of Faith
Looking for opportunities to celebrate God, Daniel goes out expecting God to show up in a moment and his faith is increased with every risk he takes.
An Intimate Vision
Seeing God's word as an intimate love letter draws Craig into encounters with Jesus that change his vision of himself and a deeper relationship with God.
Healing in Unbelief 2/2
Ten years of chronic, debilitating back pain leaves Camille in unbelief that it's God's will to heal her. God challenges her understanding through a "chance encounter" with an [...]
Healing in Unbelief 1/2
An obedient messenger of the Lord, Lee finds himself facing the greater challenge of unbelief than the hope and possibility of healing when he meets Camille.
Radical Love Extravagant Provision
God's radical love causes Kyna to leave drugs and alcohol behind as her daily provision becomes the extravagant love of the Lord.
Hearing God’s Voice
A string of bad choices leave Baylee broken and homeless. Desperate for help, her hope is restored by the prayer of a stranger and hearing the voice of God.
An Order to Prophecy
Knowing God is a God of order, Pierce needs confirmation and direction before sharing the prophecy he feels he's received from the Lord.
Break Through
Addicted to drugs for over 23 years, God uses what should have been a fatal car accident to break through the noise in Todd's life and draw him near.
Facing Mental Affliction
Years of mental affliction was destroying Anthony and his family. He encounters Jesus through love and inner healing and is instantly healed.
Reconciling Race
A purposeful engagement and wedding become the catalyst to reconciling race through the union of marriage and the grace of God.
Precious Pain
Paralyzed by the pain of arthritis, forced to rest and unable to care for her family Sayo hears clearly from the Lord. Her illness becomes precious.
A Step of Faith is a Step of Faith
A single step of faith begins a journey that takes Danny and his family from India to the United States. Trusting God, even when everything seemed bleak.
Provision for the Journey
They sold everything and set out on a journey, not sure where the Lord would lead them. They've learned to trust Him every step of the way.
Whoa, God is Here!
John begins each day with expectancy of what the Holy Spirit will do. Lead by the Spirit, he gets to share in some incredible supernatural experiences with God and His children.
A Really Big Yes
A few high school students say yes to God, and a culture shift happens at the school. Students are changed, revival breaks out and the Kingdom advances.
Unbelievable Expectations
From prison to praise, God redeems Mike's life in unbelievable ways causing him to have expectations for hope and favor despite his past.
Daily Desperate Dependence
When life's challenges become too great, Joe discovers the only thing that will get him through is a daily desperate dependence on the Lord. I began connecting with the Holy [...]
Freedom Behind Bars 2/2
After 34 years of serving the Lord behind bars, Gene is released. Looking back he shares some of the supernatural God moments in his life of freedom.
Freedom Behind Bars 1/2
Sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Gene finds Jesus and true freedom behind bars as his pleas for mercy are denied by the courts. "Unshackle him, release him [...]
Resource Room of Heaven
Financial plans crumble, car totalled, Clint feels he is being punished by God. He has an encounter with Jesus and learns about the resource room of heaven.
Courageously Weird
Stepping out on a limb for God but not wanting to be seen as weird, Molly pushes through her own fears to be courageous in the Lord. These are the stories--- these are the ones [...]
Father to the Fatherless
Growing up without a father left a void in Zach's life. He looked for life and acceptance in everything but God. Now he's partnering with God to make a difference in the lives of [...]
Dance with Me
Being single and having a deep desire to marry leads Meredith to an intimate, raw encounter with Jesus, when she hears Him say, "Dance with Me."
An Answer to Anxiety
Gripped with anxiety and desperate for hope, God's presence becomes the answer Alzavian has been searching for.
A Vision Revealed. A Waitress Consoled.
Awoken in the early morning with a vision, Ray is able to console and speak life into his waitress with God's love revealed through that vision.
Power of Prayer in the Storm of Addiction
Cherry's daughter is caught in the storm of addiction. Wanting to rescue her daughter from a life of pain and trouble, Cherry learns the power of prayer.
Inmates Pray. Cancer Healed.
Usually the one praying for the inmates he faithfully serves, Wayne is diagnosed with cancer and the inmates pray for him to be healed.
Dreams. A Glimpse of the Father’s Love.
Sally's childhood dreams are confirmed as the truth about her father's death comes to light and the Father's love is revealed.
Two Words from a Stranger…
Jeremy prays for an opportunity to share God's love. He receives a word of knowledge for a stranger. Those two specific words change both men forever.
The Height of Grace in the depths…
Abortion leaves many in the depths of despair, it is only through the heigths of the Father's love and grace that Brooke is able to forgive herself.