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
When Your Cup Runs Over: Finding Abundance in Life's Dark Valleys
How could David write, "my cup runs over," when his life was falling apart or had already fallen apart? Let's take a look at Psalm 23 and the story behind it. David didn't write from a place of safety or celebration. He was running for his life, barefoot and heartbroken, surrounded by betrayal and loss. Yet somehow, in the shadows, he spoke of abundance.
What changed? It wasn't David's circumstances. It was where he put his focus. Instead of staring down his enemies, he looked to his Shepherd, the One who stayed close in the valley and prepared a table right in front of those who wanted to see him fail.
This conversation is for anyone feeling pressed in by fear, pain, or disappointment. An overflowing cup isn't about having a perfect life, but about discovering God's extravagant love where you are. Colossians 2:10, Ephesians 1:3 We're already complete in Him, lacking nothing, even when life says otherwise.
God doesn't just help us survive hard seasons. He pours out blessings in the very places we feel empty. This kind of abundance doesn't depend on us getting it right. It's the gift of a Shepherd who comes looking for us, no matter how lost or broken we feel.
If you're tired, hurting, or wondering if God sees you, join us at the table. There's a feast waiting in the valley. And the truth is, Jesus came not to harm, but to give life and life more abundantly.
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I can't imagine a more exciting passage of Scripture than Psalm 23. And today I take you to the phrase that just is shocking in the middle of this psalm, my cup runs over. That's a sign that he is experiencing massive blessings, more blessings than he's able to receive. I don't want you to forget where he's at. I don't want you to forget where he's at. I don't want you to forget what's going on. You see, he is in a dark, dark night. It's a dark season he's going through. David is going through a horrible trial. He could die at any moment. They're right outside. He knows that. He writes in Psalm 23, I walk through the valley, yea, though. I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and all of it's happening in the presence of his enemies. They're all watching. It's like everybody who wanted to see David destroyed is watching while David is getting all this to happen to him. He's being betrayed by his best friend. He's being betrayed by his own blood son.
Austin Gardner:The Bible says in Psalm 41.9, yea, mine, own friend, my familiar friend, the guy I trusted, the guy I used to eat together. He used to come to my house and eat in my house, and he has lifted up his heel against me. Psalm 41.9, such a horrendous statement that Jesus uses when he talks about being betrayed by Judas. In Psalm 55.12, and following David says if it had been my enemy that had come after me, I could have put up with that. If it was somebody who hated me was trying to raise up against me, I could have put up with that. If it was somebody who hated me, who was trying to raise up against me, I could have hid from them. But you, my friend, my equal, my guide, my acquaintance, we took sweet counsel together, we walked in the house of God, we worshiped together and you've risen up against me. He has enemies everywhere he turns, families turning on him, friends are betraying him. The noise and chaos and fear threaten to drown out. What little heart he has left. I am sure the mistakes of the past and all the failures and all the sin coming at him like these are your consequences. You deserve it and they're screaming in his heart. He's under attack, a spiritual attack, much like you might be under right now. Much like you might be, and that's what we want to learn. We want to learn from David. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 15, 12,. The conspiracy was strong. Everybody got on Absalom's side. Everybody was coming after me.
Austin Gardner:In 2 Samuel, 15, 30, david is going up the Mount of Olives and he's crying as he goes. He's got his head covered and he's going up barefooted and all the people are with him. They've got their heads covered and they're all crying because David's life is at an end. He can see it and his friends can see it. It's over. And Shimei meets him on the mountain and starts cussing him. He calls him a bloody man and the son of the devil Balao and he tells him you did this to Saul. Now it's being done to you by your own son. Your own mischief is coming back against you.
Austin Gardner:Second Samuel, chapter 16. I say all that to say, before we get into this passage where my cup runs over, that he is in trouble. Now you're in trouble. You're listening to this and you're like you don't understand my life. You don't know where I live. You don't know what's going on. You don't have any idea what it feels like to be divorced or to have your wife play games on you and go out on you. You don't have any idea what it's like to have children abandon you. You don't know what it's like to have your life fall apart and I would admit I probably don't. But he does, and David does.
Austin Gardner:And the Holy Spirit writes a passage of Scripture for us, right in Psalm 23, that will encourage you and change your life, if you'll just let it. You see, he introduces us in Psalm 23 not really to his problems, but to the person. The person is the shepherd who met every need. The shepherd who made sure nothing was missing. The shepherd who renewed David's spirit when he was discouraged. The shepherd that fed him so much he would lay down when there was food right beside him. The shepherd that took him in peace to still waters. The shepherd that has restored his soul. David's still in the battle. The shepherd that has restored his soul. David's still in the battle. The threat hasn't disappeared. He's not free from trouble, but he is free in the middle of it. He is free in the middle of it and you can be free in the middle of what's going on all around you. That's what Psalm 23 is going to do for you. I want you to think about it, I want you to meditate on it, I want it to become your whole mindset that he's your shepherd and you're his sheep, and he's meeting all your needs.
Austin Gardner:Notice that David is not talking about what he did. He's not talking about how he's going to get out of it, how he's going to handle the problems. He's not talking about how he's going to make something of his life. He's not talking about. He's not talking about how he's going to make something of his life. He's not talking about his failures. He's not talking about his past. He's not going back over all the junk in his life. He's talking about the shepherd.
