Wow God Story Podcast

Transcript source: Whisper (large-v3, cleaned).

An epic four-part audio podcast series, The Christ. Father, forgive them. It’s the greatest story ever told. He is the light, the true light. Hear it in an all-new way. The tomb is empty. The Christ, wherever you listen to podcasts. True stories. That make us say, Wow, God. Wow, God. Wow, God. It was this big chaotic scene. We were rolling down the hill of somebody’s backyard. somebody called the cops. I was sent to a detox center. It got to the point that, you know, I had stowed all I could steal from people because they would lock up their house or turn away when they saw me coming. She had just checked herself out of a rehab again and she was calling me. She was frantic on the phone. She was crying and she kept telling me, Jeremy, I just need you to give me a reason why I should do this. I’m about to go into another rehab. I’m standing outside the building. Hi, I’m Rob Vischer. I have a friend. Her name is Sarah Nielsen. She wrote a book called Just Keep Going, Spiritual Encouragement from the Mom of a Troubled Teen. Sarah prayed her way through her son’s rebellion, addiction, and stints at different rehab facilities. When I say prayed her way through, I don’t mean doing things perfectly. I mean she brought God her doubts, her questions, and her anger at God’s silence. Addiction is hard to watch anyone go through, especially someone you love. That’s why in our first story, Carissa tries to keep functioning normally, even in the midst of addiction. When I was younger, I really struggled with drinking. I was raised in the church, and I had a relationship with Jesus. And in fact, under the influence I would try to witness to people. And I was so interested in having spiritual conversations with people, but I didn’t realize that I was not being effective in my witness for Christ. And I would drink for all of the wrong reasons. I drank to fit in. I drank to numb a broken heart that I had over a failed relationship. And I drank because I couldn’t accept my parents’ divorce. And so all of the reasons why I drank ultimately led me down a really dark path of destruction. I was about 18, 19 years old. And when I was in the thick of my addiction, a lot of my friends would look out for me and they tried to help me see that I had a problem, but I wasn’t listening to them. And I think at that age, you’re a little bit rebellious as is but I remember one particular moment driving down a major highway and I was trying to make a phone call to somebody who I was desperately in love with who was rejecting me and I my best friend took my phone from me to protect me and I wanted to get the phone back and I threatened to jump out of the car and I actually opened the door on the moving high and when we were moving along the highway and my cousin who was driving pulled over it was this big chaotic scene we were rolling down the hill of somebody’s backyard somebody called the cops I was sent to a detox center and I was on suicide watch that’s how bad my addiction got and the next day, all I remember thinking is, I just need to get sober because I have a shift. I’m supposed to be at work today. And I just remember thinking, this is not me. I am a daughter of the one true King. I know I came from a good Christian home. What is happening? And I just remember being, feeling so lost. And so I just kept self-sabotaging. I would drink until I blacked out. I would wake up I would be a functioning alcoholic go to work and the cycle would repeat over and over and over until I came to the end of myself and one vivid memory I have out in Los Angeles I was in my early 20s and I got pulled over for a DUI the state of California orders anyone under 25 in order to get your license back you have to accomplish a certain amount of tasks so you need to go to a visit a morgue and you need to go to mothers against drunk driving classes watch all of these graphic videos to help you understand this is if you continue on this path you’re going to kill someone else you’re going to kill yourself this path is leading to death and destruction and I remember when I got pulled over for the DUI I was in a cell and I remember sitting there for hours and hours and hours and I had the thought that crossed my mind is like, they’re never going to call my name. They’re never going to acknowledge my existence. I felt so alone in that cell and I just felt the presence of the Holy Spirit touch me and say that He was with me and He’s been with me all along. When they finally called my name after 12 hours of sitting in a holding cell, I think that’s the point in my story where I began to see that God was for sure with me, He has a better plan for me, and that drinking was not the answer. I lived out in California. After the DUI, I know that God was setting me on a different path. But again, I still wouldn’t fully surrender my desire to drink to Him. And I remember feeling this pull. I really wanted to be back home where I was from, to be around