3.5.25 Washington Wednesday, World Tour, and a musician’s journey in faith

Summary

The World and Everything In It: Episode 3.5.25 Summary

Release Date: March 5, 2025
Host: WORLD Radio
Title: Washington Wednesday, World Tour, and a Musician’s Journey in Faith

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Introduction

In Episode 3.5.25 of The World and Everything In It, WORLD Radio delves into pressing national and international issues, alongside an inspiring personal story of faith and perseverance. The episode opens with discussions on federal workforce cuts, a special report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and a heartfelt journey of a musician finding strength through faith.

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Washington Wednesday: Federal Workforce Cuts and Economic Implications

Key Discussion Points:

1. Federal Workforce Reductions:

   • Myrna Brown introduces the segment by questioning the impact of federal workforce cuts on the government and the broader economy.
   • Kent Covington emphasizes the necessity of swift action to eliminate wasteful spending. At [00:11], he states, “We need to act fast to stop wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money.”

2. President Trump's Joint Session Address:

   • For the first time in his second term, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, highlighting his administration's efforts. Christina Grub reports on this address, noting the president’s achievement of signing nearly 100 executive orders and over 400 executive actions within six weeks ([01:20]).
   • Notable executive actions include expanding energy production, removing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies from the federal government, and defining recognition of only two genders, male and female ([01:28]).

3. Trade Tariffs and International Relations:

   • President Trump announced steps to reclaim U.S. ownership of the Panama Canal and implemented new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China ([02:19]). Covington quotes him asserting, “If you don't make your product in America, however, under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff.”
   • Christina Grub highlights Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response, threatening tariffs on over $100 billion of American goods ([04:39]).

4. Democratic Response:

   • Senator Alyssa Slotkin delivered the Democratic response, critiquing Trump's economic policies and predicting that tariffs could fuel inflation ([03:12]).
   • Lindsay Mast quotes Slotkin, “There’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way,” emphasizing the need for change without compromising democratic values ([03:12]).

5. Impact on the Economy and Workforce:

   • The cuts have led to approximately 26,000 federal employees being terminated, raising concerns about their reintegration into the private sector and overall economic effects ([08:00]).
   • Elon Musk, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), compares the approach to taking aggressive actions to cut waste, acknowledging potential mistakes and the need for quick fixes ([08:34], [10:09]).

6. Legal Challenges and Local Economic Impact:

   • A federal judge temporarily blocked some of the firings, including those from the National Park Service and Department of Defense ([07:19]).
   • Covington notes the local economic impact in Washington, D.C., with increased home listings and potential declines in home sale prices due to the reduced federal workforce ([11:15]).

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World Tour: Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Key Report:

• Onize Odua provides an in-depth look at the escalating crisis in the DRC, where the M23 rebels have seized control of key cities, causing massive displacement and destruction of refugee camps ([14:24]).

1. Rebel Takeover and Displacement:

   • The M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have taken over Goma and Bukavu, leading to the displacement of 600,000 people and destruction of existing refugee camps ([14:24], [14:42]).
   • Rumbi Pairamanzi, Congo Country Director for World Relief, describes how displaced individuals are scattered, living in schools, churches, and with host families ([14:52]).

2. Violence Against Christians:

   • Recent brutal attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, a group linked to the Islamic State, have targeted Christians, resulting in over 230 deaths since Christmas ([17:35]).

3. Health Crisis:

   • In Northwest Equatorial Province, health authorities are investigating a surge in an unidentified illness with symptoms resembling malaria, ruling out Ebola and Marburg viruses ([16:51], [19:28]).

4. International Response:

   • Karim Han, ICC Prosecutor, emphasizes the need for a special court to address the long-standing violence and hold perpetrators accountable ([17:09]).
   • Janie B. Cheney underscores the importance of stopping the cycles of violence through consistent justice across the country ([17:26]).

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Musician’s Journey in Faith: Nate Moore’s Story

Inspiring Personal Narrative:

1. Early Life and Challenges:

   • Myrna Brown narrates Nate Moore’s early life, marked by foster care and feelings of rejection, despite being adopted by a Christian couple in Georgia ([21:29]).
   • Moore shares his struggles with loneliness and depression, revealing the emotional scars from his past ([21:54], [25:15]).

