When God Writes the Story You Didn’t See Coming

Sometimes the very thing that feels small … or even accidental …
is actually where God is quietly at work.

In this conversation, I sit down with Rhonda Lacey from WCQR as she shares her journey ... from a faith that felt distant and unformed … to a life fully surrendered and walking in purpose.

What started as background noise on the radio …
became a moment where God spoke clearly.

And what felt like a passing thought ...
“I’m going to work there one day” ...
turned into a calling she couldn’t have orchestrated on her own.

This episode is a reminder that God is always weaving …

Even in the seasons where it doesn’t feel clear.
Even when you don’t feel ready.
Even when it takes longer than you expected.

If you’ve ever wondered if you missed your moment …
or questioned where God is leading you …

this conversation will meet you right where you are. 🤍

Tapestry of Faith with Susan D. Crum

Real conversations about faith, life, and the stories God is still weaving.

Connect with Susan:

📧 susandcrum@gmail.com

Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

God is still weaving. 🤍

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hi everyone, welcome back to Tapestry of Faith. God is still leaving, where we have real conversations about faith, life, and the in-between seasons we don't always talk about. Today's conversation is a really special one. I am joined by someone who has been faithfully showing up, using her voice to encourage and impact so many lives. Rhon, Rhonda Lacey from WCQR. Rhonda, I am so glad you're here.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Oh, well, thank you so much. And thank you for the faithfully part because you'll be glad to know that uh I am human and I sometimes argue with the Lord uh at 4:30 in the morning when my alarm goes off and like, are we still doing this? And he's like, Yeah, we're still doing. I'm like, okay, we're still doing this.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Well, you know, through WCQR, but even through you, Rhonda, the outreach of the ministry, both through the radio station and through yourself, is so far reaching.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Oh, yeah, it is. It's a wonderful opportunity because um, I think when it really hit me, my husband and I had gone uh to see a Christian comedian, and there were, you know, probably about you know 5,000 people there. And, you know, single stage, single performer, entertainer. And I was looking around and waiting for it to start, and I said, Can you imagine like this many people come to hear you? And he said, You talk to probably five times this many people every day. And I just never put it in that perspective. And it was kind of scary and humbling at the time because obviously, Adam, my co-host and I, we do not get to physically see everyone we're talking to at home in the car, you know, wherever they may be. And so it is just a great moment knowing that wow, I can share the gospel with so many people at some time through the power of technology and radio.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Yes, yes, love that. Well, thank you. Thank you for all that you do through the radio station and through and personally too, Rhonda. Uh, it does not go unnoticed. Before we dive in, I would love for you to share um maybe just a little bit more about you, your heart, what you do, WCQR, and what God has you walking in right now.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Uh, the whole story would take a long time, but let me step back to 2009. I did accept Christ uh when I was a teenager, but I didn't. I came from a divorced family and was not really in a Christian household. I mean, my family did believe in Jesus, but church was like, oh, we might go this day, we might go this day. So I didn't have anyone to disciple me, and I let the world get a hold of me as a teenager and a 20-something, 30-something. And then in 2009, I went on a walk to Emmaus and really experienced Christ firsthand, you know, through other people who were being the hands and feet of Jesus. And I had listened to WCQR very passively, more of a background. And it was right after that walk, and I was meeting with a group of ladies who were discipling me and mentoring me. And I got in my car and I had WCQR on, and a song was playing that the words at the moment, uh, it was Jason Gray, I am new. And the words literally, I knew in that moment that's God speaking to me. And I called my husband and I was crying, just bawling. And he what's wrong? What's wrong? And I said, Well, nothing's wrong. Can you find out what song this is? And he called the station, they told him, and and I just knew there was a time that I walked into the station shortly after that. I'm like, I'm gonna be working there one day. I'd worked in media, I'd worked in broadcasting, more on the back side. But I'm like, I just I have a feeling like God, I'm just gonna work there one day. And so seven years later, um, Adam called and said, Hey, I need a co-host. And I thought he was calling to ask me if I knew of someone. Right. Would you be interested? And I said, I've never been on the radio. And he said, Well, I know you love to talk, I know you love Jesus, and uh, know some people who know you, and I I think that we could do this. And it was God orchestrated, it really was, and it's amazing from that time up from 2009 to 2016 when God was preparing me until it was the moment on the air. And then in the 10 years since then, even how He's changed me from that, and changed me from hearing stories about how the radio is changing other people like it changed me, and people having that right song at the right time, uh, whether they needed praise, peace, comfort, encouragement, you know, whatever it was, it's just a very there's some days I take it for granted, and then every time that I do take it for granted, God's puts somebody in my path that says, Oh my goodness, I heard you say this, or I heard this song, or even if it was another show, it's just being a part of something God is using to further his kingdom, and it's just it's incredible. It really, really is. And just all the listeners and supporters who make this a family, it's it's it's so different than anything I've ever been a part of before.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Wow. Well, what an incredible part you are um in this ministry and and even with your own story too, Rhonda. Um, you know, we we've known each other for years and and shared some things on the personal side. And, you know, I think especially people like yourself, um, who's a radio host and people are listening to you every day. We we see people and we meet people where they are.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

