The Unfolding

Latest Episodes:

Chevas Phillips: When Your Spouse Finds Jesus First: Addiction, Marriage, and Surrendering to God: Page 282 May 15, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the person you love encounters Jesus, and you want nothing to do with it? On this episode of The Unfolding, Chevas Phillips shares her powerful story of addiction, brokenness, marriage struggles, and the unexpected way God completely transformed her life.

Chevas was drinking every day, hating church, and watching her husband Josh become someone she barely recognized after he gave his life to Christ. As tension grew in their marriage, Chevas found herself wrestling with questions of identity, control, surrender, and whether real freedom was even possible.

Now a wife, mom, worship leader at Bethlehem Church in Bethlehem, Georgia, and recording artist, Chevas shares how Jesus met her in the middle of her pain and changed what she could never change on her own.

Show Notes:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__chevas__/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chevas.phillips

Share your Unfolding story: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories

Geony Rucker: "This was like a week only with me and God." | Unfolding Short Stories May 12, 2026

Show notes

"This was like a week only with me and God." Geony Rucker was in full-time ministry, with plenty of work waiting, when she kept sensing the same message every time she opened God's Word: step away and rest with Him. At first, it didn't seem to make sense. But when the unexpected loss of her mom came just weeks later, Geony realized God had been preparing her all along, giving her time with Him, time with family, and the strength to grieve while knowing He was holding her.

Jennie Allen: The Lie You Don't Know You Believe: Identity, Insecurity, and Finding Freedom in Christ: Page 281 May 08, 2026

Show notes

Jennie Allen has spent her life helping people follow God, find purpose, and experience freedom in Christ. As a bestselling author, Bible teacher, and founder of IF:Gathering and Gather25, her influence has reached millions.

But beneath the surface there was a lie she didn't even know she believed. A lie about her identity, her worth, and what she had to prove. In this conversation, Jennie shares the moment God exposed that hidden belief, and how it had been shaping her thoughts, her confidence, and her calling.

You'll hear how negative thoughts- feeling not enough, striving for approval, questioning your purpose, can take root without you realizing it, and how recognizing them can lead to real freedom. If you've ever struggled with insecurity, comparison, or wondering if God could really use your life, this story will remind you that freedom is possible.

Show Notes:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennieallen/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniesallen

Book: https://www.jennieallen.com/lies-book

Website: https://www.jennieallen.com/

THE LIES QUIZ: LINK

Share your Unfolding story: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories

Jill Tracey: "He showed me on that day that His goodness is running after my daughter." | Unfolding Short Stories May 05, 2026

Show notes

"He showed me on that day that His goodness is running after my daughter."

Jill Tracey shares what happened as her daughter Alyssa was struggling with faith, and Jill was learning to let go of control. Through the song Goodness of God, God gave Jill a picture of hope she would carry for years. It was a reminder that even when she couldn't reach her daughter, God still could.

Jakob & Suzanne Happs: Why I Walked Away from Faith and How God Brought Me Back: A Prodigal Son's Story of Doubt, Distance, and Redemption: Page 280 May 01, 2026

Show notes

What happens inside someone who walks away from faith? For Jakob Happs, it wasn't sudden. Long before he stepped away, there were questions, doubts, and a growing sense that something wasn't working the way he thought it should. Over time, that tension led him further and further from God, and from the people who loved him most.

In this powerful and honest conversation, Jakob shares his story from the inside. The wrestling, the distance, the decisions that followed, and the unexpected moments that changed everything. Alongside his mom, Suzanne, this episode offers a rare, deeply personal look at both sides of a prodigal story. What it felt like to walk away, and what it meant to come home.

This episode explores what doubt and deconstruction can feel like from the inside, the tension between belief and questions, and how God continues to pursue even in the middle of distance. For anyone praying for a prodigal child, a loved one who has walked away from faith, or anyone wrestling with belief, this story offers both honesty and hope.

Show Notes:

Jakob Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whatshappsin.n?igsh=MXRtNjUwOG1hMDdkaQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Jakob Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Df1sbwviJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Suzanne Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.happs

Book: https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533

YouTube Channels:

https://www.youtube.com/@bibleproject

https://www.youtube.com/@RuslanKD

https://www.youtube.com/@ExpeditionBible

Share your Unfolding story: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories

Stephanie Franklin Suber: "The more I pushed, the more my body said no." | Unfolding Short Stories Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

"The more I pushed, the more my body said no."

Stephanie shares how God used cancer, chronic illness, cardiac arrest, and a season of forced rest to redirect her life. Today, she helps others slow down, live with intention, and care for the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Recently, she wrote Faith and Health Devotional Bible Study Workbook.

Suzanne & Alan Happs: When Your Child Walks Away from Faith: Praying for a Prodigal and Trusting God in the Waiting: Page 279 Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

What do you do when your child walks away from everything you've raised them to believe?

For Suzanne and Alan Happs, that question became deeply personal when their son told them, "I'm not exactly sure I believe any of that anymore." What followed was 13 and a half years of praying, waiting, questioning, and learning what it really means to trust God with someone you love.

In this episode, Suzanne and Alan share:

What it felt like to watch their son deconstruct his faith

The mistakes they made, and what they wish they had done differently

How they learned to love without controlling or pushing

What sustained their faith through years of heartbreak and uncertainty

The moment everything began to change, and the powerful way God brought their son back

If you are praying for a prodigal child, a loved one who has walked away from faith, or someone who feels far from God, this story will meet you right where you are.

Next week, don't miss Part 2—Jake Happs shares his side of the story. What led him away from faith? And what ultimately drew him back to Jesus?

Show Notes:

Suzanne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.happs

Praying for Your Prodigal book: https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Your-Prodigal-Kyle-Idleman/dp/1434707717

Share about your Unfolding story here: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories

Susan Lavelle: "Put on your helmet you could fall." | Unfolding Short Stories Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

"Put on your helmet." Susan had a picture in her mind for her 22nd birthday: a new horse, a sunset ride, and a beautiful moment she would never forget. But right before it began, a voice interrupted her plans with a warning that would save her life.

BONUS: Hear Susan's daughter's short story on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Jon Acuff: Faith, Calling, and Overcoming Procrastination: Page 278 Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

What if the way you see God, isn't actually true? Jon Acuff grew up in church, but for years his relationship with God felt more like pressure than connection, and that shaped everything. In this episode of The Unfolding, Jon shares how his faith became personal in the middle of real life- marriage, responsibility, and the pressure to figure things out. As God began to reshape the way Jon saw Him, it changed the way he saw himself, his fear, and his calling. Jon is a New York Times bestselling author known for books like Soundtracks and All It Takes Is a Goal. His newest book, Procrastination Proof, grows out of his own story- the years of knowing what he was called to do, but struggling to step into it. If you've ever felt stuck, unsure of your purpose, or like you're waiting until you feel ready, this conversation is for you.

Show Notes:

Website: https://jonacuff.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjonacuff

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonacuff

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/authorjonacuff

Procrastination Proof book: https://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Proof-Never-Stuck-Again/dp/154090380X

Share a story idea for The Unfolding: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories

Alicia Barr: "My story doesn't end with the affair. It ends with the cross." | Unfolding Short Stories Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Alicia Barr was sitting at a women's conference, half listening to Annie F. Downs, when something happened that felt far too personal to ignore. Alicia had been living in secrecy and pain, and in that moment, God interrupted her life with mercy. In this Unfolding Short Story, she shares how that moment became the beginning of truth, healing, and freedom.

Alicia is the author of More Than a Secret.

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