{"id":303754,"date":"2015-11-25T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-god-purposed-plan\/"},"modified":"2015-11-25T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-25T17:00:00","slug":"a-god-purposed-plan","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-god-purposed-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"A God-Purposed Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>guest: Ginny Owens | Series: Transcending Mysteries | Her job prospects looked bleak. After several closed doors, Ginny Owens began to realize that school administrators were unreceptive to hiring a blind music teacher. Opting for Plan B, she began graduate studies and settled for a desk job. Unfulfilled in both, Ginny wondered if she would ever feel hopeful again. Hear Ginny tell how God used that time to prepare her for a music career she could hardly imagine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ginny Owens&#8217; job prospects looked bleak. She realized that schools were unreceptive to hiring a blind music teacher. Ginny tells how God used that time to prepare her for a music career she could hardly imagine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/No_Podcast_Copyright_Notice.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"339.36k","filesize_raw":"347503","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2906,2822],"tags":[5867,5869,5866,5868],"podcast_series":[8111],"cwp_profile":[9410],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303754","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-becoming-a-christian","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-even-in-her-blindness","tag-gods-beauty-revealed","tag-gods-sovereignty-in-the-life-of-christian-recording-artist-ginny-owens","tag-life-circumstances","podcast_series-transcending-mysteries","cwp_profile-ginny-owens","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303754\/a-god-purposed-plan","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303754\/a-god-purposed-plan","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EzRrUBAbas\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-god-purposed-plan\/\">A God-Purposed Plan<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-god-purposed-plan\/embed\/#?secret=EzRrUBAbas\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A God-Purposed Plan&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"EzRrUBAbas\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Ginny Owens' job prospects looked bleak. She realized that schools were unreceptive to hiring a blind music teacher. Ginny tells how God used that time to prepare her for a music career she could hardly imagine.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-11-25.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I would have to think you feel a special kinship with Frances Jane VanOlsteen. Do you know who that is?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> No. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, most of us know her as Fanny Crosby.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Oh, yes. I don\u2019t think I knew that was her name.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. She was a hymn writer\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014loved Protestant hymns.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes, definitely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> She was blind. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So many of her songs\u2014even as I heard you singing about that day when darkness fades\u2014we don\u2019t typically think about darkness fading \/ we think about the light fading.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> But so many of her songs talked about \u201cvisions of rapture bursting on my sight\u201d and about \u201cthat day when sight returns.\u201d Is she somebody that\u2014do you feel kinship with her?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Oh, I do! I wish I could write lyrics like that\u2014[Laughter]\u2014but I do [feel a kinship]. I just\u2014you know, I can\u2019t even imagine when she lived, what she must have faced, as a blind person, as far as\u2014you know, now, we\u2019ve come so far, and people are far more accepting, and there\u2019s technology to get done what we need to get done. Man, I just am so grateful that she had the opportunity she did to share her music with folks and with churches\u2014and for people to embrace the hymns that she wrote. It feels like just such a God-appointed thing that she would even have that opportunity to share her music\u2014especially in that time, when folks would have thought, \u201cWell, a blind person really can\u2019t do anything.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t have to be one of Fanny\u2019s songs, but we do have our staff here with us. Would you lead us in a hymn that, maybe, we could all sing together?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Absolutely!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Singing <em>Be Thou My Vision<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Do you remember learning that hymn? I\u2019m just thinking <em>Be Thou My Vision<\/em> would have more significance for you than it did for me when I was growing up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> You know, I remember learning it, and I remember loving it; but it wasn\u2019t until I was an adult that I actually thought about what the words meant and how they might be significant. I think when you\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014when you\u2019re blind, it\u2019s just not obvious to you that you\u2019re blind. You don\u2019t sit around thinking about it; right? [Laughter] So I just never really even thought about it that way\u2014I thought: \u201cWhat a beautiful prayer. I want God to be my vision.