We don't always get to understand their own tapestry, right? All the different threads that are woven, the beautiful parts, the parts that are ugly, they don't make sense. And actually, I'd like to go back to to something for just a moment. In your journey, has there been a season in your life where things didn't look like you expected, but God was still at work in ways you couldn't see at the time.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Oh, absolutely. I'll have to think of one because there's several. Uh, I mean, probably the most recent one is um, you know, I my husband and I had both been married prior. Um, so we married later in life. And I think that was a huge adjustment first coming together into one household and and being older adults. I mean, in a way, it was a good thing because we're more mature, know what we want, and we were grounded in our faith, which we weren't in our previous marriages. Um, but it it sounds crazy, but everything within a two-year window changed. Um, all of our pets passed away across the rainbow bridge. And uh, I know, I know, which he has two sons, I have two stepsons grown. So those were our children. They all passed. We moved twice in 14 months, uh, just some changes at work. And it's like when you don't feel solid in anything, like your home, your work, and all in all those different places, um, you know, just a long-term friendship uh kind of disintegrated. And so it felt it was like a a loss, even though it was moving into a new home. It was like the loss of that home and all the memories there, the neighbors I was really close to, which you know how it goes. You oh, we'll keep in touch, and even that 20 minute distance changes things. Um, you know, building the house and the stress of that, and and just it it almost felt like starting all over again, and it it feels weird, and I know that those are all good things, like moving through life, you expect that. Um, but it was it was such a weird time, and it was right after COVID too, and we we lost some people that we knew that we were close to during COVID, and I think we all know the changes that occurred, and so all of that, I think since 2020, it was it's just been kind of um, you know, at bingo where they put all the numbers and they turn that little ball and they're all tugling around like here's your work life, here's your personal life, here's this. And then just as a woman, I can say this too menopause hit me at that time too. So all the physical, emotional changes that come with that, it's it's kind of been like, ah, you know, and just talking about the elephant in the room, you know, with the political and cultural climate that it has thrown in there with Christians, I mean, there's just like so much where you just kind of get up in the morning, you just kind of go and you hold your breath and you're afraid to look at your phone that something's happened overnight. So, I mean, that season, like not expecting it, like how to how it's supposed to go in your your terms, because everything changed. We changed churches, we changed our address, we changed so many things, and I think just now things are starting to settle, and my old self would have been like, I don't like this, I'm gonna change it, and I would just bulldoze through that and change it. And I think the spiritual maturity is like, okay, God's changing this for a reason. Just kind of be still and see what he's doing. And and I don't know yet. I don't know. I'm seeing glimpses, but I I quite frankly, I don't know yet. Yeah, thank you for sharing.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

