Episodes

  • 229: Thankful For Encouraging People

    229: Thankful For Encouraging People
    Nov 26 2025
    With Thanksgiving Day just around the corner here in the US, I've been thinking about how grateful I am for the encouraging people I see all around me. People who encourage me by their thoughtfulness towards me, and also towards others. I've got some examples for you in today's show that I think will encourage you. But first, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to episode 229 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about enriching our lives by reflecting upon the relational moments of everyday life that reflect the character, image, and likeness of God. It's what we were made for. We were made for this. Thankful in New York City I'll start with an encouraging quote I came across the other day from a Substack email I got from Garrison Keillor. Now in his early 80s and having moved to New York City from his beloved St. Paul, Minnesota, Keillor still writes and travels the country putting on truncated versions of his wildly popular A Prairie Home Companion. He writes in his email: Old age is the age of gratitude, when I come to appreciate the beautiful details in life such as Lenny our doorman in New York who says, "Taxi?" as I come across the lobby pushing a suitcase and when I say, "Please," he hustles out into the street and lets fly with a classic two-finger whistle like the shriek of a predator and a taxi makes a swift U-turn and pulls up and Lenny grabs the bag and throws it in the trunk. How encouraging it is to hear someone say, Old age is the age of gratitude, when I come to appreciate the beautiful details in life. I think I should like to live in an apartment building that has a doorman. Maybe even be the doorman who worked second shift in exchange for reduced rent. And maybe wear a classy uniform and get tips from wealthy tenants. Thankful for kind people Actually, I once was the caretaker of an upscale apartment building when we were first married, living in what used to be the servant's studio apartment in exchange for reduced rent. I didn't have a uniform, but I did get a few tips. Like the time Mrs. Rourke gave me a tip for changing a light bulb in her floor lamp. And Mr. Reynolds used to tip me for taking his golf clubs down to the Greyhound bus station to be shipped to Florida just before he and Mrs. Reynolds headed South for the winter. So I do have the experience, which I will have to remember to include in my resume. Thankful for feedback from our podcast listeners While Garrison Keillor was encouraged by Lenny, his doorman, there are encouraging people in my life, particularly the listeners to this podcast. For example, last month a listener from Ohio wrote to me and said, I just want you to know how much I enjoyed your podcast where the girl was searching for her biological father. Have to listen to it again. [She's referring to episode 169 from several years ago: "A Daughter's Feel-Good Story About Her Father"] Your podcasts are so refreshing, John…and you have a very soothing voice. A break from other podcasts for sure. Though they are interesting and beneficial. ~ M.G. Then there is the encouraging person serving as a missionary in Ecuador who responded to the article I wrote recently, "Ask Questions Like Jesus Did." He wrote, This blog post is very thought-provoking and reminds me of what a master conversationalist Jesus was. Every word counted for something. It definitely was not filler with Jesus. God bless you, John. _ N.F. An Interesting Bible study format Among the other encouraging people in my life is another podcast listener who is from Wisconsin who wrote I wrote about asking questions like Jesus did. She responded with this: I love this article you wrote about the questions Jesus asks. Next semester, I am planning to have my Bible study group do a study on "the questions Jesus asked." I'm planning on having everyone in the group pick a question Jesus asked and lead a Bible study about that question. I love to get everyone in our group involved by leading a study. There are so many questions Jesus asked and he has so much to teach us in each question. I thought it would give everyone a chance to pick a question that caught their attention in some way spoke to them. I might just share your blog post with my group as a way of introducing this idea! Thanks for expanding my thoughts! ~ K.P. What a great idea for a bible study. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for this one. Two responses to "Ask Thoughtful Questions Before It's Too Late" Moving on, two other encouraging people wrote to tell me about how an article I wrote the end of last month impacted them. This was the one entitled "Ask Thoughtful Questions Before It's Too Late" The first one is from a listener from Iowa who wrote: I wish my grandpa was still alive! I would have liked to hear more about his childhood. He was so grouchy, but also kindhearted. And he became much nicer as I got into high school and beyond. I would like to know what made him act so ...