my family, and I also wanted a career in media, and I didn’t know how both of those would work well, and so I remember sitting in a church service, almost coming to the very end of myself, and I remember hearing the song, In Christ Alone, and the very last portion of the song, there’s lyrics that say, until Christ returns or calls me home, here in the blood of Christ, I stand. And I remember that was my wake-up call. That was my call to go back home, my earthly home back where I came from. So it was a beautiful moment of clarity for me that he protected me out in California. He gave me wonderful experience in the field of media, but he had other plans for me in Minnesota. and so he rooted me back home and I think I got sober about a year after I moved back home. You know, I heard somebody share their testimony recently that they were drinking from a bottle and they were searching for hope at the bottom of the bottle and it occurred to them that hope was never going to be there and I can really relate to that is my way was not working time and time again and I needed to completely surrender it all and follow Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. Follow Jesus and his plan for me. And I think that’s the moment on a random Tuesday that I surrendered it all to him. I just prayed, Lord, please remove this desire to drink. I’ve seen the destruction it’s caused in my life and I wanna live my life in a way that’s honoring and pleasing to you. And I want your best for me. not my own and that was the turning point. At first it was a little bit of a struggle it wasn’t an instant I don’t have a desire it was more of a battle with my flesh but now that I could see that he was there to help me he replaced that desire very much so and he gave me little practical tools to help me get there and that’s I’ve been free from alcohol now for 12 years, I look back and see how he completely has redeemed and restored my life. I think he’s redeemed every area of my life, if I’m honest with myself. I wanted so desperately to be married and to have kids and to have a really good career in media. And once he removed the alcohol, I could see clearly. I could understand clearly where he was leading me. I could listen to his voice clearer. I think in hindsight, the godly husband who’s also in recovery that God sent me, my three beautiful children that we have that will never need to see that side of us, that’s such a gift. And my career, I can’t even explain what a blessing my career is. I’ve always wanted to make a difference through Christ-centered media, and now I’m in a position to do so, but I wouldn’t have this position if I was drinking. I guarantee I would not have anything in my life today. I would ruin it all, basically. That’s what alcohol does. It takes everything. If you have an addiction with alcohol, it can rob you of every good gift that God’s giving to you. When I was in the midst of chaos, I couldn’t hear from him. And in fact, I began to resent him thinking he wasn’t there. But he was there every step of the way. God called Carissa out of addiction and back to Minnesota. And now she manages this podcast, Wild God Stories, and all of the other podcasts and radio at Faith Media. She gave up alcohol and her dream career in L.A. and she found something much better. In our next story, Jeremy doesn’t give up his dream because of his addiction. He gives it up because of someone else’s addiction. I’ve got a 20-year-old daughter. She’s biologically my niece. I’ve had the great pleasure and honor and the greatest gift of my life above all of this to become her dad. Just a little bit after American Idol, I became her dad. So it’s been about a decade. my sister has had a drug addiction her entire adult life and it never let her be the mom she needed to be and so that gave me the opportunity to step up so Josie is my baby girl when my sister actually lost custody of Jocelyn Jocelyn was two years old my parents had just divorced and it was just me and my mom and I started to learn how to become a dad when I was 13 to Jocelyn I remember one night her just crying and she was just trying to figure out why she couldn’t be with her mom and I remember holding her and rocking her to sleep when I was 13 and I remember looking up at the ceiling because in my mind God’s like right up there as long as I look up and talk to him and I remember vividly telling him God if you provide and make a way I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she never feels like this again that she feels loved and protected and provided for I’ll do it and God’s been faithful after American Idol came to Nashville watching my mom struggle raise jossie alone i remember that conversation i have with god when i was 13. i know this sounds crazy this has been my life and i don’t know something just told me to step in and so i did and i traded i didn’t get the record deal we put out a record independently and i just went home and i got a job on a church staff because i wanted to do this and legally did the paperwork to become her dad and so that i could take her to a doctor’s appointment and register you know apply for school But all the things, I mean, I’m 31 now, like 21, 22, like my mom helped and God provided, God kept his promise to that 13 year old, you know, when I was 13, I had that conversation with him. And so I put away the music and I gave up the dream. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. And I was okay with being able to do church stuff. I was at a mega church to be completely like honest. So it was like full production, like crazy, like level. And it was really fun. and it was ministry. And I got to tell these people about Jesus and encourage them. And I love the local church. I really do. I love being a worship leader, but I always had this thing in me that told me that it was more than these four walls, but it just wasn’t happening. And so about two and a half years ago from here, from now, The Voice reached out through email about casting. I was like, there’s no way. They know who I was and they know I did Idol so many years ago. Back then you couldn’t do both shows. So I was like, there’s no way they’re going to put me on The Voice after I did American Idol. And they did. And I started the process. And I remember talking to the Lord and being like, God, are you about to give me another chance? Is this about to happen? Jocelyn at this point is graduating high school. I’m not raising a 10, 11-year-old kid anymore. And so he’s so real and he’s so perfect, man. And he made a way. And I did The Voice, Team Kelly Clarkson. Thank you, Jesus, for Kelly Clarkson. So here I am on the show. And I told the Lord, I was like, man, God, if you allow me to make it far enough, I want to worship you on the show. I want to lead 10 million people in worship. I want to tell them who you are. I remember going to the production staff and everything. I kept making it and America kept voting. And I was like, what’s going on? This is weird, man. But they wouldn’t give me a worship song. And I’d given them a list of songs. I’m like, guys, any of them. I don’t care which one. And then finally, I went to Kelly Clarkson and she went to them and was like, he’s going to be a christian artist when he gets off of this you need to let that part of the industry know that he’s here and this is the truest version of him he’s gonna sing a worship song like pick which one but it’s gonna be one of these so shout out to her it gives me chills to this day and so amazing and so i got to sing reckless love the next week and i got to lead millions of people and i remember the hundreds and hundreds of messages that began to come in on my social media of people that were just fans of me for the show they were like you know what i’ve i’ve never heard a christian song before i don’t really know who jesus is like thank you for introducing me to him tonight something happened when you sang tonight and i’m like man if this is the reason like i came here and if this is what it was for like this is worth everything i made the top nine and then i got eliminated she told me you can find it on youtube and she was like jeremy gospel music christian music i have no doubt it’s going to wrap their arms around that god-given talent that you have are you going to do incredible things and then when we cut and we weren’t live on tv anymore she said we got this here’s my number i’m going to give you everything that i have every bit of access that i have when you go into these record labels you tell them that you’ve got me on your side i will advocate for you i’ll promote for you whatever you want to do i will be there to help you and she has stood so true to her promises i mean i did her talk show i performed in january we interviewed and she’s been so involved i don’t know what i did i just know that this was all the Lord’s plan. Like none of this makes sense to me. I know people talk about imposter syndrome, like feeling like it could never be me or I don’t feel good enough. I do feel those things, but I genuinely recognize that without the presence of God in my life, like in the favor of God, none of this would have happened, but it’s God and it’s been God and it’s always going to be God. And I’m soaking in every second of it because all of that that I’ve been through makes this feel so much more worth it you know our story is like a still a daily story like this isn’t something we’ve lived in like my sister has had a drug addiction for jocelyn’s entire life so that’s not been easy but again god has been perfect and he sustained us and he’s making dreams come true and he’s bringing provision that we’ve not seen before and he’s just he’s just doing exceedingly abundantly more than i could ask or imagine could be true i’m living that right now My sister is still one of my favorite people in the entire world. The addiction that she’s had doesn’t stop me from loving the human that she is. You talk about my supporters. You talk about somebody who’s believed in me