Making Changes

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Dive into real stories of change and discover how we learn to adapt to life’s challenges. Explore personal journeys that reveal our capacity to grow, learn, and overcome, always with God by our side.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    On God's Side Now: From Seekers to Servants

    Before serving together as a minister and minister’s wife in the Church Of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo) for over 40 years, Brother Bob and Sister Sandy were just high school sweethearts starting their life in the military while stationed in Guam. They were just two young Americans living for the moment, and that was enough. Then a car went off a bridge. And sank. Trapped underwater, seatbelt jammed, Bob made a promise to God in the dark. What followed was a Bible study he never planned to attend, a truth he never expected to find, and a wife who went for him one night — and came back the next night for herself. This is a story of two people who have never stopped choosing the life they surrendered to. Episode Timestamps 00:00               I’m Not on That Side Anymore: The Moment That Started It All 01:21               Meet Brother Bob and Sister Sandy Pellien 02:12               First Day of High School, English Class, and a Pair of Boots 05:16               The Bonfire: Where It Became Official 06:39               A Proposal Written on a Letter From Boot Camp 11:24               Newlyweds and the Vietnam War 15:20               Beach Bums in Guam: Scuba Diving, Motorcycles, and Living for the Moment 17:21               The Night Dive That Changed Everything 18:57               The Car Goes Off the Bridge 20:33               Trapped Underwater: “I’m Not Done Yet” 20:55               The Promise He Made to God in the Dark 22:43               Brother John Kolp: The Man of Very Few Words 28:24               Sandy Hears About the Accident: “No Big Deal” 31:34               The First Bible Study at the Church Of Christ 33:19               Brother Bob Raises His Hand in the Middle of Bible Study 36:29               Sister Sandy Goes the Second Night — This Time for Herself 38:24               “I Wanted the Rest of the Story” 40:11               Before the Church and After the Church 43:04               “We Were Just Gratifying Ourselves” 44:14               What Freedom Actually Means 54:49               Sharing the Truth — and the Pushback About the Messenger 01:02:36          Baptism Day: Brother Bob 01:05:29          Baptism Day: Sister Sandy 01:11:12          Eight Hours to Jacksonville, Every Weekend 01:13:28          Cassette Tapes and Worship Service at Home 01:19:12          “I’m Not on That Side Anymore. I’m on Your Side Now, God.” After hundreds of hours of driving up and down Florida. Sleeping in parking lots. Watching those early ministers run themselves into the ground trying to teach the words of God — Brother Bob’s determination was set. He was ready to help. Whatever that looked like. And Sister Sandy was right there next to him…without hesitation, without negotiation, or questions. She was in. They didn’t know what came next. They just knew they were done deciding for themselves. The second half of their story is about what happens when two people hand everything over to God, completely… and in Brother Bob and Sister Sandy’s case, together. Trust me, I’ve known Brother Bob and Sister Sandy for decades and there’s so much I didn’t know about them until this conversation. Listen to part two of this story when it drops wherever you listen and watch podcasts. If Brother Bob and Sister Sandy’s story moved you today, share it with someone who needs to hear that the life God has planned for you is bigger than anything you could have chosen for yourself. For more Making Changes podcasts, visit incmedia.org, the INC Media app, or find it anywhere you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening, and may your change uplift you. Mentioned in the episode: Making Changes Season 4 https://incmedia.org/making-changes/ That’s in the Bible http://incmedia.org/thats-in-the-bible Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 28min