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    12 mins
  • 228: Beyond the Landscape - The Beauty I saw in Ireland

    228: Beyond the Landscape - The Beauty I saw in Ireland
    Oct 15 2025
    Beauty is more than scenery My wife and I recently returned from a vacation trip to Ireland. We saw the same things people typically see when they visit the Emerald Isle. The museums, the pubs, the walking tours led by local guides. And those sheep; all those sheep. Then, of course, there was the rich beauty of the green rolling hills, and the breathtaking rugged cliffs that border the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea. But I also saw a different kind of beauty, the beauty of relationships as people reflected the character and image of God. This is what I will remember most, and what I talk about in today's episode. But first, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to episode 228 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in our relationships. It's what we were made for. We were made for this. When people ask me, "How was your trip?" I can say it was truly awesome. But it was different from the kind of awesome that has become so commonplace these days. It wasn't like the awesome you hear from the high school kid after he finishes taking your order at Chick-fil-A. What was awesome for me was the beauty I saw in several different forms. The first was how spectacular the landscape and scenery were. I couldn't help but think of how pleased God must be with his creation of this island about the size of South Carolina. Anne Lamont would call it "God showing off" when he created Ireland. Showing off in the best sense of the word in talking about ˙is creation. Beauty in Differences Another form of beauty I experienced was how different many things were to what I'm accustomed. Driving on the left side of the road. Very few highways wider than two lanes. People saying" sorry" when they accidentally bump into you on the crowded sidewalks of Dublin and Belfast. No graffiti or homeless people that I could see. And how clean everything was. No garbage or litter. And the sheep. All those sheep. Have I mentioned the sheep yet? So much beauty in people living life very different from me,and thriving in it. There was also the beauty I saw in relationships during our travels through the cities and countryside of Ireland. One stop took us to the Waterford Crystal factory in Cork, and another to Belleek Pottery in Northern Ireland. In both places I was impressed with the artisans who work there. They start an apprenticeship that lasts 5 years, and then after 3 more years they become master artisans in their craft. They spend the work day at benches creating beauty in small decorative items that are shipped around the world. Their relationship to their work in creating beauty is a picture of dedication. Creating beauty from a workbench In both places, many of the employees have worked for decades at the same job. Several grey-haired men, not much younger than me, hunched over their benches with ear buds in their ears, creating intricate details with small tools in their large hands. It made me wonder if they might be listening to this podcast. I don't know if I I could work as a craftsman like they do. I don't have the pertinence I imagine they must have.s="Apple-converted-space"> I also think I would get bored. But I so respect people who work at tedious jobs like this in order to support their families. Men and women who sacrifice loftier goals for the sake of earning a living so their families could achieve their goals. Yet the objects they create are truly beautiful, so there's got to be some satisfaction in this. Many of the pieces were so expensive I picture them becoming family heirlooms to be handed down to future generations. That's got to be rewarding. The man in bib overalls Another form of relationship beauty unfolded in front of me with some of the people in our tour group. My wife and I traveled with two friends of ours, along with 37 strangers on a motor coach all over Ireland for 12 days. One man in our tour group stood out, the guy who wore bib overalls every day, and everywhere. He seemed out of place at first. You cut people slack when they're living out of a suitcase for 12 days as we did. But he wore bib overalls all the time, even at the nice restaurants on our tour. I thought at first he was a farmer, but soon learned that he was a public works employee who just retired from his job in a medium-size town in central Illinois. I don't remember his name, but he was the kindest, gentlest, and most caring person I've run into in a long time. He helped Janet get off our bus on several occasions, and he helped other people as well. He stood in sharp contrast to two other men on the trip who never seemed to stop talking. On and on they talked about their travels, the minor things that went wrong on our tour, and their opinions about everything under the sun. They seemed oblivious to others in their midst. Different from other men on the trip But the man in ...
