What happens when secrets protected for survival become the very chains that imprison us? Cecilia McCaw knows this journey intimately. Smuggled into the United States as a child and living undocumented for years, she guarded family secrets out of necessity. But even after gaining legal status, those secrets morphed into shame-filled barriers that prevented authentic connection and perpetuated lies about her worth.

"Knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce," Cecilia shares, highlighting how divine wisdom transcends formal education. Despite struggling with illiteracy due to language barriers, she found herself speaking truth to doctoral graduates—a testament to wisdom's power over mere information. This distinction forms the foundation of her message about identity: understanding whose we are determines who we are.

The conversation takes us deep into the battlefield of the mind, where childhood experiences plant seeds that shape our adult identity. Cecilia vulnerably unpacks how moving experiences from "secret files" to "private files" broke the enemy's power in her life. By sharing authentically with discernment, she discovered freedom from the "not enough" lies that once defined her. Her practical approach to healing—comparing it to peeling an onion one layer at a time—offers hope to anyone wrestling with past trauma.

Perhaps most compelling is Cecilia's candid admission about comparison. From swimsuit insecurities to ministry effectiveness, she reveals how comparison steals joy and invites destructive thoughts. Her remedy? Recognizing our unique design in God's tapestry, where each person has a specific purpose—whether as a corner piece with straight edges or those quirky pieces with unusual shapes.

Ready to break free from secrets that no longer serve you? Cecilia's story proves that vulnerability becomes our superpower when surrendered to God's purposes. Share this episode with someone struggling to embrace their true identity—because authentic connection begins when we stop hiding and start healing.

Buy Cecilia’s book… https://a.co/d/fW13LHg

https://youtu.be/UoTmKr6vr7g?si=WhNpdCoJmo-O38q_
To watch Cecilia's whole story

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

We've all been caught in the trap of responding "crazy busy" when someone asks how we're doing. But what if our obsession with busyness is actually preventing us from living our true purpose?

In this soul-stirring conversation, Nancy Brusher reconnects with her high school friend Muffie Kruse to explore how simplifying our lives can lead to greater fulfillment. Muffie, a registered dietitian and homeschooling mother of three young boys, shares her journey of breaking free from what she calls the "taskmaster spirit" – that constant drive to check everything off the list at the expense of presence and connection.

Challenging conventional wisdom, Muffie explains that simplifying isn't just about doing less or owning fewer things. Rather, it's about eliminating distractions so we can step fully into our calling.

For anyone feeling overwhelmed by constant demands and endless to-do lists, this episode provides both practical wisdom and spiritual encouragement. Muffie's insights on prayer, presence, and purposeful living offer a roadmap for moving from perpetual busyness to meaningful engagement with what God has called us to do and who He's called us to become.

Listen now to discover how simplifying your life might actually expand your capacity for joy, purpose, and impact. Then share this episode with four friends who need this message of freedom from the cultural pressure to be constantly "crazy busy."

Watch the whole episode
https://youtu.be/WNoiJYypBJY

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

Do you ever wonder if Sunday church attendance is enough to build lasting faith in your children? This question lies at the heart of my conversation with Shawna Goldstein, a passionate Bible teacher and mother of three teenage boys who's on a mission to equip parents for their most important role - discipling the next generation.

Shauna shares a startling statistic that changed her perspective: while about 60% of Americans identify as Christians, only 4% are living as disciples of Jesus. This gap isn't just concerning - it's reshaping how we understand what it means to raise children in faith. "We can't just shove that job off on the church," Shawna explains. "We are the main ones responsible for the spiritual growth of our kids.”

• Finding God in everyday moments makes faith real and accessible
• Bible teaching should be age-appropriate, interactive, and engaging
• Different parenting stages require different discipleship approaches
• Praying aloud over children models the importance of prayer
• Listening well to teens creates opportunities for deeper conversations
• Everyone has a role in discipling the next generation

Whether you're a parent seeking practical tools, a grandparent wondering how to influence the next generation, or someone without children looking to make disciples, this conversation offers wisdom for bringing faith beyond Sunday morning and into everyday life. Listen now to discover how small, consistent efforts can transform not just your family's spiritual journey, but potentially an entire generation.

