Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith

This week, we’ll hear from Butch Hartman, the animator and creator behind Nickelodeon’s biggest shows, including The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom. Butch grew up in a chaotic household in Michigan, where television and comic books served as his primary escape. This early passion eventually led him to California’s top animation school and then to a long career at Nickelodeon. Today, we’ll hear why he walked away after nearly twenty years at the network to start his own studio.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Matt Cooper, a country artist from Jacksonville, Florida who turned the worst year of his life into a number one radio single. After losing his mother to cancer, Matt found himself white-knuckling his grief, until a late night group therapy session cracked something open and sent him home to write a song in a single hour that would change everything.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Jimi Cravity
Upcoming interview: Sarah Jakes Roberts

Butch Hartman
CalArts
The Garden - Cartoon created by Butch Hartman

Matt Cooper
“Good God” - song by Matt Cooper
“Highs and Lows” - song by Matt Cooper

Interview Quotes:
“I was [at Nickelodeon] for a lifetime, and I thought it’s time to go build a new life somewhere else with my own way to do this.” - Butch Hartman
“There are millions of people out there that will never go into a church, but they’ll hold a screen in their hand and they’ll watch something. So it’s my job as a producer and a showrunner and a studio head to make sure that whatever goes on that screen is uplifting and is good for people’s souls and their spirit.” - Butch Hartman
“There are kids out there I will never meet, but I know that the content I’m producing is going to somehow affect their life in a positive way for the Lord.” - Butch Hartman
“We have to be very wise about the decisions we make, especially when it comes to entertainment, because it lives forever.” - Butch Hartman
“I think it’s really hard, especially as a man, to deal with grief, because you try to white knuckle everything as a dude.” - Matt Cooper
“I’m a big believer in therapy. It was really, really great for me. It was a way for me to talk through the emotions that I had just been hiding a lot.” - Matt Cooper
“I wrote my song 'Highs and Lows' in one hour. It was the fastest song I ever wrote. And that was the first sense of like finding music as a way of dealing with my grief.” - Matt Cooper
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from grief is that I understand more of the love of the Father than I ever had in my life.” - Matt Cooper
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https:/bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this deeply honest conversation, Erin Kerry opens up about living with PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder—and the labels that once defined her. As a nutritionist and health coach, Erin shares how she moved from shame and self-limiting beliefs to a place of healing, hope, and wholeness.

Guest’s Links
YouTube: @erinbkerry
Facebook: @ErinBKerry
Instagram: @sparkingwholeness

Watch this interview on our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/44xz2Xs
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. Jim Burns, founder of HomeWord, returns to the Jesus Calling Podcast to discuss how parents can navigate the heartbreak of estrangement with their adult children. He offers advice on avoiding self-blame, communicating without unsolicited criticism, and prioritizing healthy boundaries.
Later, neuroscientist Dr. Joshua W. Brown shares how a terminal brain tumor diagnosis at age thirty sparked his interest in investigating how faith practices and prayer contribute to healing. Using his scientific training, he describes seeing cases that medical professionals cannot explain, exploring how healing may happen beyond the scope of traditional treatment.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Brooke Envick
Upcoming interview: Butch Hartman

Dr. Jim Burns
Doing Life with Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out - Book by Dr. Jim Burns
When Your Adult Child Strays: Trading Heartache For Hope - Book by Dr. Jim Burns
Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child: Practical Tips and Tools to Heal Your Relationship - Book by Tina Gilbetson

Dr. Joshua W. Brown
Global Medical Research Institute
Proving a Miracle: Unlocking the Power of Prayer to Heal - Book by Dr. Joshua W. Brown

