Hope & Faith

What do we really lose when love ends? It’s not just the person. It’s your identity. Your purpose. Your future. Even your grocery list. In this brutally honest episode of UnYoked, Todd Turner and author Marcus Ferris unpack the hidden grief that hits after a breakup or divorce. From shared memories and meaning, to purpose and neededness, this is the conversation most people wish they had years ago. In this episode: Why grieving a breakup is more than emotional pain The lost virtue domain—and why Christian men especially feel it How to rebuild when the shared goals, friends, and rhythms vanish The danger of dating too soon (and what to do instead) Why men and women numb differently—and how to fight the real monster If you’re single, divorced, or still reeling from the quiet fallout of a breakup, this episode is your mirror, your guide, and maybe even your elixir. 🟡 UnYoked is a podcast for Christian singles, empty nesters, and anyone rebuilding after loss. 🎧 Guest: Marcus Ferris | Mission 22, Coach, and Author https://stan.store/IronStrongLife Instagram @ultrarunfarris Bio Marcus Farris is an author, counselor, health coach, and Army Reserve officer. He currently works full-time for the veteran non-profit, Mission 22 as the Post Traumatic Growth Director. He joined their team in January 2020 after serving as an Engineer Officer in Alaska for four years. He has his undergraduate degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and holds his Masters of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He is also a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

This episode is for those Christian men navigating divorce and searching for something more. Learn how to start over, find true healing from divorce, and experience real personal growth. It's time to rebuild yourself and discover a new life centered on faith. Seven years post-divorce, God stopped me in my tracks. I thought I was rebuilding, but I was still chasing idols — money, relationships, validation. This episode is my raw story of how He burned it all to the ground so I could start over with Him as my foundation. What we cover: The danger of isolation and “lone wolf” living Why dating too soon often backfires The “arrow in the back of the head” wound we try to hide Why repentance is the real starting line for healing How to rebuild on the Rock, not sand Scriptures: Matthew 7:16–20, Luke 15:20, John 15:5, Psalm 51:10, Proverbs 3:5–12

God can and does turn life’s messes into something beautiful. He often demonstrates the ability to make masterpieces out of ashes and rubble. Watch the short but powerful clip to hear about how the Lord can take the seemingly broken, destroyed and ruined and turn them into something beautiful and breathtaking.

People are fallen, lost and broken. We are all sinners who have willfully turned away from God. We disobeyed, choosing our way over His commands and directives. Of course, you know what happens after we ignore God: we make a complete mess of things, which occurs every time.

Human beings have a knack for screwing things up and taking the good and utterly ruining it. If there’s a way to make a bad situation worse, just give a human a little bit of time with it, and they’ll find a way. Luckily, God is in the business of providing forgiveness and offering grace because we’d all be totally and entirely lost without it. The Lord can also take those situations that we’ve wrecked and ruined, and use them for something good, making what was once broken and destroyed into something new and beautiful.

In a clip posted on YouTube, one man explains how the Lord does this, mentioning a specific and important verse in Scripture. He points to Romans 8:28, in which Paul writes how God uses all situations to bring about good for those who love Him. He adds that God can use messes that we’ve created or ones that we had no role in creating. It does not matter to Him because He can do it all.

“So, it’s almost like God is just so crazy redemptive that He can use even the worst parts of our stories,” he said. “He doesn’t just want to use the beautiful, polished, shiny parts of our stories that we can brag about. God wants the ugly, shameful parts of our story, and He’s committed, not just to working in the good things, but working in the bad things, too.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.”

A man in his 90s proves that it’s never too late to chase a dream. Even at his advanced age, he pursued and achieved something that he had always wanted to do. Watch the short but powerful clip to hear what this man did despite being in his 90s.

Time is nothing that can be paused, stopped or reversed. As much as people may want to, it’s simply not possible. Since time keeps marching forward, aging is a natural and continual process that no one can stop or slow (despite beauty products promising to reverse aging). We are getting a little older with every second, minute, hour and day.

Since aging isn’t something we can control, shouldn’t we try to enjoy it? No amount of worrying will add any further time to our lives. I mean, what other option do we have? We should appreciate and take advantage of the time the Lord has given us on Earth and not be worried about our age or how it may impact us.

A clip posted on YouTube tells the story of 97-year-old John Toomey. John, who owns a barbecue restaurant, still comes to work every single day without fail. The video shows the elderly business owner making his rounds in the restaurant, checking on everything and greeting his employees.

The video mentions that John had always wanted to own a barbecue restaurant. It was a dream of his, but it wasn’t until he was 93 years old that he finally became the proud owner of the joint that serves some truly delicious food, as pointed out by the restaurant’s loyal customers.

He didn’t let his age prevent him from doing something that he had always wanted to do. Now, he says that owning the restaurant and coming in every day has been good for him.

“Yes, it gives me an interest and something to do,” John said.

