Halfway There

205: Gari Meacham and Curveballs and Spiritual Scars

Gari Meacham is an author, speaker, and founder and CEO of The Vine Uganda, a nonprofit. Today, Gari shares the story of how her family was broken by alcohol, the picture of Jesus that kept her from suicide, and her thirty-eight year marriage to former New York Yankee Bobby Meacham. We talk about the process of rising through the ranks of baseball twice. Plus, Gari shares how her darkest moment led to her greatest ministry.
Listen to Gari’s story in your favorite podcast app, now!
Stories Gari shared:
Growing up in Colorado in an unbelieving family
Her father’s accident that changed their lives
Turning to food for comfort and struggling with anorexia in college
Giving her life to Christ while contemplating suicide
Being on fire for the Lord and digging into Scripture
Speaking at a conference with Beth Moore
Teaching elementary school while her husband coached the minor leagues
Founding The Vine Uganda in Houston
The difficult season when she learned her husband had been unfaithful
How the Lord healed them as they pursued Him
Writing book and her latest Beyond Free
Great quotes from Gari:
I am a wild woman for the Lord because I know how real he is.
The great thing about spiritual scar tissue is that it heals stronger than that tissue was before the injury.
God answers every prayer.
Resources we shared:
Gari’s website
Connect with Gari on Facebook
Beyond Free by Gari Meacham
Spirit Hunger: Filling Our Deep Longing to Connect with God by Gari Meacham
The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers
Related episodes:
Brandy Goebel and Running Back to You
Terry Wardle and the Healing Journey
Mark Waltz and Radical Acceptance in Relationship
The post Gari Meacham and Hitting Life’s Curveballs appeared first on Eric Nevins.

204: Tom Schwab and the Richness of Relationship

Tom Schwab is the Chief Evangelist Officer of Interview Valet. Today, Tom shares about growing up in a Roman Catholic family, finding Christ at a men’s retreat, and how he experiences the Lord. Throughout our conversation, Tom comes back to the idea of relationships: with God, with his family, and in business. Tom has a unique approach to life and business by serving those around him and it’s fun to watch. His story reminds us that, in the end, relationships are what matter.
Listen to Tom’s story in your favorite podcast app now!
Stories Tom shared:
Growing up in suburban Chicago
Getting into the Navy on a clerical error
What his relationship with God was like growing up Roman Catholic
Finding Christ at a men’s retreat
How experiencing God’s love changed his view of the world
The year of discernment when considering marriage to Karen
Starting Interview Valet
Losing his friend to liver cancer and how Tom processed that with God
How the podcast industry is going to change
How Interview Valet can help you
Great quotes from Tom:
I yelled. God listened. He was patient with me.
There’s a lot of problems in the world today but there’s no better time to be alive.
The richness of my life is the richness of relationships
Resources we mentioned:
Interview Valet
Inbound Marketing, Revised and Updated: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
Related episodes:
Cyd & Geoff Holsclaw and the God Who Likes You
Trevor Kapralos and the Power of Christian Community
Ronda Nelson and the Gift of Grace
The post Tom Schwab and the Richness of Relationship appeared first on Eric Nevins.

203: Cheyenne Olson and Scripture as Foundation

Cheyenne Olson is spiritual mentor, writer, and podcaster who spends her time with high school and college students. Today, Cheyenne shares the story of how studying theology awakened her love for the Lord, discovering repressed memories of abuse, and the first time the Lord spoke to her about the healing process. Cheyenne has a passion for creating safe spaces for people to meet the Lord vulnerably even if that means 2:00 AM phone calls.  Cheyenne is pressing into her new life as a writer and following where Jesus leads.
Listen to Cheyenne’s story on your favorite podcast app today!
Stories Cheyenne shared:
Living in the Twin Cities with her family
Seeing lifestyle changes when her parents found Jesus
Discovering how to study Scripture in college
How studying Christian Theology shaped her
Wrestling with depression as she was starting a family
Discovering memories of sexual abuse in her past
How the Lord dismantled her and built her back up
Beginning to teach others how to read Scripture
Why people are craving discipleship
The joy she feels watching others fall in love with Jesus
Her process for discipleship
Starting her podcast Beyond Quiet Time
How the Lord applied the parable of the talents to her
Great quotes from Cheyenne:
He changed me because he changed the way I thought.
To grow in the faith, start in the Gospels; get to know who Jesus is.
You can’t fall in love with somebody you don’t know.
Resources we mentioned:
Cheyenne’s website
Cheyenne’s podcast, Beyond Quiet Time
Related episodes:
Mary DeMuth and Her Avenue of Healing
Curtis Sergeant and the Catalyst of Movements
Laura Flanders and the Mentored Life
The post Cheyenne Olson and the Foundation of Scripture appeared first on Eric Nevins.