\u201d Then, when I was older, I think someone actually pointed that out to me at a concert one time; and I thought, \u201cOh, yes! I guess it does relate.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> As I was reading through the story of your life, and just the faith lessons that you pass on through your book, I was just, over and over again, struck with your courage. I thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to ask her my favorite question to ask.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Uh-oh! I am very scared. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You have\u2014this is\u2014you\u2019re one of dozens who have been intimidated by this question.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Oh, goodness.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want to tell you what courage is: \u201cCourage is doing your duty in the face of fear.\u201d If that\u2019s the definition of courage, what\u2019s the most courageous thing you have ever done?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Whoa! Can we come back tomorrow? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> A little time to meditate on that one. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> I think the most courageous thing for me is probably not that different than the most courageous thing for everyone else too\u2014that is learning to be honest about who we are \/ who we\u2019ve been\u2014all of our broken parts. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I think one of the things that I keep realizing every day\u2014that just is amazing and humbling\u2014is it\u2019s really not the put-together us that inspires and encourages people\u2014it\u2019s the broken pieces. It\u2019s me saying: \u201cYes, on this hand, I\u2019m blind. On the other hand, there are days when that is really hard.\u201d You know, it\u2019s the broken pieces of us that I think have the power to impact lives. I really do. So I think the courage, for me\u2014and maybe, like I said, for all of us\u2014is being honest \/ being honest about who we are, being honest about what we\u2019re wrestling with, and then being honest about how God has really moved in those times in our lives.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You share in your book about a friend from college\u2014is it Charlynn? Is that her name?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You say that, \u201cAfter we graduated, she got married; and I got a record deal.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You say, \u201cThere was always an expectation, somewhere in the back of my mind, that I would find my soulmate during or soon after college.\u201d You say, \u201cI didn\u2019t put my life on hold, but I did live as if settling down was coming soon.\u201d Even as you signed your record deal, you said, \u201cI was buying dishes and a dining room table that could seat eight people.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And when you were off the road, you had friends come over, and made home-made dinners, and collected recipes, and learned how to bake bread, and started nesting. You say, \u201cLo, these many years later, my perspective and circumstances remain largely unchanged.\u201d You say, \u201cI nest less; but I\u2019m more confident in the knowledge that I don\u2019t need another person to complete me, but the desire is still very present.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Talk about where you are and about your wrestling with this, as a young single woman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Well, I think one of the very terrible mistakes that I made in the season, when I really began to wrestle with this after college, was that it was always hope, in the back of my mind; but it wasn\u2019t always a request on my lips to God. It was not\u2014it was something I always dreamed about. It probably took up a good deal of brain space; but because God didn\u2019t bring someone along immediately, I began to just not ask anymore.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think one of the things that ended up happening, as a result of that, is I began to not really talk to God as much about the desires of my heart. I don\u2019t think our conversations were as honest. I think my prayers were about, you know, things that were going on on a daily basis or prayers for my family; but I started to withhold the most important parts of me from God. I started to kind of keep those back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, now, as I look back over that, I have decided that I definitely don\u2019t want to live in a place where God is not in the middle of my singleness. There\u2019s a verse I\u2019ve found that I love. I\u2019m trying to remember what the reference is right now; but I have it in my prayer journal, and I look at it every day. It says something like, \u201cFor I am your husband, your maker.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve heard people for years say\u2014girls, for years\u2014say, \u201cYou know, God is my husband.\u201d I\u2019ve kind of been like, \u201cYes, that\u2019s great, but I want a <em>real<\/em> <em>husband<\/em>.\u201d Then I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, really, that is the role that He is to fill in our hearts.\u201d Honestly, it\u2019s the role that each of us, male and female, want Him to fill because, you know, if He is not in that place of honor\u2014if He is not in the most important place \/ the most precious place in our hearts, then any relationship we have is not going to work. It\u2019s going to fall apart, as we all know.