Grace Fox joins Angie to illuminate the journey of trust and reliance on a higher power as we welcome a new year. Through personal anecdotes and insightful discussions on faith, Grace shares how understanding God’s nature can foster deeper trust. Whether it’s bold life changes or daily decision-making, this episode provides heartfelt guidance to help listeners navigate their paths with confidence and grace.
welcome to the good news with angie austin now with the good news here’s angie hello there it’s angie austin jim stovall with the good news and we are talking about changing course and commitments his winner’s wisdom column this week i think we’re up to around 60 books he’s working on his ninth movie and then how do you know how many of these columns you’ve written jim welcome
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, well over a thousand. I’ve been renting them for 25 years or more. And so well over a thousand.
SPEAKER 07 :
My goodness. All right. So what is that? Oh, and I wanted to ask you too, we didn’t get a lot of time to talk this month because we have vacations, this, that, and the other. Did you do anything interesting over your break? I know you closed down the shop and everybody takes a few weeks off December into January.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, we always close down and give everybody a little bit of break with their family and And then Crystal and I take some time and just unwind, decompress a little, talk about things that went well in 2024 and the new goals and what we want to do in 2025. I got to spend some time with my brother and his family and catch up with some friends and do some things. So, yeah, we had a wonderful time.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I’m glad you did. We did too. We went to go see my mom and just get warm. It was like 79 that when we arrived in Arizona. And then I think yesterday, what was it here in Denver? I think it was like, I woke up and it was 16 degrees. So definitely enjoyed thawing out for a little while. All right, well, let’s talk about changing course and commitments. What are you teaching us this week?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, this time of year, New Year’s resolutions, and everybody is going to do things and change things. And the problem is, you know, many of these resolutions are made in the heat of the moment, and they’re quickly made and they’re quickly abandoned. And, you know, I think it’s important that we understand how success and how change happens. And it doesn’t happen easy. You know, if you… but success leaves footprints. I mean, you can go find somebody that’s accomplished what you want to accomplish, and you can ask them, how did you get from there to here? And now, it’s very important, you don’t want to ask them, what do you do on a daily basis today? Because that’s going to be quite different than what they used to do when they were starting out where you are. So, you know, ask them, how did you get started? What did you do? What would you recommend? and then follow the leader. It’s not a mystery. It’s not rocket science. But too often, you know, people who are not successful, they make a commitment, I’m going to do this and change this and have this. And then by the end of the month, they’ve forgotten it. And the people who are successful, they take a long time to make a decision. But once they make it, they are committed to it. You know, I remember when I was training for the Olympics as a weightlifter. I worked out at a, it was an annex that had been built onto a, you know, a public health club, a gym. And this was a little more primitive where, you know, a few serious weightlifters and ballplayers worked out. And we always were excited when February came around because starting January 1st, we called these people the pedestrians. They weren’t working out. They were in their brand-new workout stuff. And they stand around, which makes no sense at all to me. I mean, standing around in a health club and not working out is, you know, that’s like going to the restroom when you don’t need to go. I mean, why are you here? There’s no reason to do this. And I think, you know, these are the New Year’s resolution people. And then, you know, after three or four weeks, they go away. And it happens every year. And I was always excited when it would happen. Well, we tell the kids at the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship You need to know two things when you start something. Number one, when are you going to pull the trigger? What elements need to fall into place so that you decide this is worthy of your time and your effort and your money? And once you have all those in place, pull the trigger. But then you need to also have a point in time, I’m going to pursue this no matter what until we get to this point. And then at this point… If we’re not receiving these kind of results, we need to either tweak it and make some changes, or we need to pull the plug. But there’s so many people that are afraid to pull the trigger, and they sit around and never get started. Or they’ll start in something and they’re afraid to stop, and they’ll ride it all the way down to the ground and crash and burn. And you’ve got to know when you’re starting, when you’re stopping. But decisions need to be made with time and deliberation. and some counsel and input from people you trust. And if you’re going to abandon one, you need to do the same thing. That’s why if you meet your best friend and they tell you, oh, yeah, I found somebody I’m going to marry. I met him the day before yesterday. Well, you’re concerned about this. Well, what is concerning you is they don’t have a lot of information and they made a quick decision. That’s what’s concerning you. Well, people do the same thing when they’re making New Year’s resolutions or deciding what to do or where to do it. And I would say the same thing. If a guy told me, I’ve been in this relationship, this marriage, for 27 years, and I got up yesterday, I decided to go ahead and file for divorce. I called my attorney. Well, you know, no, let’s give this some time and think about it and re-examine what we’re doing. Let’s don’t get in a hurry here. We’ve got 27 years invested. So that’s what this is about, is when you change your course or change your commitment, you need to take both of them very, very seriously.
