grandawakening

Matt Goehler was raised in Coldwater, Michigan in a household of five folks, which included his parents, an older brother, and younger sister. While his family identified as Catholic, their faith was rather superficial, feeling more like a task to check off "the list" than a relationship with our Creator. As a young adult, Matt attended Grand Valley State University, where, sadly, he adopted many habits and behaviors he knew were wrong in an attempt to find fulfillment. He sought to hide his many struggles for fear he would be labeled a "disappointment" or "failure". Graduating from GVSU in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences, he then considered himself an atheist. That all changed in the years that followed as we will discuss in this exciting podcast. By God’s grace, Matt is now a devoted follower of Jesus. He also runs a thriving business called Lake Effect Lure Company. He is married to his dear wife Kalie, and together they have three awesome children and another on the way. I’m quite sure you will be touched as you hear his amazing story. In this podcast, Matt shares how a major crisis earlier in his life left him feeling totally hopeless, to the point that he came very close to intentionally taking his own life. But just before pulling the trigger on his gun, God spoke out loud to him! And that, amazingly, resulted in him beginning to choose to move in a totally new and life-giving direction. He is so grateful for all that God has done, and continues to do, in and through him. And because he can totally identify with people who are struggling with addictions and pain, he can help them find the only real cure: a life-giving relationship with Jesus!

Travis Lambright is of Irish and Italian descent. He and his older sister were raised in a succession of places, including California, Maine, and Seattle, Washington. His professional background involved both commercial fishing and sales. Currently, Travis is studying ministry leadership, since he is sensing the call of the Lord to become a pastor. His goal is to give support to individuals who are seeking a better life and who desire to receive healing from past trauma and addiction. Travis has a 25-year-old daughter. For fun, Travis enjoys good food and activities by the water. In this podcast, Travis describes how, after his mother died, his life went downhill in a major way. At age 14, his father kicked Travis permanently out of the home. Living much of his teen years either on the streets or, due to his lawbreaking, incarcerated, Travis tried in vain to numb his pain through various drugs, alcohol and unhealthy relationships. But God! Yes, God used the prayers and caring of various people to ultimately call Travis to faith in Christ and now even a call to ministry!

Dennis Fuqua currently serves as the Director of the International Renewal Ministries. Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Dennis received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Divinity degrees from Multnomah University. He served as a pastor of Peninsula Christian Fellowship in Gig Harbor for 25 years. Dennis began working as the director of IRM in February 2000. His leadership activities include facilitating summits, equipping others, and developing and maintaining relationship connections with the network of people in IRM. He has written multiple articles and three books available at www.lppress.net. Dennis and his wife, Marilyn, have 4 grown children and 13 grandkids. He can be emailed at: dennis@prayersummits.net. In this podcast, Dennis talks about the incredible impact he consistently sees among those who attend a prayer summit. Genuine miracles take place as people unite and enter God’s manifest presence. And, when that happens, Dennis has seen how God then showers His love on those attending, often leading them into new paths for their lives. Dennis also regularly sees the development of new and lasting friendships among those who attend, and how often even fractured relationships between people are wonderfully restored. In all, God is greatly glorified and virtually everyone in attendance is richly blessed. Spending 2 1/2 days in a prayer summit is like investing a small amount of money in a business, but reaping a huge return.

Mary Sterenberg is currently the Pastor of Discovery Church in the Grand Rapids area. She also is a Ministry Partner for Igniting Revival, a teacher and leader with Presbyterian-Reformed Ministries International (PRMI). In addition, for 11 years, Mary has been the Prayer Mobilizer for the Great Lakes Region of the Christian Reformed Church (CRCNA). Education wise, Mary received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy in 1980, and worked for several years in rehabilitation, homecare therapy, and eventually started her own private practice in that arena. But after becoming involved more heavily in ministry, Mary became ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in 2012 as a Commissioned Pastor. Mary felt called to attend Calvin Theological Seminary, from where she graduated in 2016. While Mary loves serving the local church, she also has a vision and passion to unite the greater church body together. She has worked with Gathering Grand Rapids, and was the Prayer Co-Chair for the Luis Palau Association City Fest which, in 2018, drew thousands of people to Grand Rapids MI and to the Lord. Mary has been married to her high school sweetheart Bruce Sterenberg for 45 years. Together, they have three adult children and ten grandchildren. Karl House grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated with a Master of Divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary. Karl has planted a Christian Reformed Church near Toronto and a Vineyard Church in Tampa. He is back in Grand Rapids planting The Way MicroChurches—A new family of simple churches in Grand Rapids and beyond. Karl's passion is to pour into a new generation of disciples, leaders and MicroChurches. In the various places where Karl has lived, one of the many things he has done has been to encourage pastors in that geographical area to unite on a regular basis in prayer. Karl and his wife Anita have two adult children and one grandson. In this podcast, Mary and Karl highlight the upcoming Prayer Summit to be held at Maranatha April 20-22 and why Christ-followers should love to be part of it.

