Inspired... with Simon Guillebaud

What a story! Krista and husband Niki were typical products of South Bank in Middlesborough - teen-pregnancy and drugs for her, serial criminality with 16 Christmases spent in prison for him. But once they had both encountered Jesus, everything changed. They chose to return to live in South Bank with their seven children, and over the last few years many hundreds of lives have been transformed through their costly obedience and commitment. Simply stunning!

Interested in joining an Eden Team? Check out joineden.org

Check out junction42.org for their stunning work in prisons

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Raised in a family of successful lawyers, it seemed likely that Agu Irukwu would follow the same path. He began his career in law, but the high-octane pursuit of pleasure and success that surrounded him in those circles ultimately left him hungry for more. At that point he was invited to a meeting that would change the entire trajectory of his life.

Years later, having been invited from Nigeria to London to hold the fort at a new church plant while a search was underway for a permanent pastor, Agu could never have imagined that he would...

Nic was working as a doctor in Bristol whilst seeing the house church he was part of grow from 12 to 700 people; and then he planted a church with another 12 adults in Liverpool which exploded to a thousand over the following years. His passion and DNA is to help communities on mission to form disciples who make disciples and impact society around them. He’s lived it, understands it, and shares from his wealth of experience of both successes and failures to help us think through and choose to be the best representation of the Church of Jesus Christ. What a...

Paul Robinson gave his life to Jesus while serving in the Parachute Regiment—a place where following Jesus wasn't always easy. From the military, God led him through careers in IT, church ministry, and the Red Cross before calling him to serve as CEO of Voice of Persecuted Christians, a role he's held for the past 14 years.

In this episode, Paul shares remarkable stories from believers around the world who risk everything for their faith. It's a compelling conversation about trusting God's plan, wholehearted surrender, courage under pressure, and how we can stand alongside our persecuted brothers an...

Theologian and philosopher Johannes Hartl had the conviction that having 24/7 prayer was at least as important as the fire service or police being active 24/7; and so began a movement through the Augsburg House of Prayer that has seen constant uninterrupted prayer since 2011. Out of that has come the ‘Mehr’ (More) conference, which has exploded to 11,000 participants this last January, full of young Christians of all stripes hungry to encounter God. What a story!

His rich spirituality is a fusion of charismatic Catholic theology and philosophy. His lessons on contemplative prayer - coming out of his own lived expe...

Robby Keen lived an outwardly successful life in the fast lane into his 30s. He shares stories of how somehow he stayed alive and out of prison against all odds, until his spiritual search took him to the UK headquarters of the spiritualist movement; it was there he attended a seance which got so out of control that he fled the premises and found Jesus through his local church and an Alpha course!

For the last 22 years, he has called Uganda home. As co-founder of JENGA, he's seen 1000s of lives transformed through community development, local leadership...

Sharon shares candidly about growing up in a scheme (Scottish term for council estate), making bad choices in her teens, working with the homeless and vulnerable, discipling very broken people, living with chronic fatigue, forgiving marital infidelity, and more. She has packed a huge amount into her life so far, and her passion remains to equip and disciple women, which only happens through costly, long-term, incarnational and intentional journeying with them. Her life is both a testimony and a challenge to be all in for Jesus.

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VSb9WirMuw4

I...

Luke Richey began coding software at age 14, including work for NASA, and went on to build and sell multiple successful startups. He made a lot of money, lost a lot of money, made some wise decisions, and many terrible ones. A selfish narcissist, he reached the point of taking his own life… except he survived. What followed was a series of extraordinary encounters that led to a radical transformation through Jesus Christ.

Today, Luke and his wife Jennifer, are on a very different mission. Nearly half of the world’s population (c.3.88 billion people) play video games. For...

As a despairing teenager, Abraham was about to commit suicide when he heard the audible voice of God. Bihar in Northern India was known as the graveyard of missions - 90 million people fiercely resistant to the gospel. He went in obedience, and after ten years of persecution and rejection had nothing to show for it. Kidnap and murder attempts did not deter him. The second decade saw a trickle, and now several decades later it has become a flood, with numerous schools and churches planted, and thousands of lives saved. The graveyard is now a vineyard. What a story!<...

Former BBC journalist and current Sacred podcast host Elizabeth Oldfield asks great questions, which is why she lost her faith… but then found it again. Deconstructing her shallower assumptions led her to a dark place, but out of the depths has emerged a fuller, richer, more nuanced and rigorous faith - which she is passionate to share and live out. I think we’d all enjoy joining her family and extended community at their generous weekly dinners where lots more questions are asked and answered. It’s a fascinating conversation.

