Director Richie Johns joins us to discuss his new film Still Hope and why he chose to confront the reality of human trafficking through storytelling. He explains how the movie draws from true events and focuses not only on the crime itself, but also on recovery, forgiveness and the long road toward healing.

Johns also talks about The Promised Land, his faith-based comedy series that brings the story of Moses and the Exodus to life for a new generation. He shares how faith shapes both projects, even though they differ greatly in tone and audience. The conversation explores how film can raise awareness, inspire compassion, and point people toward meaningful action and hope.

Highlights

• Why Richie took on Still Hope and what makes its recovery story unique

• How true survivor stories shaped the film’s narrative

• The theme of forgiveness as freedom

• The story’s setting and why it matters: trafficking can happen in everyday America

• Why Still Hope was designed as a tool for awareness and action

• Behind the scenes on The Promised Land, a faith-based comedy about Exodus

• How humor and scripture combine to reach new audiences

• Richie’s journey from assistant directing to filmmaking with a missional focus

Resources Mentioned

Richie Johns – Filmmaker, Director & Producer

• Instagram

Films & Series

• Still Hope – Feature film on human trafficking depicting rescue and restorative journey

  • Official Website:

• The Promised Land – Faith-based comedy series about Exodus

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Grammy-nominated gospel artist Jamie McDonald joins Crosswalk Talk to share the story behind her highly anticipated self-titled album Jamie McDonald releasing January 23. From years of background vocals in Nashville to singing in prison ministry and finding hope in her own brokenness, Jamie unpacks how her faith journey shaped her sound, her message, and the heart behind her music.

Highlights

• Jamie’s mixed emotions and sense of accomplishment as her first major album arrives

• How years of background vocals shaped her musical path

• The role of faith, family healing, and reconnecting with her father

• Turning points: church camp, hitting rock bottom, and meeting God at age 21

• Transformative ministry in prisons and how it influences her music today

• Her distinctive sound: soulful, choir-inspired, and gospel-rooted

• Stories behind key songs like “My Family” and themes of restoration

• What she hopes listeners take away from Jamie McDonald

• Her unique aesthetic and personal style

• A preview of her first headline tour with Taylor Hill

Resources Mentioned

Jamie McDonald – Gospel artist and songwriter

• Official Website: jamiemacdonaldmusic.com

• Instagram

• Spotify Artist Profile:

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Joel Courtney and Masey McLain discuss why they were drawn to Soul on Fire, a true story they say is saturated with hope, resilience, and the power of personal choice. The film follows John O’Leary, who survives a devastating burn accident as a child in 1987 and later grows into a man whose life points others toward what it means to truly live, a journey the actors say reflects the heart of the gospel.

As believers themselves, Joel and Macy reflect on how this story reshaped their understanding of resilience, vulnerability, and the gospel—revealing a hope that isn’t naïve, but hard-won and deeply rooted in faith.

Highlights

• Why telling true stories of hope and overcoming matters now more than ever

• The idea of agency: choosing life, joy, and freedom one decision at a time

• How John’s journey mirrors biblical resilience, including parallels to Job

• A powerful picture of the gospel: being fully known and fully loved

• What it was like meeting the real-life John and Beth and how it shaped the performances

• The promise of restoration—what’s been stolen can be replenished, resurrected, and rebuilt

• Why hope isn’t automatic… but it is always available

Join the Conversation

What part of this story resonated with you most—choosing hope, embracing vulnerability, or seeing restoration firsthand? How has faith helped shape your own resilience through hard seasons?

Share your thoughts with a review!

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Resources Mentioned

• Joel Courtney – Actor known for Soul on Fire and Super 8

  • IMDb

  • Official Instagram

• Masey McLain – Actress featured as Beth O’Leary in Soul on Fire

• • IMDb:

  • Official Instagram:

• Soul on Fire (2025) – Official film page with cast and details

• John O’Leary – The real-life inspiration for Soul on Fire (author & speaker)

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Family discipleship, Christian parenting, and teaching toddlers about Jesus are at the heart of this conversation with pastor, author, and podcaster Adam Griffin, lead pastor of Eastside Community Church and co-host of The Family Discipleship Podcast. Adam shares the vision behind his new children’s board book, What Will You Teach Me?, and why the earliest lessons—colors, numbers, animals, and music—can all point children back to God.

This episode explores how parents can integrate faith into everyday learning, why discipleship doesn’t require seminary training, and how spiritual formation begins long before children can read or speak.

Highlights

• Why most Christian kids’ books miss an opportunity for deeper discipleship

• How everyday lessons like math, science, and language reveal God’s design

• The inspiration behind What Will You Teach Me?

• Why this board book is designed for babies through age four

• How repetition helps children learn truth through story and visuals

• What “family discipleship” really means—and why it’s often overcomplicated

• Bridging the gap between spiritual and secular education

• Why discipleship deserves the same priority as academics

• How parents can lead spiritually without being experts

• Adam’s vision for future family discipleship resources

Join the Conversation

How do you naturally incorporate faith into everyday learning moments with your kids?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts using #LifeAudio.

Resources & Links

• 📘 What Will You Teach Me? by Adam Griffin (B&H Publishing)

• 🎙️ The Family Discipleship Podcast

• 📘 Family Discipleship by Adam Griffin & Matt Chandler

• 📖 Deuteronomy 6:4–9

• 📖 Matthew 28:19–20

• 🎧 Explore more faith-centered podcasts at LifeAudio.com

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Adoption stories, Christian identity, and healing from trauma take center stage as singer, speaker, and author Camey Joy shares her powerful testimony of being born with a cleft lip and palate in the mountains of Guatemala and finding a forever family through adoption. Her journey—from near death to divine intervention, faith, and redemption—reveals how God transforms deep wounds into lasting purpose.