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    16 mins
  • 227: When Anxious Thoughts Come

    227: When Anxious Thoughts Come
    Oct 1 2025
    In last week's blog post (click here if you missed it) I wrote about taking a break from the news media because of how unsettling and agitated it was making me feel. All the violence and discord were making me anxious. I needed to withdraw myself from the news and turn to something more positive. It led me to a passage in the Bible from Philippians 4:8, which reads, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." I then wrote about the breakfast Janet and I had with our 23-year-old twin grandsons and what a delight it was because it personified the virtues the Apostle Paul described in this passage. Anxiety creeps in What I didn't mention last time was that our breakfast came at a time of anxiety for me in preparing for a vacation trip Janet and I were taking to Ireland. It was coming up soon, and I even thought, "How can I get out of this?" Have you ever felt anxious like this, even over something good like a vacation? In today's episode I'll tell you how I made it through this anxiety, because what I learned in the process may help you when you're feeling anxious. But first, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to the start of season 10 and episode 227 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in all our relationships. It's what we were made for. We were made for this. Vacation planning causes anxiety So what was there to be anxious about in planning a 12-day vacation trip to Ireland? Janet and I have both traveled a number of times overseas, but it seemed there were more things to be anxious about this time. Will our Irish cat, Father Patrick O'Malley, be okay with our cat sitter? Will the bus taking us from our home in Wisconsin to O'Hare International for the flight to Dublin get us there on time?Will I forget my passport?Will our flight be on time, or might it even be cancelled?What did I forget to pack? Did I pack too much, or too little?Will I get sick like I did a few years ago, and spend hours in the ER of a London Hospital?Will Janet get sick?Will I lose my passport in Ireland?Will Janet's foot and knee pain keep her from being able to walk fast enough to keep with the tour guide?On our return home, will we be able to find the place to pick up the bus at O'Hare to take us home? On and on it went. So many things that could go wrong. Was the trip even worth it? An answer to anxiety During this anxious time a few close friends were praying for Janet and me. As the day grew closer to leave, I was in the middle of reading through the Book of Psalms in the Bible. At the height of my anxious feelings I came across Psalm 139. And that is what made all the difference in relieving me from my anxious thoughts and feelings. Reading this psalm several times over a few days calmed my heart. It's another example of putting Philippians 4:8 in practice, namely, fixing my thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Thinking about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. I'll close now by reading Psalm 139 for you. It's not very long. I hope you will think of the truths it contains when you're feeling anxious and unsettled. Because it is what we were made for. You and I were made for this. Psalm 139 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count ...
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    9 mins
  • 226: End-of-Summer Conversations

    226: End-of-Summer Conversations
    Sep 3 2025
    Labor Day here in the U.S. on the first Monday in September is near the top of my list of favorite holidays. There's a freshness and energy about this time of year I find appealing. But before we launch into fall, there are some end-of-summer conversations I've recently had that I don't want to forget because they add to the richness and energy of autumn. So I'm going to give you only a brief snap shot of some of them because they deserve more reflection than I have time to consider now. I bet you've had some similar end-of-summer conversations you'd like to think more about later this fall. I'm going to give you mine, but I'd like to hear about yours. But first, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to episode 226 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in all our relationships. It's the THIS we were made for. Now here's my list of end-of-summer conversation I want to think more about later. I think each one of them could be a podcast episode in the future. We'll see. End of summer conversation with Meghan First off, we had a missionary couple stay with us recently. I'll call them Harry and Meghan, which may surprise you aren't their real names. During their with us Meghan said she found my blog post from a few weeks ago helpful, "Grief Doesn't Follow the Rules." She forwarded it to a relative who experienced the death of a child, and then to a co-worker whose adult son took his own life. Meghan went on to say that the relative was disappointed in people who did not understand her grief. A counselor told Meghan, "It's not your job to understand her grief. A counselor's job is to help her understand her own grief." And then this related thought that the counselor told Meghan, "Grief is inevitable. Misery is optional." I'm going to be thinking more about these comments. And also, what should we expect from our friends when we ar grieving? More from Meghan Before she and Harry left us, there's one more end-of-summer conversation I had with Meghan that I'll be thinking about for sometime this fall. A friend of hers is in a church that had a weekend conference where the speaker talked extensively about demon possession, and how if believers and followers of Jesus are not careful, demons can possess them. This bothered Meghan's friend so she did quite a bit of research into whether or not demons can actually dwell inside a Jesus follower. She concluded they can't because the spirit of God living within a believer cannot co-exist with a demon. It raises the question does the pastor agree with her or with the conference speaker. If he agrees with the conference speaker that Christians can be demon possessed, she doesn't think she could stay at the church because of this seismic theological difference. Meghan went on to say, "My friend has been going to this church for decades. All her friends are at this church This church is her life. It would be heartbreaking to have to leave." Yikes, the anguish this must cause Meghan's friend. I don't remember where this one came from I heard someone say in an another end-of-summer conversation, "Behavior never lies." This is a really helpful principle in dealing with interpersonal relationships. What a person does reveals more than what they say. This especially true with teenage children. My end-of-summer conversation with Harry Then there's the conversation I had with Harry, Meghan's husband. We told him we have started asking people with tattoos, "tell me the story of your tattoo. What does it mean to you." We've noticed lately that wait staff in restaurants often have tattoos. Harry is a leader within his mission organization and he mentioned that in a staff meeting he said that everyone has a story. I'm sure you've heard this before. But then he added, "We honor someone when we ask them to tell their story." The word "honor" just jumped out me. I'm going to be thinking more about this. People with a difficult past We then started talking about people who don't want to share their story. Who don't want you to know about them. Why is that? If we honor people when we ask them to tell us their story, why do some people run the other way? One possibility, and this is just a guess, is that some people feel shame over their past, even if what happened to them was out of their control. So they play it close to the vest with people, and rarely disclose much about themself. This reminded me of my friend Dan who grew up in a very abusive home as a a child. Some people who had similar childhoods will carry this around with them the rest of their life and define themselves in terms of the terrible things that happened to them. But for Dan, he says, "All the bad stuff that happened to me in childhood is certainly part of my story. But it is not an active part. I prefer to focus on the active part of my story." So what about ...
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    9 mins
  • 225: A Joy to Be Around

    225: A Joy to Be Around
    Aug 23 2025
    Today's episode Some people are a joy to be around. I have a story for you today about one of them, and what I learned about being more like him. But first, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to episode 225 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in all our relationships. It's the THIS we were made for. Someone once told me "always have a doctor you like who is younger than you. The older ones retire, and then you are stuck and have to look for a new one." The same is true for barbers. I'm now on my third barber in the last 30+ years. First there was Paul, who retired. Then came John, and he retired, too. Leaving me with Nick at the present moment. I was with Paul the longest - for several decades. Besides haircuts, I learned from him an easy way to stain my deck and other useful household tips. I also had the joy of taking my twin grandsons to him when they were toddlers, and then into middle school. Paul was kind to them in their early years and more tolerant of their fidgeting around than I was. He had a jar of candy they could dip their hand into as a reward for sitting through their haircut. Laffy Taffy was their favorite. Inviting your barber to Thanksgiving dinner My reward was watching them interact with Paul and the things they said that made both of us laugh. Like the time, with all sincerity of heart, one of them invited him to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. I miss those days with the boys. Then Paul retired and I had to find someone new. For some odd reason I started going to the barber shop my father went to back in the 1950s and 60s. The owner was Buzz and he lived across the street from our house. As a kid, I think my father only ever took me once or twice to Buzz's barber shop. Every other time my dad cut my hair himself. I recently recovered from the PTSD of this childhood memory. By the time I returned to the place where Buzz cut hair, he was long gone. But the small shop was just as I remembered it. It drew me into my past like a slow moving train going through a dark tunnel. The shop was now owned by John, a barber older than me. I really liked him because he was fast and gave neck shaves as part of the haircut. Paul never did that, and I didn't have the heart to ask him why. Haircut injuries My dad didn't give neck shaves either, which was wise on his part. Instead, he gave accidental neck burns with the hot electric razor he used. So I was delighted when John shaved y my neck as a matter of course. Using shaving cream and a straight-edge razor to shave off neck hairs on the back of my neck is the greatest feeling in the world. If money were no object, I'd visit a barber shop every couple of weeks just for a neck shave. During my first visit back to this place of my youth I sat in John's barber chair and imagined my father sitting in this same chair decades ago, having a boisterous conversation with Buzz while he cut my dad's hair. On another visit to see John I told him about my connection with his shop. I asked him if he knew Buzz, the original owner, and to my delight he said he did. He told me about his wife and kids, and how he got divorced and moved toArizona. Rumor has it, Buzz killed himself, John told me. My heart sank. Barber Shop ambience takes a nose dive I continued going to John for haircuts in what was for me a historic place and connection with my father and my childhood. But things changed one day, when John began replacing his 3 traditional barber chairs with lowriding black seats and back, and small chrome handled chairs found in hair salons. Big mistake, I thought. There's something special about traditional barber chairs from the 50s. Thick arm rests about five inches wide, covered in worn brown leather with compartments for an ashtray and your pack of cigarettes. I keep coming back, anyway, despite this loss of ambience. But then one day I called to make an appointment and was told John recently retired. I continued coming for haircuts with John's successor while I looked for a new barber. One who gives neck shaves while I sit in a REAL barber chair and not one of those low riding models that girls sit in. It took awhile, but on sunny Monday I noticed a small nondescript building near my home that I had ignored for years. I thought it was a vacant barber shop. But my wife said she actually saw someone coming out of it. So I pulled into it's parking lot, went to the door. and walked in ro see the sole barber chair that looked like the ones John was got rid of. It felt like home. I asked the barber, whose name was Nick, if did neck shaves. He did, so I made an appointment for latter that week. When I returned for the haircut I noticed a sign he posted for his three teenage sons offering their lawn mowing and landscape services for the summer. Going in to work early As I sat in his ...
