Followed By Mercy
The Followed By Mercy Podcast
Real Grace, Honest Hope
You might notice a new name and a fresh look, but the heart behind this podcast is the same. After years as the World Evangelism Podcast, I sensed God leading me to a deeper, more personal path centered on His relentless mercy and the kind of honest hope that can reach into every hurting place. That’s why this show is now called Followed By Mercy Podcast. The format may shift, and the tone may be a bit more personal, but my mission hasn’t changed: I still believe the world desperately needs to hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. You are welcome here if you’ve been with me from the beginning or just found us now.
What if God’s love is more personal, stubborn, and relentless than you ever imagined?
Welcome to The Followed By Mercy Podcast, where we get honest about pain, hope, and the kind of grace that finds you right where you are, five days a week. This isn’t about religious performance or church routines. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt worn out, unseen, or unsure if they belong in the story of God’s love. Every conversation is rooted in this reality: God loves you right now, just as you are, and He isn’t giving up on you.
Here’s what you’ll find in every episode:
Experience God’s Relentless Love
Every show starts by reminding you that the Shepherd knows your name, cares about your story, and isn’t offended by your failures or questions. This is personal—it’s about God’s unwavering affection for you.
Find Your Place in His Heart
Once you grasp how fiercely you’re loved, sharing that love with others doesn’t feel forced. It becomes the most natural thing in the world. Real grace overflows.
Prayer That Changes You
We pray together—not just for the world “out there,” but for the battles and hopes you’re carrying right now. These prayers are honest, rooted in Scripture, and meant for hearts that need a gentle touch from the Shepherd.
Discover Your Unique Role
Whether you’re called to go, give, serve, or show kindness in your corner of the world, God’s mercy meets you where you are. You’re not just a bystander. You are His beloved, invited into the story He’s writing.
When life knocks the wind out of you, this is a place to catch your breath. You’ll hear the encouragement that meets you on your hardest days, and your honest questions will be welcomed. No pretending, no heavy-handed advice—just the reminder that your Shepherd is right there with you, walking every step with you, even when you feel like giving up.
Why does this matter? Because some days, it feels like nobody sees you or cares what you’re going through. But the truth is, you have a Shepherd who never takes His eyes off you, lets you slip through the cracks, and never gives up on you. That kind of love can put you back on your feet, and it might be the hope someone else is waiting to see in you, too.
If you’re longing for more than just religious talk—if you want to know you’re not alone and that God’s mercy is following you all the way home, you’re in the right place. Whether you listen in the car, on a walk, or in a quiet moment, let every episode remind you: God’s mercy is after you right now, ready to bring real grace and honest hope.
Subscribe today and join a community to discover what happens when loved people become loving people. The journey’s just beginning, and there’s a place for you here.
Followed By Mercy
Unlocking Leadership Potential: Mentorship Lessons from Jesus and Paul
What does true mentorship look like in practice? Learn how incidental yet purposeful interactions can unlock leadership potential, as we explore the mentoring approaches of Jesus and Paul. Through everyday moments and shared experiences, we demonstrate how meaningful growth often happens outside traditional curriculums. By reflecting on biblical stories such as the parable of the sower, we reveal how these ancient lessons apply to modern mentoring practices. This episode isn't about rote learning; it's about transforming knowledge into actionable wisdom.
Journey with us as we emphasize the power of companionship in ministry. From buying paint for a community project to attending significant events, bringing someone along fosters real-life learning and deeper relationships. We share compelling examples that show the importance of not working alone, mirroring the companionship seen in Jesus' and the prophets' ministries. Our discussion underscores that mentorship flourishes in the daily, practical experiences we share, proving that the path we walk together is just as crucial as the destination we aim for.
