Our American Stories

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Latest Episodes:

Bob Funk and the Business of Giving People Work, Purpose, and Hope Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Our American Stories, before founding Express Employment Professionals, Bob Funk believed his life’s work would be in the ministry. Instead, he discovered that helping people find jobs could become a calling of its own.
Raised in poverty and shaped by hard work from an early age, Funk built a staffing company grounded in integrity, faith, and service. Over four decades, his mission to connect workers to work has helped millions find employment, dignity, and hope. His belief is simple: meaningful work gives people purpose, stability, and the confidence to build a better life.

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When a Daughter Becomes Her Father’s Caregiver Jan 21, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, as a child, Deborah Freeburg learned what faith, perseverance, and family looked like by watching her parents care for their own. Years later, she entered a new and frightening season when her father’s health declined and the roles reversed.
In this listener's story, Deborah shares what it meant to become her father’s caregiver, tending to him through illness, loss of independence, and moments of deep vulnerability. It’s a story about aging, dignity, and the quiet, faithful love that binds families together when words are no longer enough.

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A DNA Test Turned One Man’s Family From 2 to 10 Jan 21, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jamie Scott was born, he was placed for adoption and raised by loving parents in North Carolina. For decades, he lived a full life without searching for his biological family. Then a simple DNA test changed everything.
In this listener's story, Jamie explains how taking a test through AncestryDNA revealed siblings, cousins, and a family history hidden in plain sight, all in his own hometown. What began as curiosity quickly became connection, turning a family of two into ten and redefining what family can mean.

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The Chosen: How a Crowdfunded TV Series About Jesus Took Over the World Jan 21, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The Chosen is the first multi-season television series about the life of Jesus Christ, and it has become one of the most successful faith-based projects in entertainment history. What began as a small, crowdfunded Christmas special has grown into a global phenomenon with hundreds of millions of views worldwide.
Here to tell the story behind the series is Katherine Warnock, Vice President of Original Content, who explains how creator Dallas Jenkins and his team built a community-driven model that bypassed traditional Hollywood gatekeepers. This is the story of how The Chosen reshaped faith content, streaming television, and how studios now think about audience, community, and belief.

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Texas Boys Don’t Cry, Until a Son Reads His Mother’s Hidden Poem Jan 21, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when Roger Latham was handed a few handwritten pages years after his mother’s death, he did not expect them to change the way he understood her, or himself. Written in pencil and tucked away without intention of publication, the poem revealed a depth and inner life he never knew she possessed.
In this moving story, Roger reflects on discovering his mother’s hidden gift for poetry, and his daughter Candy reads “Hands” by Gladys Latham, a quiet meditation on work, sacrifice, faith, and love. It is a story about inheritance, masculinity, memory, and how a parent’s voice can reach us long after they are gone.

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Jesse James: The Most Notorious Outlaw in American History Jan 21, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, more than 150 years after his death, Jesse James remains one of the most famous and misunderstood figures in American history. Was he a Robin Hood style folk hero, or a ruthless criminal shaped by war and revenge?
Historian Roger McGrath traces Jesse James’s life from his childhood in Civil War–era Missouri through his years as a Confederate guerrilla, bank and train robber, and national celebrity. Set against Bleeding Kansas, Reconstruction, and the lingering hatreds of the Civil War, this story explains how violence, propaganda, and politics helped turn an outlaw into a legend.

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Bite the Bullet and Bless You: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Part 6) Jan 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language, this time diving into how the phrases “bite the bullet” and "bless you" came to be. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, is a must-read. Be sure to check it out!

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The Most Unlikely Tank Kill of World War II Jan 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, an American reconnaissance armored car faced one of Nazi Germany’s most feared weapons, a massive Tiger tank. By every measure, it should have been an impossible fight.
Our regular contributor, The History Guy, shares the tale of how a lightly armed U.S. M8 armored car encountered a German Tiger tank near the crossroads town of St. Vith, Belgium, and how quick thinking, timing, and nerve turned the encounter into one of the most extraordinary armored victories of World War II.

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A Son’s Eulogy for His Biker Father, by Taylor Brown Jan 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, writer Taylor Brown shares a deeply personal eulogy for his father, a lifelong motorcyclist who taught him about patience, character, and what it means to choose what is hard over what is easy.
Originally published in Garden & Gun, the piece traces their bond through long rides, shared roads, and the quiet lessons passed from father to son. From childhood trips on the back of a Harley to the final ride that took his father’s life, Brown reflects on grief, inheritance, and the ways a parent stays with us long after they’re gone.

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Shooting Bunnies From a Motorboat and Other Bizarre US Laws Jan 20, 2026

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On this episode of Our American Stories, why is it illegal to shoot rabbits from a motorboat? Or to import skunks into certain states? And who decided these things needed to be written into law in the first place?
Author Winter Prosapio joins Our American Stories to explore the strange, funny, and often forgotten laws that still exist across the United States. Drawing from her book Weird U.S. Laws, she explains how many of these rules began as practical solutions to real problems, from livestock theft to public safety, before becoming historical leftovers on the books.

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