202: Erik Fisher and the Productive Life

Erik Fisher is a productivity podcaster who hosts the Beyond The To Do List, a show I used to listen to all the time in corporate America. He has also spent years as a social media expert and currently serves as the Director of Social Media Education at Agorapulse. Today, Erik shares his relationship with the Lord as a child, how his brother’s brain tumor challenged his faith, and why productivity is a life thing not a work thing. Life is too short to waste even a moment  and Erik’s story reminds us that we can serve the Lord with our habits.
Listen to Erik’s story in your favorite podcast app now!
Stories Erik shared:
Feeling thankful to have a secure job right now
Born into a Christian family in upstate New York
Talking to God as a child
His brother’s brain tumor
Beginning to take ownership of his faith as a highschooler
How going to a youth group event as a high schooler changed the course of his life
Struggles with marriage and how that affected his faith
When his daughter was born early and how that challenged him
How he got into productivity
Why productivity and faith aren’t that dissimilar
Why he doesn’t consider himself evangelistic
Great quotes from Erik
Does what you present yourself as match who you are?
I don’t see productivity as a work thing; I see it as a life thing.
I might be that pivot point for someone else.
Resources we mentioned:
Beyond the To Do List
Erik on Twitter
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Related episodes:
Vicki Proffit and the Encouragement of God
Mark Scandrette and Unconventional Christianity
Tracy Winchell and the Value of Starting Over
The post Erik Fisher and the Productive Life appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Tina Smith the Praying for Your Kids

Tina Smith is the founder of Raising Kids on Your Knees a ministry dedicated to equipping parents to pray and parent life into the lives of their children. It’s a journey she knows from experience having successfully done so with her four children. Today, Tina shares the disparity between her early faith and actions, how this led to an abortion, and the mentor who helped lead her to wholeness. Tina is a powerful prayer warrior whose story will inspire you to take everything to Jesus.
Listen to Tina’s story in your favorite podcast app now!
Stories Tina shared:
Starting Raising Kids on Your Knees
Growing up bouncing between the North and South U.S. not going to church
Sensing God’s calling as a teenager
The “path of destruction” in her life
The disparity between her life and faith
Her decision to have an abortion before marriage
The breakdown of her marriage
The mentor who came alongside her and began a process of healing
Learning to hear the Holy Spirit
The pastor who taught her spiritual warfare
How prayer became a huge part of her story
Following the Holy Spirit’s lead to start a podcast
Great quotes from Tina:
Relationships that begin in deceit end in deceit.
It takes a lot of years to grow old friends.
Pray for your kids.
Resources we mentioned:
Tina’s website Raising Kids on Your Knees
Tina’s podcasts: Raising Kids on Your Knees and Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Praying Moms DO Matter
Love Must Be Tough: New Hope for Marriages in Crisis by Dr. James Dobson
Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy: Making Room for Your Soul in an Overcrowded Life by Nicole Johnson
Related episodes:
Laura Flanders and the Mentored Life
Os Guinness and Carpe Diem Redeemed
Gisela Kreglinger and Savoring the Goodness of God
The post Tina Smith the Praying for Your Kids appeared first on Eric Nevins.

