Hey, this is Meredith. We're going to take a couple of weeks off to enjoy time with our families

over the holidays, but we wanted to make sure you've got something uplifting and faith-filling

to listen to in the meantime. So enjoy this story from author and leadership coach Joe Saxton.

Page 46 of the unfolding is the story of Joe Saxton. And to realize that God was calling me, even me, this person who felt rejected,

the thing that God would call me by name and invite me to be part of him making the world

new was really humbling.

God's story has been unfolding.

Since the beginning of time.

He invites you to be a part of it.

Another page in the unfolding. The first time I heard Joe Saxton speak, I was riveted.

She was speaking at the Global Leadership Summit.

She has such a commanding presence, one of those people who seems naturally gifted to lead.

She's an author and podcast host. She's a leadership coach.

But the early years of Joe's life were filled with experiences that fed a deep insecurity.

Her parents were Nigerian immigrants in London. They divorced and Joe spent several years

in foster care. She says her father's absence defined her existence for years

without realizing it. She was carrying baggage so heavy she couldn't imagine being free.

By the time I reached adulthood, I think I was becoming increasingly aware of how insecurity

was defining my life, not just influencing it occasionally.

I needed to be noticed. And it wasn't that I wanted to be really popular or anything. I just

didn't want to feel like I was left on the sidelines. And there were multiple reasons for that.

I think I'm sure there was some of the legacy still of my relationship with my

...