In this episode, Camey reflects on her memoir Beautifully Scarred, her faith-filled adoption story, and how being “chosen twice” shaped her understanding of identity, belonging, and God’s relentless love.

Highlights

• Camey Joy Joy’s miraculous survival after being born with a cleft lip and palate in Guatemala

• The divine intervention that led her from the mountains to an orphanage

• Being adopted into a loving family and navigating identity as an adoptee

• What it means to be “chosen twice”—by God and by family

• How faith reframed pain, scars, and unanswered questions

• Why adoption is both beautiful and layered

• The heart behind her book Beautifully Scarred

• Camey's vision for the story to become a film

• How Scripture, especially Psalm 139, shaped her healing journey

• The purpose behind her 5-day YouVersion devotional

Join the Conversation

What does it mean to you to be chosen—by God, by family, or by faith?

Share your thoughts and story using #LifeAudio.

Resources & Links

• 📘 Beautifully Scarred — Camey Joy

• 📖 Psalm 139:13–18

• 📱 Beautifully Scarred 5-Day Devotional on YouVersion

• 🎧 Explore more faith-filled podcasts at LifeAudio.com

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Christian music artist Emerson Day, a Dove Award–nominated singer-songwriter, shares the unexpected journey that led her from college lacrosse and a future in federal law enforcement to a calling in Christian music. Known for powerful songs like Get Behind Me and This House Won’t Fall, Emerson opens up about obedience, spiritual warfare, and trusting God when the path forward feels uncertain.

In this episode, Emerson reflects on turning down her dream job with the ATF, rediscovering songwriting during a season of waiting, and how faith shaped her music long before success arrived. Her story is a reminder that God wastes nothing—and that obedience often begins with one brave “yes.”

Highlights

• Why Emerson turned down a federal law enforcement career to pursue music

• How a season of waiting shaped her faith and songwriting

• The personal story behind Get Behind Me and spiritual warfare

• Lessons passed down from her grandmother that inspired her lyrics

• How lacrosse and discipline prepared her for life as an artist

• The biblical foundation behind This House Won’t Fall (Matthew 7)

• Why Emerson believes God uses every chapter of our story

• What she hopes listeners experience when they hear her music

Join the Conversation

Have you ever felt God calling you to something unexpected—or uncomfortable?

Join the conversation and share your story using #LifeAudio.

🔗 Resources & Links

• 🎵 Get Behind Me – Emerson Day

• 🎵 This House Won’t Fall – Emerson Day

• 🌐 Official website: emersondaymusic.com

• 🎧 Discover more faith-centered podcasts at LifeAudio.com

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Christian music artist Jaye King, the newest signing on Centricity Music, shares the powerful story behind his debut single Hard Place—a testimony-driven song rooted in redemption, faith, and meeting God in life’s most difficult moments. Blending gospel, pop, rock, and soul influences, Jay opens up about his journey from growing up in church to making faith his own.

In this conversation, Jaye reflects on his musical upbringing, his passion for creating honest music without labels, and why he believes faith-filled songs should meet people where they are. From wrestling with identity to trusting God through uncertainty, Jaye’s story speaks directly to listeners searching for hope, authenticity, and truth.

Highlights

• The personal testimony behind Jaye King’s single Hard Place

• Growing up in church versus truly surrendering your life to Christ

• How Jaye’s background as a drummer shaped his genre-blending sound

• Influences ranging from gospel and soul to pop and classic rock

• Why Jaye prefers being a “Christian making music” rather than a labeled genre

• Navigating faith-based storytelling without compromising musical excellence

• Jaye’s middle school encounter with the Holy Spirit that changed everything

• A message of hope for listeners who feel stuck, lost, or at a crossroads

Join the Conversation

Have you ever experienced God meeting you in a hard place when life felt uncertain?

Join the conversation and share your story using #LifeAudio.

🔗 Resources & Links

• 🎵 Listen to Hard Place by Jaye King

• 🌐 Official website: jayeking.com

• 🎧 Explore more faith-centered podcasts at LifeAudio.com

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Christian rock music is finding fresh momentum through artists who aren’t afraid to be honest about faith, struggle, and hope. In this episode, Jaren and Jade Lagore, sisters and founding members of the band JAREN, share their journey of calling, creativity, and why their music resonates deeply with Gen Z listeners.

Known for high-energy songs like Stand Strong, War Cry, and their latest release Poetic, Jaren and Jade open up about how God brought them together as a band, how their sound evolved into a rock-forward expression of faith, and why their mission centers on pointing wandering hearts back to Jesus. The conversation explores songwriting, authenticity, generational hunger for truth, and what it means to stand firm in faith in today’s cultural moment.

Highlights

• How Jaren first sensed God’s call into Christian music

• Why Jade initially said “no” to joining the band—and what changed

• Growing up playing music together and finding God’s bigger plan

• How JAREN developed its rock-driven sound with electric violin

• Musical influences ranging from BarlowGirl to modern pop-rock

• The balance of honesty and hope in Christian songwriting

• The story behind the song Poetic and its message for Gen Z

• Why spiritual hunger and revival seem to be rising among young adults

• The band’s heart for reaching lukewarm and searching believers

Join the Conversation

What role has music played in strengthening your faith—or helping you wrestle honestly with truth?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts using #LifeAudio.

🔗 Resources & Links

• 🎵 Listen to JAREN on Youtube

• 🌐 Visit the band: thebandjaren.com

• 🎧 Discover more faith-based podcasts at LifeAudio.com

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.