First Person with Wayne Shepherd

Wayne Shepherd
  • 4.9 (34)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Once a week 24 minute radio interviews focusing on personal Christian faith stories and spiritual calling. FIRST PERSON is produced by Wayne Shepherd Communications, LLC. 1717 Park St., Suite 300, Naperville, IL 60563. Email: Wayne@wayneshepherd.net

  1. 23h ago

    Fred Gladney

    Executive leadership coach and author Fred Gladney is Wayne Shepherd’s guest to tell his personal story of faith and the biblical principles for business he’s learned.  (click for more…)   Website:  TheDNAofSuccess.com , https://thegladneygroup.com/ Fred Gladney is an executive leadership coach, entrepreneur, and author of The DNA of Success. Gladney describes growing up in a "cultural Christian" household in Pittsburgh, coming to genuine faith in his late twenties after being prayed for at a dinner in California, and being discipled by mentors including Dr. E.V. Hill and Frank Wilson. He reflects on integrating faith with a long corporate career (including leaving a company over ethical issues), and shares his coaching philosophy — that real success requires surrender, that leaders should focus on personal growth and self-awareness rather than assessments and quadrants, and that significance comes from mentoring others and leaving a lasting legacy. The conversation closes with his emphasis on Scripture memorization and mentorship, especially in an age of AI, and a mention of his book and his longtime board service with the Far East Broadcasting Company.                                             NEXT WEEK:  Edward Bouvier Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Fred Gladney

  2. Sep 3

    Jeremy Farley

    Country preacher Jeremy Farley, author of Hay Bales and Holy Rollers, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about his life and testimony.  (click for more...)    Website:  www.JeremyFarley.com  Jeremy Farley, a pastor from Wytheville, Virginia, and author of the memoir Hay Balers and Holy Rollers. Farley was born to a teenage mother in 1985 after she rejected pressure to have an abortion, and he grew up on his great-grandfather's Virginia farm after being raised partly in West Virginia coal country. His great-grandfather, "the Old Man" (Tom Farley), was a hard, self-made, "black-and-white" man who taught him toughness but dismissed church as being "for weak men." Jeremy had a false conversion as a teen under social pressure at a legalistic Christian school, then genuinely surrendered to Christ in college on October 15, 2004. He describes founding Restoration Church of Wytheville in 2019, which weathered pandemic setbacks (meeting in a cow pasture) before growing into a two-service congregation. The interview's emotional centerpiece is his 2014 hospital-bedside conversation with his dying great-grandfather, where he shared the "Romans Road" gospel passages and learned the old man's own mother had shared the same verses with him as a child before she died — leading the great-grandfather to profess faith in Christ shortly before his death.                                              NEXT WEEK:  Cheryl Tinsley Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Jeremy Farley

  3. Aug 27

    Adam Waters

    Adam Waters is a living testimony that God can rescue and redeem a life headed for self-destruction. He tells his story to Wayne Shepherd.  (click for more)               Website: https://www.gracebiblechurchelmhurst.com Adam Waters shares a powerful testimony of transformation from atheism, rebellion, drug addiction, broken relationships, and imprisonment to faith in Jesus Christ and pastoral ministry. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, Waters rejected Christianity as a teenager and became deeply involved in drugs and alcohol, eventually serving in the military as a highly trained medical corpsman while secretly struggling with addiction. After reaching a desperate point that led him to consider suicide, he confessed his addiction, was discharged, and eventually returned to Chicago, where his addiction worsened and ultimately resulted in prison. While incarcerated, reading the writings of Martin Luther, Calvin, Augustine, and other theologians opened his eyes to his spiritual brokenness, and he experienced a profound conversion to Christianity. After prison, with the support of his parents, mentors, and his wife Elaine, Waters pursued theological education at Moody, sensed a call to ministry, and eventually became lead pastor of Grace Bible Church in Elmhurst, Illinois. Today, he views his suffering and recovery as preparation to speak truth and hope into the lives of others, emphasizing the power of prayer, God's ability to redeem broken lives, and the truth that even the most unlikely people can be transformed and called to serve Him.                                          NEXT WEEK:  Jeremy Farley Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Adam Waters

  4. Aug 20

    Dannah Gresh

    Dannah Gresh, author and founder of the Christian tween ministry True Girl talks with Wayne Shepherd about her passion to help young girls understand and live with “Pure Freedom”.  (click for more…) Website:  https://dannahgresh.com Gresh opens up about grieving the recent loss of a beloved horse and the spiritual lessons she found in that pain, then traces her journey from a childhood dream of being a writer through a period of sexual sin in a relationship as a young Christian woman, and how healing from that shame at 26 became the foundation for a ministry helping girls escape their own "pits of shame." She recounts how a divine prompting to pray for Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (rather than resent her) led to a lasting friendship, co-authoring Lies Young Women Believe, and eventually renaming her ministry (originally Secret Keeper Girl) as True Girl amid #MeToo-era concerns about secrecy. The conversation covers the ministry's growth — reaching 130 countries and hundreds of thousands of listeners — its focus on empowering parents (especially moms) to guide daughters through cultural pressures like early sexualization and gender confusion, and Gresh's core conviction that regular engagement with Scripture is the most powerful antidote to anxiety, depression, and cultural confusion in kids' lives. The interview closes with a mention of her husband's parallel ministry for boys, Born to Be Brave, and a plug for her new book, Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free.                                             NEXT WEEK:  Adam Waters Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Dannah Gresh

