Spirit Radio: 100 Stories of Hope

Introduction

In this episode of 100 Stories of Hope, Forrest sits down with long-time friend, patron of the arts, and Central Valley educator, Aaron Gomes. For years, Aaron's life revolved around creating community through his nonprofit that fostered the local music scene, his 20+ year career in education, and raising his 3 children with his wife Stephanie.  This past October, Aaron was ordained a Catholic Deacon; a vocati...

What happens when a seemingly perfect "white picket fence" life completely shatters right before Christmas? In this deeply raw and moving episode, we sit down with Cody and Alex as they share their journey through their darkest valleys, identity loss, and eventual supernatural restoration.

After 15 years of marriage, a sudden divine prompting led Cody to discover that his wife was having an affair. Instead of following the world's a...

In this deeply moving episode, we explore the journey from a childhood defined by abandonment and an orphan spirit to a life of profound purpose and faith. Our guest shares the raw reality of growing up in a broken home, a cycle that led to a rabbit hole of dysfunction and eventually, the ultimate test of any parent's strength: the loss of a child.

After the passing of their firstborn daughter, Dezirae, who was born with Spina Bifid...

Episode Summary

In this powerful episode of Stories of Hope, Forrest and his longtime friend David sit down to discuss the transformative power of saying "yes" to God. David shares a deeply personal account of a supernatural encounter on a mountainside that redefined his understanding of God as a father. This shift in perspective gave him the strength to obey a difficult calling: reconnecting with his estranged father after 23 years...

In this episode of 100 Stories of Hope, Marina sits down with her long-time friend, Josie Jimenez, for a raw, hilarious, and deeply moving conversation about what it actually looks like to maintain a soft heart in a hard world.

Josie shares her journey from entering a discipleship school with a heart as hard as a rock—fueled by past injustice and anger—to a radical moment of surrender involving a bathroom floor, some spi...

What happens when the Jesus Freak identity you built as a teenager doesn’t sustain you through the wreckage of a divorce or the silence of your 30s?

 In this moving episode of Stories of Hope, we sit down with a guest who spent years trying to control her own narrative. From a Christian upbringing to a painful divorce after only 18 months, she opens up about the exhaustion of trying to be enough and the dangerous allure o...

In this deeply personal episode of the Stories of Hope podcast, host Forrest sits down with his longtime friend of over twenty years, Geoff, to discuss the raw reality of navigating life's most intense transitions.

 Geoff opens up about a year defined by the circle of life—starting with the profound grief of losing his 92-year-old father and ending with the immense joy of welcoming his first grandchild. He moves past the ...

In this powerful episode of Stories of Hope, host Tara sits down with Chelsea to discuss a journey of radical transformation. Chelsea opens up about her transition from a lukewarm faith to a life-altering encounter with God that pulled her out of the darkest season of her life.

 Chelsea shares the raw reality of her past, including her struggles with addiction, mental health, and the trauma of domestic violence. The turning poi...

In this episode of the Stories of Hope podcast, hosts Marina and Forrest are joined by Monica Stahl, a worship leader at Radiant Church here in the Valley. Monica shares powerful, firsthand accounts of how being sensitive to the Holy Spirit can lead to life-changing moments in the most ordinary places—from parking lots to coffee shops.

 In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Power of Small Gestures: Monica recalls a random e...