2. Developing Faith Through Music:

   • Discovering gospel music through church influences helped Moore find solace and purpose ([22:11]).
   • He began leading worship in high school and expanded his role in house churches during college, eventually co-founding the group House Fires in 2013 ([22:44], [23:32]).

3. Career Success and Personal Struggles:

   • House Fires gained international recognition, opening for major bands and earning award nominations by 2019 ([23:45]).
   • Despite professional success, Moore continued to grapple with personal rejection and anxiety, inspiring him to write songs like "Watching Over Me" that address his deepest wounds ([24:07], [24:34]).

4. Healing and Reconciliation:

   • Through therapy, prayer, and faith, Moore began to heal, releasing his solo single "Simplify" in early 2025, which encapsulates his journey of trust and rebuilding ([25:02], [25:44]).
   • A significant milestone was reconnecting with his half-brother, leading to a renewed sense of family and faith ([26:09], [26:31]).

Notable Quotes:

• Moore on trusting God: “God, I give you my heart, soul, mind, body, all of me as worship” ([25:02]).
• Janie B. Cheney: “We have to teach all that Christ commands. It’s not just enough for us to ask people to invite Jesus into their heart because they have to still be taught” ([18:13]).

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Commentary: Janie B. Cheney on Love and Marriage

Insights on Marital Struggles:

• Janie B. Cheney discusses the complexities of marital breakdowns among churchgoing Christians, highlighting that many divorces stem from one partner’s decision to leave, often without strong biblical reasons such as adultery or abandonment ([27:54]).
• She shares personal anecdotes and observations, emphasizing that while one partner may strive to maintain the marriage, the other’s decision is often irrevocable. Cheney encourages those contemplating divorce to remain open to divine intervention, recounting her own experience where unforeseen circumstances brought renewed love and unity in her marriage ([27:44], [27:54], [31:35]).

Key Messages:

• Marital decisions are deeply personal and often beyond outsiders' understanding.
• Encouragement to seek God’s guidance and remain hopeful even in the face of marital challenges.
• Emphasis on the transformative power of faith in rekindling love and commitment.

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Conclusion

Episode 3.5.25 of The World and Everything In It offers a comprehensive exploration of significant political shifts in Washington, a humanitarian crisis in the DRC, and an uplifting narrative of faith overcoming adversity. Through detailed reporting and personal stories, WORLD Radio provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of both global and personal issues, grounded in biblical principles and sound journalism.

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Notable Quotes from the Episode:

• Elon Musk on federal workforce cuts: “We need to act fast, so stop wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money. But if we make a mistake, we'll reverse it quickly” ([08:45]).
• Janie B. Cheney on marriage: “Don't close your heart. Open yourself to possibility and give God a chance. You have no idea what he might do” ([31:39]).

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This summary encapsulates the essential discussions, insights, and inspirational stories presented in the episode, providing a clear and comprehensive overview for both regular listeners and newcomers.

Transcript

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. What will the federal workforce cuts mean for the government and the broader economy?

[Kent Covington]

If we make a mistake, we'll quickly fix it. We need to act fast to stop wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money.

[Lindsay Mast]

That's ahead on Washington Wednesday. Also, a world tour. Special report on the challenges facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And a songwriter discovers the power of trusting God through every high and to.

[Elon Musk]

Trust God to say, God, I give you my heart, soul, mind, body, all of me as worship.

[Lindsay Mast]

And world commentator Janie B. Cheney on staying the course in marriage.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Wednesday, March 5th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Time for the news. Here's Kent Covington.

[Kent Covington]

Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States.

[Christina Grub]

For the first time in his second term, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress last night. The president opened by touting actions he's taken so far.

[Kent Covington]

Over the past six weeks, I have signed nearly 100 executive orders and taken more than 400 executive actions.

[Christina Grub]

A record of he highlighted some of those, including actions to expand energy production, strike DEI policies from the federal government, and to declare the government will recognize two genders, male and female.

[Kent Covington]

I also signed an executive order to ban men from playing in women's sports.

[Christina Grub]

And another aimed at protecting children from transgender surgeries. The president touted early successes by the Department of Government Efficiency in rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. He also celebrated new border numbers showing that illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border plummeted last month.