Austin Gardner:The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. He does this and he does this and he does this. And yea, though I walk to the valley of the Shaddup, thou art with me, you are with me. Your rod and staff. They comfort me. I'll fear no evil because you are with me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You bless me. I don't deserve it, but you bless me. That's grace and mercy screaming at us.
Austin Gardner:God loves you right now, right where you are, no matter what's going on in your life. Are you tired? Are you carrying a heavy load? Come to Christ. He'll refresh your life. He'll be your oasis. You'll discover that he's gentle and humble and easy to please. You'll find rest and refreshment in Christ. Everything he asks of you will be good and easy to bear. He will take care of you. He is not looking for you to come to him and do for him. He is already done for you.
Austin Gardner:And I just want you to know where you are in Christ. You are complete in him. You are complete in him Colossians 2.10,. You are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. He's number one. He is it, he's God, and you are complete in him. Nothing is lacking. It doesn't depend on your works. You are already a new creature. Everything is already made new. The past is gone. Forgiveness, full forgiveness and complete victory are yours. We have everything we need spiritually.
Austin Gardner:The Bible says in Ephesians 3.20,. Now, unto him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think according to the power that works, as God is at work in your life Right now. Your shepherd not only leads you, he lives in you, he provides for you, but he's in you and he's working in you and he has blessed you. He says in Ephesians 1, 3, with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places he has already. Who has blessed us hath blessed us. He has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Austin Gardner:I want you to know something now. I know you're hurting, but in the middle of all this, your cup runs over. But you don't keep it in your cup, it just flows out of it. Because we don't hoard, we give. We don't keep to ourselves, we give. God doesn't just meet our needs, he doesn't just keep us afloat, he overflows us with blessings. When death stalks us, heaven throws a feast. When death stalks us, heaven throws a feast. He death stalks us. Heaven throws a feast. He anoints us with oil. He makes us overflow with his goodness. We're not scraping by, we're not surviving. This is a wild, extravagant abundance that God gives us that outpaces every need. I want you to know right now wherever you are, you are already experiencing a cup that runs over. You might not have your eyes open to it, you may not be looking around to see what's going on, but God is already doing that in your life.
Austin Gardner:Do you hear that we enjoy abundance even in adversity? God's provision isn't measured by our expectations, limited by our circumstances. We live in the overflow of God's wonderful love. Yeah, the problems are still there. The shadow of death still lingers just outside the cave, but the presence of the shepherd transforms the entire experience. We live from abundance because the shepherd's taking care of us. Oh, we still have problems. We still have problems, no doubt about that. We still have things going wrong in our lives. We're still facing a lot of stuff. Our problems don't vanish out, just go away, but we have everything we need.
Austin Gardner:We lie down in green pastures, even in the darkest valleys, with cups overflowing, not because of us, but because of our shepherd. We didn't earn it. His love gave it to us. Ask the shepherd, ask the Lord, to open your eyes. Even in the darkest moments. You'll find yourself saying with wonder my cup runs over. Look at what happened to David in his darkest night. He found himself sitting in luxury at a banquet table, his head anointed with oil, his face lifted up and his cup running over. God did what David would have never dreamed possible. Do you realize how rich and blessed you are in Christ?
Austin Gardner:Psalm 108, verse 4, says Thy mercy is great above the heavens. Thy truth reaches under the clouds. The word mercy in this verse means kindness and goodness, steadfast, love, loyal. God is faithful to you. God has promised his love, he's coveted his love and he never lies and he never changes. He'll love you no matter what, because he is good and he loves. He is love.
Austin Gardner:I need you to know something Jesus didn't come to harm anyone. He came to give life. The thief comes but for the steel to kill and destroy. I'm coming that they might have life and have it more abundantly. God, jesus, doesn't accept lies.
Austin Gardner:It's about a relationship, not about rules. Abundance didn't come because David kept the rules. He didn't keep the rules. It was because he had an intimate relationship with a shepherd. It's the shepherd, not the sheep, who started that relationship. It's not about how much you love God, but you realizing how much God loves you. So what are you going to do with it today? What will you do with it? Today? I hope you'll ask God to open your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what he's doing in your life. Let God, let the Holy Spirit, lead you into all truth. I'm just learning myself. I've spent so much of my life in performance-based religion instead of realizing what God's doing.
Austin Gardner:Think about him. Think about his goodness, think about his truth. Stop looking at your situation. Don't look at the cancer. Don't look at the cancer. Look at the Savior. Look at the shepherd. Don't look at the circumstances. Look at Christ. I know things are hard for you, but the shepherd hasn't abandoned you. I know things are hard for you, but the shepherd hasn't abandoned you. I know things don't seem to be going right, but he hasn't. So quit complaining. Start praising, stop focusing on yourself and look to Jesus, the one who transforms life completely. That's who we're serving. That's who we're with. That's what we're doing. Put Jesus first, serve him, honor him, believe in him, trust him and see what great things he is doing. In your life Today, your cup runs over. Don't forget it. Think about it all day long. God is good to you, no matter how bad things are. You have surely goodness and mercy following you. You are followed by mercy today.
