Inspired... with Simon Guillebaud
Upbeat and uplifting, ‘Inspired’ introduces us to a stunning variety of people from all walks of life. It celebrates perseverance, overcoming, and costly faith. In a world full of bad news, these powerful, hope-filled stories of adventure and risk-taking will stir you to imagine new possibilities. Hosted by Simon Guillebaud, author, speaker and founder of Great Lakes Outreach. New episodes each Thursday. simonguillebaud.com | greatlakesoutreach.org
Episodes
Whilst his father was a hard-working bus driver, Brian (with his sister) built the nation’s biggest bus company, Stagecoach. It reached FTSE 100 status, and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1993, valued at £134million. He is Scotland’s most generous man, giving away more than £150 million over the last few decades. His whole message is of surrender to Christ and offering up all he has for God’s glory. It’s a superb podca...
Heidi Baker is one of the best known missionaries in the world for a reason. We could have filled twenty podcasts with New Testament-type miraculous stories, but the ones she shared here were wild enough. Her Iris team has seen millions impacted, and thousands of communities of faith planted in Muslim areas after dramatic signs and wonders. What a story!
Check out www.irisglobal.org
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Shane’s life was so spectacularly destructive, dark and violent that he was always likely to end up in a maximum security prison, where he was required to be accompanied by seven prison guards in riot gear just to leave his cell. The turnaround in his life beggars belief. His joy in reliving the miraculous transformation was so beautiful (and funny!). There is always hope. What a story!
If you want to be in touch with Shane, his ema...
Andy is a superb comedian with two decades of experience on the road; but I think we were both taken by surprise at how ruthlessly honest and raw he was about the painful realities of relational breakdown in his private life. So the irony of this podcast is a funny man being extremely serious. I found it holy ground, and it makes for a beautiful interview. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2ROVIZsJWiE
As the boss of the largest of the three Divisions of the UK Field Army, Major General Tim Cross commanded around 30,000 men and women at one stage, having graduated through the ranks and serving in conflicts ranging from Northern Ireland to Kosovo and Iraq. A decade into his military career, he took a flight from Cyprus to Jerusalem and something happened in a garden there that totally shaped his life trajectory. It’s a great story...
Never has there been more persecution, and therefore never more need for what Merv has given the last 46 years of his life towards through Christian Solidarity Worldwide - going to the toughest places, meeting victims of prejudice, making sure they know they’re not forgotten, and lobbying for justice and freedom, with some amazing stories along the way.
Check out csw.org.uk
Contact mervynthomas[@]csw.org.uk
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Born into a devout Muslim family in Ethiopia, Aila was earnest in his pursuit of truth. On his deathbed with cerebral malaria, his school teacher visited him. That conversation was the start of a remarkable journey which has included persecution, adventure, and staggering fruitfulness amongst numerous unreached people groups steeped in witchcraft, animism and Islam.
Check out: lifewayglobal.org
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Whether it’s planting thriving and multiplying churches both in Australia and the UK, pioneering a women’s leadership network, launching a successful magazine, or starting a charity in Africa, Bev remains a turbo-charged grandma still lecturing on leadership and completing her doctorate, having left school at 15! Described by her successor at the last church she co-led with husband Rick as ‘unstoppably brilliant’(!), she’s a ‘mothe...
Fiercely proud and resolutely anti-Christian, it was always going to take something dramatic to turn army officer Gordon Hickson’s life upside-down. His stories of miracles both in Africa and the Western world, in his own life and those around him, will stir your faith and inspire you to believe that it’s an exciting time to be alive!
Gordon’s life story ‘Harnessed for Adventure’ can be bought on Amazon or the audiobook is available...
A drug addict by the age of 13, and in and out of juvenile detention from then on, Corey had a radical encounter that saved him from almost certain early death. From experiencing raw revival with addicts and felons to now reaching into the Alaskan hinterland, the signs and wonders that accompany the gospel are truly beautiful and stunningly powerful. I loved this conversation and it’s a fabulous story.
Alan played football with some of the world’s all-time greats, including Pele, Cruyff and Best. Captaining Luton in England’s top division, he was at the peak of his game when he visited his in-laws in New Zealand, not realising quite how his life was about to change. It’s a great story!
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Support our work in Burundi: greatlakesoutreach.org/inspired
Esther spent years in a Buddhist monastery seeking truth. Eventually, she found it there in the most unlikely way… and it was more glorious than she could ever have imagined!
You can contact Esther at estherb2010[@]googlemail.com She has written two books: I Once was a Buddhist Nun and Buddhism in the Light of Christ.
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Support our work in Burundi: greatlakesoutreach.org/inspired
John is dying of cancer but still full of God! He left his successful career as a barrister to give 45+ years to gospel work, developing the Alpha course, launching HTB’s first church plant, and much more. I love hearing an old saint, broken in body but not in spirit, still all in and finishing strong.
Contact John at johndirvine[@]me.com
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Support our work in Burundi: greatlakesoutreach.org/inspired...
Aged 18, Julie Ann discovered her Dad wasn’t her real father, which sent her spiralling into a succession of bad choices. But her life turned around after a desperate 4-day fast when she was trying to decide whether to marry her Jewish fiancé - the deal being she would have to deny her Jesus. Since then, as a prolific artist her works have sold far and wide, and taken her to the most unlikely places. Her gritty story and God’s anoi...
Stephen leads St Aldate’s in Oxford, having originally worked as a successful barrister in London. What is going on there these days is profoundly encouraging, with many folks encountering God and coming to faith on a weekly basis. It’s a rocking podcast that left me totally fired up!
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sC8prVIkMNc
Follow Stephen on Instagram @stevefosterldn
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He risked bankruptcy in planting potatoes in the dust and drought against everyone’s counsel, and it yielded a bumper crop. He organised a weekend initiative which grew into 450,000 men gathering on his farm! The Spirit prompted him to call for a prayer meeting and 1.4million people showed up! 80 of his farm-workers were there to witness him praying for a dead lady struck by lightning whom he’d offered to take to the morgue, and sh...
From angelic assistance amidst landslides in Pakistan to experiencing the purist worship amidst Boko Haram victims in Northern Nigeria, Josh has stories galore of the profound power of poetry for prisoners and politicians and everyone in between.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pJKUgQnlMuk
Connect with Josh at joshualukesmith.com
This TEDx talk is so inspiring: youtube.com/watch?v=gsRe1Slr92A
Jonathan Aitken’s fall from grace was spectacular. Touted as a potential future Prime Minister, his lies under oath in a court of law landed him in prison. But in the carnage of the high-profile front-page life implosion, friends came alongside him and introduced him to the ‘One who sticks closer than a brother’. Now an active prison chaplain in his ninth decade, Jonathan’s still got plenty of life to live! What an encouragement!
W...
Voices of Hope - Sarah’s journey through profound challenges, including abuse, PTSD, and chronic illness, has uniquely prepared her to support others facing deep brokenness and hardship. As the founder of Voices of Hope, she’s been blown away by the opportunities God has given her and her expanding team to impact 3,000 people each week. It’s an inspiring story of resilience and compassion.
Check out voh.org.uk
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Happy Christmas! Thank you so much for listening to the Inspired podcast this year. I hope it has been encouraging, stirring, challenging and inspiring! Just a short message this week to wish you a very Happy Christmas! We'll be back tomorrow with another fantastic guest!
If you'd like to get behind our Staff Gifts appeal, visit: glo.org.uk/christmas-gifts-24
To invite a GLO speaker, get in contact at glo.org.uk/contact
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