Gabe VanCoonis is 23 years old. While he was born in California, Gabe grew up in the Houghton Lake area of Northern Michigan. In 2022, he moved to Grand Rapids where he eventually came to Calvary Church that opened the door for him to begin a personal relationship with the Lord. Since coming to Christ, Gabe’s passion for Jesus has been on fire and continues to grow. His favorite things now are studying theology and sharing what he is learning with others. Gabe currently serves as the Facilities Night Shift Team Lead at Calvary Church, a role that gives him many opportunities for ministry. He regularly uses his passion and gift for teaching to pour into coworkers, high schoolers, and Community Service Volunteers. He’s involved in facilities ministry, young adults’ ministry, and leads a Saturday morning Bible study for his coworkers. Through everyday conversations and intentional discipleship, Gabe loves helping people grow in their faith and seeing the beauty of both them and himself as well walking more closely with Christ. In this podcast, Gabe tells his amazing story of how, since coming to Calvary church, he came to real faith in Christ. He also shares how Jesus’ presence in his life has produced in him an overwhelming love for our Lord and a passionate desire to share Jesus with those who don’t yet know Him. While Gabe is working in a job that could be considered a bit tedious, he loves the fact that it allows him daily to be able to encourage other people to come to faith in Jesus or, for those who already are Christians, to grow in their faith.

Arek O'Connell is an Outreach and Young Adult Pastor at Hillside Community Church in Grand Rapids, MI, where he has served faithfully since 2013. He has been married to his wife Jamie for 14 years and they have two children (Kaia;5 -and- Leighton;4). Arek is currently working on his Doctor of Ministry at Gordon Conwell where his thesis will be focused on spiritual healing from trauma. The work that brings Arek the most joy is teaching trauma classes in high-needs communities and being the chaplain for the East Kentwood varsity football team. In this podcast, Arek shares about his very turbulent background where, as a child, he experienced a home full of trauma and pain, which included multiple divorces and significant animosity and even cruelty. But, by the grace of God, as a young teen, Arek was greatly helped by a loving pastor who took Arek under his wing and brought him to saving faith in Christ. His life was radically changed! Yet, as Arek began to attend a Christian college in California, the external trauma suddenly got even worse as Arek’s father was viciously murdered. Arek shared how God clearly, miraculously, and even surprisingly empowered him to reach out to his father’s murderer in love and forgiveness, and actually lead that man to faith in Christ! Finally, Arek shared what a joy it has been to be chaplain of East Kentwood High School’s football team. Despite EK being a public high school, his players have chosen to lovingly pray with their opponents’ teammates after each game. Truly amazing! God is certainly on the move among Gen Z young people in our nation!

