Hearing directly from God, cultivating a vibrant faith community, and discovering the truth of what God says about us - in this second episode of Season 2 you'll hear stories from Taylor and Chewy who are on the frontlines of a fresh movement of God in Dallas, TX.

"I would tell myself intellectually that who I am in God is what matters, but deep down what helped me sleep at night was whether or not people perceived me as successful. My identity was so wrapped up in being a high achiever that I was having a meltdown. When the Holy Spirit breathed truth into my heart, that's when things really started to change."

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RELATED RESOURCES:

Young Adults Fired Up For Jesus [Novo BLOG]

The Activating Prayer Cohort [Novo Training]

During this second season of the podcast we’re highlighting 3 spiritual rhythms reflected in the life of Christ: Cave, Table, and Road. In this first episode Tim connects with Novo Leaders Bill Randall & Darren Prince, to explore both the history, as well of the current application of these essential spiritual rhythms.

• Check out this Novo blog to read more about Cave, Table, and Road.

About Our Guests:

Darren Prince is Novo's Senior Vice President. He currently lives and serves in Whitechapel London. Darren loves to read, he's an encouragement to everyone he meets, and he often finds friends in the most unlikely of places.

Bill Randall is the Director of Novo's Gospel Movement Teams. He and his wife Jill live nearby their kids in Boise, ID. Bill loves to equip everyday people with tools to see God at work in and through them. Bill also loves fishing.

In this wrap-up/preview episode, our host Tim Shuck reflects back on the stories we've shared during Called Beyond Season 1, while also looking ahead to the theme we're planning to introduce for Season 2. Tim is joined in this episode by Mark Thrash, Jill Randall and Simeon Lohrmann.

• Mark is the President of Novo and if you’ve been listening in order to the episodes in this first season, you will have just heard from Mark and his wife Jamie in our latest episode: Courage To Step Into New Territory
• Jill is a Director within Novo’s Gospel Movement Teams and Resource Teams with an emphasis on Staff Health. In Episode 8 she teamed up with another Novo missionary to discuss the role of Spiritual Parenting
• Simeon serves within Novo’s Mission Advancement division and in addition to helping produce this podcast, he also heads up Novo’s Mobilization efforts

Are you facing a life-altering decision? Maybe you sense the Lord inviting you to take a step of faith, or maybe you and your spouse are trying to discern God's leading together. Whatever the situation may be, we believe the conversation in this episode will serve you in your search for courage and confirmation to step into the plans God has for you.

In this finale episode of Season 1, Tim talks with Mark and Jamie Thrash about their process of learning to hear from God at critical turning point moments. From the early days of their marriage and ministry with Young Life, to Mark's transition and growing leadership within Novo, the Thrash's journey is one of surrender and faithful obedience to continually say yes to Jesus.

Have you ever paused to consider the brokenness around you and found yourself asking, What is good news? In Episode 10, Called to be a Good News Agent, you'll meet Novo staff member Luc Kabongo who lives and ministers with his family in South Africa.

Despite growing up in the Congo, which is statistically 87% Christian, Luc shares candidly about the impacts of civil war and poverty. "The majority of our neighbors would call themselves Christian, yet there's a lot of animosity between neighbors, and the primary criminals are neighbors themselves." Luc's real life experience led him to grapple with the question 'What is good news in the hurting neighborhoods and communities where we are serving?'

Prayerful reflection around this core question led Luc and his team to embrace a number of creative ministry responses. Luc describes the transformation they've witnessed as a learning experience and a humbling process.

We hope Luc's story encourages you to pursue God's call to be an agent of good news to those in need around you.

"It was a lonely time in my life. I didn't want to read the word. I wasn't hearing God. It was hard to worship him. I had a lot of spiritual baggage. It was in the darkest moment when I had felt so far from the God that I loved...in his kindness [he said], 'It's still alive, Steph. I'm still here!'"

• Called Beyond Episode 9 features Steph Kaihoi who serves as a Regional Director with Novo's Cohort Team and lives with her family in Minneapolis, MN. Steph's story is one of faithful obedience through the peaks and valleys of life. Whether you're experiencing a dark season of the soul, or you're eagerly seeking a fresh vision for God's leading in your life, we're confident you'll be challenged and encouraged by listening to Steph's story.

In this special themed episode you'll hear from Novo staff members Ruth Happ and Jill Randall as they share how God led each of them into a unique calling as Spiritual Parents. Whether you have kids of your own or not, this conversation is filled with relevant insights about what it takes to foster spiritually formative relationships with others.

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If the topic of this episode touches your heart in a special way, we'd love to hear about it! You can easily send us a message via email: info@novo.org. We also encourage you to share this episode with anyone you know who may have a similar calling in their life to the one described by Ruth and Jill.

Andrew Bennett, a physical therapist by trade, found himself wrestling with a pull towards missions. This unshakeable desire led him to ask questions about the kingdom purpose of his job:

"If I was gonna be a missionary right here in Los Angeles, what would that look like? Because it feels like I'm here, I've got this job, but it doesn't seem like it would keep God from using me."

If you've ever wondered about how God might use you right where you already are, then we encourage you to check out this episode. We know you'll be encouraged by Andrew's journey of partnering with God in his normal everyday life.