See the complete interview ⬇️
https://youtu.be/ikAp8evters

Buy Shawna’s 2 Bible Studies on Amazon...
📚 Raise Them in the Word: the simple way to build a foundation of faith in your kids

📚 Guide Them to Jesus: experience His life, miracles, and teachings with your kids

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

What happens when a skeptical news reporter becomes a passionate advocate for faith? Jennifer Dukes Lee's extraordinary journey from doubt to dedication reveals how persistent questioning can lead to profound belief.

Jennifer opens up about her background as a journalist who interrogated presidential candidates with the same rigor she later applied to scripture. With refreshing honesty, she admits she doesn't have a neat conversion story—just a gradual awakening to God's persistent pursuit. "Even when I didn't believe in God, He believed in me," she reflects, capturing the essence of a faith journey many listeners will recognize in their own lives.

The conversation takes a turn when Jennifer shares the never-before-told story of being trapped in her wrecked car during a blizzard. A stranger in a long skirt stood for what seemed like eternity, holding a quilt against Jennifer's broken window to block the freezing wind—a living metaphor for Christ's sacrificial love that Jennifer still carries with her today.

For anyone navigating doubts or wondering if their ordinary life matters, Jennifer's story offers profound reassurance. The questions that once threatened her faith became the very path that led her to Christ. Her testimony reminds us that in a culture obsessed with the spectacular, quiet faithfulness on ordinary days is indeed holy ground.

See the complete interview ⬇️
https://youtu.be/g6i0GSk-8b8

➡️ Reach out to Jennifer…
https://jenniferdukeslee.com/

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

What does it take to truly change a life marked by decades of addiction and incarceration? For Jamie, it was an encounter with Jesus in the most unexpected place – a jail cell where she faced a potential 27-year sentence.

In this raw and powerful conversation, Jamie takes us through her journey of repeated imprisonment that began at age 24. After a divorce left her questioning her identity as both a wife and mother of five, she turned to substances to numb the pain, setting off a nearly 20-year cycle of addiction, incarceration, brief periods of sobriety, and inevitable return to old patterns.

The turning point came in 2015 when, labeled a "habitual criminal" by the courts, Jamie received a surprising visit from her estranged daughter who made a simple request: "Mom, if you start praying and reading the Bible, I'll come back to see you." That promise – and the relationship it represented – sparked something profound. Through tears on her cell floor, Jamie cried out to a God she didn't know, beginning a transformation that would ultimately break the cycle that had defined her life.

Jamie's story challenges our assumptions about redemption and rehabilitation. She offers unique insights into prison culture, the process of becoming "institutionalized," and the overwhelming challenges of reintegration into society.

Today, Jamie works in ministry, has rebuilt relationships with all five of her children, and carries a special heart for those still incarcerated. Her testimony stands as living proof of 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Listen and discover how one person's belief – both human and divine – can change everything.

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

The differences between persecuted and comfortable Christianity create drastically different faith experiences, as Sunny reveals in this compelling continuation of our conversation in episode 99. Having lived and served in three different continents, Sunny offers rare insights into how comfort—while a blessing from God—can silently become our greatest spiritual danger.

"Comfort can be deadly because there is no dependency," Sunny explains, describing how Western believers often lose their sense of needing God when life feels complete on its own. This spiritual dynamic creates a thin line between remaining on fire for God amid blessing versus slipping into lukewarm faith. The solution? Surrender. "Even if there is no persecution, we can willfully lay all our crowns at the feet of Jesus."

Sunny then takes us inside the realities of Christian life in India, where persecution is intensifying. Services disrupted, pastors arrested, and anti-conversion laws enacted—yet remarkably, the church is growing stronger, bolder, and more united through these trials. Christians now occupy positions of influence across Indian society while maintaining deep humility within their faith communities.

Most provocatively, Sunny distinguishes between external persecution (from governments or other religions) and internal persecution (when believers fight among themselves). "Christianity is the only army that buries their soldiers alive," he observes, suggesting this internal division may be deadlier than any outside opposition.