David Padgett is quick to tell you that his story is not about what he has done, but what God has done in his life. At 53 years old, he has been sober since June 21, 2014, and he gives all the glory to the Lord for the transformation that followed. After many years of struggling with drugs and alcohol, he was admitted to treatment at Bradford Health Services and then spent six months at Any Length Resources Sober Living. There, David experienced God’s hand of restoration in a way that reshaped his life. Once broken and without his family, he now leads them spiritually, reunited with his wife Laura—whom he first married in 1996, divorced in 2010, and by God’s grace remarried in 2018. Together they have three children and are blessed with two grandchildren. Since being ordained at Highlands College after graduating in May of 2020, where he received a degree in Biblical Studies and Pastoral leadership, David has served faithfully wherever God has placed him. For the past six years, he has humbly led as Pastoral Director at Bradford Health Services, the same place where he first went for help. In February 2024, he helped launch The Church of Receiving Hope, a ministry born out of his own story of healing and redemption, where he serves as lead pastor. David also serves as a managing partner and director of Any Length Resources, pouring back into the same community that once carried him. His life today stands as a reminder that when we fully surrender to God, and intently pursue a relationship with Him, He not only restores what was stolen by the enemy, but uses it to bring hope to others. In this podcast, David describes his upbringing in a rather strict religious home where God’s grace and mercy were greatly under-emphasized. He now understands that he had a God-shaped vacuum in his heart (that everyone of us actually has) that he sought to fill with drugs and alcohol. Obviously, nothing other than God can adequately fill that void, and drugs and alcohol certainly didn’t for David. But, by God’s grace, David got help from caring people in various treatment centers. And he then gradually began to have a real encounter with our loving God which resulted in his freedom from addiction and even ultimately restored his marriage and family! David concluded this podcast by offering hope for all of us who seek to fill our empty hearts with anything other than God, which can include food, gambling, pornography, work, acclaim, or whatever.

Henry E., better known as “Hank” Erwin, is widely known as the “storyteller of motivation!” His talent for telling stories that both entertain and result in commitment and action on the part of his listeners is legendary. Hank learned the art of storytelling from his late father, Medal of Honor Recipient Henry “Red” Erwin, who held small crowds spellbound with stories of bravery in World War II. Hank became a committed Christian in college and married his sweetheart Shelia Daniel the day before his graduation. They have now been together for 53 years and have two married sons and seven grandchildren. They reside in Spring Hill, Tennessee. But it was telling stories that guided Hank’s life. He attended Dallas Seminary in Texas to become a preacher. But during those days, God opened a door into radio and TV leading him to become an on-air personality. So, instead of becoming a preacher, Hank plunged into media for nearly thirty years as a journalist and talk show host. He soon became a media advocate for pro-life and family values, patriotism, and conservative issues. All that eventually won him awards and notice in Alabama among voters looking for fresh faces in the world of politics. So in 2002, Hank was elected to the Alabama State Senate, serving two terms as a firebrand for conservative family values across the state. He fought to bring gambling to a standstill and helped usher in a whole new Republican government for the people of Alabama. However, strange as it may sound, it was his bedtime stories that really changed history! As a loving father, he told his two sons bedtime stories when they were very young. For example, he used Woodlawn football stories that were so colorful that it ultimately ignited their imaginations to the point that they wanted to become movie makers! So, forty years later the world now knows the famous Erwin Brothers, Andy and Jon, who have gone on to produce and direct ten faith-based motion pictures, all of which that have garnered Dove Awards for outstanding achievements in Christian film! You will undoubtedly recall many of them, including “October Baby,” “Woodlawn,” “I Can Only Imagine,” “Jesus Revolution” and “House of David.” Hank now spends some of his time traveling around the country telling stories in banquets and churches to entertain and motivate people. But, recently Hank also assumed the role of leading a nation-wide movement for revival and spiritual awakening called the Great American Prayer Revival, or GAP26. This effort has the potential to be used by God to bring much-needed healing to America. In this podcast, Hank tells how, when he was in college, God lovingly brought him to faith in Christ and then, through a wide variety of career moves, to where he currently is now leading GAP26, a nation-wide effort to bring much-needed revival and spiritual awakening to America. You will find his call to get involved with this important effort very compelling! For more information, go to GAP-event.org.