SPEAKER 07 :
You know, you’ve taught me that, you know, not making a decision like you’ve got these all these difficult decisions on the table and that, well, you know, I’m just going to not make any decision. And you taught me that that is making a decision by not making any decision. And it really doesn’t put you like in the driver’s seat when you do that and just kind of. keep putting things off and, you know, and your life kind of starts falling apart when you don’t make decisions. But so when you talk about like the dream team, and I know you have accountability partners or an accountability group phone call. So how would, how do you make your big decisions? I know you don’t have as many, well, I guess you probably do have as many as you did when you were younger because you’ve got so many projects going on. But give me an example of how you would make a big decision about the network that you founded or a movie. So how do you work with a dream team? How do you write things? Just go through the process.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, in addition to the one film that’s in pre-production now, I have two of my novels have been optioned for movies. And they are off with producers, and they’re trying to decide if they want to commit their time and money to make this. And, you know, I’ve given them my parameters. And, you know, our team has already met and decided, you know, here’s what we would accept for that project. Here’s what we would accept for the other project. So, you know, we’ve already decided what it would take to do the deal. And if it comes in and it looks like that, You pull the trigger. We’re ready to go. If it doesn’t come in like that, we don’t do it. We don’t have to deliberate over it. We’ve already made the decision. Because it’s easy to get caught up in emotion. Well, yeah, but maybe it’ll work out when we’re making the movie. No, you’ve got to have the right people in the right place at the right time doing the right thing for the right reason. And if you can get all those things put together… you’ll have a good project. But we always want to say, well, it’s not perfect, but it’ll work out. No, it really won’t. And that’s why you need to have those. Like, before you, when you get on a plane, there are guys up front and men and women on the ground who are checking stuff out. And, you know, it’s not like, well, it’s almost close to the level we need. It’ll probably be all right. No, they don’t do that, and we’re all grateful they don’t. I mean, it either fits this or it doesn’t. If it fits this, we’re ready to fly. If it doesn’t meet this criteria, we either fix it or we stay on the ground. Because, you know, I like all my aviation problems to happen while we’re on the runway. That’s the place to be. You know, I don’t want them when we’re up in the air. And, you know, we need to look at all the elements the same. And so, you know, in my case right now, the things we’re looking at The decisions have already pretty much been made. I mean, it’s a matter if they want to meet these criteria, we’re ready to go. If they don’t, we don’t get emotional about it. We don’t change our mind. That’s the deal.
SPEAKER 07 :
You know, you’ve told me this before, but I think it’s pretty interesting with your first book that became the ultimate gift. I’m sorry, that became a movie, first book that became a movie. How you basically said you wanted the movie rights and how much, you know, profit that you got because of that. And when you ran into the guy later, you know, later on, because he acted like, why do I care if you have the movie rights? Like, you’re really going to make movies. Tell us about that. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, yeah, I was actually in this publisher’s office, and I had written six or seven books, and then I wrote this novel. And I took it to my publisher, and nobody knew exactly what to do with it. They weren’t expecting a novel from me. And they were there with the publisher, the editor, and their lawyer. And I said, well, the one thing I have to have on this project, or we don’t move forward, is I want the movie rights. Well, the lawyer thought that was so absurd. He laughed so hard, he actually slipped out of his chair. The man’s sliding under the table. laughing at me. And he finally gets control of himself and sits back down. And I said, well, I’m glad I could bring a little humor into the room today. And since it’s that absurd and that funny, you won’t mind giving them to me. What’s the big deal? I mean, I’m not going to haggle with you over something that’s that big a joke. And they signed off on it. They gave me the movie rights. And years later, I was signing books at a deal. And I am blind, but I recognize voices pretty well. And I hear this voice in the line coming up. And he finally gets there, and he’s standing there and said, Jim, you won’t remember me. I said, oh, yeah, I remember you. I’ve thought of you every day since you’re the lawyer for my publisher. And he said, well, I used to be. They discontinued that relationship. I said, imagine that, if you would. And he said, can I ask you a question? I said, certainly. He said, we gave you those rights. I said, no, they were my rights. I just chose not to give them to you, and you agreed to that. And he said, well, you mind giving me an idea of what it’s worth? And I said, well, that film and the two sequel films, the trilogy, and the four books based on that have grossed a little over $100 million. And he said, wow. Are you going to say I told you so? I said, no, sir, I don’t think I need to. I mean, the facts kind of speak for themselves, and You did what you did. I hope you’re happy. I did what I did. But, you know, there you go.