For Western churches experiencing comfort, Sunny's message resonates as both challenge and hope: we don't need persecution to maintain spiritual fire, but we do need to recognize the subtle ways we've stopped transforming and started depending on our own efforts rather than God's power. This conversation invites us into authentic surrender—the key to thriving spiritually in any circumstance.

Part 1 of Sunny’s story is #99 or hit the link below
https://youtu.be/-ZlsJ1nKoZw

Watch this entire episode 👇
https://youtu.be/kHdmOmZ5drw

https://vaibhavkapoor.com/ to connect with Sunny

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

Three husbands break the silence surrounding miscarriage, sharing their unique perspectives on pregnancy loss and the impact it had on their marriages and faith journeys. Chris (Nancy's husband) hosts this special 100th episode featuring brothers-in-law Jeff and Chance as they discuss their experiences supporting their wives through miscarriage while processing their own grief.

• Jeff shares his regret about missing the doctor's appointment where they discovered their baby had no heartbeat
• The men discuss the disconnect they felt during miscarriage since their bodies weren't physically experiencing the changes
• Chance explains how a special church service for miscarriage parents helped provide meaning and closure
• Chris recounts the terrifying experience of his wife's ectopic pregnancy and emergency surgery
• All three men admit they've never previously discussed their miscarriage experiences with other men
• The conversation shifts to practical ways they work to strengthen their marriages after these shared traumas
• Jeff and Chance emphasize the importance of prioritizing time together and maintaining communication
• The men reflect on true wealth being found in strong family relationships rather than material success

We're continuing with Ordinary People Extraordinary Things! Our 101st episode will drop next Sunday, so we'll see you in just one week.

Episode #3️⃣4️⃣ with the wives

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1882033/episodes/12004043

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.

Sunny's journey from the brink of suicide to becoming a missionary in America will leave you breathless. Born into a broken Hindu family in India, he witnessed his mother's crippling depression, his father's alcoholism and financial ruin, and his sister's suicide attempts – all before he turned 18.

When his mother finally left as she had long threatened, Sunny found himself on a rooftop ready to end his life. In that desperate moment, he made one last plea: "Jesus, if you are alive, save me and my family." What happened next defies explanation – his childhood friend, with whom he'd had no contact for six years, suddenly appeared, explaining he felt inexplicably compelled to find Sunny at that exact moment.

This divine appointment led to a 40-minute encounter with Jesus that completely transformed Sunny without changing any of his external circumstances. The depression, hatred, and hopelessness that had defined his existence vanished, replaced by supernatural joy. Even more remarkably, his entire family eventually came to Christ – his mother emerged from depression, his parents reconciled, and his sister and brother-in-law (from a high-caste Brahmin family) embraced faith.

By 23, Sunny had planted his first church, beginning a ministry that would grow to include multiple congregations across India and South Africa. Now, following a vivid dream where he saw America bleeding and Jesus calling for healing, Sunny has brought his ministry to Denver, Colorado – arriving with nothing but faith and a conviction that "the comfortable church is more at risk than the persecuted church."

Don't miss our 100th episode next week on Easter Sunday featuring a special conversation with my husband Chris, my brother, and my brother-in-law. Then in two weeks, Sunny returns to share more about his mission to bring spiritual revival to America.

Watch the entire episode👇
https://youtu.be/-ZlsJ1nKoZw

Connect with Sunny @ https://vaibhavkapoor.com/

https://generationstogenerations.com/podcast

ordinarypeoplestories@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ordinarypeoplestory

https://www.instagram.com/ordinarypeopleextraordinary/

X: @storiesextra

Any advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.
All rights reserved: Ordinary People Extraordinary Things

Stories shared by guests may not always be shared views of OPET.
Being a guest does not mean OPET approves of every decision or action in the guests' life.

We all have a story, all of us, share your story. You don't have to have the perfect answer or the perfect life - share what Jesus is doing in your life. This is an easy, real way to witness & share your testimony.