Chris Cerci was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. Tragically, at age 3, Chris lost his father due to suicide. When Chris turned 7, his surviving family moved to Florida. Years later he moved with his family to Pittsburgh, PA where he also currently resides. Seeking employment, Chris began working as a firefighter with the McKeesport Fire Department. While he performed well, he nonetheless struggled with PTSD that he attempted to suppress through the use of alcohol and drugs, an addiction that lasted forty years. But, by God’s grace, Chris finally and miraculously overcame his struggle about two years ago. While he is now retired from his firefighting work, Chris currently runs a small tree business that he started almost 10 years ago. But his current overwhelming passion is to get the life-giving message he has learned about God’s amazing power and love out to the many who continue to suffer with hopelessness. In this podcast, Chris shares the painful struggles of his life that prompted him to find temporary escape in his drinking and drugging addiction. Despite repeated times in treatment facilities, Chris would ultimately relapse again into nonstop drinking that would result in total despair and bring much pain to his marriage, his family, and to his own life. But, about two years ago, following a serious motorcycle accident, God did an amazing miracle in Chris’s life that he emotionally shares with us. While he continues to pursue AA meetings, Chris no longer has any desire for alcohol or drugs. Finally, near the end of the podcast, Chris shares a very cute story of how he met my dear wife Marcia at Planet Fitness that ultimately resulted in us doing this podcast.

Whether smuggling Bibles, feeding lepers or working/living amongst a Muslim people group as a Humanitarian Pastor, Mick Veach’s commitment to share the love of God has taken him all over the world. Mick has served as a Global Partners’ Area Director for Central Asia and the Middle East, he has presented the gospel in more than 60 countries, been the Lead Pastor of a large suburban church north of Detroit, planted Mosaic Midtown in Detroit and has been the Lead Pastor of Kentwood Community Church in Kentwood, Michigan for more than 5 years. Their goal is to be “a church OF the nations and FOR the nations.” Mick’s desire is and always has been to see God’s truth compel others to action and to foster healthy local churches that engage in evangelism and discipleship. He and his wife, Melanie, have three adult children and live in West Michigan. In this podcast, Mick describes how he continues to maintain personal holiness, integrity and humility even when, as a pastor, he is often faced with pressure to stumble and fall. He also describes how his congregation has grown into a church that is incredibly diverse but still enjoys amazing unity and love. Finally, Mick tells how, by example and word, he and his team are motivating the people in his congregation to bring non-believers to faith in Christ, and to help those who are already believers to grow into disciples who in turn make disciples.

Michael Carrier is one amazing person! From an educational perspective, after graduating from high school in Michigan, he spent a year at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. Then he went to Central Bible College (later named Evangel University) in Missouri, getting his bachelor’s degree in Bible. Because of his excellent grades there, he was then awarded a fellowship in Semitic Languages at New York University in Manhattan, NY. Unfortunately, as he was working on his PhD dissertation there, political turmoil in the early 1970s rocked the campus and prevented him from getting his doctorate. Ultimately, Mike returned to Michigan with his dear wife Evie and began to work for a security company. Within a year he was made general manager of the second largest security company in West Michigan. Then, a few years later, Mike started his own security firm that he ran for about 30 years. He did contract work for the Military, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), General Motors, and other large and small corporations, along with thousands of private individuals. It was while Mike was running his security firm that another chapter in his life came alive: He wrote and self-published his first book entitled WIND. We will chat more about this in a minute. But about 15 years ago, Mike developed a heart condition that prompted him to sell his security business. Yet, not liking the boredom of “retirement,” Mike began to write what he calls his “hardboiled thrillers” marketed as “murder mysteries set in the Midwest.” To date he has published 18 of them with his author name Michael Carrier. Yes, Mike is one amazing dude! In this podcast Mike tells how a miraculous event with his radio of all things led him to understand the deep need in our nation for revival. And that, in turn, started him on a faithful routine of fervent prayer one day per week for revival to happen. Then along came self-publishing his book on revival entitled “Wind” followed by 18 fiction books. Truly, Michael Carrier is one unique and wholehearted follower of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Bill Elliff is the founder and National Engage Pastor of The Summit Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. His passion is to see both genuine revival and methodological renewal in the church—both new wine and new wineskins. He is a frequent conference speaker, writer, and consultant to churches drawing from his 50+ years of pastoring and revival ministry. Bill is also the Pastor/Church Director for OneCry, A Nationwide Call for Spiritual Awakening and the author of fifteen books and booklets and numerous articles. He lives to faithfully and effectively communicate the whole counsel of God to as many people as possible through preaching, writing, church development, and personal equipping that they may become intimate, reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ. Bill and his wife Holly are parents to eight children and grandparents to 27. Five of their sons are in fulltime ministry. In this podcast, Bill shares about the incredible joy and blessing we experience when we abide in the manifest presence of God. Sadly, it is all too easy for us Christ-followers to be distracted from pursuing that sweet spot of His presence, thereby causing us to lose the treasure that is freely offered to us by our loving Lord. Bill continues by suggesting what practical steps we can take to help us increasingly rest in God’s wonderful presence. Bill ends our conversation by sharing briefly how the revival and spiritual awakening many of us have been seeking for years is now happening, especially among Gen Z young people throughout America. He encourages us to not miss the growing opportunity for prayer and evangelism that this exciting movement of God provides.