Interview Quotes:
“I say to people whose kids are just moving into adulthood: ‘Number one, you’re fired as a day-to-day parent. You have to give the kid the passport to adulthood.’” - Dr. Jim Burns
“Mentors don’t necessarily give advice, they give advice when they’re asked.” - Dr. Jim Burns
“I say to parents all the time, take the lead, but take the lead with love. Take the lead with kindness.” - Dr. Jim Burns
“There are very few estrangements where we don’t need the help of counsel. We need somebody coming alongside us to give us insight, especially with estrangement, because we don’t know what to do.” - Dr. Jim Burns
“So the tightrope that you walk is you show love, you practice kindness, you expand the relationship to not just be a one-topic parent. And in doing that, you can embrace your child and love your child.” - Dr. Jim Burns
“I think the bottom line with a lot of people, a lot of adult children, is they’re asking one question, ‘Do you still love me?’” - Dr. Jim Burns
“If you hope for nothing, you are protected from being disappointed. And so hope has a cost to it. I was starting to see people, right in front of me, experience healing through this kind of prayer ministry. And so that gave me some degree of hope that there was at least something going on there that was worth pursuing.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown
“If you spend your time praying, thinking about God, thinking about His goodness, thinking about how He loves you and cares for you, your brain cells will become more responsive to those thoughts over time.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown
“Can what we believe, or our prayers for example, lead to mind-body effects that can have effects on actually reducing pain?” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown
“As with food, you are what you eat. And I think the same principle applies spiritually and even psychologically [as to] the things that you spend time thinking about.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today, we’re joined by two people who found their way through the wreckage of their pasts to build something new. First, we hear from Tom Hardin. A former Wall Street insider trader, Tom saw his entire world unravel the morning the FBI knocked on his door. He joins us to share how he moved from a double life of secrets to finding a faith that finally holds up on Monday mornings.
Then, we’re joined by Dawn Cazedessus [CAZZ de sue], author of Trailer Park CEO. Raised in an environment of generational poverty and abuse, Dawn navigated the difficult path from survival to becoming a regional leader for Keller Williams International. She’ll walk us through how she broke that cycle and why she’s learned to embrace failure as a way to fail forward.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Tim Green
Upcoming interview: Dr. Jim Burns

Tom Hardin
Wired on Wall Street: The Rise and Fall of Tipper X, One of the FBI’s Most Prolific Informants - Book by Tom Hardin

Dawn Cazedessus
Trailer Park CEO: 12 Leadership Cornerstones to Become a Godly Woman of Influence - Book by Dawn Cazedessus

Interview Quotes:
“Ambition without any anchoring was sort of like velocity without direction. I had all the drive in the world; I just hadn’t built the moral infrastructure to sustain it.” - Tom Hardin
“The most dangerous lie isn’t the one you tell others; it’s absolutely the one you tell yourself so fluently you forget it’s a lie at all.” - Tom Hardin
“God didn’t meet me at the top of my career; He met me at the bottom of my character.” - Tom Hardin
“Guilt says, I did something bad, shame says, I am something terrible. Guilt can drive you towards repentance, but shame drives you into hiding—not only from yourself, but from others and from God.” - Tom Hardin
“This idea of “Who am I hurting” is the most seductive question a person can ask because the answer is always larger than you’re willing to imagine while you’re asking it.” - Tom Hardin
“Faithfulness isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision you make every morning before the feelings arrive.” - Tom Hardin
“As I drove off [from the trailer park], in my mind, I was leaving that past behind and going into the future, but what I realized later on in my life is that I physically left that day, but it took years to mentally leave.” - Dawn Cazedessus
“The people who have given me their time have been even more valuable because they took time to pour into me, to speak into me.” - Dawn Cazedessus

“You’ve got to be able to approach life with a glass that is overflowing, so that you can navigate the difficulty of the things.” - Dawn Cazedessus

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
________________________

Connect with Jesus Calling
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Welcome to a special scripture-focused bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, where we think about the concept of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and what their presence and purpose means to each of our individual lives. Pastor, author, and speaker Timothy Jones helps us contemplate this relational view, and how the communing of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brings a new level of intimacy and belovedness to each of us.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Jesus Calling
Jesus Always
Jesus Listens

Timothy Jones
Fully Beloved

Interview Quotes:
“I found that knowing God as Father, Son, and Spirit warms our view of God. There’s a real tenderness here, and that surprises some people.” - Timothy Jones
“I see in the three-person portrait of God a wonderful invitation to know all three in more intimate ways, to realize how God comes close to give us help for our everyday life.” - Timothy Jones
“Before humankind even appeared on the scene, God was already busy relating. It makes sense that God, already full of love and communing, would create.” - Timothy Jones
“God is not some aloof, distant being. This is not some deity who can’t understand what it means to be in an intimate relationship.” - Timothy Jones
“Because God has shown us this picture of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we glimpse a delight that grows out of a communion that’s already at play between the three persons of the Trinity.” - Timothy Jones

“We’re all searching for a more lasting love, something that’s reliable, sturdy, dependable, and abundant. This is what I see in the picture of the Trinity. Because of all this relational depth, it’s not intimidating as much as it is life-changing.” - Timothy Jones
“Human tenderness alone cannot satisfy our deepest longings. What I’m seeing here [in the Trinity] can heighten our anticipation for a life with God, a relationally richer life.” - Timothy Jones
“God cares about our daily worries, about the hardest things that happen to us, whether we’re loved and valued.” - Timothy Jones
“The early church spoke of the Trinity not merely as doctrine, but as something that could take a lifetime of exploring and pondering, and could deepen and enrich our worship in wonderful ways.” - Timothy Jones
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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.