You you've brought something else to light here, Rhonda. You know, one of the things even I've been asking myself a lot lately, um, because I think like, how easy is it to ask, like, where is God in all of this, right? Whether it's this part of your your tapestry, your journey, or maybe even another uh moment, like have you ever felt moments like, okay, this makes no sense, and you really had to hold on to your faith anyway.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Oh, I mean, absolutely. And I think everybody could say that at some point in time. Uh, we want my my bonus mom, she always says, and I never use stepmom because Disney ruined the word stepmother. They're all evil. Think about that. So we say bonus mom. So my bonus mom said sometimes you just need a Jesus with skin, meaning, like, you just want Jesus to drop down like and tell you, like to physically touch you and tell you. That's where we come in as fellow believers, because we're we're that Jesus with skin. We've got to to channel that. And uh, yeah, I mean, there's and it sounds crazy, but there's a lot of mornings, you know, 4:30 in the morning, there's not a lot of people up. It's dark. You're driving to work, and I think especially just going back a couple months this winter, when it's cold and dark, you have that physical feeling of aloneness and kind of going in, and you're like, all right, God, I'm I'm supposed to talk about you today, encourage people today, inspire people today. I'm not feeling it, you know, I'm not feeling it. But every single time, it's like when I and I'm in the studio now. When I come into the studio, I I do, I feel he's like, I got you. You know, I got you. And it it's it's really, really weird, Susan. But the especially it seems like especially the days when I don't want to be here. And I know people will say, You don't want to be there, you've got an awesome job. But there are days for whatever reason, being tired, being weary, being spiritually depleted myself, I that's when God shows up the most. And so if if anybody needs to be encouraged, like I don't where's God? Like, I don't feel him right now. Yeah, I think saying that and surrendering and saying, God, I don't feel you. I need you to just show up, and he will. He he just he does every single time. And if he didn't, I wouldn't be sitting here right now.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

There's so many pieces and parts you just shared, Rhonda, that I know I can relate to, that I know our listeners can relate to. You kind of hinted on this, but I think it's worth going back to for just a moment. Share with us just even one thing that you felt has really kept you, helped you stay anchored during times like that.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