Dean Vander Mey serves as the Executive Director of Set Free Ministries located here in West Michigan but touching lives around the world. Set Free guides individuals through the process of finding freedom from various forms of spiritual and emotional bondage. Not only does Dean oversee his dynamic staff, he also personally meets with individuals in crisis, offering them comfort and direction based on the truths of Scripture. In addition, Dean has a teaching ministry in which he shares the profound wisdom of God revealed through Freedom Ministry. In his personal life, Dean finds joy in his marriage to his beloved wife, Sharie. Together, they are blessed with six daughters, four sons-in-law, and eighteen grandchildren. Before dedicating himself to ministry, Dean successfully ran a business called Action Packaging for 23 years. When he’s not fulfilling his calling, Dean takes pleasure in spending quality time with his family and pursuing outdoor activities. As an enthusiastic sportsman, he cherishes moments spent hunting, fishing, and retreating to “Deer Camp” in the UP of Michigan. In this podcast Dean tells how Set Free Ministries continues to touch thousands of lives both locally and around the world. He says that a vast majority of the people coming into their West Michigan offices are followers of Christ but who are being held captive by lies they have embraced either intentionally or unintentionally. Ultimately, lies enslave, but truth sets us free! And so many of the people who engage in freedom appointments at Set Free do in fact receive a wonderful measure of God’s healing touch. Dean also describes how their Set Free Global division is seeing so many lives come to faith in Christ and growing into dynamic leaders for Christ who are passing His truth onto many more, all for His glory. The stories are truly exciting! Finally, Dean shares how, in our age of growing anxiety and worry, we can find God’s peace and joy as we concentrate on His truth and His promise to be with us and care for us. So we can take those scary steps of faith as we keep our eyes on Him.

Michael P. Farris is a litigator, educator, public advocate, and communicator, and is widely recognized for his successful work on both the national and international stage. He was founding president of both the Home School Legal Defense Association (1983) and Patrick Henry College (2000). Michael served as the President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom from 2017 to 2022. He is currently General Counsel to the National Religious Broadcasters. For over 40 years, Michael has practiced constitutional appellate litigation specializing in religious freedom and parental rights. In that capacity, he has argued before many state appellate courts, federal circuit courts of appeal, and even the Supreme Court of the United States! Of particular note is that Mike was CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom organization while ADF was serving as co-counsel to the Attorney General of Mississippi for the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health which reversed Roe v. Wade! For his work, Michael has received numerous awards and honors, including two honorary doctorates. He is the author of over fifteen books, as well as law review and other scholarly and popular articles. He and his wife, Vickie, have ten children, 31 grandchildren and one great-grandchild (with more to come!) In this podcast, Michael talks about how as an attorney he helped me (Randy Hekman) in 1982 when I as a Juvenile Court Judge faced potential consequences due to my ruling on a case involving a 13 year old girl who sought an abortion. Michael also talks about the incredible blessing of children, a concept that far too few Christian parents fully embrace. Why should we Christians buy into the world’s lie that children are more a burden than a blessing and therefore should be minimized? Finally, Michael shares about a trip to the Soviet Union in 1988 where he met many Christian couples who had very large families. And they explained to Michael that they chose to have many children to show the distressed world around them that, with God and His blessings, we can have genuine hope for the future rather than despair.