I highly recommend her book ‘Fully Alive - Tendin...

James Tour is not your average university professor - not only is he a professor of three different fields (chemistry, materials science, and nanoengineering) at Rice University in Houston, Texas, but he’s also started 17 companies, has many hundreds of patents, and has written over 850 scientific publications. However, those achievements are not what he’s most excited about; rather, it’s sharing his deeply-rooted faith and seeing thousands over the years coming to Jesus, including one of his Nobel Prize-winning colleagues. It’s a stunning interview!

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rX2iMmmD8mw

Jesus a...

Sid Williams has lived 41 very full years. From being raised in Rwanda and experiencing the early days of the 1994 genocide, through choosing to live in deprived areas, discussing the journey of adoption, dealing with anxiety, crazy and creative ways of sharing his faith, etc, this is a wide-ranging discussion. More recently, from 2019 onwards, he has been the co-founder and director of Embassy, a UK-based homeless charity that helps vulnerable and homeless people rebuild their lives. It’s a stunning story, and it’s on the longer side, because we just couldn’t shorten it - pure gold!

▶️ Watch this...

Of his church of fourteen members in Mogadishu, twelve were systematically murdered for their faith. Being a Muslim convert to Christ in Somalia is a costly decision. Aweis Ali has survived thus far to tell the tale, which includes stunning church growth through persecution and trials. What a challenge to those of us in the West! Listen here, and receive a dose of courage to be bold in your own gospel witness!

▶️ Watch this as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7jnb9Nu79AA

If you want to support God’s work in Somalia throug...

We recorded this a few weeks before Allan died. He was both a comedian and a Baptist minister. His comedic peak was being seen by millions on Britain’s Got Talent, in which Simon Cowell said he was the best audition of the series.

Allan served Jesus for 42 years at the church where he came to faith, 20 of those years as pastor. It was on a tough patch, where arson, theft and smashed windows were commonplace - but amidst the mess and carnage, broken lives were being beautifully restored.

This interview is holy ground as Al...

Mary Hulgraine dreamt of becoming a professional basketball player. On scholarship at college in the USA, a terrible injury dashed that dream and led to addiction to painkillers. Back in her native Ireland, her life spiralled down and down to the depths, before a dramatic intervention. Just under a million people follow her now on social media as she shares messages of hope and life. What a story! Subscribe for more amazing stories like this.

▶️ Watch this episode as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/guX8QqCqrqI

Insta: @maryhulgraine

TikTok:@mollyhul

Yo...

Chris and Denise Arthey were successful and happy empty-nesters when they moved to Texas in 2007 for Chris’ job. A few months later, their lives changed in an instant when they had a head-on collision on their motorbike with a drunk driver. How do you bounce back from that? Is there hope after both of them needed a leg amputation?

Check out chrisarthey.co.uk to contact them or buy ‘Highway 35 - Meeting Disaster Head-on with Hope’

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34 years ago, a drunken couple avoided the long queue into a bar by her benefitting from his fireman’s lift and squeezing headfirst through the men’s toilet window! Decades later, that same (sober) couple now host community outreach evenings in that very bar through their team of Ski Angels who live together in Meribel as part of Altitude Mission. It’s a fantastic story!

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/43Iebw3PVpY

If you’re interested in their work in any way, connect with them and check out the opportunities at www.altitudemiss...

When a lady in the congregation went up to the vicar and told him she had a vision for helping kids with additional needs, little did anyone realise that a decade later there would be ten charities working across the UK, helping thousands of children, parents and indeed families navigate the challenges life throws at them. Wow! Naomi's story is fantastic!

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3gHH_vM2Gdw

Do you want to get involved? Check out: growinghope.org.uk

✨ You might also enjoy:

‘Here I am to worship’ was the most sung song in the world apart from ‘Happy Birthday’ when it was released in 2001, but there is so much more to Tim Hughes’ story. He could have pursued a career as an artist in the USA, instead he intentionally stepped away from the huge opportunities on offer. Raising up and equipping worship leaders was a passion, but so was leading a local congregation. The last ten years in Birmingham have produced stunning fruit through the planting of Gas Street Church and other communities of faith. What a story!

▶️ Watch this episode a...

Sara’s spellbinding story of coming to Christ, planting seven churches, being imprisoned, and now working outside Iran with the Iranian diaspora is deeply challenging, encouraging and inspiring. Wow!

