In this episode of the GOA Speakers Podcast, hosts Abigail Garrett and Greg Oliver sit down with award-winning singer-songwriter, author, and speaker Ginny Owens. Ginny shares her powerful story of losing her sight at age three, navigating bullying and exclusion, and discovering a deep, resilient joy in Christ.

She walks us through her journey from aspiring high school music teacher to signed recording artist in Nashville, her EP “Different Kind of Water,” her nonprofit The Asaph Project, and her passion for helping believers find hope in suffering, hear God’s voice above the cultural noise, and live out courageous compassion in a broken world.

If you’ve ever wrestled with suffering, purpose, or how to do justice and love mercy in everyday life, this conversation will deeply encourage you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro to GOA Speakers Podcast and Ginny Owens

01:00 – Moving to Nashville, Belmont, and early career dreams

02:15 – Rejected from teaching jobs and invitation to sing at church

03:40 – Demo recordings and first interest from music industry

04:50 – Signing with BMG and Rocketown; debut album background

05:45 – Losing her sight at three and her parents’ response

07:15 – Hardest part of blindness: people’s reactions

08:40 – Mom’s counsel and roots of “Singing in the Dark”

09:25 – Bullying, being left out, and growing compassion for outsiders

11:45 – EP “Different Kind of Water” and the woman at the well

13:20 – Writing songs for both Christian and non-believing friends

14:55 – Debuting new music in Nashville; long creative process

16:55 – Launching The Asaph Project for worship leaders

18:35 – Planning worship liturgy with theological depth

19:15 – Need for new worship themes: work, repentance, justice, forgiveness

20:45 – Why Ginny went to seminary and moved to NYC

21:50 – Studying under Tim Keller and key lessons on culture and identity

25:50 – Keller’s cancer journey and learning to trust God in suffering

27:55 – Speaking, retreats, and opening Scripture with people

29:20 – “Love Be the Loudest”: hearing God above the noise

30:15 – Hope in suffering and the promise of Romans 8:28

33:10 – New book “Courageous Compassion”: doing justice and loving mercy

35:10 – New worship music coming and where to connect with Ginny

https://goaspeakers.com/speakers/ginny-owens/

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Three-time Grammy-nominated artist Michele Pillar joins the GOA Speakers Podcast to share a powerful testimony of faith, trauma, abortion, and deep restoration in Jesus. From the early days of the Jesus Movement and pioneering contemporary Christian music, to a decade-long break from touring and a life-changing dream about the child she aborted, Michele opens up with rare honesty and grace.

In this episode, Michele talks about:
• Her start in the Jesus Movement and recording on the early Praise albums
• Insecurity about songwriting and encouragement for young writers
• Life on the road, burnout, and why she took 10 years off from touring
• The hidden shame of an abortion at 17 and finally bringing it into the light
• How Jesus led her through real, practical restoration over a decade
• Her vivid dream of her aborted son and the song that came from it
• Serving crisis pregnancy centers and helping women find hope
• Her upcoming allegorical novel and a possible film adaptation

If you or someone you love has walked through abortion, trauma, or deep shame, this conversation offers a tender and practical picture of how God patiently restores and heals.

00:00 – Intro to the GOA Speakers Podcast

00:07 – Meet Michele Pillar: artist, author, Grammy-nominated singer

01:08 – Early days of the Jesus Movement and Calvary Chapel

03:48 – Christian music takes off and Michele signs with Sparrow

07:52 – Why she walked away from 200 concerts a year for 10 years

09:40 – How she actually did “restoration” with Jesus, step by step

14:02 – Chaotic childhood, alcoholic mom, praying under the bed

16:43 – Pregnant at 17, Roe v. Wade, and the abortion clinic

18:10 – Coming to Christ three weeks after the abortion

19:59 – Why crisis pregnancy centers are so important to her

20:44 – Sharing her story on the Dr. Phil Show and talking about Jesus

22:56 – The dream: a field of children and meeting her son

26:26 – God says, “It’s time for you to be whole”

27:28 – What wholeness in Christ feels like after deep shame

31:33 – The Clothesline Conference: women “hanging shame on the line”

35:20 – Connecting Mary’s unexpected pregnancy to women in crisis today

37:31 – New projects: fantasy allegory, film hopes, and TV series

https://goaspeakers.com/speakers/michele-pillar/

Follow along with the GOA Speakers Podcast at www.goaspeakers.com

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and author Matt Hammitt (founding member of Sanctus Real) joins the GOA Speakers Podcast to share his powerful story of music, marriage, and choosing life in the middle of heartbreak.

From starting Sanctus Real in a high-school basement to stepping away at the height of success, Matt opens up about the cost of calling, the conversation with his wife that birthed the song Lead Me, and their journey with their son Bowen’s congenital heart disease. He also shares how God led him into pro-life advocacy, fatherhood resources, and a new season of songwriting and speaking.

Listen in for an honest look at what it means to lead your family well, cherish the days God gives, and fight for your marriage, your children, and your faith.

Timed highlights:

0:00 – Intro: Welcome to the GOA Speakers Podcast

0:30 – Meet Matt Hammitt: Grammy-nominated artist, author, and speaker

1:00 – Starting Sanctus Real at 16 in a basement in Toledo

2:40 – Life on the road: 150–200 dates a year and a growing family at home

4:20 – The tension: Band dream vs. family dream

6:00 – Stepping away from Sanctus Real in 2016 to prioritize family

7:28 – The story behind Lead Me: “We need to talk”

9:00 – Sarah’s words: “I need you to lead me” and the first draft of the song

10:10 – Why good intentions are worthless until they become action

11:36 – Lead Me’s success and the irony of being gone more than ever

12:27 – Bowen’s birth, diagnosis, and first open-heart surgery

13:40 – Number one song on radio and a son fighting for his life

14:51 – Walking with other families who left the hospital empty-handed

16:02 – Bowen today: third surgery, thriving at 15, and living day by day

18:05 – Pressure to end Bowen’s life and choosing to fight for him

19:20 – Becoming an advocate for life and partnering with pregnancy centers

21:57 – Dare To Be A Dad: practical curriculum for fathers in crisis

23:00 – Parenting teens and staying present in a new season

24:10 – Intentional trips with each child and staying connected on the road

25:58 – Days God Gave: the heart behind Matt’s new single

27:00 – Fans’ real-life family videos and the power of legacy

29:01 – Signing with Gotee Records and a new songwriting season

29:40 – Writing for other artists, including the song Testimony

31:20 – Matt’s heart to serve ministries, pro-life events, and men’s conferences

31:50 – 30 years of Sanctus Real and a new song with both lead singers

33:02 – Closing thoughts and how to book Matt Hammitt

Follow Matt: https://goaspeakers.com/speakers/matt-hammitt-booking-agency/

Follow along with the GOA Speakers Podcast at www.goaspeakers.com