What is something that you’ve always wanted to do, but have things like your age hold you back?

Psalm 71:9 “Do not give me up when I am old; be my help even when my strength is gone.”

Even in our darkest valleys, God’s mercy rises with the dawn—steady, faithful, and new every morning. This video invites you to rest in His compassion when sorrow lingers.

This video features Chris Ballard’s story - a Cherokee from Tahlequah, Oklahoma - along with the Native American drum, flute and keyboard recording 'Send Me' written and performed by Dan Adler, (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com

A hardworking man who walks miles to his two full-time jobs was unexpectedly shown kindness and love. The beautiful, heartwarming story will cause you to wipe away a tear or two. Watch this short but powerful clip about how a little bit of kindness, care and consideration can go a long way.

How difficult is it to exhibit a little concern and kindness? It doesn’t require any special gift, talent, skill or even much time. Honestly, all that is really necessary is to spot a need and then care enough about the well-being of another to act. That’s it, and it’s something that everyone can do, regardless of their age or stage in life.

Christians are called to care for and look after others. While many people would rather go about their day and keep their heads down to avoid making eye contact with someone in need, Jesus says we are to act otherwise. When asked to name the greatest commandments, Christ answered that one of them was to love your neighbor as yourself. This would include helping others in need. Showing Christ-like love and kindness is precisely what some people did for one man in need.

The clip posted on YouTube tells the story of Rodolfo Depaz. Rodolfo has two full-time jobs—at Dairy Queen and Chipotle—and regularly works 80 hours a week. He gets to work by walking several miles a day - rain, shine or snow. He sends the money he earns back to his wife and two children in El Salvador.

Because Rodolfo sends money back to make a better life for his family, he does not have enough for a set of wheels, so he walks to work every day. That is, until one of Rodolfo’s co-workers, Emily, invited him to her house for dinner with her family. He became part of the family, enjoying weekends and holidays with them.

Emily’s father then asked Rodolfo to join his men’s Bible study group. Soon after joining the group, one of the members surprised him by giving him a car. Rodolfo no longer has to walk to work, and he’s eternally grateful for that, mentioning how the Lord has answered his prayers.

“Just said, ‘Thank God, you listen to me in my prayers every day,’” Rodolfo said.

John 13:34 “I give you a new law: Have love for one another; even as I have had love for you, so are you to have love one for another.”

This video features Darla Provancial Yellowcloud’s story - from the Sicangu band of the original Seven Council Fires in Rosebud, South Dakota - along with the Native American guitar, drum and keyboard recording 'When the Light Shines' written by Dan Adler and performed by Dan and Sandy Adler, (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com

This video features Kwsind Clelland’s story - a Lakota Sioux and Apache from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe - along with the Native American guitar and flute recording 'I See You Now' written by Dan Adler and performed by Dan and Sandy Adler, (c) 2024 Heart of the City Music. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com

This was the response of the Lord Jesus to the Devil when Satan said, "If you are the son of God..." The first three words from the Lord Jesus were "It is written..." What should be our response when the enemy says something similar to us?

Forrest Frank revealed how God led him into Christian music. The popular Christian music artist shared his powerful testimony, which shows God at work in his life, leading and directing him where to go. Watch the short but powerful clip to hear how Forrest was told he would make Christian music.

We all want a clear mission and plan for our lives, a stated purpose and a direction. That makes complete and total sense. Who would want to live an aimless and directionless life, where nothing of value or worth is accomplished? That sounds like a recipe for a horrible, miserable existence, one in which we would constantly be questioning ourselves.

Thankfully, the Lord does have a will and plan for every one of us. However, finding out what that plan and the direction for our lives is much easier said than done. Getting to that point could mean some stumbling, falling and failing, or it could not. In a clip posted on YouTube, Forrest discusses the unique and shocking way the Lord informed him that he was to go into the Christian music world and make music.

“A girl came up to me in church, and she’s like, ‘Hey, I had a dream of, I don’t know you,’” he said. “She’s from a different city. She’s like, ‘Hey, God gave me a dream about someone named Forrest Frank, and a lot of it was about this prophetic thing about, ‘Hey, I think you’re supposed to do Christian music. And you’re going to, like, change the game,” he recalled she told him. “This is before I ever did any Christian music.”

What a powerful moment! It demonstrates how God uses others to communicate his message and plans for our lives.

We may never experience something like Forrest did, but God has a plan and purpose for our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

“I’ve made this decision [for Christ], now what am I going to do?” While riding the tube in London, Noel heard a sermon from Dr. Michael Youssef—and felt convicted to repent of his sins and change his ways. Learn how Dr. Youssef’s teachings have encouraged and equipped Noel to proclaim the Truth of Jesus on the streets of London. Hear more testimonies of God at work around the globe when you visit our website at https://www.ltw.org. Join us in our mission to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth. Subscribe to our channel and be part of a global ministry that is transforming lives every day.