  2. 30 APR

    Just 16: Living After Losing Mom & Dad

    Madison grew up in a home full of music, laughter, and faith. A mom who lit up every room. A dad who made her laugh. Parents who made sure she knew God from a very young age. Madison was only 16 when her life completely changed. In the span of five months, both of her parents were gone. She was an only child. A pandemic was just beginning. And she had every reason to walk away from everything she had been taught to believe. She didn’t. This is the story of a young woman whose greatest loss became the very thing that proved what her parents had built in her. And how the faith she inherited became the faith she chooses to lean on every day. Episode Timestamps 00:00                “I’m Still Here”: The Faith That Held 01:35                Meet Madison: Psychology Grad, Choir Leader, Future Teacher 03:08                The Parents Who Made Her Childhood 08:07                What Her Mom Always Told Her About God 09:41                The Call That Changed Everything 13:35                The Night Before Her Mom Passed — She Still Wanted to Perform 17:29                Life at 16: Rocks Tied to Her Everywhere She Went 20:06               “The Choir Was the Only Thing That Made Sense” 22:16               How Tragedy Deepened Her Faith 27:25 — Her Dad Was Already Sick 30:10                Five Months Later: Her Dad Never Came Home 36:23                What She Said to God After Losing Both Parents 38:06               “God Must See Something in Me That I Don’t Understand Yet” 38:33                The Toughest Part: Every Change at Once 43:03                How She Stayed Sane Through the Pandemic 46:29               Milestones: The Ones She’ll Never Share With Them 48:39                Her Birthday and Why She Hated It 49:20                Her Therapist’s Reframe: Living Because They Lived 51:09                When Grief Hits Now 52:09                If I Got Through That, Why Can’t I Get Through Anything Else? 52:59              Why She Majored in Psychology 53:56                Advice for Anyone in a Season of Grief 55:11                Where She Is in Her Healing 57:26               The Purpose to Her Pain 01:00:09           Advice to Young People: Give Your Parents a Chance 01:01:38           How She Lives Now: With Intention 01:03:11           “There Has Always Been Something God Left for Me” 01:04:05           Why Acceptance Changes Everything 01:05:35           “You Could Take Everything From Me. I Would Still Have My Faith.” 01:10:37           Her Dreams for the Future 01:11:29           What Kind of Mom She Hopes to Be 01:12:12           Why She Said Yes to This Podcast 01:14:05          Rapid Fire: Favorite Memories With Mom and Dad 01:16:00           Photos, Feelings, and Bittersweet 01:17:04           Change Is: An Opportunity to Grow If you are in the middle of something right now and you don’t know what to say, just say what Madison said. God, I don’t know what to tell you. But you see me. I just need your help. And even if you’re not going through anything right now, Madison’s story is a reminder for all of us to not take our loved ones for granted. To hold on tighter to the people God has placed in our lives…because we really never know what tomorrow brings. For more Making Changes podcasts, visit incmedia.org, the INC Media app, or find it anywhere you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening, and may your change uplift you. Mentioned in the episode: Faith Speaks “Lessons My Parents Taught Me” https://incmedia.org/lessons-my-parents-taught-me/ Three Lessons I’ve Learned Through Trusting God https://incmedia.org/worried-about-the-future-trust-god-instead/ Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 19min

