Episode Details...

Let's Pray

Exactly Enough

Shelley Ringstaff, social worker, missionary, and pastor's wife, joins Season to share how God has guided her through poverty, bullying, and seasons of uncertainty. She reflects on simple, honest prayer, the power of compassion shaped by hardship, and a remarkable story of God providing food for refugee communities during Covid.

In this episode of Let's Pray, Season sits down with Shelley Ringstaff, a social worker, former Adventist Community Services director, pastor's wife, and mother, who shares a candid account of how God has led her through every stage of life. Growing up in poverty, with parents who came to faith as teenagers, Shelley describes learning to pray from her grandmother and leaning on simple, raw prayers like "Jesus, help me."

Shelley and Season explore the themes of bullying, bitterness, and the spiritual formation that comes through suffering. Shelley reflects on how being bullied out of her early Adventist school experience, rather than producing resentment, shaped her deep empathy and her instinct to seek out the overlooked. Her son's observation that difficulty drew him closer to God echoes her own testimony: that dependence on prayer grew precisely because life was not easy.

The episode also examines Shelley's professional journey through Adventist Community Services and disaster response work, and her current season of "floating" through different departments at Adventist World Radio's headquarters. A centerpiece story involves her coordinating food relief for Rwandan and Burmese refugee communities during Covid, where beans, sweet potatoes, and rice appeared through a rapid chain of unexpected provision, leaving exactly the right number of packets for every family served. The episode also touches on the nature of joy as strength, honest faith over performative Christianity, and Jeremiah's promise of a future and a hope.

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Exactly Enough

Shelley Ringstaff, social worker, missionary, and pastor's wife, joins Season to share how God has guided her through poverty, bullying, and seasons of uncertainty. She reflects on simple, honest prayer, the power of compassion shaped by hardship, and a remarkable story of God providing food for refugee communities during Covid.

I Wasn't Looking for God

Jerry shares his remarkable journey from atheism to faith, recounting how a series of unexpected nudges led him to buy a Bible, discover the Sabbath, and eventually get baptized. Season and Jerry discuss the realities of new faith, including a serious health crisis shortly after baptism, an honest prayer life, and the beauty of answered prayers for community and marriage.

When God Answers Late

Justin Woods, a long-time Hope Channel team member, shares his remarkable journey of waiting on God through years of unanswered prayer. From a dinosaur dig in Texas to a surprise call to India, Justin recounts how bold, specific prayers led to unexpected doors, a career in Christian media, and a family he never imagined he would find in Maryland.

Claiming God's Promises

In this episode of Let's Pray, Ruthie Reeves shares her personal journey from a faith-filled Kansas upbringing through a serious situation in her teen years, into a place where scripture promises and prayer carried her through. The conversation turns practical, exploring how to "claim the promises" of God's word, with a concrete example of applying James's wisdom promise during high-stakes academic testing. The episode closes with two heartfelt prayers: one for those needing to apply God's word, and one for those longing for a trusted Christian friendship.

The Road Back From Fool's Hill

Pastor Shawn Boonstra joins the Let's Pray program to share his personal journey from a rebellious youth to a television evangelist, tracing how prayer shaped every turning point in his life. He discusses the importance of building a genuine relationship with God rather than treating prayer as a wish list, drawing on Matthew 6 and his own experiences in public evangelism. The episode closes with a heartfelt prayer for anyone hesitant to take a step of faith toward Jesus.

Prayer, Grief, and Growing Closer to God

In this heartfelt conversation on Let's Pray, Season and guest Tom Luttrell, a psychologist and educator, share candid reflections on their personal prayer journeys. Tom recalls early skepticism, transformative answered prayers, and the grief of unanswered ones, while both explore what it means to pray authentically rather than perfectly. The episode closes with two warm, sincere prayers for listeners who feel disconnected from or uncertain about prayer.

Beyond Childhood Checklists

Ivan Omania sits down with Season to discuss the nature and power of prayer. Drawing from his experience as a pastor's kid, a young pastor, and a hospital chaplain, Ivan shares how prayer evolved from a childhood checklist into a vital lifeline. The episode closes with a heartfelt bilingual prayer for Venezuela following the recent earthquakes.

Related Episodes

When God Answers Late

Justin Woods, a long-time Hope Channel team member, shares his remarkable journey of waiting on God through years of unanswered prayer. From a dinosaur dig in Texas to a surprise call to India, Justin recounts how bold, specific prayers led to unexpected doors, a career in Christian media, and a family he never imagined he would find in Maryland.

The Road Back From Fool's Hill

Pastor Shawn Boonstra joins the Let's Pray program to share his personal journey from a rebellious youth to a television evangelist, tracing how prayer shaped every turning point in his life. He discusses the importance of building a genuine relationship with God rather than treating prayer as a wish list, drawing on Matthew 6 and his own experiences in public evangelism. The episode closes with a heartfelt prayer for anyone hesitant to take a step of faith toward Jesus.

Trusting God's Call

When Dora Desamour's life was already upended by divorce and single parenthood, a friend suggested something she never expected: uprooting her family to serve as an HR director on the island of Guam. Season sits down with Dora as she recounts how she resisted, negotiated, and ultimately stepped into a calling she never asked for, only to see God's leading through a broken ankle and a custody hearing thousands of miles from home.

24 min
I Wasn't Looking for God

Jerry shares his remarkable journey from atheism to faith, recounting how a series of unexpected nudges led him to buy a Bible, discover the Sabbath, and eventually get baptized. Season and Jerry discuss the realities of new faith, including a serious health crisis shortly after baptism, an honest prayer life, and the beauty of answered prayers for community and marriage.