[Kent Covington]

The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.

[Christina Grub]

President Trump also announced that his administration is already taking steps to reclaim U.S. ownership of the Panama Canal. He asserts that Panama is in violation of the treaty by which the US surrendered control of the canal to Panama in 1977. He also had plenty to say about trade tariffs just hours after new import taxes took effect on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.

[Kent Covington]

If you don't make your product in America, however, under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff and in some cases a rather large one. Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn to.

[Christina Grub]

And Trump again stated as a top five foreign policy priority, achieving a peace deal in Ukraine. First term Senator Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan delivered the Democratic response last night. She acknowledged that in voting for Trump, a majority of Americans said they wanted.

[Lindsay Mast]

Change, but there's a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.

[Christina Grub]

The senator said Trump's tax cuts could add to the national debt, contradicting his fiscal promises. She predicted that the president's tariffs would fuel inflation, and she dismissed Trump's economic policy plans as well as his administration's doge efforts to cut government waste.

[Lindsay Mast]

Donald Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends. He's on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America.

[Christina Grub]

On the global stage, Slotkin suggested that Trump is pursuing isolationist policies that she says will make America less safe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke out on Tuesday, just hours after the White House said it was pausing military aid to Ukraine until the country demonstrates it is genuinely ready to negotiate peace. World's Kristina Grub has more.

[Leo Braceno]

Zelenskyy said the White House meeting, quote, did not go the way it was supposed to and it is time to make things right.

[Kent Covington]

We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive, zelenskyy added.

[Leo Braceno]

Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians.

[Kent Covington]

My team and I stand ready to.

[Leo Braceno]

Work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts for world I'm Christina Grub.

[Christina Grub]

While you heard President Trump's take on new trade tariffs last night, hours before his address, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again vowed to strike back with tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods. He said he finds himself in the uncommon position of agreeing with the Wall Street Journal about Trump's tariffs. They point out that even though you're.

[Kent Covington]

A very smart guy, this is a.

[Christina Grub]

Very dumb thing to do. We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want. The president imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10% on Canadian energy. Trump also doubled the tariff he slapped last month on Chinese products to 20%. Beijing retaliated with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of US farm exports. Mexico says it will announce its response on Sunday. Arab leaders and others are lining up to endorse Egypt's plan for a post war Gaza as an alternative to Donald Trump's plan for the US to rebuild the territory. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Gaza must.

[Leo Braceno]

Remain an integral part of an independent, democratic and sovereign Palestinian state with no reduction in its territory or forced transfer of its population.

[Christina Grub]

Egypt's more than $50 billion plan would call for the reconstruction of Gaza over the next five years without the removal of its population. It would involve removing unexploded ordnance, clearing more than 50 million tons of rubble, and setting up temporary housing for Palestinians. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, Washington Wednesday considers the possible effects of cutting the federal workforce. Plus, commentary from Janie B. Cheney on love and marriage. This is the world and everything in it.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Wednesday the 5th. Thank you for listening to World Radio.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

I'm Myrna Brown.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Time now for Washington Wednesday. Today, the trimming of the federal workforce. The Department of Government Efficiency asked employees again last week to give an account of their work. That comes as it continues its audit aimed at cutting unnecessary programs.

[Myrna Brown]

What do federal layoffs mean for the government and the country? World's Washington bureau reporter Leo Burseno has the story.

[Kent Covington]

Andrea Kohler used to study fruit tree genetics for the United States Department of Agriculture with a grant program researching, among other things, how to increase crop yields. Then a few weeks ago, Kohler started getting unusual emails from the Office of Personnel Management. They actually created a new email address that we were getting all these from, and initially people thought it was spam. So we had this whole thing where the department sent everybody emails like, no, this isn't actually spam. Kohler says those emails were initially just reminding her of her status as a probationary employee of the government, a regular designation for federal employees of two years or less. I got an email saying, hey, you've.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Been put on a list of probationary employees.

[Kent Covington]

And like, that's cool, whatever. But the emails kept coming. It made Kohler wonder if she should be concerned. Then she got an email saying that she had been fired. Kohler now joins the roughly 26,000 federal employees terminated in recent weeks as the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or doge, looks to trim down government spending. Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman leading that effort, spoke at CPAC 2025 last month, touting the waste he's cleared so far. Yeah, no waste. Waste is pretty much everywhere. People ask, like, how can you find waste in, like, in D.C. i'm like.

