Finding Something Real

Janell Wood
  • 5.0 (47)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Finding Something Real

Maybe you’ve grown up as a Christian going to church or maybe you’re not interested in religion at all. But when you’re scrolling, hanging out with friends, trying to sleep, or overwhelmed with your day-to-day, do big existential questions ever pop in- you know- things like, “Why am I here? How did all this get here? What happens after I die?” “Is there a God and is there really meaning to all this?” ”What’s so special about Jesus Christ?” We’ve all experienced deep longing for something this world can’t seem to satisfy. Even someone as wildly successful as Taylor Swift knows that to be true. “I had won album of the year at the Grammys for a second time...” She said, “and I remember thinking afterwards, ’Oh my god, that was all you wanted!... That was all you focused on. You get to the mountaintop and look around and you’re like... what now?” If you’re tired and feeling overwhelmed with all the different voices yelling for your affections- telling you what to go after- whether it be success, beauty, the perfect partner, social media followers, money, or power… only to leave you let down and unsatisfied, searching for more… Maybe like my friends and me, you’re after finding something REAL. Every week, join me (Janell Wood), special co-hosts and guests as we ask questions, look for answers, and search for the source of something REAL: Restoration, Eternity, Authenticity, and Love. I believe those things can ultimately be found in relationship with Jesus Christ, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to our conversations for yourself and go on a journey with us: Is Jesus the REAL thing?

  1. 12/27/2024

    I Found The Real Thing with Craig Hazen

    This is the sixth and final episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest, Craig Hazen.   Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet made a decision to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.    ABOUT CRAIG HAZEN Craig Hazen is the Chief Strategy Officer at Stand to Reason. He was the founder and director of the M.A. Program in Christian Apologetics and Professor of Comparative Religion and Apologetics at Biola University in Southern California. He is a recipient of the Fischer Award, the highest faculty honor at Biola. Dr. Hazen is the editor of the philosophy journal, Philosophia Christi. He is the author of The Village Enlightenment in America and Five Sacred Crossings including numerous articles, book chapters and journals. He earned both his Ph.D. and his M.A. at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  -- -- -- -- --  LINKS   Visit Stand to Reason at www.str.org for more resources related to the biggest faith questions young people are facing today.    To find out more about what 2025 will look like for Finding Something Real, click here.

    1h 14m

  2. 12/19/2024

    Talking About Jesus with Josh White

    This is the fifth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Portland pastor, author, and recording artist, Josh White.    Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.      ABOUT PASTOR JOSH WHITE: Josh White is a recording artist, author, and lead pastor of Door of Hope, a thriving church community in the heart of Portland Oregon.   More about Josh: https://youtu.be/XDgWLkmLdjI?si=VHS08aFu9OlvxQSE   -- -- -- -- --

    1h 14m

  3. 12/11/2024

    One of the World's Top Philosophers Answers Big Faith Questions with William Lane Craig

    This is the fourth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest and leading philosopher, William Lane Craig. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about why there are so many different versions of Christianity, what matters most, and why Bill Craig is a Christ-follower.    Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.      ABOUT WILLIAM LANE CRAIG: William Lane Craig is a Visiting Scholar of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Christian University. He and his wife Jan have two grown children. At the age of sixteen as a junior in high school, he first heard the message of the Christian gospel and yielded his life to Christ. Dr. Craig pursued his undergraduate studies at Wheaton College (B.A. 1971) and graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. 1974; M.A. 1975), the University of Birmingham (England) (Ph.D. 1977), and the University of Munich (Germany) (D.Theol. 1984). From 1980-86 he taught Philosophy of Religion at Trinity, during which time he and Jan started their family. In 1987 they moved to Brussels, Belgium, where Dr. Craig pursued research at the University of Louvain until assuming his position at Talbot in 1994. He has authored or edited over thirty books, including The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus; Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom; Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology; and God, Time and Eternity, as well as over a hundred articles in professional journals of philosophy and theology, including The Journal of Philosophy, New Testament Studies, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science. In 2016 Dr. Craig was named by The Best Schools as one of the fifty most influential living philosophers.

    46 min

  4. 12/04/2024

    From Skeptic Atheist to Bible-Believing Christian with Jon Noyes

    This is the third in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Stand to Reason speaker, Jon Noyes. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about moving from atheism to Christianity, what makes the Bible a historically reliable document, and how to go from head knowledge to trusting Jesus.  Dagmar has cohosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.    We hope you enjoy this week’s episode!     ABOUT JON: Jon has worked as a speaker with Stand to Reason since 2019. A former atheist, Jon used to think belief in God was unwarranted and irresponsible. Then, after examining the evidence for Christianity he was faced with the fact that Jesus is who He says He is and the Christian worldview tells the true story of reality. Ever since Jon has been passionate about engaging the culture with honest, well-thought-out reasons why people should trust the Christian worldview.Jon brings a unique perspective to his audiences and the Stand to Reason team, having more than ten years of experience in the legal field. In 2013 Jon earned a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, graduating with honors. Jon is a founding pastor at Soli Deo Gloria Church. He also serves on the board of directors for Life Without Limbs and Bible Thinker. More than any of this Jon is the father of four daughters and the husband of Rheanna. They live in Ventura County, CA.   -- -- -- -- -- LINKS: Suicide, God, And Knowing You’re Not Alone with Jon Noyes Eternity: Extreme & Scary? with Jon Noyes

    1 hr

  5. 11/28/2024

    Love is What Makes Having a Relationship with Jesus Worth It with Julia Garschagen

