As a young, new mom, Margaret Ereneta would often get asked by her son to tell him stories.
“Mom, can you tell me a story of a bad guy who turned good with Jesus?” he would ask.
This began her obsession with testimonies. She devoured books on personal testimonies and developed a habit of asking people to tell their stories.
“But what about the stories that haven’t been written, or even told yet?” Ereneta asked herself.
Years later, Ereneta has turned her passion for stories of transformation into a mission to share these testimonies with the world. She is the visionary behind a new podcast, called One80, which will be launching through OneWay on Oct. 26.
The vision for the show came in 2019 when she was sidelined with a systemic illness that gave her extensive time to listen to the Lord. In the midst of the uncertainty surrounding her health situation, God gave Ereneta clear direction: a new assignment to serve His Kingdom.
“When I was sick, this is what I wanted to do, listen to testimony podcasts, none of which I could find,” Ereneta explained. “So God gave me a new assignment. It was to start a podcast that only shares testimonies.”
God made the assignment very specific. Not only was this show to be geared to young, bored Christians, but it also was to serve as a means to get stories that haven’t been shared yet out there. This show was going to actually invite listeners to tell their stories and be guests on the show.
Ereneta was excited and knew immediately that OneWay had to be involved.
“Of course, my husband and I went to OneWay right away, since they’re a Christian media organization that also has a huge heart for missions and evangelism and a passion for young people,” Ereneta said.
What the Erenetas didn’t know at the time was that OneWay had just hired a new advancement director, Emily Neal, who also was passionate about podcasts and finding ways to reach the next generation of believers.
During the past year, Ereneta has been working with host Ryan Henry and other OneWay staff to record the first season of the show. Listeners will hear the testimonies of everyone from a witch doctor to a homecoming queen.
Season One guests include a teen rebel-turned-evangelist, a former member of the Nation of Islam, and a heavy metal artist-turned-pastor.
“Whether the guests are well-known or your next door neighbor, their testimonies are all super inspiring, interesting and there for a reason,” Ereneta said.
Each episode concludes with original music, storytelling, rap, spoken word or even audio art.
“I think I have the best job in the world, sharing these stories,” Ereneta said. “I’m so amazed by the various ways God reveals the truth to people.”
Every believer has a story to tell, said Ereneta, who is always on the lookout for guests for the show.
“As we say, ‘God wrote your story, so it’s already awesome!’” she said. “Why not share it?”
To find out more about how to share your story, go to one80podcast.com. Listeners can hear One80 on their favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or online at one80podcast.com. Follow One80 on Instagram, TikTok (coming soon) or Facebook.
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