I mean, honestly, my job, I mean, I have a devotional, like I keep my Bible on my desk. I have a devotional, and I'll be honest, some days it's three or four days before I pick it up. Yep. Um, but on it like coming in here, I mean that that that's the beauty of music. I can sit through a sermon, absorb every word, make take it to heart. I hear one worship song and I dissolve into tears. Music is so emotional for me for me, and I think a lot of people like God's way of speaking. So Tom's that I'm like, I don't feel like reading my Bible, Lord. I mean, I can be on you can be honest with it. I mean, that's the one he knows, and oh Lord, I don't feel like reading my Bible. I just I can't even concentrate, or you know, I haven't picked up my devotion book, or I left my devotion book at work and I'm at home. It's one song. Oh, man, just one song can bring, can bring me to that. And I think that that's a tool that I use even working here, and it's crazy. I can hear the song in the studio as I'm getting ready to go in the air. And I'm more concerned about when the song's ending than when I'm supposed to talk. But then I'll be in my car later, maybe the next morning, and that song will you know how they say hits different? That's hits different. And I've come in here and I'm like, what's wrong? Because I've been crying. I'm like, I heard elevation worship. Yeah, yeah. And it's just he knows God knows where you are in that in that moment. Because I mean, being on the radio does not mean I've got it all together and I'm here to advise you and tell you how to be a better Christian than that. It's like I'm telling you because I've been through like the exact same things, or I'm going through the exact same things. I think we're all tired, and not just that I need a good eight hours of sleep tired. I think we're all to some extent, we are tired, like we're very tired of the world and a lot of the cruelty of the world and a lot of the way that things are. And it's it's hard sometimes to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and just keep going because you're like, I want to lay in my bed today and ignore the world and just ignore everything. And we don't have that, we don't have that luxury, luxury, but also too, like, I mean, God doesn't want us to do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Right. Yeah. You know, I those moments, I know exactly what you're talking about because when I'm in the car, I'm listening to WCQR as well. And it's like those moments that that one song hits that you've heard how many times over, right? But in that moment, it's like God's meeting you where you're at through through through song, through, through a message and a song. You know, and and thank you, Rhonda, for sharing some of your own story, own experiences, even the the more hard ones, the challenging ones. Um let me ask you this like if you think about those experiences, like what would you say could start to shape or what do you think began to shape, if you will, what you believe about yourself? Like, have you seen in your own life in again in your own life or maybe in the life of other women? Because you we do talk about it, you know, experiences and those challenging experiences, but you know, I do believe they do shape us in what we believe about ourselves. And I also just really quickly, I love how you talked about just being honest with God. He knows anyway, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Yep, mm-hmm. Yeah, and I think that's it because is sometimes I wouldn't pray because I'm like, I don't feel feel very reverent in the moment. And I would take most of my prayers are uh I call them popcorn prayers. I'm driving to work, yeah, I pretend that Jesus is sitting in the passenger seat and I just have a conversation. And then the second time is when I go to bed at night and the ceiling fans right there, and I I just, you know, and even just just last night I talked to him and just like was overcome with emotion. And I say I had tears in my ears because you know, if you're laying down, the tears went, I had to do this because I had tears in my ears. And I did, and I just said, like a lot of I had a lot of anxiety. My husband has a lot of health issues, and you know, he's he has come obstacle after obstacle, hurdle after hurdle. And you know, this last night having a discussion, and I felt the worry and anxiety, and I was just like, all right, God, I give it to you. I give it to you, I give it to you. And like, what does that look like and feel like to really surrender? Because so many times I'd say, All right, God, I'm giving it to you. And just like a little toddler that gives a parent a broken toy to fix and they grab it back, yes, guilty. I do that so I still do it. I'm not, I haven't perfected it. But I think like last night was a time that I could just be like, I'm I'm giving it to you, and you really once you do that, it it is. I slept like a baby last night. Oh, I did, and that's rare for a myth because a woman, I'm just gonna tell you I slept like through the night, and that and it's rare, and I do think it's because I didn't just say it as I meant it. And I think as women, women, and and I I hate the term control freak, we're not control freaks because that form of control, we are the nurturers, God created us that way. We we want to think, okay, is my spouse okay? Are my children okay? Are my grandchildren okay? Is this okay? And I feel like as women, a lot of times we can only relax if everybody in our sphere, in our circle, is okay. And we're like, all right, everybody works like mama hands, everybody's accounted for. Okay, I can rest. And if one, one of those little pieces or one of those people is not okay, we immediately like, how can I fix it? What can I do better? What is this? And God's like, you know, just hey, hey, just I just feel him going, hey, little girl, I got you. Like, I got this. That person, I got them more than you ever ever can. And again, it's a faith and a trust we can't see or touch, but we we we have that faith, and the best way to do that is look at the track record. Yeah, my husband had a big uh you know, test coming up, a big a little bit of a health scare, and the song Everything's gonna be all right played. And what do we ever want to hear from anybody? Everything's gonna be alright. We're like, okay, they they they must know something. Yeah, we hear that song and think of it differently and know that everything's gonna be all right because God's in control no matter what the outcome. And I remember I got a post-it note because I leave for work before my husband gets up, and he had that test that day, and I said, Everything's going to be alright. And that's my own peace of mind, but I stuck it right where he would see it and went to work. And sure enough, you know, praise God, those test results were were negative. But I was telling myself, even if they're positive, everything's going to be all right.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Exactly. That's such a great. If you're listening and you miss that, go back and capture that again. It is what you just said, Ron, that's huge. Yeah, everything's gonna be all right.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Does that mean that we may get the answer that we're hoping for? No. And in the same way, um, you know, my my cousin, he's older than me, his wife had been battling cancer for years. I mean, years and years and years. And when he told me that she was on hospice and she did pass away a few weeks ago, he just said everything's he goes, you know what, Ronda, everything's gonna be all right. And he said that because he and his wife, strong believers. Now, is everything gonna be all right? Meaning she's gonna be healed this side of heaven. No, no, but man, is she in heaven right now rejoicing? Absolutely, yes. And so even though he's carrying the sadness and the heaviness of not being there, you know, with his wife, everything's gonna be all right because she's all right right now, and he's gonna join her one day, and that's just something that you know, you just want people who aren't believers who don't have a relationship with Jesus to know that. And you want believers who are struggling with their faith to be reminded of that, and because everything that the world tells us is, you know, oh, it's it's bad, it's bad, and unless everything's perfect, it's just bad. And you know, and that's not true, and it's it's it's sitting with that, it's sitting in the yuck. It's sitting, I don't like this, and I'll tell God that. That's part of my honesty. I don't and I talk to him like a sassy woman. Like, God, you created me. I don't like this one little bit, right? And just let him settle me because I sometimes I can't settle myself. I just have to scream and brave and eat some chocolate or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