▶️ Watch this episode as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xBHEJUqLxgc

Check out Elam Ministries at elam.com and Hamsayeh International at www.hiuk.org

To pray daily for Iran, download the app ‘Iran30’

✨ You might also enjoy:

• Cabbages in the Desert | Dr Aila Tasse

• Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus | John Ghanim

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Mark Mitchell’s entrepreneurial gift was evident as an 8-year-old when he bought two hamsters, dimmed the lights, put the mood music on, and began raking in the cash after a short gestation period! Nowadays, he has three car dealerships and 106 happy colleagues (not employees) with no HR department because the need is not there, such is the joy and job satisfaction of his crew! What a story!

▶️ Watch this episode as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ogbcTWtJIZA

Check out Mark’s business here: mitchellgroup.co.uk

✨ You might also enjoy:

• Na...

John Edwards was, for many years, a homeless drug addict and alcoholic. His dramatic conversion at rock bottom launched him into the craziest adventures of being repeatedly buried alive (seen by c.100 million people through the airwaves), walking across whole nations whilst carrying a cross, helping criminals and addicts out of their own prisons of addiction, and more. It is a stunning and heart-warming story.

I’d love you to check out: walkingfree.org and get behind John’s work.

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Hellie Glynn shares her story of a faith shaped by the powerful whispers of the voice of God. This episode is packed with rich stories and real wrestles like “how do we handle disappointment in leadership, rebuild broken trust, and walk in forgiveness?” Hellie’s 25 years of leadership across different church traditions and festivals challenge how we hear God—and inspire new ways of listening to Him.

Check out: thefillingstation.org

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💡 Stunning 2-min sho...

John Lennox came to worldwide attention and renown through debating the likes of famous atheists Dawkins and Hitchens, but less well known is his work behind the Iron Curtain, which impacted millions in its own right. At 82-years-old now, he’s still managed to come out with two books this year alone, including his autobiography. His is a high-profile life well-lived indeed, free from any whiff of scandal; humble, gracious, laser-focused, it’s wonderful to listen to this wise old hero of the faith looking back and readying himself to meet his Maker.

▶️ Watch this as a video on...

From a timid introverted childhood to preaching in 110+ countries and criss-crossing the world for the last 45 years (so far) in fruitful ministry, Charles Price has become one of the senior statesmen in the world as a gifted and anointed Bible teacher. It was a total treat to hear him share his story.

Check out www.charlespriceministry.org

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💡 Stunning 2-min short film 'Searching for my Father's Killer'

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Make sure you check out Part 1 to hear Mez's astounding story!

What does it actually look like to reach the people the Western church has largely abandoned? Mez McConnell has spent 30 years doing it — in Brazilian favelas, Scottish housing schemes, and some of the most deprived postcodes in the UK. In Part 2, he pulls no punches. This is a conversation that will unsettle comfortable Christianity and inspire anyone who's ever wondered if the church could — and should — do more. Mez's raw honesty about mission, sacrifice, and what genuine community transformation looks like is worth every minute.

▶️ W...

A rough childhood spent in numerous foster homes led to drug addiction to crime to maximum security prison, but Mez McConnell’s extraordinary story shows that nobody is beyond hope. He’s been planting churches now for the last two decades in the toughest parts of Scotland and seeing long-term costly transformation. Get ready to be very challenged, inspired and stirred. What a listen!

▶️ Watch this episode as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g1NLoTuQoXI

For those wanting to hear more, we did a bonus Part 2 which you can watch here today, or listen o...

Arthur White had it all - a great wife, healthy kids, a successful business, a villa in Spain - as well as being four-time World Powerlifting Champion. But when someone handed him a pill in the gym to speed his recovery, it was a slippery slope to addiction, infidelity, and losing it all. By all accounts, he should be long dead, but three decades after a remarkable encounter, he’s still fighting fit, (re)married to the same woman, and sharing his story far and wide. Listen here:

Check out tough-talk.com

‘Lifting the Darkness: Thir...

David’s unexpected story of being a gay activist discovering Jesus is told in his book ‘A War of Loves’. Now an academic at Oxford University, he is living out his call to obedience to Jesus as a celibate gay Christian - a life-script nobody in their wildest imaginations would have predicted.

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3x5LW9J2E0w

Check out: dacbennett.com | Instagram: @davidacbennett

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💡 Stunning 2...

This was soooo good, it just blew me away! Russ Parker saw stunning fruit almost immediately after his dramatic teenage encounter with Jesus. That propelled him into a life of radical witness across many nations, from reconciliation in Northern Ireland to preaching from the platform where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his final sermon. Russ focuses on listening to the inner voice of the Spirit, healing, and reconciliation. You won’t want it to end, it’s such a beautiful listen!

