Episode Overview

Title: ‘God Never Gives Up’: A Pastor Overcomes Fear
Podcast: GPS: God. People. Stories.
Host: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Air Date: September 3, 2025
Guest: Phil Tuttle, President & CEO, Walk through the Bible

This episode centers on the extraordinary journey of Phil Tuttle, who overcame crippling fear and persistent feelings of inadequacy to become a pastor, ministry leader, and passionate Bible teacher. Through candid storytelling, Phil shares how God stretched his faith—moving him from the shadows of self-doubt and personal struggles into spiritual leadership, both in rural churches and on a global scale. The episode addresses themes of fear, spiritual hunger, personal failure, and the transforming power of God’s Word.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Early Faith and Family Challenges

• Upbringing: Phil grew up attending church in Illinois but didn’t initially view faith as important, mimicking his father's disinterest.
• First Encounter with the Gospel:
  • “[I had gone to church for years, but…] we were not hearing the gospel… I knew that I needed to have my sins forgiven.” — Phil Tuttle [02:11]
• Family Hardships:
  • Phil’s parents' troubled marriage profoundly shaped his views on relationships and stability:
    • “Dad would just withdraw... At one point Dad was going to leave Mom and he said, ‘I’ll stay till Philip graduates from college because a boy ought to have his dad.’ But I don’t love you anymore, Phyllis.” — Phil Tuttle [03:21]

2. College Faith Deepening

• Almost Lost Faith: Phil felt like walking away from Christianity due to unanswered questions, but a scholarship offer from his parents took him to Wheaton College.
• Spiritual Pivot at Wheaton:
  • “God ambushed me there and really got a hold of my life. College was where I got serious… It’s supposed to change how we live now.” — Phil Tuttle [04:54]
• First Taste of Ministry with Navigators:
  • Embraced an open environment for questions and honest searching in faith.
    • “Be as open with your questions… but be equally open for his answers, because he will answer you.”— Phil Tuttle [05:27]

3. From Medicine to Ministry (and Overcoming Fear)

• Career Change:
  • Originally a pre-med student, Phil was pulled toward ministry after finding medicine uninspiring compared to Bible study and teaching.
  • “God would never pick somebody like me to be a Bible teacher.” — Phil Tuttle [06:08]
• Crippling Fear of Public Speaking:
  • Describes recording his class speeches rather than speaking live due to anxiety:
    • “I literally… recorded my talk on a cassette recorder and pushed play and gave a speech about how to give a speech without having to give a speech.” — Phil Tuttle [06:39]
• Reluctant Calling: Even after seminary, Phil wanted to avoid the pulpit, aiming for behind-the-scenes ministry roles.

4. The Cisna Park Church Call

• Unexpected Interview:
  • Believed he was doing a mock interview, only to discover it was real and the church needed a pastor.
  • “This is either your doing or God’s doing.” — Phil Tuttle [12:08]
• Age & Inexperience:
  • Elders joked about his youth:
    • “‘How old are you?’ ...’26. I got a tractor older than you.’” — Phil Tuttle [12:08]
  • Honest beginnings:
    • “I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. I've never done this before.” — Phil Tuttle [12:47]
  • Elders’ response:
    • “Well, then we better have a lot of grace.” [12:47]

5. Personal Struggles and Honesty in Ministry

• Infertility Struggles:
  • While the church experienced a baby boom, the Tuttles faced years of infertility. Ellen hosted countless baby showers despite her own pain.
  • Heartbreaking moment:
    • “‘She's not a mommy, remember?’” — recounted by Phil [13:52]
• Breaking Down and Finding Support:
  • Advised wrongly to “be a burden bearer, not a burden sharer”—but realized the need for honesty.
  • Finally shared their struggle publicly; the congregation embraced and prayed for them.
  • “We’ll have to transfuse you with our faith.” — Phil’s church elder [15:14]

6. Answered Prayers and Faith Transformation

• Divine Provision:
  • Help and guidance from a Christian doctor led to the birth of their two children after years of struggle.
• Vulnerability as a Strength:
  • After sharing struggles, their authenticity fostered trust and deeper ministry:
    • “You guys are real. You’ve hurt, and because you’ve trusted us with your struggles, we’ll trust you with ours.” — Phil Tuttle [17:33]