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Well, as we continue talking about mentoring, you know it is person with person. We've gone over that. It's the purest form of discipleship. It's like Jesus did it, it's like Paul did it and it's where we can have incidental conversations that have purpose and meaning. You know, jesus is walking along and I don't know where he was exactly. You know he says who do men say that I am? And they say well, they say this, they say this, they say that, whom do you say that I am? And then, like in Matthew, chapter 13, he preaches, he talks about the seed. They sow the seed and it falls on good ground and bad ground and they get alone together. And one of them looks at him and says I don't get it, I didn't understand that. He said good, let's have a discussion about that. And so they began to talk about it. It was a one-on-one ministry. It's person with person. It is what it takes to make the leader emerge from inside that guy. We take this guy with us to the funeral, we take him to the counseling session. We want to take him along with us so we can model ministry, so he can watch us do it and say you know, he's just coming along with us and he's learning how to do that.
Austin Gardner:So it's not like you got to have some curriculum. Over the years, people have said to me I'd like to know what curriculum you use to get that accomplished. And here's the answer I don't have a curriculum. I've never had a curriculum. Now I do at the Bible College. At Bible College they need to take homiletics and hermeneutics, they need to take survey of the Old Testament, survey all the stuff that every college would offer and we believe in colleges and I think we've got a lot of great colleges that they can go to. But I'm talking about the stuff where it's practical. I'm talking about the stuff where it's practical. You know, in a classroom, you may not see how abrupt he would be with somebody he's visiting with In a classroom, you may not realize that he doesn't know how to answer that question because there's 20 students in the classes or 30 students and he doesn't get a chance to answer that question. So we want to spend a lot of time together, we want to work together. So take them with you. That's the biggest thing I can say. Take them with you. You need to go buy some paint because there's going to be a paint day this Saturday. Well, take somebody with you and they can help move the paint cans. That's fine, but more than that, on the way there you can just be friends and you can just share what you've learned and what you can do.
Austin Gardner:Now here we go, summiting it all up Never work alone, never work alone. And I'm not saying you don't study for your messages alone and you don't pray some alone, and there'll be counseling sessions where you can't have anybody in there. But as much as possible, have somebody with you. Example Jesus. Example the Old Testament. Prophets had a school of prophets. One guy lost an axe head when he was trying to build a big dormitory. Remember Never work alone when they're trying to build a big dormitory. Remember, never work alone. Don't let learning lead to knowledge, but let learning lead to action. So you know, what we do nowadays is we graduate a bunch of people and they learn off the Internet a ton of things and they know a whole bunch of things but they're not putting them into practice. But if they go with you, they'll practice them.
Austin Gardner:It's one thing to watch a YouTube on how to go bass fishing and when you get in your boat you do this, and then, when you put the bait on your hook. This is the way you do it. It's a whole nother thing for somebody to say get on the boat, let me show you how to do this. And then they go on the boat with you. And so they get on the boat with Let me show you how to do this. And then they go on the boat with you. So they get on the boat with you. They watch you get on the boat. You tell them how to get on the boat, how to get off a boat. You tell them how to walk around on a boat, how not to. You tell them how to bait their hook. You tell them how to do everything.
Austin Gardner:You show the most costly form of ministry that you can have, because the more you love, the more you can be hurt. The more you love, the more you can be hurt. And so, but take the chance, it's worth it. Love them. Jesus was kissed by one of his disciples. He was kissed on the cheek to get him crucified. Huh, jesus was kissed by one of his disciples to get him crucified. That has to be a horrible thing to have happen, and so what we want to do here is take the chance and help people.
Austin Gardner:One of the first nights I was in Bible, or not in Bible. I went to a college and got a liberal arts degree, but one of the first nights a guy said when you feed a dog, he may bite you, but you can't quit feeding the dog. When you help a person, they may bite you but you can't let feeding the dog. When you help a person, they may bite you but you can't let that pull you back from helping other people. So we never quit, no matter what happens to us. I guess the last thing I'd like to say to you before I close out the whole week is this If we're one of a kind, we're failing. You're not really a success until you make somebody else a success. You're not a success until you have a successor. Our goal is to train other people so that other people can have a success and have a ministry. Don't be one of a kind. Be the guy who shares what God teaches you.