since I was a little boy. It’s that girl. I have a song called Come and See. The song’s about my sister, Amy. I signed my record deal. We had our celebration. It was like my mom was here, my daughter was here. I’m here at Capitol Records, and I’m like, they’re the middle way. but i had a co-write that afternoon one of the songs that we wrote right after this celebration here capital was come and see and we wrote it because as soon as i left here my sister called me you talk about high highs and low lows at the same time and the reality of life she had just checked herself out of a rehab again we’ve been through the ups and downs and she was calling me she was frantic on the phone she was crying and she kept telling me jeremy i just need you to give me a reason why I should do this I’m about to go into another rehab I’m standing outside the building honestly it’s like a terrible movie she called me and she just keeps telling me is Jocelyn even gonna love me is she ever gonna give me a chance again like why am I doing this she’s like I need you to tell me a reason and I don’t know if you’ve ever had to deal with an addict anybody watching listening but like that mindset is different and they kind of just throw things at the wall it’s very quick and I just kept trying to calm her down and tell her Amy the The fact that you’re even talking to me after you have overdosed three, four times in my lifetime and you’re breathing, there has to be purpose on your life. Something is still yet to be accomplished. It’s not over yet. I was like, I got to go. I’m going into the studio and co-writers being like, what do you want to write about? Well, I had already written so many songs for my sister Amy about the journey, but I had not written her a song yet in faith for the future version of her. for the day she would finally be free a song that she could declare and tell the world about come and see what god has done come and see what i’ve become if you need proof that he’s god and he can do anything i don’t even need to convince you just come hear my story see my life and you’ll know that he’s real and that he’s able they’re writing this song remembering the phone call i just had part of me believe that god is gonna finally happen the other part of me is struggling to believe in my flesh that we’d ever get there. We wrote this song 12, 13 months ago. What I didn’t know was that God was turning it around. I couldn’t see the big picture yet. My sister has been free and clean and sober and on fire for Jesus for 10 months now. She loves Jesus and she’s telling everybody that she sees. This is my song. Come and see what God’s done. the song that I wrote in faith, believing that one day it could happen. She’s at the front row of my show the other day, and I popped my ear out so I could hear the crowd. And I hear her in the front row singing, and she can’t sing. It’s really bad. But she’s singing her song, Come and See What God’s Done If You Need Proof That He Can Do Anything. And it’s Amy’s song. It is. But it’s anybody’s song that has ever walked through anything impossible that God made possible. Anybody who’s seen, experienced healing, restoration, deliverance, freedom, big or small. This is your song to say, come and see what God’s done. This is where we stand on the rooftop and we shout, he’s God and he’s real. And if you need proof, I don’t even have to convince you. Just come see my life. Come hear my story. And you’ll know that he’s God. But how perfect God is that he would give me a dream. He would restore all of it. he would let my daughter be okay and that he would heal my sister and that he would finally free her and that I would be able to stand and give her a kiss and give her a hug and tell her how proud I am and thank her for not giving up. Coming this Easter, an epic four-part audio podcast series, The Christ. My hour has not yet come. My son, your hour was written before time. Starring David Oyelowo He claims to be a king Tom Pelfrey My kingdom is not of this world Paul Walter Hauser He is the light, the true light With narration from John Rhys-Davies and Patricia Heaton The Christ Wherever you listen to podcasts Jeremy Rosado sacrificed his dreams to raise his niece Now he has the backing of Kelly Clarkson His song Keep Holding On showcases his vocal talents and his story. Go look for it on YouTube now. It’s so good. In our next story, Michelle knew how to sacrifice for others at a young age, but eventually she forgot. Well, my name is Michelle Altman. I am from Chicago originally. And my mom was the most loving woman that I knew. And she just loved Jesus, right? And so she instilled in me the importance of keeping God in everything. Unfortunately, she died when I was nine years old. My mom died the day after she had my youngest brother. I was told I had to pick up learning how to do the daily chores of the house, helping with the baby. And, you know, as time went on, I was just so upset and angry about all of the responsibilities that I had. And I remember