The Friday edition of Connecting Faith is hosted by Jo Bender! Jo offers a unique perspective on the Bible, breaking it down to the basics, and building it up for His glory.  Jo’s career spans many areas of life, including working as a television broadcaster, a stay-at-home Mom (or Chief Home Officer, as she calls it), minister, and Bible teacher. Jo has a passion for sharing the truth of God’s Word and for helping others understand the power and purpose they possess as followers of Christ.

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Get to know Jo

In this podcast, Jo shares her own story of faith and growth as she unpacks the importance of ‘being still and knowing’ that God is God.

Jo shares her struggle with striving and wanting to earn rewards. Many things factored into her “quest” to achieve and wanted to prove she was strong and successful.

• Jo’s competition with her three brothers

• Being one of the smaller kids in her play group

• The joy of receiving a trophy for the first time

• Having a strong need to please others

As Jo moved onto college and her relationship with God moved off the priority list, she joined the party scene. After wavering in her faith, Jo came back to God, after being away from church for years. In that moment, God whispered to her, “I do have a plan for you. But you gotta get off that fence, and you gotta start coming back to Me.”

Jo went on to become Miss Minnesota, a meteorologist, wife and mother, and the Friday host of Connecting Faith.

She learned not to put so much pressure on herself – the key is to recognize that God calls us first and equips us second. Jo points to Psalm 46 and calls every Christian to “be still” or “cease striving” and rest in our identity in God. If everything in life was taken from us, we would still be fully known and fully Christian. Our first identity is child of God, and no amount of striving or sinning will ever remove that.

Meet Jo Bender