7. Battle with Perfectionism

• Self-Criticism:
  • “My perfectionism… is the thief of joy.”— Phil Tuttle [18:21]
  • Used to throw out sermon tapes he deemed inadequate, which led to a humorous rebuke from a former professor, Bill Lawrence, who played the muddy tape during a sermon:
    • “Did you know your pastor is so hard on himself that if he’s not pleased with his message… he throws it out in the cornfield?” — Bill Lawrence [19:20]
  • Congregation responds with understanding, leading to more support and encouragement.

8. Growth and Global Impact

• Church Flourishing:
  • Church doubled in size (100 to 200), mostly new believers; passionate about missions.
    • “It wasn’t a couple of really loaded people. It was everybody,” — Phil Tuttle [20:51]
• Transition to Walk through the Bible:
  • Phil joined full-time to extend his ministry globally—“It was a no brainer. Even the church was like, we hate to lose you, but this is so right.” [21:19]

9. Global Ministry and Bible Engagement

• Leadership at Walk through the Bible:
  • Over 50 languages, 141 countries, and six and a half million people reached in 2024 [21:51].
  • Focus: Removing fear and confusion from Bible reading and making God’s Word accessible and engaging for all ages.
    • “People are confused. They're afraid of the Bible, especially the Old Testament... and we boil it down…” — Phil Tuttle [22:24]
• Worldwide Spiritual Hunger:
  • Emphasis on post-COVID spiritual searching:
    • “There is a spiritual hunger and a desperation, and the answer… is found in the Word of God.” — Phil Tuttle [23:46]

10. Keys to a Changed Life and Billy Graham’s Wisdom

• Greatest Predictor of Life Change:
  • “The single greatest predictor… is personal time in the word of God. And there’s something... if you hit four times a week or more, there’s this quantum leap in all this research.” — Phil Tuttle [27:39]
• Billy Graham’s Words on Peace:
  • “That inward peace which man so desperately seeks—only the Bible has been able to meet the need and meet it fully. Its message is the message of forgiveness and cleansing from sin through faith in Christ. This is the world’s only hope.” — Billy Graham [25:53]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• About being called despite fear:
  • “God would never pick somebody like me to be a Bible teacher.” — Phil Tuttle [06:08]
• On honesty in struggle:
  • “We’ll have to transfuse you with our faith.” — Elder [15:14]
• On perfectionism and self-doubt:
  • “My perfectionism… is the thief of joy.” — Phil Tuttle [18:21]
• Billy Graham on the hope found in Scripture:
  • “Only the Bible has been able to meet the need and meet it fully. Its message is the message of forgiveness and cleansing from sin through faith in Christ. This is the world’s only hope.” — Billy Graham [25:53]

Key Timestamps

• [02:11] Phil’s childhood experience in church and his first genuine encounter with the Gospel.
• [03:21] Impact of parents’ troubled marriage.
• [04:54] God “ambushes” Phil at Wheaton College.
• [06:39] Hilarious story of avoiding public speaking in college.
• [12:08] Elders joke about Phil’s age; the church extends grace.
• [13:52-15:14] Infertility struggle; decision to share publicly and elders' uplifting response.
• [18:21-19:20] Perfectionism; tossing out sermon tapes—professor’s playful intervention.
• [20:51] Church’s radical commitment to missions.
• [21:51] Global scale of Walk through the Bible.
• [23:46] Expanding spiritual hunger and the unique purpose of ministry “for now.”
• [25:53] Billy Graham on fundamental human longing and the solution in Christ.
• [27:39] Secret to a transformed life: regular personal Bible study.

Final Insights

The Heart of Transformation:
Phil Tuttle’s journey testifies that God works powerfully through ordinary people, even those plagued by insecurity and fear. Key to his transformation—and to his ministry—is the power of honest struggle, community support, and persistent, personal engagement with Scripture.

For Listeners:
If you’re wrestling with fear, the feeling of inadequacy, spiritual hunger, or deep personal pain, this episode provides hope through testimony, practical wisdom, and the assurance that “God never gives up.”