  3. 24 APR

    Born Into Chaos: How God Changed Everything

    James Johnson grew up Baptist, surrounded by noise, chaos, and a home full of fear. He knew from the time he was a boy that something wasn’t right, not at home, and not in any of the churches his family took him to. So he did what most people never do. He kept looking. Church after church. State after state. Until God put the right person in the exact spot James happened to walk by. This is the story of a man whose chaotic childhood didn’t break him. But gave him the reason to search so deeply for God, for peace, and for a life with a deeper meaning. And how finding the truth didn’t just change his faith. It changed everything. Episode Timestamps 00:00               Born Into Chaos: The Errand That Changed Everything 01:24               Faith Speaks Callback: One Chance Encounter on a Ship 02:42               Growing Up Baptist in the South: No Foundation, No Truth 04:19               Church After Church: Loud, Chaotic, and Nothing Like Home 06:17               College Dropout to Navy: Out of 347 Ships, God Chose This One 08:21               Was It a Coincidence? James Answers That Question 09:59               What Made Him Stop: A 12-Year-Old’s Hunger for Truth 11:07               First Time in the Church of Christ: “This Is Where I Belong” 12:17               Driving 1 Hour 20 Minutes to Church for a Year 13:24               Why I Didn’t Like Going to Church as a Child 15:22               Domestic Abuse, Noise, and the Childhood That Drove Him to Search 16:01               “I Was Really Searching for Peace. Spiritual Peace. Knowledge of God.” 16:39               Would You Have Searched If Your Childhood Was Peaceful? 18:33               What Suffering Does to a Person’s Search for God 20:03               Reconciling Not Liking Church But Desperately Wanting God 20:51               Catholicism, Cathedrals, and Why He Cut That Out Too 23:25               Critical Thinking: The Survival Skill His Abusive Father Gave Him 25:28               Internalizing Everything: Nodules, Hospitals, and Almost Kicked Out 26:44               “How Did You Not End Up a Broken Soul?” 27:35               Always Had Faith. Just Didn’t Have the Foundation Yet. 31:19               First Worship Service: No Idols, No Chaos, Just Order 31:48               There Is No Black Church. There Is No Filipino Church. It’s True or False. 34:00               Bible Studies Begin: The Questions He Finally Got Answered 37:06               The Hardest Doctrine to Accept: The Last Messenger 38:29               “Completeness”: The Moment Everything Finally Lined Up 40:47               “Come as You Are” Means Come Broken. That’s How I Came. 41:38               Baptism Day: Robes, Nerves, and What Happened the Moment He Came Up 43:00               After Baptism, Life Got Harder. Here’s How He Held On. 44:08               Gun to His Head. A Bombing He Missed by 15 Hours. A Hurricane at Sea. 46:29               Loneliness Is a Pandemic. James Johnson Is Never Alone. 47:02               Problems vs. Challenges: A Military Counselor’s Perspective 49:06               “Who Listens to You?” God. Always God First. 50:52               12-Year-Old James to James Today: What God Did in Between 54:08               Why James Lives to Serve 55:18               “What Happened to You Is Not Your Fault. Healing Is Your Responsibility.” 56:35               What Does God’s Purpose Feel Like When He Saves You That Many Times? 57:03               How the Church Changed James Johnson 57:57               Why Change Is the Only Way Forward 58:33               “Why Me?” to “Why Not Me?” 59:21               The Photo. The Tears. 1 in a Million. 01:02:18          James’s Message to Anyone Barely Holding On 01:03:26          Hold On to God. There Is Nothing Outside the Church Worth It. 01:05:40          You Turned Trauma Into a Life of Service James spent the first part of his life searching. Surviving. Holding on to a belief that something real was out there even when nothing around him confirmed it. And then he found it. Not just peace. Not just answers. A life. One built on truth, on service, on a foundation that no amount of chaos could shake. That is what God does for the people who find him. Truly find him. I remember Brother Barry Thompson saying in his episode that if you truly want to serve God and you’re willing to do whatever it takes…He’ll guide you. He’ll lead you there. And this was definitely true in James’ story. If James’s story moved you today, share it with someone who’s still in the middle of their search. This might be the reminder they need to not give up. Mentioned in the episode: Seeker: When I Finally Stopped Saying No https://incmedia.org/seeker-when-i-finally-stopped-saying-no/ Ask your questions https://incmedia.org/contact/ Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 8min

