First Person with Wayne Shepherd

Wayne Shepherd
  • 4.9 (32)
  • 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. Bill Hendricks

    4d ago

    Bill Hendricks

    Bill Hendricks, President of the Giftedness Center and Executive Director for Christian Leadership at the Hendricks Center at Dallas Seminary, talks about finding God’s purpose.  (click for more…)  Websites:  www.thegiftednesscenter.com  www.hendrickscenter.dts.edu Wayne Shepherd talks with Bill Hendricks—Executive Director for Christian Leadership at the Hendricks Center at Dallas Theological Seminary and President of the Giftedness Center, and son of the late Howard Hendricks. Bill describes taking over his father's leadership center in 2014, and his decades-long work at the Giftedness Center helping people (over 2,000 to date) discover their God-given "giftedness"—the innate design that shapes their calling. He shares his own faith story, from a childhood conversion at age four and a half after hearing the Passion story on a record, to a pivotal career-assessment session at age 30 that clarified his own gifts. Much of the conversation explores why people struggle to see their own giftedness (since we can't step outside ourselves), how storytelling and lived experience—rather than psychometric tests—reveal a person's distinctive pattern of gifting, and how Bill sees giftedness as "incarnational truth": a reflection of God's own image expressed uniquely through each person. The episode closes with references to his father's earlier appearance on the show and info on Bill's books and ministry.                                              NEXT WEEK:  Donnita Travis 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!

    24 min
  2. David McCullough, Part Two

    Jul 2

    David McCullough, Part Two

    On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, noted historian David McCullough joins Wayne Shepherd for Part 2 of 1776:  George Washington.   (click for more…) Website: www.simonandschuster.com/p/david-mccullough Recorded in 2005, this is a continuation of last week’s FIRST PERSON as the late David McCullough talked about his book, 1776, and the experiences of George Washington in that momentous year. The conversation centers on George Washington's leadership during the darkest days of the war. McCullough describes how Washington forgave Joseph Reed's disloyalty and Nathaniel Greene's costly mistake at Fort Washington, choosing loyalty and grace over punishment — a decision that deepened both men's devotion to him. He portrays Washington as a leader shaped more by character than intellect: not a brilliant orator or strategist, but someone who inspired trust through steadiness, humility, and self-sacrifice (leaving behind wealth and comfort to lead a ragged army). McCullough also highlights lesser-known figures — Henry Knox's astonishing winter trek hauling cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and ordinary soldiers like Joseph Hodgkins and Jabez Fitch whose diaries, often scrawled on scraps of paper, McCullough treats as the "gold" of his research. The interview closes with McCullough reflecting on why he writes — to understand human sacrifice and courage — and calling Washington "the greatest American of all time," while noting the book deliberately ends with the pivotal victories at Trenton and Princeton rather than covering the full war.                                               NEXT WEEK:  Bill Hendricks 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!

    24 min
  3. David McCullough, Part One

    Jun 25

    David McCullough, Part One

    America at 250: Part One of a 2005 conversation as Wayne Shepherd talks with historian David McCullough about the events surrounding George Washington in 1776.  (click for more...)   Website:  www.simonandschuster.com/p/david-mccullough As we approach July 4th and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in this 2005 interview noted historian David McCullough discusses his book 1776, focusing on George Washington and the desperate, pivotal year of the Revolutionary War. He emphasizes how close the Patriots came to losing — particularly during the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn — and how a providential fog allowed Washington's army to escape across the East River at night, an event he calls the most representative moment of the war's "thinnest of lines." McCullough explores how 18th-century Americans interpreted such events as the hand of God working for or against them, citing letters from Abigail Adams and contemporary newspapers. He also describes the ragged, undisciplined nature of the Continental Army, Washington's ability to recognize talent in inexperienced officers like Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox, and the eventual betrayal by his trusted aide Joseph Reed (to be covered in part two). The episode closes by noting McCullough's death in 2022 and previewing next week's continuation of the conversation.                            NEXT WEEK:  Part two with David McCullough 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!

    24 min
  4. Mark Jobe

    Jun 18

    Mark Jobe

    Dr. Mark Jobe talks with Wayne Shepherd about his tenure as President of Moody Bible Institute and his decision to follow God's call back to the church.  (click for more...)  Website:  www.moodybible.org/news/2026/presidential-transition/ Also:  www.moodyradio.org/bold-steps Dr. Jobe reflects on his seven years leading Moody, a role he didn't seek (it came as an unexpected call, and his wife encouraged him to pray about it) and accepted out of obedience rather than personal ambition. He describes balancing the full-time presidency with continuing to pastor New Life Community Church, a multi-site congregation with 25 locations and 44 services across Chicago plus 10 international sites, alongside a nonprofit serving at-risk youth. He calls the dual role a "beautiful marriage" that kept him connected to the city while leading the institute. He's now stepping down to return full-time to pastoring, church planting, and evangelism, calling it a deepening of his calling rather than a demotion. Much of the conversation covers his urban, multiethnic ministry in Chicago, the rise of "cultural Christians" and lapsed Catholics seeking faith again, strong recent growth in conversions and baptisms (over 1,100 people in 24 months), and his direct approach encouraging unmarried couples living together to marry. He closes by citing Proverbs 3:5-6, underlined in his father's Bible, as the scripture that has most guided his life and decisions. The interview ends noting Jobe will leave his Moody office at the end of the month, with listeners encouraged to pray for his successor as the institute's 11th president.        NEXT WEEK:  David McCullough on George Washington and 1776 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!