Karla VanOtteren is an author, speaker, and prophetic teacher with a calling to equip and activate the body of Christ to know God’s voice, live out healthy prophetic ministry, and seek the Father’s heart for inner healing. She has authored a book “God Conversations: Prophetic Journaling that Ignites Transformation.” Karla is the National Day of Prayer Task Force Coordinator for the State of Michigan, where she is blessed to reside with her amazing husband of 31 years, Jim, and their rescue dog Ellie. Jim and Karla have one remarkable son, Alex, an exceptional musician and powerful man of God, of whom they are extremely proud every single day.\ In this podcast, Karla describes her amazing conversion to Christianity in the midst of struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. And how, thereafter, she has been growing in her faith in and love for God. Karla also shares how God has been consistently and increasingly speaking to her by the Holy Spirit through various visions and words in her heart. But she cautions that what we sense God is saying to us must never be allowed to contradict the written Word of God, the Bible. Karla also describes how it was that she became connected to the National Day of Prayer and the importance of prayer for our region, state, nation and world. We see revival and spiritual awakening happening! May we continue to pray toward that end!

Mark Blocher is the co-founder and CEO of Christian Healthcare Centers, Inc., a Grand Rapids, MI-based non-profit organization providing primary and specialist medical services in Michigan. His educational background includes undergraduate and advanced degrees from Cornerstone University, Western Michigan University, Dallas Theological Seminary and Kennedy-Western University. Mark has personally taught at many colleges and universities in Michigan and has founded and run a number of non-profits concerned with pro-life and health related matters. Mark has authored a number of articles and books and is well known nation-wide as a speaker on issues dealing with life, health and bioethics. Mark and his dear wife Julie are parents of 4 grown children, and they are the proud grandparents of now 6 grandkids! In this podcast, Mark talks about one of the areas we American Christians have largely bought into the lies of our culture. And that is the area of children: being open to having a large family should God so lead. Our American culture says we should minimize child-bearing. But more and more books and studies are showing we face a very bleak future as a nation and a world due to insufficient numbers of children being born. Yes, it takes a lot of work and a lot of resources to raise even one child. But Scripture makes it abundantly clear that each precious child is created by God and in His image, and has the potential of impacting our world for good and then living forever in His eternal kingdom! And God has promised to meet all our needs as we put Him and His Kingdom first. So why not have a “quiver full” of kids (Psalm 127)? Bottom line, we American Christians need to repent of our lack of having God be the Lord of this area of our lives. For more information, check out our book: Sweeter by the Dozen: Making Jesus the Lord of Our Family Size.

WILLIAM J. FEDERER is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America's noble heritage. Bill's AMERICAN MINUTE radio feature is broadcasted daily across America and on the Internet. His Faith in History television airs on the TCT Network on stations across America and via DirectTV. He is the author of many books, has appeared on numerous television and radio network programs, has spoken in scores of places around the globe and has received numerous awards from various organizations for his great work. On a personal note, William was the fifth of eleven children, growing up in St, Louis, Missouri. He is a graduate of St. Louis University High School, and ultimately obtained a degree in Business from St. Louis University in 1980. He is married to his sweet wife Susie. Prior to his current work in ministry, William worked in real estate, oil & gas, and other religious organizations. You can learn more by going to his website AmericanMinute.com. In this podcast, William tells how most of the world’s history is about nations being ruled by a king or dictator who, to maintain order, assumes virtually all authority, thus depriving citizens of almost all of their freedom. One exception was the nation of Israel before King Saul was anointed. At that time, Jewish men and women, knowing they were created and loved by God and were accountable to Him, were able to enjoy relative freedom as long as they sought to follow God in obedience. William also points out how America’s history shows a similar background that was memorialized in our founding documents and which place ultimate authority in the hands of “we the people.” Contrary to what our modern “woke” culture suggests, America’s founding, while not perfect, was based on solid Biblical truth about the value of each human being created in God’s image. He points out that this continues to work until we citizens lose track of our accountability to God and start causing hurt to each other. Then government needs to step in to restore order. William also talks about the essential difference between angels and humans. That we are superior to angels in many respects because we are created in the image of God and have the capacity to choose to love Him, which our loving Heavenly Father is seeking.