[Elon Musk]

Look, it's like being in a room. And this target, the wall, the roofs.

[Kent Covington]

And the floor are all targets. So it's like you're gonna close your eyes and go shoot in any direction.

[Elon Musk]

You can't miss.

[Kent Covington]

The layoffs have added thousands of job seekers to the market, raising questions about how those Cuts will affect the US Economy as well as the effectiveness of government. The federal government is the country's single largest employer. According to data from the Pew Research center, the government employs more than 3 million people, not including active duty military personnel. For perspective, about 2 in 100American workers are on the federal payroll. That's more than all the US Employees from Walmart and Amazon combined. It remains to be seen what the effect is going to be. Michael Jones is a professor at the University of Cincinnati. He studies the economics of labor and the workforce. Jones says the entire government workforce hasn't disappeared overnight, only a small part of it. Whether the economy feels that incremental change depends on how fast these employees can get back in the workforce.

[Elon Musk]

The administration itself would argue that if.

[Kent Covington]

These individuals are productive, then the private sector will pick them up and they'll be able to just be gainfully employed in the private sector, generating taxes and economic growth. Many might retire and just not re enter the workforce. Last year, 88,000 federal employees retired voluntarily. 15% of the federal workforce was over the age of 60 in 2023. Most immediately, the types of cuts may make certain industries more competitive. These aren't blue collar workers that are being Lego.

[Elon Musk]

A lot of them are white collar workers.

[Kent Covington]

Generally you see a lot of crossover between nonprofits and federal government consulting type of work. And so I'm pretty certain that those individuals will try to find jobs in that sector. And so that'll certainly increase the competition for either new or experienced grads who are looking to work in the nonprofit sector. There also might be competition from the hiring side of things. State governments in particular seem eager to snap up federal employees. Governor Josh Green of Hawaii signed an executive order last week to fast track new hires in engineering, planning, accounting and in other areas. But many federal employees are waiting to see if they can get their jobs back. Last week, a federal judge in California temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out some firings. In his ruling, District Judge William Alsop paused firings from several agencies, including the National Park Service and Department of Defense. Meanwhile, the cuts are beginning to be felt at the local level, particularly in Washington.

[Elon Musk]

A lot more homes are being listed.

[Kent Covington]

You're starting to see even an effect on home sale prices within the Washington, D.C. metro area. So to the extent that local economies are heavily dependent on the federal workforce, you will see that play out on the local economy. Nationally, 93% of the federal workforce is outside of the Beltway. Andrea Kohler, the former USDA employee, lives in West Virginia, and she says that while the cuts have affected new hires. It's also longtime employees who are recently promoted that have also gotten pink slips. That includes one senior member of her own team. What happened was that she was promoted from one position to another and within the government. Government, when you change positions like that, you re enter a probationary period. So ironically, this is disproportionately affecting the best performers because they're more likely to have moved up a position within the last year. Another wrinkle is that the workforce cuts came ahead of trimming the program itself. Tens of thousands of dollars in team positions were cut, but millions of dollars in grant funds are still on the books because it was a project that was a grant that was awarded to a university and you know the money has already been transferred. It's already there. That grant money funded her team's work, but now there's no team to do it for. Now, Kohler is waiting to see if her job is restored. Doge leader Elon Musk is skeptical about how productive many federal programs really are. Here he is in a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.

[Janie B. Cheney]

As bad as Twitter was, the federal.

[Kent Covington]

Government is much worse. After purchasing Twitter and renaming it X, Musk cut the company's workforce by 80% in a similar way. Now, Musk says he's taking aggressive action to cut waste, but acknowledges it won't be a flawless execution. We're not going to be perfect, so if we make a mistake, we'll quickly fix it. We need to act fast, so stop wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money. But if we make a mistake, we'll reverse it quickly. That's it for Washington Wednesday. Reporting from World, I'm Leo Braceno.

[Christina Grub]

Additional support comes from Covenant College in Georgia, providing an uncompromising biblical education where students explore calling and career. More at covenant.edu 1 and from the New Living Translation, accurate, understandable and audibly enjoyable.