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    16 mins
  • 224: God Cares For Us In Ways We Rarely Consider

    224: God Cares For Us In Ways We Rarely Consider
    Aug 6 2025
    I've been reflecting more and more lately about how much God cares about us. When we hurt he hurts. Today's episode is about how God responds to the dark times we go through, and what he models for us in relating to the hurting people in our lives. But before we begin, I'm John Certalic, and you're listening to episode 224 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about the joy of relationships we were made for. Those that reflect the character and image of God in the unique way he made each of us. Today's episode is an example of how this works An unwanted anniversary I've been reading through the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament this summer, and the other day I came across a passage that jumped out at me as if to say, You'll want to pay more attention to this one. It deserves your attention. You're going to want to reflect on this more than normal. Here's the passage, just one verse, Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle You have recorded each one in your book. NLT The first thing I thought of as I read this verse is my friend, Martin. This Friday, two days from now, is the fifth anniversary of the death of his wife, Suzanne. Martin and Suzanne were missionaries, first in China, then in Germany where Martin is from. I got to know both of them when Janet and I served at a missionary conference put on by their sending agency. When they left the mission filled to move to the States to care for Suzanne's mother in Chicago, we got together several times and continued our friendship. It was shocking to get a text from Martin one evening that his his beloved wife, and our friend, had died from a brain aneurysm. She was only 53. I devoted several podcast episodes about the aftermath of this terrible event in Martin's life. You can hear more of the details if you go to the end of the show notes where you'll find links to those episodes. Numbers 071 and 072. An Old Testament example of how God cares For today, though, I can't shake Psalm 56:8 and how it relates to what Martin went through, and continues to go through, because that's how grief works. In the midst of the awful things King David went through, he still had a deep appreciation for God's empathic character. David brings his relationship with God into his circumstances in this verse. Three sentences that all begin with "You." Each "You" is a specific statement of how God is at work in David's life. Each "You" is followed by a distinct and compassionate verb phrase: keeping track of all David's sorrows, collecting all his tears in a bottle, and recording each sorrow in a book. I don't know about you, but when I'm going through a rough patch, I want God to fix things, to put ab end my problems. Instead, we see in in the example of David that he doesn't ask God to fix things for him. Rather, he is content knowing that God is right there with us in the midst of what we're dealing with. He's there not simply as an observer, but as an active and empathetic participant with us. God cares enough to keep tears out of heaven What strikes me most in this passage from Psalms is the bottle in which God stores all of David's tears. This, of course, is poetic and figurative language used to describe God's awareness and understanding of the pain we go through in life. And while the bottle God is using to collect our tears may be overflowing at times, this same bottle is empty once we get to heaven. Revelation 21 tells us there are no tears in heaven. What a comforting thought, this is - God emptying the bottle that contained all the tears we shed on earth. Another element to how God cares There's another point to this verse in Psalms that I find interesting and instructive in relating with the "Martins" in our life. I know you have them, people like Martin who have suffered great loss. It starts with recognizing and reminding ourselves that we are all created with the image and likeness of God backed into each of us. He enables us to manifest his character through the qualities he used to make us the unique person we are so that we can care for people in ways that God cares. What a privilege! For example, in Psalm 56 when David describes God as one who keeps track of our sorrows, collects tears, and records them in a book, there are some clues as to what we can do to help people. These 3 actions of God are all about acknowledging and remembering what people hav gone through or are going through now. And this is something WE can do for people . We can acknowledge and remember what our friends have experienced, even years after the fact. After Suzanne died, I recorded the date of her death in my computer's calendar, and set it to repeat on the same day in years to come. I didn't want to forget the day. I do this for other losses my friends have suffered. It reminds me to contact my friends and let them know I remember them and am thinking about them and what they have lost. Text, ...
