The world lost a special servant of God today. Mr. George Beverly Shea went to be with the Lord after a 104 year journey on the Earth.
Mr. Shea was an integral part of Billy Graham’s crusades since 1947, and according to the Guinness Book of Records, holds the record for singing in front of the most people…over 220 million!
On May 23, 2006 I did an interview with Mr. Shea on the Lifespring! show, and I would like to share that interview with you today. The audio quality is not up to my current standards, but I think you will enjoy the conversation despite that shortcoming.
Singer/songwriter Adrina Thorpe continues her amazing story of her struggle with physical pain, her faith in God, and how He has continued to encourage her in some very personal and intimate ways, ways that were specifically tuned to speak to Adrina so that she would know it was truly Him speaking.
After the interview, you’ll hear a song from Adrina’s newest CD, “Halflight and Shadows“. The song is entitled “Walk”.
Mareena Webb
My first daughter-in-law…the wife of my firstborn son…the mother of my first grandchild, is an amazingly gifted photographer.
Mareena has decided to create a presence for her photography business on the internet, and asked me to invite you to see her work. Her foray onto the net is in its infancy at the time of this recording, so her website is on blogspot, but I’ll be helping her build her own site soon. In the meantime, check out her website here.
If you’re in the southern California area and want to have images captured in beautiful and creative ways, Mareena is your photographer!
Bryan Duncan
Someone who has been on the internet for a long time, and who has become almost family to me is Bryan Duncan. A pioneer in Christian music, Dove award winner, platinum and gold albums, you’ve heard about Bryan here before.
Bryan is in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign right now, as I record this on November 19, 2011. It goes until December 17, 2011. The goal is to raise $40,000 for his next CD. He’s offering some very cool stuff to those who contribute, including the opportunity to be listed as Executive Producer of the new CD!
Adrina Thorpe is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I’ve known her now for about six years. She has a sweet, clear voice and the heart of a poet. Her music first came to my attention in the early days of podcasting, and she was one of the early stars of this medium. I found out she lived not far from me, right here in southern California, so I asked her to come to the Lifespring! studios in December of 2005 and do an interview with me. Since that show aired, we’ve kept in touch over the via email.
Not too long ago, Adrina sent an email newsletter out to her fans in which she told a story that brought tears to my eyes. You see, Adrina has suffered for years with a condition that causes her a great deal of pain. In her letter, she talked about her faith in God, her pleading to Him for healing, and how He has spoken to her in response. It’s a story I thought you should hear.
The Final Episode of our interview with Steven and Maryanne Abbate
Steven and Maryanne talk about how their marriage survived the loss of their fifteen year old son, Luke.
In addition they discuss how their family and priorities have changed, and their reasons for opening their lives for public view.
I have so much admiration for them for opening up their lives as they have done, but they truly want others to be helped by their experiences. And it is good to know that, even through the human frailties, God will lift us up and help us to make it through. It can be a long and painful process, and both Steven and Maryanne said that they are still working through some of the aftermath of such a great loss, you heard two people who still love God and trust Him.
Thank you again, Steven and Maryanne, for your generous gift of time to me and the family of Lifespring! listeners.
Today we’ll hear part 2 of my interview with Steven and Maryanne Abbate, parents of a whole family of great kids, one of whom, Luke, was tragically killed in an automobile accident in February of 2006. A movie has been made about the accident and how the Abbate family has coped with the loss, and how God has used it to bring some amazing blessings into the lives of others. That movie is The 5th Quarter, and may be in a theater near you, or hopefully will be.
Today, I have part one of another story that will grab your heart and then, I think, ultimately encourage you to praise God. It’s the story of the Abbate family. Husband Steven and his wife, Maryanne, and their children Adam, Rachel, Jon and Luke.
If you are from the Atlanta, Georgia area, or from the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina, you are probably well aware of who these amazing people are. I had not heard of them until receiving a pre-release DVD of the film that tells what happened to them in February of 2005. The name of the film is The 5th Quarter, and when I watched it, I was gripped in a way I never have been gripped by a movie.
So today, I have for you part one of a conversation I had with Steven and Maryanne Abbate.
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Crossing Over, Part 3
Today, we conclude our conversation with the remarkable Ellie Collins.
By way of review, Ellie has told us of her very poor and traumatic childhood and adolescence. Raised by a physically abusive grandmother, sexually abused by her step-father and step-brother, forced into a marriage at 16 years old to a much older man who raped and beat her, raped again by a man who was supposed to be helping her escape, and then forced into prostitution.
In the midst of this, she cries out to God in the best way she knows how, and pleas with Him to get her out of there. Miraculously, God sends a friend who helps her escape the clutches of the brothel owner.
She makes her way to America, learns to speak English, and ultimately begins to build a life as a beautician, with a clientele that includes Hollywood celebrities.
She marries a man who after several years of marriage desserts her.
This sends her into a life of drugs and promiscuity. This is where we begin our episode.
Lifespring! is brought to you by the TheGuyWithTheFriendlyVoice.com.
Check it out! Mention you heard this show and get a 15% discount on any voiceover project!
Today, we continue our conversation with Ellie Collins.
Last episode, we heard a story of innocence lost, betrayal, violence, human traficking and more, as Ellie told about her childhood in Honduras where she lived with her physically abusive grandmother, then with her mother where her step-father and step-brother abused her sexually.
She was then forced into a marriage at 16 years old to a much older man who raped her and beat her and would leave her tied up while he left the shack they lived in.
She ran away from there, only to be raped again by a man who was supposed to be helping her escape, and finally she finds herself seemingly rescued by a woman who takes her in, buys her medical care, and clothes, gives her a place to stay…only to find out that she is indebted to the woman, who is requiring her to work off the debt in the brothel the woman owns.
Lifespring! is brought to you by the TheGuyWithTheFriendlyVoice.com.
Check it out! Mention you heard this show and get a 15% discount on any voiceover project!
I have a very special guest today, and the story you are about to hear will probably have you on the edge of your seat. It’s a story of innocence lost, betrayal, and violence, but even more, it is a story of God’s love, and His healing, redemptive power.
When I first heard this story, I knew that I had to introduce you to this incredible woman, whose name is Ellie Collins. Ellie’s full story is written about in the book “Crossing Over”. The author is Ish Payne.
Aaron Crider is a worship leader and social justice advocate. His is working with several non-profits to help raise awareness about child soldiers and issues surrounding human trafficking.
His new album, The Change, looks deeply at these issues as well his own personal struggles. Aaron and his wife have lost 3 babies and have a great testimony of faith in great sorrow.
Join me for an interview that will encourage your heart!