SPEAKER 07 :
I love that story. You know, you talk, you know, you always say today’s the day, you know, at the end of your column. And in this particular column on, you know, commitments, changing course and commitments, you say to us, as you go through your day to day, make commitments for your future and honor those commitments. I just think a lot of us float around without a plan. We’re just kind of floating out there. And, you know, I remember in my 20s, someone asking me like, you know, How did you get on air in LA in your 20s? And it was actually my news director’s secretary. And I knew she wanted to do more things. And I was like, well, I would say, she’s like, you work seven days a week, you’re so busy. And I told her, well, you know, every single day I have one, I feel like I’m taking one little step forward. And, you know, it might just be like when I started wearing like suits to work and doing my makeup because I would just come in. I have an old picture of me with a ponytail on top of my head, no makeup and like some baggy shirt and sweats. And then, you know, like maybe six months later, you know, I’d read some book that talked about dressing the part. And I started doing my makeup and my hair. And I remember the weatherman walking by the assignment desk where I worked. I was an assignment editor. And I had a great job. I made really good money for my age. I was in a union. So right out of college, I’d say within six months, I was making six figures because of the union at NBC but anyway so um but I wanted to be on air so he walks by the weatherman he’s like what did you do and I’m like what do you mean he goes well like you just look so different and I’m like well I did my hair and makeup and I’ve got a suit on he’s like well, it looks like Picasso did your makeup. He’s like, you just look so different than you did before. And so it was a whole new perception of me just by changing the way that I dressed and et cetera, et cetera. And so I just told her every day, I felt like I was making one tiny step forward. And it was the same thing like living in low-income housing and working full-time and getting my college education and then moving to LA and starting to work for NBC and then you know within six months getting that good job i went from ten dollars an hour to six figures so that was like a big deal all those little steps but yeah it’s the commitment and having a plan you know writing it down it makes all the difference in the world and of course we’ve run out of time again jimstowball.com you’re the best friend be well
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
Fort Lupton, you’re tuned to Colorado’s mighty 670 KLTT.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hello, friend. Angie Austin and Grace Fox here. We are talking about trust in the new year and referencing one of her books, Fresh Hope for Today, Devotions for Joy on the Journey. Hey, Grace, did you have a nice break? We haven’t talked in a bit.
SPEAKER 06 :
I did. And in fact, we’re on a journey right now. So we just were. to the interior of British Columbia to visit our son and his family for a few days. And now I’m heading home to get back to work.
SPEAKER 07 :
You are always on. I remember when you told me about how your husband said, you know, would you like to get married and would you like to move to Nepal? And how, you know, that all worked out with you getting pregnant there, et cetera. And my next door neighbor, I was trying to speak to her. I was doing Google Translate, Nepalese. No, is that right? Do I have that right? Yes. And so I was translating and it looks, you know, so different than from English. And she goes, learning Nepali or something. And I said, no, I just thought it’d be fun to speak to you in your native tongue. And I said, one of my friends, actually, we were talking about this incident with a holy man in Nepal when she first moved there. And She she was discussing with me how she’d like to take me there. And she was, you know, it’s not it’s very different. You know, it’s not we wouldn’t be in like high in many of the locations. We wouldn’t be in like high end, you know, establishments and wouldn’t be like luxurious per se. And I was like, I don’t care. I grew up poor and I realized poor in Nepal was different than poor in the United States. But I really can travel. I mean, I’m fine traveling internationally. in a way that is not luxurious. Let’s put it that way. And I know I could be in for some shocks because I don’t like being, one thing I don’t like is being way, way too hot or way, way too cold. So I know that I would probably run into in international travel, those two things. But as long as I either can be cool enough with my neck fan or warm enough with a jacket, I think I could handle just about any poverty situation.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, it’s totally different. So when you respond like that to heat, yeah, you’re definitely going to be limited in what time of year you can go because it can be super, super hot. And then there’s the monsoon as well. And when there’s the monsoon, then you’re going to have landslides on road travel. And so if you’re going to travel to see the sights there and get outside, Kathmandu Valley will definitely be limited to certain seasons.