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    10 mins
  • 223: A Christmas in July Story

    223: A Christmas in July Story
    Jul 16 2025
    As I'm recording this, Christmas is almost six months away. I recall last Christmas, when I heard a few people say they wished we could have the Christmas spirit all year long. We can if we reflect the image and character of God. And I have a Christmas in July story for you today that shows us how. Welcome to episode 223 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in all our relationships. It's the THIS, we were made for. ———————————— One of the things my in-laws were noted for was hosting a Christmas in July party in their small 1960s-style basement rec room. They did it up with a decorated Christmas tree, elephant gifts, loud laughter, and plenty of food. Especially my Italian mother-in-law's signature spaghetti. It was quite a festive affair, without any of the stress that sometimes comes with Christmas in December. With that in mind. I have a Christmas in July story for you, which actually took place last December, but that I've held onto it until now. It's been hard holding it back because it's one of my favorites. Background to this Christmas in July story The story I is about a man who embodies the spirit of Christmas by reflecting the character of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on December 25th. But first I have to give you a little background information about my friend Paul. I first met him years ago when a co-worker told me about taking her car to be fixed. She said, "My car was making a funny noise so I took in to Paul's auto repair shop. He said it wasn't a serious problem and would be expensive to repair. He told me if I could put up with that distracting sound, not to fix it. It's not causing any harm. That's what he would do if it were his car." This was classic Paul and the kind of business he ran. The main character in this Christmas in July story Paul is an avid baseball fan, and when I would take my car in for an oil change, he and I would talk briefly about baseball while one of his mechanics worked on my car. In his reception area and waiting room he had some impressive pieces of baseball memorabilia. There was a large photograph of our then-new Major League Baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Miller Park, on the day it first opened. Another item was an official baseball bat signed by one of the Milwaukee Brewers. Jim Gantner, I seem to recall, but I could be wrong. All this is an important part of the story that I'll get to later. So bear with me even if you're not into baseball. One Sunday morning several years after I first met Paul, I saw him from a distance in the parking lot of the large church Janet and I were attending at the time. Hmm, I thought. I wonder if he is a follower of Jesus like I am. Depending upon the generosity of others Now, by this time, I had closed my own recruiting business to work full-time in a missionary care ministry Janet and I helped start. To pay our bills we formed a non-profit corporation and began raising funds for our ministry. One of the people I contacted by mail was Paul, and to my surprise, he responded with a generous check. Why it surpeised meI don't know, but it just did. I was a pretty happy customer of Paul's, but then one day I learned he had retired and sold his auto repair business to one of his mechanics. This didn't change anything for me because I continued to have my car serviced by the new owners, but missed seeing Paul. Some time passed after Paul's retirement, and one day while in for oil change I noticed all of Paul's baseball souvenirs were gone. I didn't say anything, except to ask if Paul was still around. Another character in this Christmas in July story "Oh sure, he stops in every so often. He was here earlier this morning. You just missed him" was a common refrain I heard from the new owner. Fast forward to seven months ago and this past December. Like her mother who was noted for her Christmas in July parties, my wife Janet is noted for a snack mix she created for friends every Christmas. It's made of pretzels, bugles, goldfish crackers, cashews and a few other secret ingredients. If you'd like to know the exact recipe, Janet and I would be glad to share it with you after dinner at your house. Wednesday evenings still work best, but we're flexible. Anyway, last December Janet was packaging her Christmas snack recipe for friends, and I asked her to make one up for Paul. He's been so generous with us, it was the least we could do. I had his address from the checks he sends for our ministry. So it would be simple to drop off a package of Janet's snack mix at his house. Or so I thought. On a Saturday morning close to Christmas, I plugged Paul's address into Google Maps on my phone and headed to his house with a package of Janet's snack mix. I stopped in front of what I thought was his house, went to the front door, and rang the doorbell. A woman opened the ...