Jeremiah 2: 13 For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

This video features Les Parr’s story - from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Lapwai Band Nez Perce - along with the Native American drum and flute recording 'When I Heard the Spirit Call' written by Dan Adler and performed by Dan and Sandy Adler, (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com

Strangers united to give a homeless woman and her pup a place to call home. Many people worked together to give this woman, who was previously living on the streets, a place to stay. Watch the short but heartwarming video to learn how and why strangers decided to help this woman and her dog.

No one’s life is perfect, as everyone has their fair share of problems and issues. However, if we were to take a step back and look at our lives and our situation from the outside, we would likely quickly conclude that we are incredibly blessed. Everything may not be exactly as we’d like, but we are blessed and fortunate.

Sadly, many people in this world are really hurting and struggling. Getting through the day may be a big win for someone scratching and crawling simply to survive. There are people who, for one reason or another, don’t have a warm or safe place to lay their head at night. A clip posted on YouTube tells of a woman and her dog who did not have that, and how hundreds of people came through in a big way to help them.

Velvet Berlin and her 15-year-old dog, Sissy, had been living on the streets for months. The clip mentions that Velvet had attempted to go to a shelter for warmth and a place to sleep, but those efforts were unsuccessful. They refused to take her in because of her dog.

“I can’t rid of her,” Velvet said. “She’ll die of a broken heart and abandonment.”

That’s when hundreds of people stepped in to help Velvet and Sissy. A business owner started a fundraiser to raise funds for the two. The donations began quickly rolling into the fund. More than 1,500 donations have been made, totaling more than $64,000.

Because of the love and generosity of others, the two now have a home, which Velvet is renting.
What a remarkable story about how people, when working together, can make a big difference in someone’s life.

Philippians 2:4 “Not looking everyone to his private good, but keeping in mind the things of others.”

Breath prayer is a quiet, ancient practice that invites you to pair short prayers with your natural breathing. It allows you to speak with God throughout the day—even in busy or stressful moments—by aligning mind, body, and spirit in a rhythm of Scripture and presence. From the early “Jesus Prayer” to modern spiritual disciplines, breath prayer has long helped believers remain close to God in both chaos and stillness. Examples of breath prayers include: Inhale: “Heavenly Father” Exhale: “Give me peace.” Inhale: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God” Exhale: “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” Inhale: “Be still” Exhale: “and know that I am God.” Breath prayers are particularly powerful for those who are anxious, overwhelmed, grieving, or simply seeking deeper connection with God. They are adaptable, biblical, and easily woven into your day—no matter where you are. 💬 Have you practiced breath prayer before? Comment your favorite breath prayer below—or try one for the first time and share how it feels.

Kirk Cameron reflected on love and his decades-long marriage. The actor, writer and television show host shared his thoughts about love and how his marriage has changed and endured over the years. Watch the short but heartwarming clip to hear Kirk define love and how his view of love has impacted his marriage.

As it has been said, love is the most potent force on Earth. It drives people to do things they would never have considered before. Love causes people to give of themselves and to even put themselves in harm’s way for the safety and well-being of another. Love puts the other person before yourself.

While there are many different forms of love, the one most think of whenever love is mentioned (thanks to all the TV shows and movies) is the romantic variety, which is most often seen between a husband and a wife. Again, like with every other form of love, that is a situation in which the husband is supposed to put his wife’s needs before his, and vice versa. In a clip posted on YouTube, Kirk discusses love and how his relationship with his wife has changed over the years while talking with his son.

“Mom and I have been living out our love story for 35 years now,” Kirk said. “And it deepens. It changes. It’s a school where you learn how to die to yourself. Emotions change. Feelings change. Circumstances change.”

Later in the clip, Kirk adds that while love is easily the best thing on Earth, it can sometimes cause pain and sorrow.

“And I think, love is the greatest of all things,” he said. “We all hope for it. We all dream about it, and it also can be the most painful thing. The best songs are either about a heart that has been, you know, united in love with somebody else, or it’s been broken by love. I think few things are more powerful than it.”

Colossians 3:14 “And more than all, have love; the only way in which you may be completely joined together.”

Fears can keeps us from a blessing of God in our life. Are you willing to face your fears and live in faith?

This video features Todd 'Papa Bear' Finney’s story - an Oglala Lakota Native American - along with the Native American flute and guitar recording 'When the Darkness Flees' by Dan & Sandy Adler. Music written by Sandy Adler and performed by Dan and Sandy Adler. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com

This video features Kathy Talbert’s story - from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe - along with the Native American drum recording 'I Did Not Know' written by Dan Adler and performed by Dan and Sandy Adler, (c) 2024 Heart of the City Music. This song and story are featured on the Heart of the City band CD 'A New Kind of Warrior', (c) 2025 Heart of the City Music. All are available for purchase or download at www.danandsandyadler.com