  4. 16 APR

    After Loss: Why I Stopped Asking God Why

    Maria and her husband were doing everything right. God-fearing. Committed. Active in the church. And when their first daughter was born, life was exactly as planned. Then, four months later, Savannah’s heart stopped. What followed would test everything… their marriage, their faith, and everything they thought they understood about a God they had always trusted. And somewhere in the middle of the grief, Maria faced a choice: keep asking why… or start asking, “What do you want me to do now, God?” This is the story of what she did with that loss. And how, even 18 years later, Savannah is still changing her family. Episode Timestamps 00:00               She Lost the Gift: Why Savannah Is Still Changing Everything 01:42               Meet Maria: Three Teens, One Busy Household, and a Fourth Child Named Alex 03:42               18 Years Ago: A Perfect Pregnancy and a Life That Was Going as Planned 05:05               Day Two: When the Nurse Heard Something Different 06:25              Two Holes in Her Heart: The Diagnosis No One Expected 07:05               February to March: The Cold That Wasn’t Just a Cold 08:14               In the Choir Loft: The Night Everything Changed 10:23               “Your Daughter Had a Cardiac Arrest”: Still in Her Toga 11:17               Think Like a Nurse, Not a Mom: Maria’s Sister Steps In 13:25               The Prayer at SickKids: “If It’s Not Your Will, Help Me Learn” 14:44               “Your Daughter Is a Vegetable”: When the Doctors Finally Said It Plain 15:14               Letting God Take His Place: The Decision No Parent Wants to Make 17:34               Job’s Story, Holy Supper, and the Biggest Test of Her Faith 19:24               “I Want to Perform”: Choosing Duty Over Grief 21:12              The Last Thing She Would Do Was Let the Devil Win 22:13               What Kept the Marriage Together: Daily Prayer, Even When Tired 23:12               Get Your Ego Out, Maria: From “What Did I Do?” to “What Can I Do Now?” 25:56               The Purpose of Savannah’s Four Months 29:12               There Is Purpose to Pain: What She Would Say to Anyone at the Bottom 33:20               Keep Going: Going Back to Duty When You Just Want to Hide 37:11               “I Cannot Do This Without You”: Prayer as the Anchor 39:23               After Savannah: Trying Again and Holding Your Breath 44:40               My Three Kids Are My Promise to God 48:26               Church Activity Plus Ice Cream: Making Faith a Family Memory 50:40               Why Kids Leave: Questions That Never Got Answered 51:19               How Maria Stays One Step Ahead 53:41               You Can Be Successful and Still Have Nothing 55:19               I Want My Kids to Make It to Heaven to See Their Sister 57:52               My Daughter Said: “I Appreciate That You Stay and Listen” 1:00:06            Don’t Make God Your Babysitter 1:01:24            “Your Kids Only Have One Mom” 1:04:25            Care About Your Soul More Than Our Image 1:08:00            God Is Everywhere: Faith Isn’t Just for the Chapel 1:10:26            Two Different Parenting Styles, One United Front 1:12:11                        “Do You Still Believe?” The Question Maria Asks Out of the Blue 1:16:44            How Did Losing Savannah Change You? 1:18:01            Prayer, Space, and Coming Back Together: Advice for Couples After Loss 1:19:41            Rapid Fire: Food, Laughter, and the Questions She’s Not Ready For 1:21:07            Change Is: Growth, Humility, and Moving Forward It’s never about the circumstance. It’s about our response. And that’s exactly what we heard from Maria today. She didn’t choose the loss. She didn’t choose the test. But she chose what to do with it. And 18 years later, that choice is still showing up… in the way she prays with her kids, in the conversations she refuses to walk away from, in the way she fights for three children in honor of the one she couldn’t keep. Savannah was here for four months. But her impact continues to be felt. If Maria’s story moved you today, share it with a parent who needs to hear that the hardest seasons don’t have to break you. They can be the very thing that makes you fight harder for the people you love. Mentioned in the episode: Watch: Faith and Family: “What do you say to someone who lost a child” https://incmedia.org/what-do-you-say-to-someone-who-lost-a-child/ Read: Blog post: Devote Yourself in Prayer and See What Happens https://incmedia.org/devote-yourself-in-prayer-and-see-what-happens/ Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 24min

