What It Means to Be Truly Known: Ben Higgins & Jamie MacDonald
Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith
Jesus Calling
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 1 January 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, we welcome Ben Higgins back to the show—entrepreneur, author, and former star of The Bachelor who has turned public fame into a platform for authentic connection. Ben shares why true connection can’t be found through screens or status, but through honest conversation and shared life with others.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Nashville singer-songwriter Jamie MacDonald. From growing up in a home where singing wasn’t allowed to standing on stages sharing songs of hope, Jamie’s story is a powerful reminder that some voices are too full of light to stay silent.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Ali Gilkeson
Upcoming interview: Jordan Smith
Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season
Interview Quotes:
“There’s still this piece of our heart that screams out to sit beside somebody else, to look somebody else in the eye, to ask them the questions that actually matter. I think we’re seeing that even when everything’s handed to us, there’s still something missing, which is the connection to humans face-to-face.” - Ben Higgins
“I think if you want to really get to know somebody, if you really want for somebody to get to know you, you have to let them see the stop moments of your life. You have to be able to sit with them in their roughest seasons and their most joyous seasons and celebrate when joy is at the table and also mourn with them when maybe mourning is necessary.” - Ben Higgins
“Life doesn’t give us the gift of hiding out when pain is at the forefront of our experience. I think we’ve all learned that when pain is a part of our life, sitting alone in that is not the most healing. It is getting with people who can relate. It is speaking to professionals who can process. It is getting around friendships who can love on you and getting around family who can give you a hug.” - Ben Higgins
“When divisiveness is no longer the common thread amongst us as humans, I think we’re going to really look back on a time where we maybe burnt too many bridges and be embarrassed by that. I want to hopefully give people the warning to not jump too quickly into cutting everybody out that they don’t agree with.” - Ben Higgins
“Being in the public eye has taught me that the more vulnerable I become and the more outspoken I become on the things that are tough in my life, the more connected I feel to others because there’s other people dealing with it also.” - Ben Higgins
“I knew I felt good singing. It’s the one thing that brought me the most joy throughout some of my lonely, hardest times when I was young. It brought me happiness and peace. And it was also a way to encounter God’s presence.” - Jamie MacDonald
“There were just a lot of miracles that [God] did in my life to get me out of that place, and it’s been a slow, steady climb—a lot of behind the scenes work that He’s done in my heart to heal me and all the identity issues that come with letting your life hit the bottom.” - Jamie MacDonald
“Singing in the prison really gave me courage again and hope to sing, and it really gave me my why. When they sing in there, there’s no cameras, there’s nobody putting them on YouTube. It’s all for the Lord, and it’s an encounter with God’s presence and a ministry to each other.” - Jamie MacDonald
“I think where all of the best songs come from is when you can be yourself and you’re not trying to reach a certain audience necessarily or trying to be commercial.” - Jamie MacDonald
“God is really good at picking up the broken pieces and making it into something beautiful. I want people to know that it’s never too late, and no matter what you’ve done in your life, when you give it to Jesus and you turn to Him and you confess and you give Him those things, He chooses to forget them.” - Jamie MacDonald
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Want to keep God's word with you wherever you go? |
| 0:03.2 | The King James Bible Study KJV app by Salem Media makes it easier to read, study, share, and pray daily with a timeless KJV translation. |
| 0:10.8 | Enjoy features like offline access, audio Bible listening, smart search, and tools to highlight bookmark and take notes, all designed to keep your Bible studies simple and organized. |
| 0:18.9 | Best of all, it's free to download in the Google Play Store. |
| 0:21.7 | Growing your faith every day. |
| 0:23.1 | Search for King James Bible Study, KJV, and download the app today. |
| 0:32.5 | Life Audio. |
| 0:35.5 | Find inspiration as close as your phone. Download the Jesus Calling app and get started today for free. Look for the Jesus Calling app in both the Apple and Google Play stores. |
| 0:48.2 | I think it's the one calling that we sometimes forget as humans is we are called to support well each other. |
| 0:56.8 | And I also think we have a God of support, a God that loves and that cares and that when we're |
| 1:01.9 | at our lowest doesn't want us to live at our lowest, that wants to lift us up from the ashes |
| 1:06.6 | and say, go and be fruitful and be joyful and go and share with others. |
| 1:13.3 | Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. |
| 1:15.7 | This week we welcome Ben Higgins back to the show, |
| 1:18.3 | entrepreneur, author, and former star of The Bachelor, |
| 1:21.1 | who has turned public fame into a platform for authentic connection. |
| 1:25.0 | Ben shares why true connection can't be found through screens or status, |
| 1:28.8 | but through honest conversation and shared life with others. Later in the episode, we'll hear |
| 1:33.7 | from Nashville singer-songwriter Jamie McDonald, from growing up in a home where singing wasn't |
| 1:38.8 | allowed to standing on stages sharing songs of hope, Jamie's story is a powerful reminder that some voices are too full of light to stay silent. |
| 1:47.8 | Let's begin with Ben's story. |
| 1:54.0 | My name is Ben Higgins. |
... |
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