You can connect with him at russparker7[@]icloud.com

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This conversation covers Michele’s costly conversion from Judaism, the four-year wait for her lovemate to recognise she was the one, her fruitful gospel ministry with youth in Manchester and then during the miners’ strike in an impoverished community, her successful media career before working in the NHS, her writing of many books, her now living with chronic pain, and more. She’s feisty, larger than life, and a great storyteller!

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sGrj83LrT80

Find out more about her and her books at www.micheleguinness.co.uk

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John Eldredge is an author, counselor and teacher. His books have sold over 16 million worldwide. Wild at Heart as a ministry has exploded in impact, but I love how John has followed God’s instruction to keep the organisation small and give it all away. Staying humble, rooted in community, and listening to God’s voice have been the keys to longevity in fruitful ministry through the decades where many others have been taken out. Who indeed would have guessed that this former drug-fueled delinquent raised by alcoholics, kicked out of school, and with a criminal record, would be tran...

Amy Boucher Pye comes from the USA but is now a London-based author, speaker, retreat leader, and spiritual director. She oozes gentle wisdom, and shares openly from her own painful life experiences. Most of us in the frenetic West could do with slowing down, breathing deeply, and hearing God’s words of tender affirmation and acceptance of us. Hearing it through Amy is a gift, so do take a listen.

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z15CKl8xchU

Contact Amy and buy her books at amyboucherpye.com

Sign up to her ne...

Wow! We’ve now reached 250 episodes of Inspired, so this week we’re digging into the archives to bring you some beautifully crazy stand-out stories from older episodes. I’ve no doubt that you’re going to be blown away, stirred and encouraged, on the back of which you’ll have a shopping list of classic Inspired episodes to check out. You can find links to the full episodes at greatlakesoutreach.org/250

Get our weekly WhatsApp ping which is such an easy way to then pass on and share episodes with others: greatlakesoutreach.org/whatsapp

❤️ If you’d like...

Christian Hacking’s life swung when he broke his back in a rock-climbing accident. His high-octane lifestyle came to a smashing spinal-cord-severing halt, leaving him wheelchair-bound and grappling with God’s purpose for his life. He tells his story with searing honesty and humour, and still lives life to the full despite severe physical limitations. He’s married a single-mum and they have four children between them. The last eight years have been spent engaged in activism on behalf of the most helpless and vulnerable in society. What a conversation!

🚩 Content Warning: This episode includes some graphic details o...

Rachel Gardner shot to prominence as Founder of the Romance Academy on the BBC. She is part of the Youthscape team and has always been a passionate advocate for youth. Over the last few years she has planted a church in Blackburn with her husband Jason, and their two adopted children, and shares lovely stories of messy transformation there. She’s a great communicator, has written a number of books, and is pure gold.

▶️ Watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

Do buy her book ‘The Girl De-Construction Project: Wildness, Wonder and Being a Woman’<...

I think we’d all like to work for Peter Vardy! When starting up his businesses, he set the ground rules as doing the best for 1) his employees, 2) his customers, and 3) the surrounding community. The results have been (un)surprisingly spectacular. Profits have been ploughed back into projects both nationally and internationally, and hundreds of thousands of lives have been changed. What a story!

Sign up and book your place for an evening of prayer at the Revival, and a day of world class leadership learning at The Calling - events on the 1st and 2nd October 2026 at...

Paul Bulkeley’s story is that of an underachieving, average student architect being transformed through an encounter with the Living God into an award-winning, high-achieving, distinguished leader in his field. And his passion as founder of BizMin is to equip entrepreneurs, creatives and businessfolk worldwide through his BizMin course to shine bright and thrive in the workplace. What a story!

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5-u-ZKzRpiw

Contact Paul through connect[@]bizmin.org Check out www.bizmin.org and www.snugarchitects.co.uk

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Eric and Erika Andersson lead Ark church in Copenhagen. The last few years have rocked their world both negatively and positively with her cancer diagnosis, dramatic healing, and an encounter with Jesus that has completely redefined their philosophy and practice as they seek to follow, model and live for Jesus. Their voice is a profound challenge to how we do church, and what is most important.

▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EeMZ5kquoVU

Check out arkcph.dk/en to contact Eric and/or Erika.

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When marks appeared on Charlotte’s body after experiencing repeated night terrors, she knew something was seriously wrong, and that all her spiritual seeking had taken her to a dark place. Was Jesus more than just an ascended master? It’s a great listen!

To be in contact with Charlotte, contact podcast@greatlakesoutreach.org

Her story appears in Lucinda Button’s book ‘New Age to Jesus’, well worth ordering!

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💡 Stunning 2-min short...