Hoping Forward - God Stories in Everyday Lori Whitney

I recorded this episode while my daughter, Sarah, was away at a respite house and it reminded me of respites/breaks I used to get when my roommate, Natasha would watch Sarah while I went and stayed in a hotel for a weekend. During one of those stays, I wrote Sarah a letter detailing her early life and all the amazing, miraculous things God had done to make us a family.

After listening to the recording, I realized that I had gotten some of the earliest dates wrong in the letter, but decided against correcting them for the podcast because none of them change the Glory of God on display in Sarah's early life. I have gotten permission from Sarah to share her story on the podcast and even to share the typed copy of the letter. If you would like a copy of the letter, send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com. I am happy to do it and Sarah and I both hope her story helps you to see God a little more clearly in your story!


Want to tell me your God story? I'd love to hear it and share it on the podcast (either you can tell it yourself, or I can relay it). Send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or reach out on the ⁠⁠Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page⁠

Keep looking for God in your story!

Have you ever found yourself in a deep darkness? A time when you felt defeated, lost, hopeless? This episode discusses the value of the darkness in the way it helps us notice and appreciate the goodness of God when we see it. I hope you will listen and think about what God has been doing in your life.


Want to tell me your God story? I'd love to hear it and share it on the podcast (either you can tell it yourself, or I can relay it)! Send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or reach out on the ⁠Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page

Keep looking for God in your story!

Sometimes God gives little gifts along the way and I've been fortunate enough to receive many of them! Have you noticed any of these in your life? They might come in the form of a text from a friend when you needed some encouragement, or maybe it's a miraculous healing of some kind, or a bill that gets paid unexpectedly. This episode tells about two God hugs I've experienced recently. They weren't big or flashy, but they let me know that I was seen, loved, and cared for by the Creator of the Universe.

Want to tell me your God story? I'd love to hear it and share it on the podcast (either you can tell it yourself, or I can relay it)! Send me an email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or reach out on the Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page

Cara Lewis is from Mobile, Alabama and is married to Jarvis, a firefighter. Cara and Jarvis have one son, Asher, who is 4 and such a little charmer! In 2020, after some devastating medical crises with Asher, Cara went from working as a medical assistant in a hospital and doctor's office to becoming Asher’s full-time caregiver. God has now shifted her career plans to focus on advocacy. She is a parent advocate, and plans events and fundraisers for special needs and medically complex families in her area. She is also a director of a non-profit organization that financially supports local families with medical equipment, supplies, and other resources. I really enjoyed sitting down with Cara and hearing her testimony of how far God has brought her and the amazing things He has done in her life and that of her son. I know you will be inspired by these stories as well!

You can find Cara on Facebook at “⁠A Special Mama⁠” or her son's page, “⁠Team Asher⁠”. The verse mentioned in this episode is Deuteronomy 33:24.


Hope Heals Camp⁠ is part of the ministry of Jay and Katherine Wolf. It is a sacred space of "belonging and belovedness" where our good, hard stories come together to blur the lines between heaven and earth and hardship and hope. I have never felt closer to God than at that camp. I encourage all of you to check out the ministries of ⁠Hope Heals⁠, including their newest venture ⁠Mend Coffee⁠ in Atlanta bringing jobs and hope to the community.

This is my second podcast interview with a fellow camper at Hope Heals Camp. I love doing these and getting to know a little more about these precious families. The stories of good-hard lives being blessed by God in amazing ways are touching and inspiring. I hope you are inspired to notice what God is doing in your life as well!

Hope Heals Camp is part of the ministry of Jay and Katherine Wolf. It is a sacred space of "belonging and belovedness" where our good, hard stories come together to blur the lines between heaven and earth and hardship and hope. I have never felt closer to God than at that camp. I encourage all of you to check out the ministries of Hope Heals, including their newest venture Mend Coffee in Atlanta bringing jobs and hope to the community.


Abigail Tanner is a fun-loving California native who always dreamed of being a musician, hair stylist, wife, and mother.  After singing in jazz bands, completing 6 1/2 years of college, and getting her cosmetology license, she finally landed herself a handsome Southern husband.  Together Abigail and Justin raise their amazing four children in the heart of South Carolina.  While dreams do come true, the road to get there has been filled with painful and unexpected valleys.  The terminal diagnosis of their third child has been a journey wrought with heartache, loss, and immensely surprising joy - a journey where Abigail found music to be a continued platform for her own healing and the encouragement of others.  Her debut EP will be launching in October 2023, so be on the lookout!



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I hope you enjoy this episode of the Hoping Forward Podcast! If you do, please share it on your social media and with any friends that might benefit. As always, keep looking for God in your story!

Why do I always immediately go to worry and "figure things out on my own" instead of giving the situation to God? You would think with all the podcasts I have done, talking about the big and small things I have seen God do in my life, I would learn to trust Him to take care of what I need! In this episode, I am going to tell you about some more instances when God came through for me in amazing and unexpected ways. He can and will take care of us and our needs. Does that mean we should do nothing ourselves and just sit back and wait for Him to do everything for us? Of course not, we should do what He has given us the ability to accomplish, but when there is something outside of our ability, He will make a way. We just need to trust Him to do that and give the control over to Him.

The Bible verse mentioned in this episode is Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV)

There are many more verses about trusting God and not worrying about things. I'd be happy to give you more if you reach out to me via email. I would love to hear what God is doing in your story! You can tell me via email at lori.r.whitney@gmail.com or at the Hoping Forward Podcast Facebook page here.

I hope you are enjoying this podcast! If you are, please follow, rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts and share it with your friend and on social media so that it can reach more people. The purpose of this podcast is to glorify God and help others to see what He is doing in their lives.

I will be taking a summer break for all of August and most of September. I'll be back with another episode in October for sure. I can't wait to see what God does in my story as well as yours in the coming months!