The Unfolding

Latest Episodes:

Tori Hope Petersen: From Unwanted to Loved, Finding God Through Hospitality: Page 295 Oct 16, 2026

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We'd love to hear what God has done in your life. Share your story.

After moving through twelve foster homes and experiencing abuse and neglect, Tori Hope Petersen believed she was unwanted. She questioned how a loving God could allow children to suffer. But a woman who offered meals, a hidden key, and a safe place to land helped her begin to see God, and herself, differently.

In this episode of The Unfolding, Tori shares her journey from rejection to belonging, how she came to faith in Jesus, and how God's love shaped her life as a mother and foster parent. For Tori, hospitality became a way to offer others the welcome that had changed her own life, sometimes around a kitchen table, sometimes by opening her home to a family in crisis.

Her story invites you to recognize God's love in ordinary acts of kindness, trust what He says about your worth, and consider how He might use what you already have to love someone else. This is an encouraging conversation about healing, identity in Christ, and hospitality. Tori Hope Petersen is the author of Fostered and Safe House.

Show Notes:

Link to purchase Safe House: Amazon

Author Website: torihopepetersen.com

Facebook: Tori Hope Petersen

Instagram: @torihopepetersen

Laura Wifler: "It doesn't feel like I know how to see a bright future." | Unfolding Short Stories Oct 13, 2026

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"It doesn't feel like I know how to see a bright future." Laura Wifler's husband needed major surgery when doctors told them their newborn daughter would probably never walk or talk. Laura shares how God gave her peace amid uncertainty and helped her see that her daughter's worth never depended on what she could achieve. Her new book, This Side of the Sky: 101 Poems and Scriptures for the Hungry, Hopeful, and Homesick, explores seeing God's goodness in everyday life, even in hard seasons.

Angie Smith: Who Do You Have to Be to Be Loved? Page 294 Oct 09, 2026

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Do you feel responsible for keeping everyone happy, or like you have to prove your worth whenever you walk into a room?

Bestselling author and Bible teacher Angie Smith, known for Seamless and Matchless, learned early to put others' needs and emotions ahead of her own. Through painful experiences and honest conversations with God, she began recognizing how those patterns shaped her relationships, her faith, and the way she saw herself.

With humor and vulnerability, Angie shares her ongoing struggle with approval, control, and changing seasons, and how she's learning to live in the identity God has given her. Her newest book, Into the Deep, offers a practical path toward recognizing those patterns, working through them with God, and growing in freedom.

Show Notes:

Website: https://angiesmithministries.com/

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

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

Book: https://angiesmithministries.com/books/into-the-deep/

Allen: "bullets slapping into the side of our worship center." | Unfolding Short Stories Oct 06, 2026

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https://spiritualsimplicity.com/

Pastor Allen Ratta was teaching on the Lord's Prayer when bullets began striking his church, with children at the other end of campus. Everyone survived, but a different crisis later left Alan a single father of four, stepping away from ministry to care for his family. Through both experiences, that familiar prayer became deeply personal. Alan shares how God protected his congregation and why "Give us this day our daily bread" became an invitation to reconnect with God.

Stasi Eldredge: When Childhood Wounds Shape Your Faith- Finding Healing in God's Love: Page 293 Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

We'd love to hear what God has done in your life. Share your story.

What happens when the wounds of your past shape what you believe about yourself and God?

As a child, Stasi Eldredge learned to be invisible and need nothing. Later, abuse and betrayal deepened her belief that she wasn't worth loving. Even after encountering Jesus, she spent years trying to earn God's acceptance.

Stasi shares the journey that helped her face those wounds and begin to receive God's love personally. Through counseling, prayer, and Scripture, her sense of identity changed from unwanted to cherished.

A New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of Captivating with her husband, John Eldredge, Stasi also introduces her new book, The Ladder of Love. Hear a story of faith, emotional healing, and growing closer to Jesus on this episode of The Unfolding.

Content note: Discussion of abuse, sexual assault, suicide, substance use, and abortion.

Show Notes:

Website: https://wildatheart.org/the-ladder-of-love

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stasieldredge/?hl=en

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

Book: https://wildatheart.org/the-ladder-of-love

Crystal Renaud Day: "I thought I was the only girl who ever used porn" | Unfolding Short Stories Sep 29, 2026

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Shame convinced Crystal Renaud Day that she was the only Christian woman struggling with pornography. For years, she loved and served God while keeping that part of her life hidden, until another woman shared that she had struggled, too. That conversation helped Crystal speak openly about her own experience, and today she helps women around the world through SheRecovery. If you're facing this struggle, or know someone who is, learn more at SheRecovery.com.

Marcel Patillo: Chasing Success and Finding His Way Back to God: Page 292 Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Marcel Patillo seemed born for a life in music. His father, Leon Patillo, sang with Santana before launching a Christian music career. His mother, Jackie, became president of the Gospel Music Association. And his brother, Gabe, toured with TobyMac for decades.

But talent, opportunity and a childhood surrounded by faith couldn't give Marcel an identity, or a faith, of his own. He chased record deals, recognition and a future in Los Angeles, while God became someone he planned to get back to "eventually." When his dreams unraveled, and later when the death of his brother brought profound grief, alcohol pulled Marcel's life in a dangerous direction.

In this episode, Marcel shares how God patiently drew him back through Scripture, Christian community and a series of small acts of obedience. Today, he creates music and films as I AM ABLE, including his newest song, "High," a cinematic depiction of the spiritual battle between darkness and light.

Show Notes:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarcelPatillo

Website: https://www.iamablemusic.com/

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

Diana Kannady: "I Witnessed the Tragic Shooting of My Fiancé" | Unfolding Short Stories Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

"I witnessed the tragic shooting of my fiancé."

Diana Kannady was 22, pregnant, and planning a wedding when her life changed in an instant. More than 20 years later, Diana would face another devastating loss when her husband, Chris, drowned just hours before their daughter's wedding. In both moments, Diana made the same decision: to trust God. Her story is a powerful picture of the peace Philippians says "transcends all understanding," and of God's faithfulness when life is anything but peaceful.

https://www.dianakannadyauthor.com/

Bruce Van Natta: Saved by Angels, From Skeptic to Believer: Page 236 Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Content Warning – not appropriate for children.

Bruce Van Natta's childhood was filled with abuse and trauma, but he had one encounter with Jesus that marked him. He knew God was real. What he didn't understand is why God didn't rescue him. As he got older, he clearly heard God call him into ministry, but he was angry, skeptical, and cynical. As a diesel mechanic, Bruce regularly worked on big rigs. On a fateful day in 2006, he was lying under a logging truck that weighed 18,000 pounds. What happened on that day can only be described as other-worldly; an accident, a near-death experience, and an encounter with the supernatural. This is a graphic story that is not appropriate for younger listeners. Bruce Van Natta is the author of Saved by Angels and the founder of Sweet Bread Ministries.

Website: https://sweetbreadministries.com/

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

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Saved-Angels-Expanded-Everyday-People/dp/076844134X

Tara Sierra Moseley: "I'm not anybody special, but the Lord used my yes, and He used my obedience in that moment." | Unfolding Short Stories Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Tara Sierra Mosely didn't feel equipped when she was asked to pray for a dying woman in a remote village in Uganda. But she said yes, and God used that simple act of obedience as part of a much bigger story of salvation and new life. Tara's new book is House of the Forest: Life-Giving Declarations for Strength and Abundance in Every Season.

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