“I remember talking to a mentor of mine right after I finished my second year of college. I was like, I really don’t want to do this whole accounting thing. I feel called to be here right now. It’s really hard to focus on debits and credits when life change is happening…I’m still pretty young in my faith, but I’ve realized in this time as a Christian that whatever my one-year, three-year, five-year plan is God’s going to blow it up.” – Vinnie Lobello

This week on Unscripted, we dive into the story of Vinnie Lobello. We get to hear how he went from running from hell and chasing the world, to running to Jesus and chasing after other young adults who don’t know Him yet!

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“I kind of realized that my competitive drive is sort of in things that don’t matter all that much. I think God was able to get ahold of my heart and channel it towards anything that matters. You know what, you can actually be an athlete. You can actually be competitive, and you can use all of the things that an athlete might prepare themselves for in competition or in a sport to be the very best they can be…For me, I’ve tried to take that spirit in my job and be like I might not be on the front lines because of my job description. I might not be able to be personally fulfilled by coaching all the teams, or being the counselor for all of the camps, or having that direct impact with the participant or the athlete, but I can take something like the Grace Race, that raises money for starving children, and I can take all of that competitive drive and say you know what, I think that this is something that would bring a smile to God’s face…I think that there is a lot of room to take all of the sports and athletic energy and stuff that I love but translate it to things that really matter for the gospel.” – Donny Varney

On this week’s episode of Unscripted, we get to hear the incredible story of Pastor Donny Varney. Hear how the role models who stepped up along the way helped shaped Donny into the man he is today and how he has been able to use his passion for sports to reach others for the gospel!

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“It was probably the angriest I have been at God and also the closest. It’s like I have nothing else but faith at this point. Everything that we built, everything that I built, everything I thought I was doing was just done.” – Nate Rayl

This week on Unscripted, we get to hear the amazing story of Pastor Nate Rayl. From Ohio country kid to the wilds of Russia and New York, Nate’s story is an incredible example of God’s guidance and faithfulness even in the moments when we don’t know what is going to happen next!

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“I learned about this God who loved me and who sent his son to die for me. I saw that tangible expression of who Jesus was all throughout my freshman year while being at YoungLife and being involved in that community and going to camp. It was displayed in a way that I understood, not fully knowing what Jesus looked like, but knowing that I wanted that instead of what I was doing before.” – Matt Hennessey

On today’s episode of Unscripted, we dive into the story of Matt Hennessey. We get to hear how faith in Matt’s life has come full circle and how he now gets to lead and impact highschoolers in the same way that he first tangibly experienced Jesus!

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“Early on, I realized why God had me in the development field. Most of the people at the time were not followers. It became really apparent that God had me around these people because he loved them enough to share his love with them through me. I don’t feel in any way shape or form adequate to be that guy on the front lines, but I could tell that is where God had me.”

On this week’s episode of Unscripted, we get to hear the amazing story of Josh Snyder! Through all the ups and downs of life, he was searching for not only relationships, but purpose as well. As we listen to his story, we get to hear how he ultimately found both through a relationship with Jesus and has since found a passion for giving the gospel away to others!

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“If you are seeking identity in people or your career, those things are going to let you down, but the Lord never does. He never lets you down. He is constantly pursuing and loving you.” – Jeri Ball

This week’s Unscripted conversation dives deep into the story of Jeri Ball. Hear how she went from finding her identity in the world around her, to experiencing the love of God, finding her identity in him, and now leading other women to do the same!

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“When I have no control, I can count on and hold onto Jesus and the fact that he is in control and knows what he is doing. He has my best interest in mind. Even if I have nobody, I have him.”

This week’s Unscripted conversation jumps into the story of one of Grace’s Student Ministry Interns, Jocelynn Olminsky. Hear how the experiences of her childhood and teenage years, along with the example set by her older sister, led her to latch onto Jesus and inspired her to pursue a life in ministry and mentor students at Grace Church.

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“I fell in love with working with teenagers…they have zeal and when they grab ahold of something they will run through a wall. That’s why I am more excited about teenagers today than I have ever been. They have so much fire inside them and when they really believe it and when they get ahold of following Jesus, it changes their whole destiny. When you think about the decisions their making from 13-18, the change in life that happens. They go from holding stuffed animals to some joining the military and holding weapons in a five-year span. Just think, if you can get them excited about Jesus and put their identity in him…”

He never thought he would be a pastor or living in Ohio. This week’s Unscripted conversation dives into the story of Grace’s Family Ministry Pastor, Brad Deetscreek. Hear how Brad went from catching crawfish in the streams of western Pennsylvania, to eventually ending up a pastor in Northeast Ohio with a passion for helping teenagers know Jesus.

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“God loved me so deeply to save my depraved heart unconditionally. I had a good sense of hope that it was going to be ok. Sometimes we’ll take the biological part really far or the spiritual part really far. Nate was really good about reminding me that while you are learning all these things that are going on with you hormonally, remember the spiritual side. As a person you are spiritual, emotional, and physical. And it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, ah ha! Now I’m better!’ It was a very drawn out, messy time. Having a foundation in Christ, I very much believed there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That is salvation. If that is not true, what is the point?” -Kelci Rayl 

Kelci gets real in today’s episode, sharing the depths of her experience of becoming a mom and teaching us what it took years for her to understand about Postpartum Anxiety and Depression. If her story resonates with you and you would like to talk to someone about your own experience, please reach out to us at bath@graceohio.org.

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