  5. 9 APR

    My Hardest Season Was God's Greatest Lesson

    Jamie Santos had always wanted to be a mom. And when she finally got pregnant with her first child, it should have been the happiest season of her life. Instead, she found herself in a hospital bed — diagnosed with lupus, malnourished, and carrying a baby the doctors weren’t sure would survive. What happened next would force her to confront something she hadn’t fully seen until that moment: that every decision she had made in the years leading up to that hospital bed had been quietly moving her farther from God. Not dramatically. Not all at once. Just one seemingly tiny decision at a time. This is a story about what happens when you finally stop resisting. And what God does the moment you say yes. Episode Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open: A Blessing They Almost Said No To  01:23 Meet Jamie: Family, Faith, and the Dream of Motherhood  03:17 When Morning Sickness Became Something More  04:15 Critically Low: The Blood Work That Changed Everything  05:46 Sent to UCLA: The Lupus Diagnosis  07:16 Malnourished and Carrying a Baby Who Wasn’t Growing  09:06 The Emotional Weight of a Life Upended Overnight  14:36 The Appointment She Made — And the Shame She Still Carries  16:17 The Moment Her Husband Walked Into the Room  19:49 The Decision That Changed Everything: Why It Happened  22:11 The Pattern: How Every Step Away From God Adds Up  25:27 The Doctors’ Complete 180  29:06 The Birth 32:25 How Changing Her Prayers Changed Her Life  33:17 The First Time She Laid Eyes on Ezra  36:09 The Best Time to Stay Close to God  41:05 Would She Have Chosen a Lighter Path?  42:19 What She Learned About God Through All of It  42:33 Meet Ezra: Four Years Old, Social Butterfly, Living Proof  44:10 The Promise She Made to God  45:57 If You’re Going Through Something Right Now  47:24 The Second Pregnancy: A Gift After the Storm  48:30 The Full Circle: Back in the Choir  50:01 Same God, New Prayers: How She Faces Challenges Now  53:53 Life Without God: “I Would Be So Lost”  54:20 What She’ll Teach Her Kids  56:08 The Promise She Made  01:05:27 Renewing Your Mind: The Blueprint God Already Gave Us  01:07:15 For Anyone Who Feels Like They’re in That Hospital Right Now  01:09:11 Rapid Fire: Faith, Motherhood, and the Power of Prayer Jamie is so wise beyond her years. It’s amazing how clearly she connected the dots in her story and how she’s been able to track it back to a single, seemingly harmless decision.  And yes, she never intended it to be a permanent change. But even in that first year, she could already feel it inside her…the resistance.  Maybe you’ve felt that same way before? Because struggle doesn’t always start with a traumatic event. Sometimes it’s taking teenee, tiny steps away from the path God wants you to be on, even momentarily… and before you know it…you don’t even see how far off course you’ve gone. But God notices. Just like in Jamie’s story, He’ll use the difficult moments, the ones we’d never choose for ourselves to remind us that He’s there. Waiting to help. Waiting to rescue us. Waiting for us to experience His answer to our prayers. So if you’re feeling like you’re trying your best but things aren’t falling into place or maybe you know someone who is feeling God’s pull in a certain direction but is still resisting Jamie’s story will be a reminder to take a moment to reflect and see if you’ve stepped off the path God has laid out for you. Maybe there’s a change you’ve got to make too. Mentioned in the episode: Read: Teaching Kids to Love God Whom They Can’t See at incmedia.org Watch: How to Make Sense of Difficult Times on the INC Media app or incmedia.org Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 15min