Pastor Arthur Guice received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1980, while attending Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL. It was during this season in his life that Arthur sensed a call to ministry. As a result, he changed his major from Business Administration to Theology. On March 23, 2003, Arthur was installed as the Senior Pastor of Spirit of Liberty Church of God, Markham, IL. A few years after serving as Senior Pastor, Arthur faced personal tragedy as his lovely and devoted wife of nine years went home to be with the Lord after a very courageous and lengthy battle with cancer. By the grace of God, Pastor Guice continued to serve as the Senior Pastor of Spirit of Liberty of God in Markham, IL until retiring in February 2023. Arthur also serves as the Great Lakes Regional Prayer coordinator for the Church of God, Cleveland Tennessee, and was ordained as a Bishop through the same ecclesiastical hierarchy. He is the founder and President of Full of Glory Ministries, Inc., a teaching ministry committed to developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ as well as the Illinois State Coordinator for Cry Out America. Art is a man who is deeply committed to fulfilling the “Great Commission” of our Lord Jesus Christ by making disciples of all nations. He has an anointing to teach and preach the Word of God with simplicity and with accuracy. He is a much sought-after speaker for conferences, seminars and workshops throughout the Chicago area and the nation. In this podcast, Pastor Art shares how he believes Black History Month (February) is actually helpful for people of color to help them see more clearly that some of the things they have been taught about their identity by a less than godly culture are simply not true. And that, with God and the truth of His Word, they can become all that He wants them to be. Art also emphasized the importance of the Church in America to have the true spiritual unity that Jesus prayed about in John 17:20-23, and that, unless we move quickly toward genuine unity, God’s judgment is close at hand.

David Blok helped found and is now the Executive Director of a ministry called Plant 616. His ministry journey has been driven by 3 burdens: a love for the city, a passion for church planting, and a fascination with movements. This has led him through 20 years of urban ministry experience, pastoring and church planting in an urban neighborhood in greater Grand Rapids. David received his Master of Divinity degree in 2010 from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary with an emphasis on Church planting. He is a certified dean of the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, a Send Network church planter trainer, and a church planting coach. David has been married to his lovely wife, Amanda, for almost 16 years. Together they have embarked on a journey of neighborhood ministry, foster care and adoption. As a result, they are the proud parents of Anthony, Melvin, and Elliana. Through his work with Plant 616, David is excited to connect with and encourage mission minded leaders in the 616 area code, equip the next wave of missional adventurers, and catalyze a movement of missionary disciples in every crack and crevice of the 616 area code. In this podcast, David talks about how Plant 616 was formed and how it increasingly is bringing together a wide variety of genuine Christ-followers in greater Grand Rapids to do all they can to “make Jesus famous on every block” in our area. David is so excited to see how God is calling so many diverse people to work together toward this goal, including younger Gen Z believers along with older saints. Truly, we are seeing revival and spiritual awakening springing up all for His glory and our joy!

Allen Heneveld has an amazing background! He now is a practicing attorney in the greater Grand Rapids area, focusing on helping small businesses thrive. But he also has prior experience as a CPA accredited accountant. Allen has an undergrad degree from Hope College, an MBA degree from Duke University, and a Juris Doctor (law) degree from George Washington University Law School. Allen is married to his dear wife Nina, and together they have four wonderful children. Beyond that, Allen states on his law firm website that he is a very blessed man. Why? He says it’s because he has a deep relationship with the Father, with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And that his desire is that all of his life would flow out of that relationship – just like Jesus. In this podcast, Allen shares a wealth of godly wisdom for us. He begins by relating how he personally went from being a lukewarm Christ follower to being wholehearted in his pursuit of Jesus and His way of living. As a result, Allen followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to preach at a number of churches in various places of America, encouraging those in attendance to similarly give all to Christ. Many responded positively to his exhortation. In recent months, Allen has been working on a book that is much needed in our world: it’s about our need to forgive, to rid ourselves of ALL bitterness. Allen has personally helped many folks process the lack of forgiveness in their lives resulting in their having much greater peace, joy and love. Even our secular world is seeing a correlation between bitterness and cancer! Bitterness is truly a cancer of the soul and, apparently, the body as well! Finally, Allen shares how we can best do what Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. We need to do it for Him, in love, and for His name’s sake. The result is possessing eternal blessings!