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    16 mins
  • 222: "I Want to Hear Your Story"

    222: "I Want to Hear Your Story"
    Jul 2 2025
    I've come to learn that relating with people through the lens of "I want to hear your story" is a great way to live. It enriches our lives in more ways than you can imagine. I started thinking more deeply about this principle when Janet and I visited William Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-on-Avon in England. Several years later, during a trip to Savannah, Georgia, I witnessed "I want to hear your story" play out in real-time. And more recently, I saw it demonstrated in a church service, where a 20-something law school student shared a story he experienced. So that's what I have for you today, three examples of what happens when people live with a mindset of "I want to hear your story." But before we get into all this, I'm John Certalic, and you are listening to episode 222 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in our relationships. It's the THIS, we were made for. Visiting Shakespeare's hometown It seems like yesterday, but a number of years ago we were visiting friends who ran a missionary care center in England. They lived not far from William Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-on-Avon. So one day we drove over there, and among the things we saw was the Shakespeare museum. It was quite fascinating. Staffed by people wearing Elizabethan costumes, they were quite skilled in explaining all things Shakespeare-related. At one point, a pair of docents asked the group we were with to call out a scene from one of Shakespeare's plays, and they would reenact it for us. What great fun. We loved it. But for me, the most interesting part of the museum was its entrance. Painted on the wall was a quote from one of Shakespeare's plays, The Tempest. It took up the whole wall and read, I long to hear the story of your life. The wisdom of these words The picture you see on our website for this episode is a photo I took with my phone. The wall dominated the museum entrance. You couldn't escape it. And I can't escape thinking about it. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets that are known to us. Given the sheer volume of his work, it boggles my imagination to think of why this brief I long to hear the story of your life quote was selected for the only piece of his writing to appear on the wall leading into the museum. How did the people in charge of the museum decide on this quote rather than many others from his more well-known plays? Hamlet, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, all have great quotes that could have been chosen. But I think the museum directors made an excellent choice. I long to hear the story of your life is such an encouraging thought. It's uplifting and inspiring. It's also so counterintuitive. If you're anything like me, I long to TEll you MY story. Imagine if just 20% of the people you know longed to hear the story of your life? Just 2 out of 10. More importantly, what if I longed to hear the story of YOUR life? One person who does long to hear the story of our life is God. He wants to hear from us. They call it prayer. Our trip to Savannah story The second example of living a I-want-to-hear-your-story life is from another trip we took. This one to Savannah, Georgia. It's one of our favorite places to visit. We love the history and culture there. On one particular occasion, we arrived at the Airbnb we rented in the early evening, and after unpacking, we went looking for a place to eat. We found a restaurant nearby that wasn't very busy. We lucked out with a young, personable waitress, and after we finished placing our order with her, out of nowhere, Janet asked her, "So what's your story?" Janet is normally not that bold with strangers, but something prompted her to strike up a conversation with this young woman, which turned out to be quite interesting. We found out she was a senior at SCAD - the Savannah College of Art and Design. We learned that she is majoring in theater and plans to go to Hollywood when she graduates to look for a job in the film industry. I don't understand how a theatre major at SCAD has anything to do with art and design, but I let that go because we were interested in her, not her college. When people tell you their story you don't have to make sense out of everything they say. What you get from asking someone, "What's your story?" So what did we get out of this conversation? There were a couple of things. First off, it lifted us out of ourselves and the latent stress of travel. Secondly, her story introduced us to a world so removed from our own. It was a conversation with someone from a different stage of life than ours, living in a city and part of the country, so different from our own. Her dreams and aspirations are so different from ours. All these differences combined to expand our world for a brief time and set the stage for a delightful few days of our vacation. Another ...
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    14 mins