    24 min
  5. Dave Zanotti

    Jun 11

    Dave Zanotti

    Dr. David Zanotti, CEO and Chairman of The American Policy Roundtable and host of The Public Square, joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation about America's 250th.   (click for more...)   The conversation centers on a recently published book, An Oration, which Zanotti co-authored with political philosopher Dr. W.B. Allen. The book revisits an 1837 Fourth of July speech by John Quincy Adams — delivered at age 70, for 90 minutes without a microphone — in which Adams argued that American civil government was founded on biblical principles rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Zanotti describes Adams as the most credible eyewitness to the founding era, having personally known the Founding Fathers, served in every branch of government, and later spent 17 years in Congress advocating for the abolition of slavery. The interview also touches on how the book addresses modern debates around Christian nationalism, theocracy, and separation of church and state — using Adams' own words as the authoritative response. As a practical application, Zanotti encourages listeners to read the Declaration of Independence and engage in civic life as an expression of Christian faith. He concludes by announcing a groundbreaking ceremony for "Declaration Hall" — an education and media center to be built on the campus of the American Mission Center in Ohio — scheduled for July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.                                                   NEXT WEEK:  Mark Jobe  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!

    24 min
  6. Dustin Garrett

    Jun 4

    Dustin Garrett

    Dustin Garrett once found himself in a jail cell considering suicide when a grandmother's witness broke through and he cried out to Jesus. He tells his story to Wayne Shepherd.  (click for more...)          Dustin grew up in the Chicago suburbs in a broken, substance-abusing family, with his only Christian influence being his grandmother. By age 15 he was a full-blown heroin addict, eventually dropping out of school, cycling through theft, drug charges, and jail. At around age 20, while in the suicide ward of a jail going through heroin withdrawals, he cried out to Jesus — a faith rooted in his grandmother's persistent witness. After years of struggling without discipleship or community, his father gave him an ultimatum at age 22, leading Dustin to a two-year gospel-centered recovery program at a rescue mission in Peoria, Illinois. It was there — through men who opened the Bible with him and required him to memorize Scripture — that his life truly transformed. Against all odds, he went on to attend Bible college in Kansas City, and today, at 42, he has been walking with the Lord for about 20 years. He works in Christian healthcare ministry, serves as a worship leader at his church, and is a husband and father of two.                             NEXT WEEK:  Dave Zanotti of The Public Square 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!

    24 min
  7. Benjamin Olsen

    May 28

    Benjamin Olsen

    Ben Olsen was a professional actor when God called him into a helps profession and now he serves as a leader of the Global Center for Coaching.  (click for more...)  Website:  www.GlobalCenterforCoaching.org Ben Olsen shares how he grew up in a faith-filled home centered on community and participation, placed his faith in Christ at age 10, but drifted away during his teens. He pursued acting professionally for about 16 years — including six years in New York doing primarily Shakespeare — before a defining moment where he felt God calling him to make a clear choice. After returning to his faith, he found his theater background being redeemed when a Christian school invited him to teach theater. Over the following 25+ years, Ben worked in various "helps professions" — addictions recovery, wilderness therapy, and pastoral counseling — before enrolling at Western Seminary. There, a coaching class instantly clarified what he had been doing all along. He pivoted fully to coaching, eventually took over the seminary's coaching program, and has since spun it off as the independent Global Center for Coaching. The organization offers accredited online training for both those seeking a professional coaching credential and those who simply want to sharpen their relational skills. Ben emphasizes that, unlike counseling, coaching is forward-focused and treats the client as the expert of their own life, with the coach's role being to help people discover what God has already placed within them.                                               NEXT WEEK:  Dustin Garrett 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!

    24 min
  8. Bill Thrasher

    May 21

    Bill Thrasher

    Dr. Bill Thrasher joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation remembering those who have given their lives in the service of their country and thanking God for the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. (click for more...) Website:  www.VictoriousPraying.org This week’s First Person is a Memorial Day weekend episode featuring host Wayne Shepherd in conversation with Dr. Bill Thrasher, a longtime professor at Moody Bible Institute. The discussion weaves together two themes: honoring military sacrifice on Memorial Day and reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ. Thrasher shares his personal faith journey — from a "cultural Christian" upbringing to his conversion at a 1965 Billy Graham crusade and deeper spiritual growth through a Campus Crusade-connected fraternity brother in college — and expresses gratitude for mentors who shaped him, including pastor Ben Haden, theologian Charles Ryrie, and radio preacher Stephen Olford. The theological heart of the conversation centers on Paul's charge to Timothy to "remember Jesus Christ," with Thrasher drawing on Oswald Chambers to caution against burying faith under busyness, and exploring the doctrines of propitiation and redemption as reasons for gratitude. The episode closes with Thrasher leading a prayer of thanksgiving for religious freedom, spiritual mentors, and the liberating work of Christ on the cross.                NEXT WEEK:  Ben Olsen of the Global Center for Coaching 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!

    24 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
32 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
    852
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 First Person with Wayne Shepherd
  • Show Website
    First Person with Wayne Shepherd

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