SPEAKER 07 :
You know, it’s interesting, too, that she tells me that because her home, let’s just say she has a multimillion dollar home and they have, I’d say, six cars, you know, Teslas, Mercedes, new trucks. So she’s very, you know, in terms of an American, very successful with their businesses. But it was just interesting that she would tell me that, you know, about travel, because I know one of her last trips was to Dubai, which I know is not at all like that.
SPEAKER 06 :
The opposite.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes, exactly. The opposite. All right. Let’s talk a little bit about trust in the new year. I love talking about just general topics with you. It’s so fun.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, as we stand on the cusp of a new year, 2025, there is not one single person in the whole wide world who knows what this year is going to bring to them. There are assumptions we might make about what our year is going to look like. And there are hopeful expectations of what the year is going to look like, but nobody really knows. And so one of the best things to do as we look towards the new year is to leave an open hand, I think, to leave that open hand and with our expectations and all, and just say, Lord, I give it to you and I trust you that whatever you bring into my life, whatever you allow in my life, It’s going to be okay because you’re with me. And there’s that. We don’t have to look at the year and its unknowns with fear or trepidation, but with anticipation, knowing who’s got us in his hand and that we can absolutely trust him because his intent toward us is always for our good. Doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, but it’s for our good and for his glory.
SPEAKER 07 :
You know, you and I talk a lot about trust because I feel like, you know, if trust were a college degree, I feel like I’m a freshman or a sophomore and you won’t agree with me. But in my personal opinion, you have like your law degree, you have your master’s from Harvard. Like, I feel like you’ve really given into letting go of things in a manner that allows you to trust in a manner that I feel I still am not quite there. I’ll make myself a junior. I’ve just started my junior year. Like, I feel like I’ve come… you know, a ways, but I still have a hard time with it. What, what, what helps you or what over the years has helped you to trust?
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, Angie, I think it is learning to understand the character of God. I think that makes all the difference in the world. Okay. And I say that because say, okay, I’m thinking about Hannah who in the Bible desperately wanted a child and like her heart was broken over this. It says it’s, She went to cry out to God in a temple one day. She just really poured her heart out to God about her desire for a child. And for her, it was a battle. But she prayed using one particular name of God. And if I remember correctly, it was Yahweh Sabaoth, which means the Lord of Heaven’s armies. It’s the same name that David used when he ran towards Goliath. to hurl those stones at him, to take him out. And so for Hannah, she was fighting the battle of the soul as well. But she was able to trust. And after she poured her heart out to God, she turned around to walk out. And scripture in that passage of scripture that tells her story says that she went in almost sick, like she hadn’t been able to sleep, hadn’t been able to eat. And she was probably in depression the way it’s described. But when she came out, she was a different person. And I think she laid her concerns out. She trusted in the character of God, believing he would fight that battle for her. And she left without carrying that burden on her anymore. And so I think it’s understanding who God is. One, that he is our creator, so he knows us inside and out. We can trust him. He is that one who fights our battles for us. We can trust that he’s going to go to bat for us when we need defending. He is the shepherd of our soul, so he carries us close to his heart. It says in the book of Isaiah, as a shepherd will pick up that little lamb and carry it close to his heart. He will lead us. He will guide us. He will see to it that he will make us lie down in green pasture sometimes in order to restore our soul. So understanding various aspects of his character help us trust him more. Because it’s hard to, let’s just say, it’s hard to trust a stranger.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, that’s a very good way to put it. You know, one of my girlfriends, Beatrice Bruno, the drill sergeant of life, she was an army drill sergeant, but she had all these big dreams when she was a kid and her grandparents pretty much raised her. But then her grandfather, who she really loved, died. And then her grandmother didn’t like her. She said that her grandmother didn’t like her because she was too black. She said her grandmother thought she was too dark and that she would prefer that she would have been lighter. And that here she had this kid that then became pregnant as a teenager and brought more shame to her family or whatever. So she goes in and becomes a drill sergeant. But today, you’re not going to believe this. Today, in her 60s, she just started classes. and she has been inspired by a judge and a lawyer she helped a judge write a book because that’s one of the things she