First Person with Wayne Shepherd

Dr. Bill Thrasher joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation remembering those who have given their lives in the service of their country and thanking God for the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. (click for more...)
Website:  www.VictoriousPraying.org
This week’s First Person is a Memorial Day weekend episode featuring host Wayne Shepherd in conversation with Dr. Bill Thrasher, a longtime professor at Moody Bible Institute. The discussion weaves together two themes: honoring military sacrifice on Memorial Day and reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ. Thrasher shares his personal faith journey — from a "cultural Christian" upbringing to his conversion at a 1965 Billy Graham crusade and deeper spiritual growth through a Campus Crusade-connected fraternity brother in college — and expresses gratitude for mentors who shaped him, including pastor Ben Haden, theologian Charles Ryrie, and radio preacher Stephen Olford. The theological heart of the conversation centers on Paul's charge to Timothy to "remember Jesus Christ," with Thrasher drawing on Oswald Chambers to caution against burying faith under busyness, and exploring the doctrines of propitiation and redemption as reasons for gratitude. The episode closes with Thrasher leading a prayer of thanksgiving for religious freedom, spiritual mentors, and the liberating work of Christ on the cross.
               NEXT WEEK:  Ben Olsen of the Global Center for Coaching
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Far East Broadcasting Company
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Born in China and a computer engineer by training, Luke Cheng talks about his ministry with the Far East Broadcasting Company of using technology to reach people for Christ. (click for more...)
Website:  www.FEBC.org/China
Luke Cheng is the Executive Director of Chinese Ministries at the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). Born in a small village in China as the youngest of six children, he grew up with no exposure to Christianity and dreamed of becoming a scientist. His faith journey began when he moved to Canada for graduate school and was invited to a Chinese student Bible study group — the first time he had ever met Christians.
After becoming a believer, Luke prayed fervently for his family's salvation. Over the years, his sister, mother, and father all came to faith — his father just days before passing away, and his mother during a three-month visit to the United States.
Luke met his wife Joy at that same Bible study group, where she was a seminary student leading the sessions. Both eventually studied at Dallas Theological Seminary, Joy for a Doctor of Ministry and Luke for a theology degree, after he spent nearly 10 years working as a software engineer at Microsoft and Amazon.
Although Luke described himself as an introvert who feared public speaking and doubted how God could use him in ministry, he had made a private commitment to full-time ministry early in his Christian life — promising God that if his parents were saved, he would serve however called. That calling took about a decade to fully materialize before he left his tech career for FEBC.
At FEBC, Luke sees technology as central to the mission. FEBC was founded in 1945 to reach Chinese people through radio, but has since shifted to internet, social media, and mobile platforms. He has embraced AI as a powerful new ministry tool — using it for content conversion, chatbot development, and app creation — and is now pursuing a second PhD at Cambridge University to explore the theological and ethical dimensions of AI in ministry.
                                           NEXT WEEK:  Dr. Bill Thrasher 
Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:
FEBC National Processing Center 
Far East Broadcasting Company
P.O. Box 6020 
Albert Lea, MN 56007

Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Jonathan Hallsted of Health Bridge Global talks with Wayne Shepherd about the ministry of healthcare as a bridge to the Gospel in closed countries and cultures. (click for more...)
Website:  www.healthbridgeglobal.org
Jonathan Hallsted is the founder and executive director of Health Bridge Global, a ministry that uses healthcare as a vehicle for sharing the gospel in closed nations, cultures, and communities. His path to this calling was anything but linear — he spent time in pastoral ministry, served seven years as a missionary in Eastern Europe, and built a 15-year career managing medical practices in California. During COVID, while walking a trail near his home, he felt a strong, undeniable sense that God was calling him to sell his house, leave his job, and commit full-time to a ministry he had been running part-time for a decade. After months of wrestling with fears about failure and finances, he finally said yes. Health Bridge Global now partners with indigenous Christian doctors in countries around the world to build financially self-sustaining, gospel-intentional healthcare clinics and projects — tailoring each one to the specific needs and context of the local community. Five years into his full-time commitment, the organization has completed or launched 13 projects in pursuit of a vision of 20 gospel-centered healthcare projects in 10 countries within 10 years. Jonathan describes the work as the hardest and best thing he has ever done.
           NEXT WEEK:  Luke Cheng, Ex. Dir, of Chinese Ministries at FEBC
Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:
FEBC National Processing Center 
Far East Broadcasting Company
P.O. Box 6020 
Albert Lea, MN 56007

Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

The new President of Joni and Friends, Shawn Thornton, joins Wayne Shepherd to discuss bringing Gospel hope to people with disabilities around the world. (click for more)
Website:  joniandfriends.org
Shawn Thornton shares the deeply personal story behind his memoir All But Normal: Life on Victory Road. His mother suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a car accident at age 14, and without adequate therapy available in 1962, she spent the rest of her life struggling with physical limitations, emotional instability, and periodic institutionalization. Growing up in this environment of "private pain" gave Thornton a lifelong heart for disability ministry — though he kept his story private for many years, believing it didn't matter.
The conversation reveals a remarkable full-circle moment: Joni Eareckson Tada had been a source of hope and strength for Thornton's mother throughout her struggles. When Thornton arrived at his new pastoral position in California, he discovered a welcome note on his desk signed by Joni and Ken Tada — completely unaware of his family connection. That encounter moved him to tears, and eventually led him to share his story publicly, first at a Joni and Friends donor event, and later in his book — encouraged by both Joni and author Max Lucado.
Now one year into his role leading Joni and Friends, Thornton is energized by the organization's mission to equip and mobilize local churches worldwide to welcome people with disabilities. He notes that only about 10% of U.S. churches are fully accessible, and that embracing disability ministry tends to open a congregation's heart to other marginalized groups as well. He describes the "Wheels for the World" program, which restores used wheelchairs in U.S. prisons and ships them to remote communities in countries like Thailand and Ghana, where recipients also receive Bibles, the gospel message, and a connection to a local church — often breaking longstanding cultural superstitions about disability. The interview closes with Thornton expressing deep enthusiasm for his new calling.

                      NEXT WEEK:  Jonathan Hallsted, Healthbridge Global 
Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:
FEBC National Processing Center 
Far East Broadcasting Company
P.O. Box 6020 
Albert Lea, MN 56007

Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

He was born and raise in Mongolia, became a Christian, and witnessed the birth of the church in his country. Batjargal Tuvshintsengel joins Wayne Shepherd in conversation. (click for more...)
Website:  www.febc.org/where-we-work/mongolia/
Born and raised in Mongolia under Soviet-era communist rule, Batjargal Tuvshintsengel first heard the gospel at age 20 through a British missionary who taught English using the Bible — a transformative moment that set him on a lifelong path of Christian ministry. He witnessed the remarkable birth of the church in Mongolia following the fall of communism, when the country suddenly opened to missionaries and the gospel for the first time in generations. Drawn to media from childhood, Batjargal channeled that background into ministry, helping launch Mongolia's first Christian FM radio station in Ulaanbaatar in 2001, which grew into a network of 17 stations reaching nomadic populations across the country via satellite. He credits this media ministry with supporting the growth of an estimated 650–700 churches and roughly 90,000 Christians in Mongolia. Now living back in Mongolia, Batjargal's vision for the future centers on equipping younger generations — particularly Gen Z — to become digital media evangelists, and on partnering media ministry with local churches to strengthen discipleship in an age increasingly shaped by AI and social media.
              NEXT WEEK:  Shawn Thornton, President of Joni and Friends
Send your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:
FEBC National Processing Center 
Far East Broadcasting Company
P.O. Box 6020 
Albert Lea, MN 56007

Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!