  5. Aug 13

    Rob Elliot

    Wayne Shepherd talks with 93-year-old Rob Elliott, founder of Elliott Construction in the Chicago area about his life’s purpose of representing God in business and supporting missionaries.  (click for more…)     Website:  https://www.elliotconstruction.com Rob shares his life story: being born in England to a Canadian father and English mother, growing up in a Christian home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and giving his life to Christ as a boy, though it didn't feel "real" until a devastating 1951 car accident that killed a friend and left him in a coma — an event he credits with truly turning his heart toward God and keeping him out of military service in Korea. He recounts starting his concrete business in the early 1950s after a mentor set him up with clients, building it into one of the largest concrete contractors in the Chicago area (still family-run 70+ years later), and using his business as a platform for quiet, consistent Christian witness — praying before meals with coworkers, sharing his testimony at industry events, and mentoring golfing buddies over the years. He closes by reflecting on his large family (5 children, 34 grandchildren, and dozens of great-grandchildren), his enduring faith rooted in Romans 10:9, and his sense that God still has purpose for his life at 93.                                             NEXT WEEK:  Dannah Gresh  Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Rob Elliot

  6. Aug 7

    Babbie Mason

    Babbie Mason once wanted to sing for Motown. Now an award-winning singer-songwriter, author, conference speaker, and TV host, she joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation.  (click for more…)   Website:  https://babbie.com Babbie Mason recounts growing up in Jackson, Michigan, as the daughter of a pastor, where church was the center of family life and she began playing piano and leading music at her father's church by age nine. As a young adult she was drawn toward Motown-style secular music and sang in bars and clubs, but felt persistent conviction from the Holy Spirit; a pivotal moment came in a college snack bar, where a bowl of cooling soup and a Bible verse about being "lukewarm" led her to fully surrender her life and career to Christ. She went on to record albums with Word Records and Spring Hill Music over a career now spanning 40 years. Mason also shares a memorable story from her book Each One Reach One about spontaneously singing "Amazing Grace" in a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, which led to a chain of encounters where she prayed for strangers' needs — illustrating her larger message that kindness and sensitivity to others can open doors to sharing faith. She closes by discussing mentorship, her Inner Circle worship conferences for songwriters, and her desire to fully use her God-given gifts.                                                    NEXT WEEK:  Rob Elliot Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Babbie Mason

  7. Jul 30

    Steve DeWitt

    Pastor Steve DeWitt, author of Loneliness: Don’t Hate It or Waste It, Redeem It, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation on this topic.  (click for more…) Websites:  www.moodypublishers.com/loneliness, www.bethelweb.org  Steve DeWitt, longtime pastor of Bethel Church in Northwest Indiana, talks about his book Loneliness: Don't Hate It or Waste It, Redeem It. DeWitt shares that he was a well-known "never married" megachurch pastor for over two decades before marrying his wife Jennifer (they connected after she read an article he'd written on loneliness), and he draws on that long stretch of singleness to reflect on loneliness biblically rather than as a book about marriage curing it. He distinguishes aloneness (neutral), loneliness (bad), and solitude (good), and outlines three ways people "waste" their loneliness — isolating themselves, becoming obsessed with unmet expectations, and distracting themselves through things like binge-watching or doomscrolling. He then turns to how to "redeem" loneliness: recognizing it as fundamentally a vertical longing for restored relationship with God (echoing Augustine and Chesterton), and then letting that drive people toward sacrificial, others-focused love modeled on Jesus rather than self-focused pursuit of companionship. The conversation closes with reflections on how social media and constant connectivity paradoxically deepen isolation, and DeWitt encourages listeners to examine their social media habits as part of a healthier response to loneliness.                                              NEXT WEEK:  Babbie Mason Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Steve DeWitt

  8. Jul 23

    Zac Holt

    Zac Holt, is the founder and Senior Pastor of The Table Ministries whose mission is to saturate their city with the Gospel through community service. He describes this unique church with Wayne Shepherd. (click for more...)   Website:  https://www.thetableministries.com The Table Ministries is located in Bristol, VA.  Zach shares his journey from starting drug use at age 13, through years of addiction, incarceration, and homelessness, to a dramatic conversion to Christianity that he experienced in a jail cell. He describes founding The Table Ministries as a non-traditional, raw and welcoming church born out of his seminary internship, one that meets people where they are — in homeless shelters, jails, and recovery centers — rather than expecting them to come to a traditional church setting. Much of the conversation focuses on his theology of recovery: the idea that it's not enough to get people "out of Egypt," but that God must also get "Egypt out of them," and that shame (not just guilt) is one of the biggest barriers people in recovery face. He describes the ministry's practices, including a weekly communion gathering at a Boys & Girls Club, "friendraising" instead of fundraising, and a discipleship model aimed at helping men move from being "takers" to "contributors" — becoming fathers, entrepreneurs, and church planters. He closes with a story about a formerly homeless man named Shane who was eventually reunited with his sons in Idaho, using it as an example of restoration beyond mere sobriety.                                           Next Week:  Steve DeWitt Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company: FEBC National Processing Center  Far East Broadcasting Company P.O. Box 6020  Albert Lea, MN 56007 Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

    Zac Holt
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Once a week 24 minute radio interviews focusing on personal Christian faith stories and spiritual calling. FIRST PERSON is produced by Wayne Shepherd Communications, LLC. 1717 Park St., Suite 300, Naperville, IL 60563. Email: Wayne@wayneshepherd.net

Information

  • Creator
    Wayne Shepherd
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    861
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 First Person with Wayne Shepherd
  • Show Website
    First Person with Wayne Shepherd

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