  6. 2 APR

    God Prepared Me: The Change I Didn't See

    Brother Shaughn Riley was 12 years old when a seating chart changed his life. It started with a friendship. Then a community. Then life-changing decisions that felt like no-brainer next steps. Quitting a job, getting on a plane, not going home for five years. None of it felt dramatic…to him. It just felt like the next step. That it was where he needed to be. In his own words: “This is just me. No big deal.” But hearing him look back at the quiet way God was arranging everything, it became clear that every step wasn’t coincidence or luck. It was preparation for the life God was laying out for him. This episode is for anyone who grew up with faith but hasn’t realized what God has been building in their life all along. Episode Timestamps 00:00 God Prepared Me: The Change I Didn’t See  01:12 A Seating Chart and a Simple Invitation  05:08 Friends, Sports, and Showing Up for Social Reasons  05:46 The Day He Started Actually Listening  07:44 Growing Up With God but No Questions  08:54 The Prophecies That Sealed Everything  11:25 Baptism at 17: Relief, Not Excitement  13:17 The Job He Quit Without Looking Back  17:57 The Friends Who Built His Foundation  19:45 What If He’d Never Met Rivera?  23:03 Brother Greg and the Class That Changed Everything  25:45 The Thought He Kept Trying to Push Away  26:38 March 17, 2014: Getting on the Plane  28:12 They Knew He’d Join Before He Did  29:10 Seeing the Central Temple for the First Time  30:34 Asking to Join the Ministry  30:46 That Same Feeling as Baptism  33:22 He Never Went Back Home  34:26 Culture Shock: How Am I Going to Survive  37:50 Prayer Was the Only Thing He Had  39:28 Why We Need the Hard Days  42:55 On the Other Side: Now He’s the One Doing Bible Studies  44:12 How the Ministry Changed Him  46:21 Too Young to Share Your Faith? Living Proof.  49:39 God Used an Army of People  51:56 I Just Never Looked at It That Way  52:17 Rapid Fire: Preparation, Just Do It, Change Is Good   Brother Shaughn spent over 20 years walking a path God had been quietly laying out. One friendship, one community, one open door at a time. He never saw it as remarkable. It was just his life. Just the next step. But that’s exactly how God works sometimes. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Every friendship. Every open door. Every yes that barely felt like a decision. God was in all of it. Preparing the way. So if you’re in a season that feels ordinary, or if the changes in your life feel too small to matter, maybe they’re not small at all. Maybe you just haven’t looked back yet. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to see what God has been doing in their life. Mentioned in the episode: Faith & Family Instagram https://www.instagram.com/faithandfamily.inc/  A Good Relationship Between Adult Children And Parents https://incmedia.org/a-good-relationship-between-adult-children-and-parents/  Listen to Dads with Autistic Kids: https://incmedia.org/dads-with-autistic-kids/ Interested in attending a Bible study in the Church Of Christ? Set a time to speak. Connect with us: Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram  Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    59 min

  7. 19 MAR

    Empty Nesters: The Next Chapter

    Sigrid and Edwin Millare have been married 32 years. They raised two sons in the faith and made sure they knew God, knew right from wrong, and knew how to build a life worth living. And when those sons finally left to do exactly that, the house got quiet. Really quiet. Studies show that 40% of couples divorce when they become empty nesters. The kids leave, the shared purpose disappears, and suddenly two people who built a life together are looking at each other wondering what’s next. But Sigrid and Edwin had something most couples don’t, a marriage built on God’s words. And that foundation gave them new reasons to choose each other again. This is a conversation about the grief nobody warns you about, the marriage nobody thinks to protect during this season, and what it really means to let go and embrace the next stage God has for you. Episode Timestamps 00:00               Empty Nesters: When the House Gets Quiet 02:01               32 Years of Marriage: Meet Sigrid and Edwin 08:13               Sitting in Joshua’s Room: The Grief That Catches You Off Guard 12:45               What Do You Wish Someone Had Told You? 15:19               What to Tell a New Parent 16:08               The Reset: Getting to Know Each Other All Over Again 18:27               32 Years Later: What Did You Not Know About Each Other? 20:41               The 40% Statistic: What Keeps Faith-Based Marriages Together? 24:36               God’s Role in Their Marriage 25:23               Why Hard Times Are Necessary 28:35               Advice for Young Couples 33:36               Why Self-Awareness Saves a Marriage 37:49               Making Sure the Kids Stay Grounded After They Leave 48:03               What Would You Want Your Boys to Say About You? 52:59               Gentle Parenting vs. Strictness: The Bible’s Take 57:49               Pointing Your Kids Back to God in Everyday Moments 1:03:00            Rapid Fire: The Wedding Photo That Said Everything 1:05:33            Dream Vacations and What’s Next 1:07:03            32 Years of Wisdom 1:11:33            Change Is… Sigrid and Edwin weren’t prepared for how quiet the house would get. How a whole year could go by and the sadness just… stayed. Lingering. But somewhere between the sunsets on the patio, the Italian restaurants and their new hobbies… something shifted Not because they stopped missing their sons. They still do… But because they chose to look at what the change gave them… an opportunity to finally see what God had been building all along..in their sons, in their marriage, and in themselves. Sigrid and Edwin didn’t just survive this season. As empty nesters, they found the next version of themselves in it. If you’re in the middle of a change that you feel uncertain about…maybe even a little nervous, this is your reminder that bittersweet is still sweet. And that sometimes the life waiting for you on the other side of letting go is more beautiful than you can imagine right now. For more Making Changes, visit incmedia.org, the INC Media app, or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. I’m Aliw Garcia Pablo and may your change uplift you. Connect with Aliw Garcia Pablo, the Making Changes Host instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Faith & Family Instagram https://www.instagram.com/faithandfamily.inc/ A Good Relationship Between Adult Children And Parents https://incmedia.org/a-good-relationship-between-adult-children-and-parents/ Listen to Dads with Autistic Kids: https://incmedia.org/dads-with-autistic-kids/ Interested in attending a Bible study in the Church Of Christ? Set a time to speak. Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