200: Randall Sean Garcia and the Father’s Love for Us

Randall Garcia is a pastor, online businessman, and podcaster. Randall shares the story of growing up an overachieving pastor’s kid, secretly wandering away from his faith, and the funeral that convinced him to change his ways. Around that time, he confessed his lifestyle to his dad and received love instead of rejection, an experience that had a profound effect on him. Randall shares how he balances his desire to achieve with an active relationship with the Lord and how lectio divina helps. He’s pursuing ministry and creating a Christian podcast network to serve Christian leaders. Randall’s story reminds us that no matter what we do, the Lord is always pursuing us!
Listen to Randall’s story now!
Stories Randall shared:
Growing up as a pastor’s kid in the Assemblies of God
Trying to fit in with his friends as a teenager
Realizing that he was depressed in his early 20s
Confessing his sins to his father
How he experienced God’s love through his dad
His friend’s murder and the legacy that inspired him
Studying the attributes of God
How he motivates himself to keep reading the Bible
Starting his LX3 devotional group on Facebook
Discovering lectio divina as a practice
Deciding to go to seminary
Contemplating his next step for ministry
Shifting his podcast to create a podcast network
Great quotes from Randall:
I knew in that moment that God was going to use me.
God is our heavenly Father.
Wherever you’re at in the journey, continue putting one step in front of the other.
Resources we mentioned:
Randall’s website
YouVersion Bible App
Randall’s LX3 Facebook Group
Related episodes:
Mark Waltz and Radical Acceptance in Relationship
Edith Leland and Intimate Friendship with God
Jim Bowman and the Heart of the Father
The post Randall Sean Garcia and the Father’s Love for Us appeared first on Eric Nevins.

199: Lauren Gaskill and the Joy of Healing

Lauren Gaskill, author, speaker, podcaster, and founder of She Found Joy. Today, Lauren shares the story of growing up in a family of new Christians, dealing with severe health issues, and the healing the Lord has brought her. Lauren describes her journey from accepting illness to asking the Lord for healing and receiving it. The whole experience has changed the direction of her ministry. Lauren’s story reminds us that God is not done working yet!
Listen to Lauren’s story now!
Stories Lauren shared:
Growing up in Indiana in a baby Christian family
The genuine faith of a child
Wrestling with oppression as a high schooler
Having health problems in college and going through severe pain
Receiving a diagnosis and how that affected her
Feeling mad at God for suffering so much
Hearing God speak to her about healing
Screaming at God on a beach in the Bahamas
The moment her heart broke after moving into a new house
Following her hunger for healing
Weeding her heart for months
Taking a healing journey to Brazil to minister
What the Holy Spirit said to her on an airplane and the healing
Pursuing what God wants for her as a healing ministry
Great quotes from Lauren:
There are moments in life when revelation comes and you just finally understand what you’ve been missing.
There’s no such thing as a perfect journey.
He knows how to encourage our hearts with exactly what we need.
Children don’t make formulas out of things. They just follow their father.
Resources we mentioned:
Lauren’s website
Lauren’s Instagram
Into the Deep: Diving into a Life of Courageous Faith by Lauren Gaskill
I Give You Authority: Practicing The Authority Jesus Gave Us by Charles H. Kraft
Related episodes:
Sarah Koontz is Changing the World One Person at a Time
Patrick Meyers and The Kind Initiator
Iain Bradbeer and God as the Architect
The post Lauren Gaskill and the Joy of Healing appeared first on Eric Nevins.

198: John Matarazzo and Learning Along the Way

John Matarazzo is a television producer and podcast host. Today, he shares the story of how he joined YWAM, the burnout he experienced after years of leading, and following his passion for broadcasting. John also tells us about amazing steps of faith he took as he followed the Lord’s direction. For instance, he started volunteering at a Christian television station before he started working there because he believed God wanted him there. His story reminds us that obedience is often the most important thing.
List to John’s story now!
Stories John shared:
Hosting Along the Way Podcast
Going on a missions trip to Mexico and how that changed his life
Serving as a missionary with YWAM after high school
Going to broadcasting school in South Africa
Not getting the opportunity he was hoping for and how that shaped his trust
Learning that God wanted him to broadcast
Leaving the mission field and the difficult season that brought
How his friend trained him for television production
Learning to trust the voice of the Holy Spirit
The missionary stories his mom would read him as a child
Starting his podcast Along the Way
What he’s learned from his podcast
Great quotes from John:
There’s a lot more to people than the facade they wear.
The things that God isn’t saying are as important as what he is saying sometimes.
God can speak to you however he wants to get your attention.
Pay attention to the people God is bringing into your life.
Resources we mentioned:
John’s podcast Along the Way
Connect with John on Facebook
Youth with a Mission
Listen to Eric on Along the Way
Related episodes:
Tonya Blessing and the Servants Who See the Miracles
Matt Till and Living on Mission
Amy Patton Says God is in Your Story
The post John Matarazzo and Learning Along the Way appeared first on Eric Nevins.