Touched By Heaven - Everyday Encounters With God

"I was in the kitchen and this Audible Voice said I was to build a nonprofit restaurant. ‘There are many good people in the world, but they're not coming to my churches. They go out to eat. And I will show you things to draw them back to me.’” ---------- “If you build it, he will come.” That iconic line from Field of Dreams echoes through the remarkable story of Karen Homan, a farmer’s wife in rural Ohio who, like the fictional farmer Ray, in Iowa, heard a voice that didn’t make any earthly sense. Only this voice wasn’t about baseball—it was about opening a restaurant. A nonprofit restaurant. Karen, with no restaurant experience, rejected the voice which told her to build a restaurant “Because people don’t come to church anymore to hear My word—but they all go to restaurants.” What followed is as wild and Spirit-led as anything out of Field of Dreams. In rural Osgood, Ohio, Karen opened the Do Good Restaurant, where food is served with love, and faith. Volunteers showed up. Donations poured in. And lives wer

Doctors insisted that my daughter would never run, not even walk. ---------- Hearing God 'in the whispers,' corresponds to a healthy prayer life. Pam, who talks to God every day, has seen him respond with huge miracles, and the tiniest of whispers. ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Touched by Heaven moment that you would like to share with Trapper, please leave us a note at https://touchedbyheaven.net/contact Our listeners look forward to hearing about life-changing encounters and miraculous stories every week. Stay Informed Trapper sends out a weekly email. If you're not receiving it, and would like to stay in touch to get the bonus stories and other interesting content that will further fortify your faith. Join our email family by subscribing on https://trapperjackspeaks.com  Become a Patron We pray that our listeners and followers benefit from our podcasts and programs and develop a deeper personal relationship with God. We thank you for your prayers and for supporting our efforts by helping

"It was terrifying. The effect was paralysis. I was fully conscious, in pain, but unable to move, speak, or see. I could not even open my eyelids. The only one I could truly communicate with was God." ---------- What if the only thing you could do was feel pain—and hear? That became Robert Koonce’s reality after an autoimmune attack left him completely paralyzed. He couldn’t move, speak, blink, or even clear his throat. All he could do was endure—and pray. In this episode, Robert, a man of deep faith, working within the Diocese of Cleveland, recounts his yearlong journey through suffering, silence, and supernatural encounters. Unable to interact with the world, his only true conversation was with God—and that dialogue went deeper than ever before. From spiritual consolation to demonic deception, Robert’s story reminds us that even when the body is bound, the soul is free to rise. ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Touched by Heaven moment that you would like to share with Trapper, please leave us a no

"I was dead inside. I thought, I will never be myself again. I'll never laugh again. I was so devastated, not only by the loss, but that my son was in hell." ---------- Two years ago, Maureen’s world shattered with the sudden loss of her 22-year-old son, Matt—likely to suicide. In the depths of grief, just four days later, she knelt at a communion rail during a Latin Mass. Maureen experienced something so profound, so instantaneous, that it defied logic. How could the grief just suddenly vanish? What power could a single simple communion host possibly have? And then—God gave her a supernatural message. A clear, unmistakable sign about Matt’s soul. It was the answer to a desperate mother’s prayer. ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Touched by Heaven moment that you would like to share with Trapper, please leave us a note at https://touchedbyheaven.net/contact Our listeners look forward to hearing about life-changing encounters and miraculous stories every week. Stay Informed Trapper sends out a weekly

"At the funeral, when I invoked the name Jesus, out of nowhere, came this huge wind, I thought the tent was about to blow over. And people were using their cell phones to video something behind me." ---------- When Leah agreed to preside at the funeral of her long-time friend’s mother, she made it clear—she would be invoking the name of Jesus. Her friend, long angry at God and resistant to faith, agreed… reluctantly. What unfolded next was anything but ordinary. Penny, the woman who had passed, had always surrounded herself with images of dragonflies. At the funeral, safe to say that this large insect gave a loud spiritual hello to those in attendance. And when Leah spoke the name “Jesus” for the first time, a sudden, forceful wind nearly blew down the tent. Was this nature, or something supernatural? This episode explores how God meets us where we are, how signs can be unmistakable, and how He uses even funerals to soften hardened hearts and open spiritual eyes. ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Tou

I'm not crazy. I know that the Holy Spirit put this remedy in front of me. My doctor said congratulations, but he could not talk about it and that I am not the only one. ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. On this Pentecost Sunday, we’re reminded that the Holy Spirit is anything but subtle. Kimberlie—Berlie to her friends—was given only months to live. Cancer had taken over. But God had another plan. In a world that often seems too comfortable with the idea that cancer is untouchable and expensive, something miraculous began to unfold. Berlie heard a voice, telling her she would be healed. A return to Catholic Mass after years away brought her face to face with Jesus, led by Our Lady. More divine breadcrumbs followed—signs, songs bubbling up from nowhere, and supernatural confirmations. And then there was the “treatment.” Like other medications originally intended for something entirely different (Botox, Rogaine, Ozempic, etc.), this medication wasn’t even made for human use! Is God showing us something extrao

"I suddenly knew that I had invited something bad into my home. It knocked and I would splash holy water at it. It would move and knock again. I said, I am a child of God, and you have got to go! "  --------- In this episode of Touched by Heaven, I talk with Ashley, who grew up Catholic but found it all a bit… boring. In her search for something deeper, she stumbled into the New Age. Ashley bought and read all that she could about—crystals, tarot, mediums. What followed was a spiritual darkness—things moving and knocking in the night, a daughter tormented by unseen forces, and chaos in her home. Everyone said she just needed a good cleansing… but something told her otherwise. It was time to go back. With a rosary in hand, a little help finding a miraculous medal from St. Anthony, and one powerful confession, everything changed. But how? Let Ashley tell you. ---------- Bishop Robert Barron - These Items Attrack Demons in Your Home:  https://youtu.be/RKRsxAF3b7U?si=CH14lFZomo8gkZQv  ---------- Share Your Story

"God put on my heart to go for a walk every day for 100 days. And, to journal what happened along the way. I had no idea what it would lead to!" ---------- Hi, Trapper Jack here. Ever get that weird nudge from God that makes zero sense? Like, “Hey, go do this totally random thing”—with no instructions, no context, and definitely no heavenly user manual? Yeah, Cindy got one of those. God told her to walk. Every day. For 100 days. Talk to strangers. Be encouraging. Journal about it. That’s it. Write. Rinse. Repeat. Then came the next divine plot twist—write for 15 minutes a day. Cindy was to look at her journal and add that which the Holy Spirit delivered. She was faithful and disciplined. And suddenly, it became a book called, “GUT, God Uttering Truths.” Turns out, those so-called random sidewalk chats. Not so random. God had a plan. Obedience is more important than understanding. This episode is your reminder that obedience often makes more sense looking back than it does in the moment. God says, “Trust Me,”

The soundtrack that plays in Trapper’s head has been uncomfortable. God seems to be revealing His opinion on a topic Trapper would rather not discuss. ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. I've heard a bazillion opinions out there on the papacy of Pope Francis, and what is about to come with Pope Leo. In this episode, we might have the opinion of the only One that matters. It's time to finally crawl out of the belly of the whale—seaweed hairdo and all. Like Jonah, I tried to outrun a message God wanted delivered. I figured if I stayed vague enough, maybe no one would throw me overboard. Spoiler: they did. From lightning strikes and Pachamama to a certain musical that wouldn’t leave my head, is it possible that God wants to give you His thoughts on what has ended, and what has begun? The signs are everywhere. Sometimes, the prophet needs a push… or a whale. ---------- Join us on our pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It's nearly sold out so don't delay. Click the link: https://www.ctscentral.net/travel-tours/60th-annive

Andrew, an atheist, cried out to God, "Help me if you are real. If you are really there, please show me." God answered. ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. What if the voice that led you to God… wasn’t even sure God existed? Today’s guest, Andrew, thought he was an atheist — just like his dad. Then one day, while listening to a Joe Rogan episode, he hears Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson. A man not preaching. Not quoting Scripture. Just speaking the truth. A truth so raw, so honest, and so needed — about suffering, about Christ, about living as if God is real — that something inside Andrew cracks open. Peterson isn’t a pastor. He doesn’t claim to be a believer. But he points to Christ as the highest ideal. He says He’s the one to model your life after. And that kind of message — coming from someone outside the Church — somehow hit Andrew right in the soul. Because for the first time, he didn’t feel preached at… he felt invited. So, there’s Andrew, driving down the road, praying. Not because he beli

"From my passenger seat, I literally grab the steering wheel from my husband. I yanked the steering wheel to the right, taking the exit. He yelled, ‘Are you nuts?’ I thought I was nuts. But the Voice said, ‘Exit at the McDonald's.’ I wasn't hungry, I didn't have to go to the bathroom. But the Holy Spirit wanted me there for a reason I did not yet know." ---------- You are about to meet Claire, who suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to force her husband off the highway toward a McDonald’s. No hunger. No bathroom emergency. Just this inner voice that wouldn’t let her pass that exit. She didn’t even understand it herself. It seemed irrational — even unsafe. But what happened next proved that this was no coincidence. This was the wind of the Holy Spirit in motion. Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus? “The wind blows where it will… you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” That’s what we’re talking about. The kind of faith that

 "I wasn't even sure I believed in God. But when I saw the miracle of the sun with golden raindrops falling from it, and my friend Bill saw the exact same thing. I started to cry; I knew that God really did exist. And, that He loves me." ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. I get to put on the referee uniform again this week. These vertical stripes are so slimming! We have puzzle pieces to look at regarding the upcoming conclave in Rome to choose a new pope. Songs have been bubbling up in my head seemingly out of nowhere, but we know where that nowhere is. We have a very important player in the game who appears to be missing. And then there are those mysterious 46 stars and 46 popes from episode 346 involving the Our Lady of Guadalupe image. Plus, throw in Jesus Christ superstar and we have quite an episode here. Because there's even more… In this week’s episode, I also talked with Michael, who once walked away from his faith. What brought him back? A lavender Virgin Mary. A vision within the sun. A long-bur

"It was Jesus. I was on my knees in front of Jesus. He looked at me with such love, love that I have never ever seen in this world." ---------- Happy Easter! Let's go back many years to a very special Easter weekend. It was episode 104. Melody was about to meet Jesus, a man she had no belief in. For decades, she had worshiped the Earth, in a pagan belief known as Wicca. Melody believed there was no God, no heaven or hell. Then, came her dream. In the dream, she saw a man with long hair, being led by a jeering crowd. She didn’t know who he was, but something about his eyes—so full of love and understanding—pulled her in. When he looked at her, it felt like he saw everything… and still loved her. He spoke to her of his concern for her soul. That dream led her to a church on Easter Sunday, that she’d never visited before, and to a divine appointment she could never have planned, another unmistakable Touched by Heaven moment. Melody's Testimonial YouTube Video - https://youtu.be/Eq3TpQm_xyk?si=EN

I just kept praying, ' God, let my husband come home. Let my husband come home.' I have heard God's voice three times. This would be the first. ---------- Katrina—yes, spelled like the hurricane, and she’ll tell you the personality matches—is a fiery force of faith navigating through one of life’s messiest middle chapters. Unlike the usual Touched by Heaven story arc, this one doesn’t wrap up with a pretty bow. At least, not yet. Katrina has heard ‘The Voice’—a man’s voice, unmistakably divine—more than once in her life. And what He said once came true. But now? That same Voice is saying, “Trust me,” as her whirlwind marriage collapses in mere weeks. Is she a fool for trusting Him? Or is she ahead of the rest of us—because even without the arrival of the hoped for happy ending, she’s found something deeper: daily conversations with God, trust in His Providence, and a peace that passes understanding. ---------- Come with us to Medjugorje:  https://www.ctscentral.net/travel-tours/60th-anniversary-pilgrim

"My whole body is shaking. I'm full-blown sobbing. I run out of the church, leaving my mom, son, and girlfriend flipping out because they know that I just saw something in church." ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. While recording episode 357, I had no idea how deeply it would affect listeners. One of them, my friend, Doug George, had to stop listening—it hit too close to home. Like Tom, Doug saw his deceased father… in church, bathed in light. In that moment, he felt it all—closure, forgiveness, love. Doug shares his journey of growing up with a unpredictable dad, caring for him during his final months with dementia, and finally experiencing healing in that holy encounter. Both Doug and Tom found peace in church—a reminder that healing flows from the heart of the Church, and through Jesus, we come to know not only our Heavenly Father… but our earthly ones too. ---------- Come with us to Medjugorje:  https://www.ctscentral.net/travel-tours/60th-anniversary-pilgrimage-to-medugorje  ---------- Share Your S

"Medjugorje, to me, is the holiest place on earth. I've been to Lourdes, which was beautiful, but I cannot wait to go back with you, Trapper and Elizabeth, to Medjugorje." ---------- If you’re searching for a place to begin again in your spiritual life—a place of renewal, restoration, and undeniable fruit—look to Medjugorje. Elizabeth and I will be leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, October 6th through the 13th. Here is a link to get the details:  https://www.cognitoforms.com/CorporateTravelService2/CorporateTravel60thAnniversaryPilgrimageToMedjugorje The Church has acknowledged the profound impact of this place: families reconciled, countless conversions through confession, miraculous healings, and hundreds, if not thousands, of men answering the call to the priesthood. Millions of pilgrims have left transformed, drawn closer to Christ through Eucharistic adoration. At a time when Christianity is shrinking, especially among the young who leave faith behind for nothing, Medjugorje stands as a

“My vision isn’t all that great anymore, but I got in the pool, went underwater, and I could hear the voice saying, ‘go a little left, go forward, a little more left,’ I reached out and found it in six seconds. Even I couldn’t believe it.” ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. A local priest sometimes likes to comically reflect on how we seem to invite people to a lackluster God. ‘Come to church. It’s good for you, you know, like broccoli.’ The Touched by Heaven podcast reminds us that we have nothing short of a dazzling and loving God who continually makes himself known in our lives. Lisa and Larry, originally heard in episode 43, remind us that God is still sending us his angels. Sometimes, we can even hear them! We also hear prophetic words and see God’s deep love for His children. From miraculous guidance to the beauty of a child's innocent faith, these stories remind us that heaven is constantly colliding with earth. Our God is not distant—He is present, speaking, and revealing His power in ways we cann

I asked St. Thérèse to send me red roses if she approved of my boyfriend becoming my fiancé. At the grocery store, right next to the pop I was about to buy, was a dozen red roses that someone had obviously dumped. ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. We have some very cool stories of saintly intercession! This episode emphasizes that the Saints are not objects of worship, but heavenly friends who pray for us. Elizabeth and I are still scratching our heads on how a particular ring found its way back into our kitchen and was discovered in a most impossible place. Leslie, a non-Catholic, decided to throw a prayer toward St. Anthony, in hopes of getting her dog back. She also let St. Anthony know that it was her first time, and that Trapper Jack said it was a good idea. Meanwhile, Sarah was looking to St. Thérèse of Lisieux for her usual sign of roses, if the saint was on board with Sarah’s choice for a husband. A dozen red roses were soon found in the grocery store where red roses should never be found. F

"He had threatened to kill us. He died an alcoholic. And there he was at church, looking so remorseful." ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. in this episode, Chris and Tom share a powerful story of remorse and forgiveness. Tom grew up in a difficult home, scarred by his father’s alcoholism. There were even serious threats on the family's lives. Years later, at a baptism, he experienced a profound encounter that gave him long-awaited closure. Was his father there, seeking forgiveness? And what about the strange occurrences in their home — why was the bedroom so cold? Why was the cat terrified? What was moving the bed? Chris and Tom take us on a journey of faith, protection, and unseen battles. Whether heavenly or something far darker, the supernatural is closer than we think. ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Touched by Heaven moment that you would like to share with Trapper, please leave us a note at https://touchedbyheaven.net/contact Our listeners look forward to hearing about life-changing enc

"My grandfather was the one who welcomed me into the afterlife. He said, ‘Look over there.’ I saw a great white light. He said, ‘See how it shimmers? It's heaven. Rene, you're in heaven!’" ---------- Hi! Trapper Jack here. Renee lost her sight rapidly due to diabetes and faced the emotional and physical challenges of blindness head-on. What stands out is not just her inspiring Touched by Heaven moments but how she teaches us all to confront life’s challenges with faith and determination. Rene describes a near-death experience where she was welcomed into a heavenly realm by her grandfather. She met her six miscarried children and saw stunning landscapes filled with peace and harmony. This experience deeply strengthened her faith, giving her the courage to embrace her blindness as part of God’s plan. Determined to keep her independence, she immersed herself in blind training, mastering mobility, cooking, and even rock climbing. Now, she teaches others to overcome their fears. Rene’s journey is a powerful