    This is the second in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest, Julia Garshagen. Due to technical difficulties, Julia Garschagen not only was our guest on this podcast, she also shared hosting duties with Dagmar. Together they discuss obstacles to faith, relationship with Jesus, and what repentance really means.   Dagmar has cohosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet made a decision to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She''s grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.      ABOUT JULIA: Julia Garschagen is a theologian and serves as the director of the Pontes Institute for Science, Culture and Faith in the German-speaking region. She speaks at universities and in business contexts across Europe and loves to be in dialogue about a faith that is both intellectually credible and existentially satisfying. Julia co-leads the biggest evangelistic youth outreach in the German-speaking world and teaches apologetics at a theological seminary. She is also co-founder of the charity Dios te ve, which helps young people in Peru to get a higher education. Julia lives in Cologne, Germany and loves the mountains.   -- -- -- -- --   LINKS: Dagmar's 2021 Episode with Julia Garschagen Christianity is Most Likely True, but I'm Not Sure I'm Ready to Give My Life to It

    1h 14m

  6. 11/20/2024

    Christianity is Most Likely True, but I'm Not Sure I'm Ready to Give My Life to It with Dagmar

    This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. She's cohosted about 20 Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.   -- -- -- -- --  LINKS: Dagmar's 2021 Episode with Josh White Dagmar's 2021 Episode with Justin Brierley Dagmar's 2021 Episode with Julia Garschagen Article I Wrote About My Youth Pastor Recent YouTube Video with Jason Schmidt

    46 min

  7. 11/13/2024

    Forgiveness, Sobriety, Eating Disorder, and Why Jesus is Actually Worth It with Dr. Lisa Stanton

    This is the eighth and final episode in a series dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. With my last two cohosts, I have written a final letter. But, I thought for this one, I would bring on some friends. Today I am joined by one of my dearest friends, Melanie, and our guest Dr. Lisa Stanton. Lisa goes into depth about her transformative story of how she came to Jesus. Outwardly, it looked like she had it all, but on the inside, there was a God-shaped hole. Behind closed doors she was struggling with an addiction to alcohol, an eating disorder nobody knew about and even her biggest accomplishments didn’t satisfy what she was truly searching for. Lisa’s testimony beautifully shows how God is the only thing that will truly satisfy us when we have it all, and when he’s all we’ve got. This conversation pinpoints one of Olivea’s questions, “Why is Jesus Worth It?” You’ll find that question gets answered time and time again in Lisa’s story.     ABOUT LISA STANTON Dr. Lisa A. Stanton, PhD is a social psychologist, writer, and presenter with a specialization in behavior change theory and applications. Lisa currently lives with her husband in Minnesota. She spent two years as a fellow of the National Cancer Institute, which she spent researching behavioral cancer prevention at Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago. Over the past several years Lisa also taught numerous college courses, co-authored over thirty academic publications, and presented at conferences in four countries. Currently, she helps her thousands of followers through her media and workshops about recovering from addiction.      -- -- -- -- -- -- LINKS: 52 Life-Changing Lessons I Learned in Recovery: A Journey Towards Sobriety, Honesty and Radical Forgiveness (Spiritual Guidance for Recovery, Receiving Everyday Miracles)

    1h 6m

  8. 11/06/2024

    Can Doubt and Faith Coexist? with Jason Schmidt

    This is the seventh episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. This episode is with special guest, Jason Schmidt. Jason’s parents were Janell’s youth pastors and to this day have had a lasting impact on her life. Jason was on the podcast back in 2021 and opened up about considering going into full-time ministry. He gives us an update on what he’s been up to since the last time he was on the podcast, why he’s passionate about youth ministry and goes into depth about what he learned from losing his dad in a car accident.            ABOUT JASON SCHMIDT Jason is currently the High School & Young Adult Director at Hope Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before that, he went to Seattle Pacific University for his undergrad and played soccer there, and then went on to Boise State to pursue his Masters. Jason is passionate about reaching the next generation for Jesus and having them have a personal relationship with him. He has seen how God is using his love for both fitness and sharing the Gospel and has gotten to see how both of his passions are reaching the youth in his community.      -- -- -- -- --

    1h 12m
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5
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

Maybe you’ve grown up as a Christian going to church or maybe you’re not interested in religion at all. But when you’re scrolling, hanging out with friends, trying to sleep, or overwhelmed with your day-to-day, do big existential questions ever pop in- you know- things like, “Why am I here? How did all this get here? What happens after I die?” “Is there a God and is there really meaning to all this?” ”What’s so special about Jesus Christ?” We’ve all experienced deep longing for something this world can’t seem to satisfy. Even someone as wildly successful as Taylor Swift knows that to be true. “I had won album of the year at the Grammys for a second time...” She said, “and I remember thinking afterwards, ’Oh my god, that was all you wanted!... That was all you focused on. You get to the mountaintop and look around and you’re like... what now?” If you’re tired and feeling overwhelmed with all the different voices yelling for your affections- telling you what to go after- whether it be success, beauty, the perfect partner, social media followers, money, or power… only to leave you let down and unsatisfied, searching for more… Maybe like my friends and me, you’re after finding something REAL. Every week, join me (Janell Wood), special co-hosts and guests as we ask questions, look for answers, and search for the source of something REAL: Restoration, Eternity, Authenticity, and Love. I believe those things can ultimately be found in relationship with Jesus Christ, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to our conversations for yourself and go on a journey with us: Is Jesus the REAL thing?

Information

  • Creator
    Janell Wood
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    298
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2023 All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Finding Something Real

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