Fear Comes Free, Hope Takes Effort: Jon Acuff & Leland Vittert

This week, we’ll hear from Jon Acuff, a bestselling author and speaker who turns personal challenges into practical lessons for living with intention and resilience. From mastering goals to overcoming negative thinking, Jon shares insights that help listeners navigate life’s “hard middle” and keep moving forward, even when it feels impossible.

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from journalist and anchor Leland Vittert, whose new book, Born Lucky, is a deeply moving story of his childhood with autism and the profound sacrifices his father made to give him hope and teach him resilience.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Ken Abraham

Upcoming interview: Rebecca St. James

Jesus Listens for Moms

Interview Quotes:

“I just had this sense that if I would take responsibility for my life, I could change a lot of things I wanted to change.” - Jon Acuff

“I think a lot of goals work better when they’re measured, when they are paced.” - Jon Acuff

“I think that a lot of life is talking yourself into doing things you don’t want to do, but you really want to. There’s a lot of mornings I don’t want to write, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to be polite, I don’t want to be detailed—but I really do want that. If I’m honest, I really want the benefits of those things. And so I figure out games inside the middle that get me to where I want to be.” - Jon Acuff

“One of the soundtracks I use in my life is that fear comes free, hope takes work. You’ll never have to look for fear. It will find you. You’ll never have to look for stress or anxiety. They will find you. Hope takes effort. Positivity takes effort.” - Jon Acuff

“The difference for me between a broken soundtrack, meaning a negative thought that’s running on a loop, and a prompting from the Holy Spirit, is often what it leads to. I think a prompting of the Holy Spirit leads to prayer, it leads to change, it leads to journaling, it leads to confession to a friend, it leads to plugging back into your small group.” - Jon Acuff

“Your thoughts turn into actions, your actions turn into results. What you think becomes what you do, becomes what you get.” - Jon Acuff

“[My dad] didn’t know how it was going to end up, but he knew that being there every day and becoming my friend—he still is my best friend—was my only hope.”- Leland Vittert

“Everybody needs to feel like they have somebody who believes in them. For me, that was my dad. When I was diagnosed with autism, my dad said, ‘I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I have to try.’ I didn’t understand the word resilience as a kid. I now know how important it is, and it’s just not quitting.” - Leland Vittert

“Hard work yields results. One is defined by character, not by accolades or achievements or personal wealth, but by who they are as a man.” - Leland Vittert

“[My dad] had no expectations about the future, but there were standards, and the number one standard was about character and being a good person.” - Leland Vittert

“When I was diagnosed with autism, there was no therapist, there were no counselors, there were no accommodations. My parents didn’t tell anyone. They did not want me to be defined by a label or use a label as an excuse. Going to therapy on national television at forty-three years old and sharing the deepest, darkest, secrets of my life and darkest moments of my life is not a lot of fun, right? But it was worth it because it has given so many people hope.” - Leland Vittert

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!

Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7

Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw

Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C

Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj

Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u

What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj

Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY

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