I'm not the only one, Rhonda.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Sometimes it is, it's just like um, you know, and I'll tell I'll be honest too. Like, I see a Christian counselor once a month. I do just to check myself, just to check my heart, but also just to let all that out. Yeah. Um, because my job obviously is to encourage and inspire other people, but sometimes I I need that too, but I just need to like drop off all the all the junk. All the junk. Just all the junk and get all get all that out and and have somebody check me, like you know, because the last time I saw her, she goes, How are you? And I looked at her and I smiled, I said, I am filled with rage. Because I said it like that. And it was, it was just like it was, but 99% of that was rage over stuff I couldn't control. Right. And, you know, she just said, just picture yourself picking all those things that you can't control that you're mad about, and putting them in a big bag, and then literally walking to the cross and dropping a bag at the cross and saying, All right, Jesus, fix it. Jesus, fix it. Yeah, or do away with it, or tell me how to deal with it, whatever it is. But she's like, just just imagine physically doing that. And she's like, You'd be so, but yeah. And so I've I've been doing that. Does that mean I still don't get mad? No, don't mean that. But it helps me remind myself like I cannot control what's going on right now. I can't do it, I can just control how I respond to it.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Absolutely. Absolutely. I said that for years. It's kind of been my go-to, my mantra, right? Like we can't always control what happens. I do know, albeit it can be very difficult and challenging, we can control how we respond to it.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

With that, Rhonda, if if there is a a woman listening now who feels like she's she's in a season that doesn't make sense. You know, maybe she's maybe she's just tired. You know, you mentioned that earlier. Maybe she's questioning. What would you speak directly to her today?

SPEAKER_00 22:40

Um, I'll I'll speak directly to her. God loves you more than you can ever imagine. Uh you're not alone. Uh cry. Crying is the most natural response to weariness, to anxiety, to worry. God gave us that emotion to release those things. So cry and don't apologize for it because your emotions are the truth. Don't ever apologize for the truth. So if you need to cry, whether in the in the privacy of your room or in front of people, cry. Uh you need to talk to somebody, talk to somebody, a friend, pastor, um, someone, I mean, a hotline. If you need it, if your desperation is that bad, there is no shame whatsoever. Especially being a faith, thinking, well, I should not feel this way because I believe in God. That's not true. That is a lie from the enemy. Ask for help if you need it, and just know that that tiredness, that weariness, there's no one in the Bible that was exempt from that.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

No.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

So instead of the why me, why not me, and know that God's gonna get you through. You may not like where you are, but you're not gonna stay there.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Right. Right. Wow. Let that land, listeners. Rhonda, this has been so meaningful. Thank you, and thank you for sharing your heart so openly.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Oh, yeah, yeah. Just don't don't ever thank anybody, anybody, I don't care if they're on TV, radio, wherever, you know, in the stratosphere, absolutely no one has it together, and absolutely no one can do it. I mean, that's why Philippians 4 13 says you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Uh, and so just rely on him because everybody, everybody needs him. Everybody. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

And what a beautiful scripture to anchor all of this in, Rhonda. Thank you. And I know, I know that that this your message, uh, what we've shared here today, Rhonda. I know this is going to meet so many people right where they are. So again, thank you. Thank you for sharing your heart, uh, your transparency, your vulnerability, and just being Rhonda. Thank you. Thank you so much. And if this is something you're walking through right now, um, I'd love to stay connected with you. I do share more of these conversations on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and of course here on YouTube. That's where I'm showing up consistently and sharing more of this journey. You can look for me, um, Susan D. Crumb, come say hi. I'd truly love to hear from you. And if you ever feel led to reach out, my messages, they're always open.