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0And then, also, I think I\u2019ve had to learn to give Him, continually, the desires of my heart again and to talk to Him about those. I think it has made being single much easier because I focus on much different things now. We\u2019ll see where the journey goes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019ve had friends, along the way, who\u2019ve tried to set you up on\u2014pardon the expression, blind dates\u2014who have tried to fix you up. You\u2019ve had relationships that, as you said, didn\u2019t go well. Some of those blind date experiences didn\u2019t go well either; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes, there was one where my friend was like: \u201cI want to set you up with this friend of mine. He\u2019s so great! Since you can\u2019t see him, you won\u2019t even know that he\u2019s just not cute at all.\u201d I was like: \u201cWow! Well, I might be shallow enough to care about that, though.\u201d [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Actually, you wrote in your book that the person said to you, \u201cThe great thing is\u2014you won\u2019t even mind that he\u2019s so ugly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes. I don\u2019t know what she said, but it was something like that. It was definitely along those lines. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Your experience, as a child, growing up in a home where divorce was present\u2014how has that shaped your thinking about marriage and your desire for a home?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Well, it\u2019s certainly made me want to have a whole, complete relationship where, you know, God is obviously first and where a marriage is healthy. You know, I\u2019ve always even assumed and imagined that kids would be part of that. You know, I think a lot of us who come from divorced homes, we really want to do it right the next time \/ we want to make things work out really well. We want to do everything we can to figure out how to not repeat divorce. But there have definitely been many things to look back on, as an adult, and say, \u201cOkay, I want to do this differently, and I also want to work through this so I think healthfully about it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You met a young lady by the name of Ranelle. Is that how you pronounce it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014who impacted your life\u2014tell us about her\u2014and then, you were able to finish a song, you had worked on for years, that I\u2019d like for you to sing for our audience.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Sure!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI met Ranelle when she was 20 years old. She had been a patient at St. Jude\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital in Memphis for, I think, about four years when we met. She had been battling some pretty tremendous cancer that was just taking over her body. She had had chemotherapy and all different kinds of treatments, and then she had had a short period of remission. By the time I met her, the cancer was back. She had lost most of one of her legs, and she was on all kinds of intensive pain meds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut Ranelle\u2019s dream, really, was to, of course, be healed and for there to be a miracle of healing in her life, and then to travel around the world, and share her writing and share her music with people, and tell them about Jesus\u2014and tell them what He had done for her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe also knew the reality was she might find that her next moment was in the arms of Jesus. She would always tell me, \u201cEither way, I win.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0I always thought, \u201cWhen you\u2019re 20 years old, or when you\u2019re any age, what does it look like to surrender your life to the point where you can say, \u2018Either way, I win\u2014whether my next breath is my last or whether I\u2019m traveling the world, singing about Jesus\u2014I win\u2019?\u201d So that was always just\u2014that just always broke me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut that very first day when we met, she and I sat down to write a song together. I brought a chorus of a song that I had been\u2014I had had for about ten years. I\u2019d been trying to write the verses with different people\u2014we just couldn\u2019t get it done. So I played the chorus for Ranelle because it\u2019s always good to have somewhere to start. She <em>immediately<\/em> just said: \u201cOh, yes! Let\u2019s definitely write verses to this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think Ranelle knew so much about what it looked like to surrender \/ to say, \u201cAmen,\u201d to God in every circumstance of her journey. We sat down and wrote the verses that went with the chorus in about 20 minutes. We recorded it and got to sing it several times over the course of the next few months at different concerts of mine. She did a concert that I got to open for her, and we sang it. Then, I had to sing it by myself at her memorial service. She had inspired so many lives and there were so many people there to celebrate. It was then that I concluded that each of us is a story that is part of God\u2019s bigger story. The question that we get to ask every day when we get up and look in the mirror is: \u201cHow does my story read? What do other people see when they read my story?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, for me, Ranelle really taught me that because people read hope and they read the good news of Jesus in her story. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey read \u201covercoming\u201d\u2014not only in the sense of being able to spend eternity with Jesus\u2014but also overcoming in the sense of getting up every day when you don\u2019t feel well, and going about your life and pursuing it, and pursuing other people in love.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Let\u2019s hear the whole song. Can we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Sure!