I took a walk. I just walked for a very long time, wanted to get away, get out the house. And while I was taking that walk, I passed a set of railroad tracks. And by those railroad tracks, there was a homeless woman. And I felt led to ask her, you know, what she needed. And she said, baby, I’m hungry. And so I remember I ran home as fast as I could and I made these sandwiches and packed these this bag full of whatever I thought that she would like and I took it back to her and you know I remember eating a sandwich with her and I asked her what else she needed and I remember her chuckling and she’s like girl what could you really do for me and I said I don’t know but I feel like I’m supposed to ask and she said well I don’t have a place to lay my head I’m homeless and so I ran home again as fast as I could and I pulled out the telephone book that probably dates my age a little bit right pulled out the telephone book and I found you know I called a couple of places and I found a place that if she was able to get transported to this place that she could get some help so I called the non-emergency number, said, hey, you know, this is the situation. And I said, but the thing is, because I asked them to send the police to transport her. I said, but this is the thing. I said, she did nothing wrong. So don’t take her to jail. She just needs someone to love on her and she needs some support. So I ran back and told her what was going to happen. And I waited there till the police came. And when the police came, I told them the same thing like listen she did nothing wrong she just needs some help dude I take her to jail and I asked them could I go with them and they was like no you can’t and they was like what are you doing out here anyway like you’re nine years old like of course they asked my age and I just said I felt like I was supposed to help her and because they told me no the place that she needed to get transported to was maybe about a 15 minute bus ride from my house and so I ran home got money hopped on the bus and went to the hospital where she needed to be transported. You know, when I got to the hospital, this is when the police is like, I can’t believe like you followed us. What is going on? Where are your parents? And just things. And so that’s when they got my information. After that, you know, maybe three months goes by and I received a phone call. It was the organization that the lady had gotten transported to reporting to me that the lady was in the program, and she was doing well, and that she would never be homeless again, right? And so, you know, I just always say that my mom instilled in me to love God and to keep God in everything at an early age, but God also instilled in me at an early age to love his people. Though, you know, it got to the point of I had done everything that so-called woman of the house was supposed to do, So as I grew up in my teenage years, I wanted to know what women really actually did. So I just started, you know, finding my own way, doing things that I wanted to do. I got pregnant when I was 16. When I was 18 years old, I had a birthday party. I got a gift that changed the trajectory of my life. And that gift was a line of cocaine that led to many other drugs. took me to a place of hopelessness and despair. I was stealing. You know, I was lying to my family. You know, I was that person that thought nothing could touch me. I can handle this. It got to the point that, you know, I had stole all I could steal from people because they would lock up their house or turn away when they saw me coming. And so I had to find another means of supporting my habit. I began to prostitute myself on the streets of Chicago. I can attest to seven visible times that God spared my life I’ve had guns put to my head that didn’t go off I’ve been beat to probably no recognition and the list could go on and on but God and so it just got to the point that I didn’t want that life anymore I had tried to stop You know, because to fast forward, you know, years continue to go by. And I had three kids at that time, wasn’t able to support them and take care of them. I was tired. I had tried to stop doing drugs on my own to no avail. And I heard my mom’s voice in my ear, keep God in everything that you do. And in that moment, I welcomed God into the madness. and I said, God, I can’t, I can’t do this on my own and I need your help. And while I was in my madness, I, you know, continued to pray and ask God to help me and to deliver me, but I was doing the same things. I remember I had called my aunt and I hadn’t been to church in so long. I just felt the urge to just want to go to church. My aunt’s like, yes, of course you go to church because I hadn’t been to church in years. When I went to church, that sermon that was preached was on Jeremiah 29, 11. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. My hand’s not to harm you, but to give you a hope and a future. When I left there, I said, that’s for me. I felt like that was made just for me because I was like, this is not my life, right? And I began to go home and just like talk in the mirror and say that, you know, I’m delivered, I’m whole and talk those affirmations to myself in the mirror every day while still continuing to do the same thing. And then people started to come that were in my circle of the madness. I started encouraging them and asking them, like, is this the life that you want for yourself? Like, how would you see yourself if you weren’t doing this? now I understand that while I was encouraging them I was also encouraging myself right and so to fast forward you know I moved to Wisconsin and I brung the madness with me saying in the mirror I’m delivered I’m set free February 22nd 2010 day like every other day I get up go to the mirror say what I have to say, planning to go do what I had done for years. And I stepped on my porch and I remember it was a really cold day. You know, I just looked up at the sky and said, God, I trust you. Walk down the steps, go to the place that I had went to every day, almost every day of my life, sat down at the table. And I said, I’m done today. And the people around me are like, Michelle, please, like, just stop saying that. Like, you’ve been saying that for years. Just admit that this is your reality. I said, this is not my reality. And I got up from that table, went home. I really don’t remember how I got home, but what I do remember is that I got down on my hands and my knees, and I surrendered the drugs, the shame, the guilt, the prostitution, I love it to God. And I remember a washing. And when I got up off my knees, I wasn’t the same. I knew it. And I was delivered and set free. I didn’t have withdrawals. I didn’t have to go to rehab. And I never had the urge again. And after I was delivered, I, you know, started getting in my word and the word of God. And I have found another scripture that when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. Ah, that was it. I was free and I was free indeed. Now I have an organization called Cornerstone of Grace. We serve women and we offer them a safe environment by helping them through their life challenges. We offer them love and discipleship and resources. so they can build that solid foundation for growth and stability. And we do that all through Christ Jesus. And we now have two houses. God just continued to expand. The women can stay up to a year. They take parenting classes and counseling and budget strategies and are required to go to church. But the thing that I want them to know, who you are in Christ Jesus. He says that you are beautiful. he says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made chosen and set apart them knowing who they are and whose they are in Christ Jesus to sit and think about me being in madness over half of my life and God to deliver me and set me free and then use what the devil meant for evil God uses it for good. And I’m able to pour into ladies and children each and every day to just share the love of God. It’s not my story. It’s God’s story because he’s all in it. And he’s been in it from the very beginning. You are who God says you are. God used the drug addiction, the prostitution, and the despair to bring Michelle back to her senses. And now she helps other women exit addiction and prostitution. At the beginning of our show, I told you about Sarah Nielsen, the author of Just Keep Going, spiritual encouragement from the mom of a troubled teen. I know that troubled teen she wrote about. He’s not a teen anymore. I play pickleball with him and his brother. For a while, me and all my friends were praying that he and his wife would come to know Jesus. I’m happy to say our prayers were answered. When I think about people like Sarah and Jeremy who sacrifice for loved ones who are addicts, and then addicts like Carissa and Michelle who get free, it makes me say, wow, God. And when I say, wow, God, I mean the one true living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He’s the one who makes my heart say, wow, God. Wow, God. Wow, God. My wow god story i wanted to share a wow god that’s my wow god story and praise god and i’m so thankful to god for this wow god moment so thank you god in celebration of easter an epic four-part audio podcast series the christ he’s not just a boy yet he is and what will they do to him when they find out who he really is they will worship him featuring the emmy and golden globe award nominated voices of tom pelfrey david oiello paul walter hauser john reese davies and patricia heaton my hour has not yet come my son your hour was written before time it’s the greatest story ever told hear it in an all-new way the christ he said open your ears and they were open an epic audio podcast series featuring an all-star cast any power that you have has been given to you from above by he who sent me he claims to be a king you are the father of lies and you have lost it has already been written don’t miss an episode listen and follow the christ wherever you get your podcasts