    1hr 13min

  8. 12 MAR

    The Extra Chromosome That Changed Me

    The Extra Chromosome That Changed Me Acelyne got the call at work. “Are you sitting down?” The doctor told her: trisomy 21. Down syndrome. The joy was “vacuumed out of her.” But that changed when she met Jaxson, 3 pounds, wired up in the NICU and in her words, perfect. Acelyne takes us through what happened after the shame—the NICU prayers, the school fight when Jaxson was disqualified twice from deaf school for ableism, and how a quiet, introverted mom found a warrior voice she didn’t know she had. This conversation is an example of what it means to stop praying for God to remove the battle and start trusting He prepared you for it all along. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The Phone Call: “Are You Sitting Down?” 03:48 Building Courage: “I Have to Be His Voice” 04:42 The Diagnosis Day: When Joy Was Vacuumed Out 09:40 The First Call Was to the Minister 13:25 Holding Onto 20%: Brother Neil’s Prayer 17:08 When the Heart Shifted: Second Trimester 19:18 Two Months Early: Jaxson’s Premature Birth 23:31 “He’s Perfect”: The First Moment 28:08 Whatever It Took: NICU Prayers and Prayers 34:43 Finding Out He’s Deaf—And Realizing God Prepared Her 36:02 The ASL Classes She Took Years Before 38:50 Teaching Him Prayer in Sign Language 42:47 The School Fight: Disqualified Twice for Ableism 48:33 Becoming the Warrior Her Son Needed 52:21 Little by Little: Seeing What God Wants Us to Do 54:26 “That Extra Chromosome Was Meant to Be” 56:24 What Pain Teaches: From Fear to Joy and Gratitude 57:31 Trusting God: Shaping Worries Into Prayers of Gratitude 59:33 Advice for Parents: Be the Voice They Need 1:01:31 How Trials Humble Us 1:03:19 If You Could Tell Your Pregnant Self One Thing: “Don’t Worry” Sitting there listening to Acelyne say, “That extra chromosome wasn’t a mistake—it was meant to be,” I kept thinking about those ASL classes she took years ago. How God was preparing her for a battle she didn’t even know she’d fight. Acelyne’s story is not about accepting a diagnosis or a future she didn’t plan for. It’s about realizing that God’s plans are far bigger than our fears. Yes, He gives us battles, but He also gives us the strength—and in Acelyn’s case, the courage—to fight them… if we’re willing to let God show us. And maybe that’s something God is waiting for us to do too. If Acelyne’s story moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Making Changes wherever you listen to podcasts. And remember—the battles God gives us are proof that He believes we’re strong enough to fight them. Thanks for listening, and may your change uplift you. Connect with Aliw Garcia Pablo, the Making Changes Host instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Listen to Dads with Autistic Kids: https://incmedia.org/dads-with-autistic-kids/ Interested in attending a Bible study in the Church Of Christ? Set a time to speak. Connect with the Making Changes Host http://instagram.com/aliwgarciapablo Rate & Review: Spotify and Apple Podcasts Follow the show: Instagram http://instagram.com/makingchangespodcast Visit our website: incmedia.org/making-changes

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About

Dive into real stories of change and discover how we learn to adapt to life’s challenges. Explore personal journeys that reveal our capacity to grow, learn, and overcome, always with God by our side.

Information

  • Creator
    incmedia.org
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyrighted by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ)

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