By Faith - The Story of CRISTA Ministries

By Faith - The Story of CRISTA Ministries

Witness how one man’s simple yes impacted thousands and birthed a ministry still changing the world 75 years later. Today, we live in a world that is asking, “Can God?” Do we believe miracles and promises from God are for another age? Hebrews tells us plainly that God is the same today as he was yesterday. The story of Mike Martin and Vivian is the story of miracles, of prayers answers, of mountains moved. It is the story that could have only been realized By Faith and nothing else. It is the testament that God is at work today and that the miraculous can happen each and every day if we are willing to see it. Witness how one man’s simple yes impacted thousands and birthed a ministry still changing the world 75 years later.

Episodes

June 24, 2024 2 mins
Today, we live in a world that  is asking, “Can God?” Do we believe miracles and promises from God are for another age? Hebrews tells us plainly that God is the same today as he was yesterday. The story of Mike Martin and Vivian is the story of miracles, of prayers answers, of mountains moved. It is the story that could have only been realized By Faith and nothing else. It is the testament that God is at work today and that the mir...
Listen
Mark as Played
What began as their daughter’s friend needing a safe place to live for a few weeks turned into a ministry that has transformed thousands (and counting!) of lives for Christ. BY FAITH’s second episode will tell the story of CRISTA’s beginnings as King’s Teens, a ministry for wayward teenagers, that the Martins started after taking in their daughter Joyce’s friend, Joanne, and seeing how living in the stable home centered on the Gosp...
Listen
Mark as Played
July 17, 2024 32 mins
This first episode recounts where it all began: with Mike’s call into full-time ministry. A successful oil executive, Mike, along with his wife Vivian, were living what many would call an American Dream. They had successful careers, a full social calendar, and went to church enough to feel good about themselves. What more could a young couple want? That all changed one day when a wild night of drinking and dancing led to Mike’s nea...
Listen
Mark as Played
July 24, 2024 24 mins
This third episode of BY FAITH will recount the many miracles Mike and his family witnessed during those early years of trusting God and living by faith—from Mike’s physical healing and protection to the ways God stepped in to support the ministry both financially and through individuals in the community.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3LngaAL

Find out more about CRISTA Ministries by visiting crista.org
Listen
Mark as Played
July 31, 2024 30 mins
By August of 1948, the Martins were needing a larger space for their growing King’s Teens ministry. Purchasing a farm was being considered, that is until a friend told them about Firland, the former tuberculosis sanatorium, on the outskirts of the city. After driving out and walking the property, Mike felt God tell him that this was the place He had set aside for King’s Teens. Bringing to mind verses 26-28 from Jeremiah chapter 32,...
Listen
Mark as Played
August 7, 2024 29 mins
As CRISTA continues to grow and expand, their family of ministries starts to take shape. Episode 5 will tell a series of stories illustrating how different parts of the ministry began, from a rest home for the elderly where seniors heard about Jesus—some for the very first time—to the oneus for King’s Schools in the spring of 1950. Wondering how CRISTA got to be what it is today? The Martins take us back to the early days here, sho...
Listen
Mark as Played
August 14, 2024 25 mins
By 1958, the Martin’s 10-year lease on King’s Garden was up for renewal and had to be approved by the tuberculosis board and city officials. In this penultimate episode of BY FAITH, the miraculous story of how God fulfilled His Jeremiah 32 promise to give Mike the city will be recounted—including details like the miraculous clerical error that gave Mike’s team the ability to purchase the property, how the Martins managed to acquire...
Listen
Mark as Played
August 21, 2024 29 mins
Though Mike Martin’s story here on earth reached its conclusion in the last episode, the story of CRISTA is far from over—in fact, it's still being told today. This final episode of By Faith will outline how King’s Garden grew into CRISTA, transforming thousands of lives for Christ along the way. Current executives and staff of the ministry will tell this story, recounting how the Martin family inspired them to live lives of comple...
Listen
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe

    When a group of women from all over the country realise they all dated the same prolific romance scammer they vow to bring him to justice. In this brand new season of global number 1 hit podcast, The Girlfriends, Anna Sinfield meets a group of funny, feisty, determined women who all had the misfortune of dating a mysterious man named Derek Alldred. Trust Me Babe is a story about the protective forces of gossip, gut instinct, and trusting your besties and the group of women who took matters into their own hands to take down a fraudster when no one else would listen. If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org. To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices