Evy Chapman and Maggie Randall discuss Christ's Influence Through Us

In this episode, Evy Chapman and Maggie Randall share how Christ’s influence works through ordinary believers in everyday places—apartments, classrooms, workplaces, and hospital rooms. Through personal stories of Bible-reading accountability and compassionate care, they highlight how daily devotion shapes our presence and ability to love others well. Listeners are encouraged to “bloom where you’re planted,” ground their identity in Christ, trust God’s goodness in every season, and let the Holy Spirit lead—even when they don’t feel equipped. Discover how discipleship is simply walking alongside others, pointing them to Jesus, and letting His love flow through you in the moments and places you already inhabit.

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So today we're talking about Christ's influence through me. So we are talking about not just those moments where we're maybe on stage or have a platform, but just in our daily life, in our neighborhoods, in our classes, in our work, in our families, wherever we are and wherever God has placed us, that we can just be an influence to people and just love people well. So a question that I would just kind of love to start off with you is just, how have you kind of just been able to have influence in the lives of people around you, whether that is at school or work or other places that you may be. I just think the Lord has just been so gracious and been able to bless me in every season that I have been in. A phrase that recently came to mind is bloom where you're planted, like of course from Bloomington, so perfect.

Being present where you are and allowing the Lord and the Holy Spirit just to work through that, and you won't realize the impacts that you're having. Sometimes you'll never know. Um, I think a big example of that for me would be just in my apartment here in Bloomington. I'm a person that reads my Bible every single night. I firmly believe that everyone should find time in their day, whatever time it is, if it's 30 seconds to open the Bible app to an hour whatever time you have to give to the Lord can really help you to keep growing in your relationship with him.

But I was just talking to one of my roommates one day, and she was like, Maggie, you read your Bible every night, don't you? Like, that's just— I know that you do. And I was like, yeah, I do. And she was like, would you be willing to start reading with me to help keep me accountable? Because I've been really struggling to read my Bible.

Yeah. And I have just been so blessed with my roommates. I've lived with a lot of them 3 years now. They're all women of God, all wonderful, and this is one of the sweet girls that I look up to so much. So it was just so cool to see that in a way she was able to look up to me all through the Holy Spirit's work and to convict me to read my Bible every night.

That is not me at all. I have had moments where I have fallen asleep and like Holy Spirit been like, get up, you have not spent time with me. So it's just the fact that Jesus has been working in me through that to always read every single day, to then have that impact on my roommate. So now every night we get our tea and read our Bibles together, not even reading the same thing, just sitting in our quiet time in our space, but just reading together. Yeah, in community.

And that's just been such a sweet way, just in my apartment at school Like, I did not expect there to be an impact there. And then another way is I am a nursing student. I'm going into my senior year, and I work at a hospital that my unit is a transplant unit. And just through work, I got to be there this summer the whole time, and it was just so sweet to be working in the transplant field because this is people's new chance at life. Yeah, so it's a really simple way to like point that to the gospel and show that to others, so it's just been really fun to get to share the Gospel with a few patients and even just meet them in some of their lowest moments.

A hospital, you can see pain, suffering that you will never see anywhere else. No one has to go anywhere else when they're suffering besides a hospital. When they're hurt, when they're— they go to a hospital. So you just can really see a lot of broken souls there, and it's just the opportunity to just be a light to them, not even speaking the name of Jesus, just the impression you can have, the gentle touch, the way you can look someone in the eye and show that you care for them. Yeah, I think that's also been so special to just be able to do that with patients, to hug them, to show them that they are loved even when they see their identity as their illness, as their injury.

It's the chance to point them back to their identity is in Christ. That he loves them, he died for them, and he rose from the grave for them, and he wants to have a relationship with them. And it's just the joy of getting to watch that in another person. Yeah. And it's not saying the perfect words, it's just meeting them where they are and being present with them has just been so awesome to see Jesus be able to work through me.

Like, none of— when I say something randomly good, it's not me, it's Jesus. And it's just so special that we we have the chance to partner with him. Yeah, like he could do it all on his own, but he doesn't. He uses us, and it's just stepping in, being present, being planted where you are so then you can bloom. Yeah, I love that.

And I love just the message that you're sharing also about allowing Christ to work through you actually is such a blessing to you too, seeing, oh my goodness, God wants to use me in this way, and he doesn't need to, just like you said. But yeah, it's just so cool to see that he doesn't just use you in the lives of unbelievers like at the hospital who maybe are like, "Huh, what's different about this girl?" or "Why does she have so much joy?" or "Why does she bring such a light?" and you can point them to Jesus, and that's awesome, but I also love that you're saying like also Christ works through us in relationships with our friends who are believers and our family who are believers, and it's not just being a light to people outside of the faith but brothers and sisters in Christ who you can just really encourage and just sharing that time of accountability, and God just being able to work through you in that too is such a beautiful thing. I love getting to hear that. So share a time, maybe specifically, that God used you in the life of someone else, and you noticed that in the moment. And maybe it was just in one of those situations in the hospital or with friends at school.

Around Easter, I have no idea why, but the Lord just like convicted my heart and was like you need to work Easter. For me, I was like, no, I want to be at church, I want to worship you. But God was like, no, you are going to work. So I'm at work, I'm there halfway through my morning on my actual unit, and then I get floated to another unit to have to go sit for a patient, which just means I'm just like watching them, making sure they're okay, they're safe. And I was like, this is So annoying.

I'm not with my coworkers on the unit. Like, what is this? God, what are you doing? And God is so funny that it's always the days that I don't want to do it, that I'm annoyed, that I want to go home, that I don't see why. I forget my purpose of loving Jesus.

I get— forget all of that. Anyway, I walk into the room, it's this family, and this dad and then he has his wife and his daughter there with them, and you can tell he is very, very sick. And throughout the day, I just start talking to them and getting to learn their story. The daughter was a non-believer, but the parents were Christian, grew up in the faith, loved the Lord very much. And the, the dad was very, very sick.

They thought he was going to get better, but I just had a feeling that I was like, I'm not sure this is gonna go very well. He was on a basic unit, so wasn't really getting all the extra care that he had needed in that moment yet. Later throughout the day, he had just slowly started to like crash and become unresponsive and very out of it, and I just like— the nurse sense in me was like, something is happening, and I— this is wrong. At that time, I had not really mentioned to the family that I love Jesus, I knew him, and he was my best friend. They did not know that yet.

I mean, for sure. I feel like the mother could kind of tell. Then the dad really continued to go even more downhill, and I pulled another nurse in, and I was like, in a way, the family was wonderful. They loved him so very much, and I was like, I think you guys should leave the room right now. Go get your food.

Once I get him more settled, I'll come back and get you. So we ended up having to transfer him to another unit. In this time, the daughter, who was very not religious, continued to like make comments, commenting on Christianity and just very just interesting things to hear. And then come to find out, the dad, he had also Christmas like 10 years ago, had a Christmas miracle where he was given a heart and kidney transplant. Wow.

Then the daughter was like, "Wow, I hope that we can have an Easter miracle today and Dad will get to go home." And I was like, "I'll be praying for that for you." So they're out in the waiting room, we get them up to the new room and get all their stuff moved, and then I go back down and I just sit with them. Like, I can tell— I'd already been there 12 hours, but I could tell The Lord wanted me there. The Lord wanted me to stay a little bit extra my shift just to talk with them. So then it was all the words of the Lord, him being like, I got you, just talk, just, you know what to talk about, you understand what's happening. So then I just got to explain to them like all the medical things that were happening in more simple terms.

To them, and I got to be with them. And then at the end, I'm still nervous to ask patients if it would be helpful for me to pray with them, even though I've done it so many times. It's still such a scary thing to look at someone, the fear of rejection, and be like, can I pray with you? Like, I, I don't have the answers, and I don't know if this will be okay, but I know who does. I would love to pray.

So I prayed with them, and it was just so sweet. And then I looked up and I saw that the daughter, she was crying. And it was just so beautiful to see when she was so against the faith, very adamant about it, was brought to tears by the name of Jesus. And then we ended the prayer and I like looked up at both of them and hugged them. And then the mom looked at her daughter and was like, "You know, maybe this was the Easter miracle we needed." Wow.

To be reminded that God is good. Thank you, Maggie. Wow. God used you and you were the miracle today. That's incredible.

So that gives me chills. I know. It was— and there's so many more stories like that. It's just very special. And I ended up going back to work a couple days later to see if he was still there because I promised I'd come see him, to find he wasn't there.

Then I found his obituary, so so he had passed away. Wow. But it was just, yeah, very special that I got to do that. The Lord is also funny in those. I've had a couple moments in those kind of stories, in those ways that God has used me, and every single time he always likes to give me a little snack as like a reward, I guess it is, like just between me and him, being like, I see you.

And the family every time ends up buying me dinner. Somehow dinner, lunch along the way is like paid for. Yeah, so it's always just God being like winking at you. I see you. Like, yeah, a little God wink is just like way to be faithful, a way to be— way to step into what you wanted.

Yeah, that's incredible. Yeah, and having those conversations is scary, but that first step obviously is complete surrender to the Holy Spirit and trusting God when you don't have the next words to say, but just saying like, okay, I know God wants me to have this conversation and it's gonna happen one way or the other and he's gonna lead me through that. But that's why I think— which you mentioned this earlier— but like having that personal devotional life first, exactly, is so important in that moment because you can't have God working through you if you haven't, you know, accepted and have him working in you. But also, yes, daily, like that daily bread So I think that is just so important. And I'd love to just ask you a little bit more about that.

Like, how has your personal devotional life kind of just impacted those big moments? Oh, it's been everything. I mean, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Yeah. Unless you are in daily devotion to the Father, like you, you really can't pour everything out.

There's only so much you can give. Yeah. But if you come back to him, like that water forever satisfying. It's all you need. It will continue to provide and continue to refresh you.

Yeah. Oh, I love my quiet time. It is my favorite part of my day, of course. Right now I'm doing a Bible plan where I'm reading the Bible in the year, so it's been really sweet. It's like 5 chapters a day, and I have Wednesdays off, so I just do random stuff.

And it's just— yeah, right now I'm in Jeremiah, so it's been trucking through the Old Testament. Has been quite a journey, and very— there's so much teen, and I love the Old Testament. I'm just like, everyone needs to read the Bible. Like, there's so many good stories in it. There are so many times where I'm just like, that happened?

Okay, okay, I see you. Like, yeah, it's just you need to be in your word, and even if it's 5 minutes, and even on the days where you don't want to, just randomly open your Bible, be like, okay God, Yeah, I'm here, I'm trying, like, help me to find joy in doing this because there are days I don't want to do it. I'd rather go to bed and not do it. Yeah, but yeah, you have to have a relationship with the Lord. Yeah, to be able to pour into others.

Absolutely. Was that difficult for you then at first, like, starting to get into— I think so. Yeah, I've I have totally fallen so much more in love with the Lord just through college. I'm involved with Cru on campus, and that has just, that and being here at Sherwood has just, I just love the Lord so much. And yeah, just from like freshman year to now, I was coming back to school today, just like talking to my mom, and I'm like, I can't believe so much has changed and where I am now.

And it's like, to the freshmen out there that are like listening, and just, it's like, God is good, and God will provide a way. I was like, I cannot imagine, younger me, freshman year me would not have imagined to be where I am now, a senior in the nursing program, a program that I thought I would not get into, and just totally in love with the Lord. It's been a journey from high school to now that has definitely grown so much to now I can't imagine a day without Spending time with him. But of course, I mean, I'm not perfect. I wish I would turn to him in all moments.

Yeah. But I don't. I have very bad anxiety. And there are oftentimes where I turn to someone else, I text someone else, "Hey, pray for me," instead of just going straight to God, being like— like, I don't know why I still do that. Yeah.

I mean, it's normal though. Like, we're humans. We're always gonna try to get instant satisfaction instead of allowing the Lord to fill us back up. Yeah. Absolutely, but I love that.

I think there's always a decision to be made, obviously, after kind of discovering who God is, of saying like, okay, am I or am I not going to be disciplined in this and take steps to be in the Word? And it's like, you can't skip that discipline step to get to delight. Like, those three things kind of have to go in order, and that's just something I think that we see not just in our generation but just kind of all across the board of like, yeah, people, it's hard to be disciplined and to say, like you said, like, ah, I just want to go to bed tonight and to not, you know, fall into that temptation really to not spend time with God. But it's like you are living that like example of like, okay, but when you do, it leads to so much delight and so much more fruit of just really knowing who he is and being able to be with him on mission. And it's just such an incredible thing.

But I would love to also hear about then a little bit of just your journey with discipleship and, you know, being able to pour into the lives of other people. And I know personal devotional life is so big for that too. Yes, pouring into people. Oh, discipleship, that is honestly just like one of my most favorite things that I get to do. I mean, my mom has— ever since I was little, she has always had people in my life that have mentored me me.

That has been such a huge thing for me. Like, even for my 16th birthday, what I wanted for my birthday was a dinner to celebrate all of the women that had poured into me. That's so— that was literally all that I wanted for my birthday. And I mean, I just met with one of my mentors from back home who has known me all the 21 years of my life. And yeah, and then when I came to school, I ended up having a mentor here through Sherwood, who— it's just crazy that we got put together.

It was just such a blessing, and I'm so thankful for her. She even baptized me a couple years ago too. Yes, Beth Todd, I love you so very much. Yes. And then I also get discipled through Cru, and it's just such a joy to get to be poured into.

She really also encouraged my Bible reading last year. She taught me different ways to read the Bible. Yeah, and that was just so sweet. So guys, if you want to come read the Bible with me and learn new ways, hit me up, please. But yeah, it was just so sweet.

And then I now disciple 3 girls, which is a lot, but it is so sweet and so special to get to intentionally pour into them in different ways. I love being intentional. I love meeting with people, hearing their stories, and Just, yeah, pointing them to Christ. So it's just been a joy, and I'm so excited to get to do it again with them. Discipleship is just walking alongside somebody and pointing them to Christ, doing life together.

Yeah. Like, it's not a, I'm teaching them one thing. They teach me things too. Yeah. My faith has grown even more because of them, watching them do life.

With, um, one of the girls this year, we're gonna read a book Yeah, another girl, we're gonna just go through the Bible together. Yeah, it's just different things each week. Sometimes just talking is just being like, man, I'm going through this and this sucks and it's hard. Yeah, this is hard. Yeah, tell me what to do, help me figure out what to do, or can we just pray together?

Yeah, like, yeah, that's awesome. I think discipleship is so core to what the Christian life is, being discipled and then also discipling people. And having that co-discipleship, like friendships and all of those things, like that's so big. And I think that people can get overwhelmed by the phrases like mentorship or discipleship and be like, oh, I'm not qualified to do that. But like you're saying, it's just living life with another person, being a believer, sharing what you're learning, and just allowing what God is teaching you to be poured down.

You will never be perfect— perfectly equipped and know everything and have all the answers and know everything about God. Like, that's not possible. Yeah. So it's just recognizing that and being okay with that. And you're not going to be perfect.

You're not going to be able to read your Bible every single day, all the time. We are— life is busy. We are humans. We are imperfect. That's okay, because the blood of the Lamb makes us perfect.

It's just recognizing that God is still good. And he will still provide, and he is still working even if you cannot see it. Just take a moment to just trust in him. Yeah, I know that he's still doing something even in the lows. I mean, the lows in these last couple years, even my whole life, has really been where I have met God.

Yeah, so it's just trusting him in that he's working. That's awesome. Hard. Yeah. Is there anything else, just stories you'd want to share, whether it's discipleship other work, anything.

Put me on the spot. Really, this is just closing questions, so you don't have to have anything. Or if there's anything else you feel like you wanted to share earlier and haven't had the chance to. Yeah, I think it's just be in the word, be present with God, ask him to come in every single day in every single interaction, and you will just be changed. Like, I think the biggest thing like my new phrase of this year, is blooming where you are planted.

Mhm. You cannot grow unless you're connected to the Father. The Father is the one that provides the nutrients that you need. Mhm. And it's not possible— all you have to do is just continue to grow.

Yeah. You don't have to do these big crazy things. It's just being in his presence. Yeah, it's allowing him to lead. Just take, take your hands off, be like, Father, you are in control, you love me, you see me.

And just recognizing that it's all gonna be okay, you are gonna be good, you are fully known, fully loved. Like repeating those truths to yourself. Yeah, I'm a child of God. I am seen, I am known, I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Like, take some note cards, write some Bible verses, write some important phrases.

Yeah. Stick them on your mirror, look at them every single day. Like, you are so loved by the King. I just know that truth and just, yeah, bloom where you're planted. That's awesome.

Well, thank you so much for sharing. I know so many people will be blessed by this, and we are just so grateful to hear from you. So thank you. Yeah, thanks for having me. This was so fun.