does she’s an author uh and she is uh starting classes to be an attorney she wants to be a lawyer and so i just think about all the instances where i’ve seen her and her husband passed away from a heart attack at 60 she was on my show that day and she was on her way home from the show and she got this news so since then The Lord has led her to do ministry work in Texas. She moved to the Pacific Northwest. Then she moved up to the Northeast in Virginia and was doing a lot with her father, who’s still alive up in the New York area. And now the Lord’s led her down to Georgia. Here’s what I never get. Granted, I’ve got kids. I’ve got teenagers. I’ve got a husband. I own a home. So it’s a little different for me to trust in a manner that would move me across country, right? I’m just dumbfounded by someone that feels this leading from the Lord and will move not knowing like a single person in Virginia, not knowing anyone, anything, and move there because she really felt that the Lord had a calling for her there. And all these places she stayed like at least a year or so. And then this new thing starting, you know, law school today. It’s fascinating to me that people can be led by the Lord enough to not just change their day, but to change their entire life. And I know you’ve lived all over the world for ministry, so you may relate to that more. That’s why I feel like I’m not in that trust zone yet. And again, my circumstances are different, so maybe I’m being too hard on myself. But I’m just like, what? You’re moving? Why?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, Angie, I think you just raised a valid point, and that is you’re in a different season of life. And if he’s not asking you to do that, he doesn’t have to give you the grace to do that, to trust him. And so if at some point later in your life your kids are grown and gone, say, God says, okay, Angie, I want you and your husband to pick up and go to XYZ, new destination, new ministry I’ve got for you, new assignment, he would give you the grace to trust him at that point. But you’re not there right now. You are where he’s asked you to be at this time, and he’s given you the grace to stay put. So each person’s journey is different, but trusting him just comes with knowing him more and more like a friend. And should he call you into something else? I have no doubt that you would be able to slip your hand into his, and he would make his way plain and give you the grace to trust him at that time.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, as a mom and now grandmother and involved in ministry, and I remember you telling me you used to take on all these jobs, the Tupperware and the this and the that. And then when you were led to write your first book, that was also a big leap for you. And how many books in now are you?
SPEAKER 06 :
I have just submitted my 15th. It’s going through the editing process. In fact, we just finished it before Christmas, the editing process. So I’ll be establishing a launch team in the couple months ahead, and it will release. on July 8th. And that one’s called Names of God, Knowing Peace. So that’s the second in a three book contract. The first one released in July of 2024 called Names of God, Living Unafraid. And that is hugely why I so believe that our level of trust can grow as we know who God is, as we get to know his character better. And one of the ways he’s revealed his character to us is through those names. And so through researching and writing and interviewing other people for their stories for these books about names of God, I have learned so much about his character. And even that has helped me trust him more step by step.
SPEAKER 07 :
And wasn’t that first book, sorry, I didn’t mean to step on you there, Grace. Wasn’t that first book, that was a huge leap. That was jumping off a cliff and hoping that God had packed your chute, your rescue chute, right? I mean, your parachute. I mean, that was a big leap for you, wasn’t it?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, it was. Writing the book, I thought, who am I to write about this? But I just, you know, I landed this three-book contract, and it was clearly God’s assignment for me, the way all the doors open.
SPEAKER 04 :
And so
SPEAKER 06 :
I said, yes, feeling like, oh, I feel totally inadequate for this. But if God’s called me to do it, he will equip me to do it. And after I turned in the first manuscript for the first book, it was a couple weeks later and my managing editor contacted me and she said, Grace, this material lends itself to a video teaching series. So would you do, you know, a 12 to 15 minute series? video for every one of those chapters. And there again, like my fear level just went poof all over the place. Like, I can’t do this. Who am I to do this? And yet God brought everything together. And guess what? The job was done. The book was released in July. And now at the beginning of the year, my next assignment is to get back to my boat and put my seat in my chair and stay put for the month. Because at the end of this month, I will be recording The video teaching series that I have to now go home and write.
SPEAKER 07 :
I love that. Grace, we’re out of time. We’ll talk about that more next time. I want to hear more about the video series. GraceFox.com. Thank you, friend. You’re such a blessing.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