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Singing <em>Say Amen<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, I want to thank you for sharing your gifts with our audience, here at FamilyLife\u2014before the live audience here\u2014but also with a lot of listeners around the country. I think you have moved many of them and challenged them to move from unbelief and losing hope back to faith, and trust, and leaning back in to the Savior who they ultimately want to obey and follow. Thanks for joining us. I hope our listeners will get a copy of your book, <em>Transcending Mysteries<\/em>. It\u2019s a great book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Thank you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It\u2019ll teach all of us how to walk by faith and not by sight.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You guys thank Ginny Owens; will you? [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ginny:<\/strong> Thank you so much!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, again, it\u2019s been fun to listen back to the conversation with Ginny Owens and to hear her share her story. In fact, the programs we did\u2014I mentioned this earlier \/ programs with Jeremy Camp\u2014these are great stories of people who have learned to persevere and walk by faith.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And they\u2019re great lessons of walking by faith. Back to how she answered the question when I asked it: \u201cWhat\u2019s the most courageous thing you\u2019ve ever done?\u201d\u2014she said, \u201cLearning to be honest about who I am.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMaybe your discussion, as you head to grandma\u2019s house for the holidays\u2014perhaps the question needs to be asked in the car: \u201cWhat\u2019s the most courageous thing you\u2019ve ever done?\u201d\u2014just getting real about \u201cWho I am,\u201d and \u201cWho I am not,\u201d and accepting that, and embracing that as a gift from God\u2014and say, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s get on with life.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We have a little bit of a holiday treat for our listeners if you\u2019d like to listen again to Ginny Owens singing <em>Be Thou My Vision<\/em>. We\u2019ve got the music video on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, along with links to a couple other music videos that Ginny has put together. We\u2019ve got her CD \/ her hymns CD available for order. So, if you\u2019d like to order a copy of the hymns CD, go to FamilyLifeToday.com and order online. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr call: 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGinny has also written a book, along with Andrew Greer, called <em>Transcending Mysteries: Who Is God and What Does He Want from Us?<\/em>\u2014a great gift to give, and to read aloud to somebody you know who may be blind, or to give to someone who is a big Ginny Owens\u2019 fan. Again, the book is called <em>Transcending Mysteries<\/em>. You can order it from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call to order: 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, here on Thanksgiving Eve in the United States, we are thankful for those of you who listen each day to <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>and those of you who support this ministry. We are listener-supported. The funding we need to do what we do\u2014this radio program, our events, our resources, and our website\u2014all of that is underwritten by folks, like you, who make an occasional donation in support of this ministry or, if you\u2019re a Legacy Partner, those of you who give each month to support the work of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re grateful for your financial support. We just want to say, \u201cThank you for partnering with us.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you can help with a donation today, we\u2019d like to express our thanks by sending you a book that Barbara Rainey has written for families called <em>Growing Together in Gratitude. <\/em>This is a collection of stories that are all about having a thankful heart. These are great to be read at the dinner table, as part of family devotions, or older children can certainly read the stories on their own. The book is our gift to you when you make a donation in support of the ministry, which you can do, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call and request a copy of the book as you make a donation. Call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Or mail your donation to us at <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR. Our zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd be sure to be back with us tomorrow if you can carve out some time. Notice how I did that?\u2014turkey day tomorrow\u2014\u201ccarve out some time.\u201d If you can carve out some time to be with us, we\u2019re going to hear from Priscilla Shirer on how we can trust God even when circumstances aren\u2019t going the way we expected them to. That comes up tomorrow. I hope you can join us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<sup>\u00a9<\/sup>Song: <em>Be Thou My Vision<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tArtist:\u00a0\u00a0 Ginny Owens\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlbum: <em>Without Condition<\/em>, 1999, Rocketown Records\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<sup>\u00a9<\/sup>Song: <em>Say Amen<\/em> \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tArtist:\u00a0\u00a0 Ginny Owens\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlbum: <em>Say Amen: Hymns and Songs of Faith<\/em>, 2009, LUCD\/ChickPower Music\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2015 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303754"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303754"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303754"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}