[Kent Covington]

New livingtranslation.com.

[Lindsay Mast]

Coming up next on the WORLD and everything in it, a world Tour special report. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in crisis. Rebels on the move, Christians under attack and a health mystery unfolding.

[Myrna Brown]

Here's World's Africa reporter Onize Odua.

[Leo Braceno]

At the beginning of this year, the eastern city of Goma already hosted some 600,000 displaced people in camps. But then a surge in fighting began in late January. Since The Rwanda backed M23 rebels began their takeover, many of the existing refugee camps have been destroyed.

[Kent Covington]

They ordered everybody to go, but they.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Were given only 24 hours to go back to their villages because they said there is now security there.

[Leo Braceno]

Rumbi Pairamanzi is the Congo country director for world relief. She says many of those who remained in Goma are now scattered across schools, churches, and with host families. M23 rebels seized control of Goma in January, then marched on to eastern Congo's second largest city of Bukavu last month. These rebels are the most active of more than a hundred armed groups in Congo's eastern region, holding trillions of dollars worth of mineral wealth. Judith Suminwatiluca is the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She says the fighting since January has killed more than 7,000 people. More than half of the dead have been buried without identification or remain in morgues. American missionary Ron Kronz was planning a mission trip to both Goma and Bukavu when fighting broke out.

[Kent Covington]

If my life depended on it, I could not get to Goma, so we had to change our plan.

[Leo Braceno]

Those changes meant staying in Congo's capital of Kinshasa and sending supports to those stranded in Goma.

[Kent Covington]

Fortunately, we were able to at least get basic provisions in their water, food, that kind of thing. We were also able to get Messages in via WhatsApp and actually do audio messages, Christian preaching messages, and that's what we could.

[Leo Braceno]

The fighting has sent some of the displaced fleeing across the border to Burundi. Katharina von Troda is the advocacy and media director for the aid group Save the Children. She says the group's emergency response is focusing on reuniting separated families and child protection.

[Kent Covington]

What often happens is that families are separated while they're fleeing, so we see a lot of children that are unaccompanied, and of course, those children are even more at risk of being exploited, of being abused.

[Leo Braceno]

Leaders have so far refused calls for direct talks with the M23 rebels. International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Han acknowledged that decades of violence have gone unchecked in the region. He added that Congo will host a conference in April to discuss forming a special court.

[Christina Grub]

What we're looking at is not just.

[Elon Musk]

Accountability in specific cases. That's the basic responsibility. But one is trying to have a.

[Kent Covington]

Wider effect, a more profound effect that.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Stops these cycles of violence that have bedeviled this extraordinary diverse and rich land.

[Elon Musk]

And I think that requires more justice.

[Kent Covington]

And more consistently applied justice in all parts of the country.

[Leo Braceno]

In the meantime, another rebel group, also operating in the region's North Kivu Province, has raised the stakes with a brutal attack in February. Last month, the Allied democratic forces beheaded 70 Christians in an abandoned church. The group has ties with the Islamic State and Christian analysts say it wasn't an isolated case. The insurgents have killed more than 230 Christians since Christmas, according to Barnabas Aid. Swiss Church Aid, a Protestant church mission, suspended its work in the same province last month after three of its workers were killed.

[Kent Covington]

That's not a new thing. This is why we have to teach all that Christ commands. You know, the Gospel Commission tells us that we're to go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them all that Christ commands. It's not just enough for us to ask people to invite Jesus into their heart because they have to still be taught.

[Leo Braceno]

Finally, over in the country's Northwest Equatorial Province, health authorities are still trying to unravel what's causing a surge in an unidentified illness. Affected residents across five villages have recorded symptoms like fever, stiff neck muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhea. More than a thousand cases have been reported since the first outbreak in January with at least 60 confirmed deaths. Health workers have ruled out Ebola and Marbug virus while they continue to test for any food, water or environmental contamination. Dr. Ngashin Gongo is with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said the disease trend in Ecuador looks similar to an outbreak last year.

[Elon Musk]

There were investigations that covered almost everything.

[Christina Grub]

Maldberg and Ebola.

[Elon Musk]

But at the end it turned out to be malaria.

[Leo Braceno]

In this year's outbreak, more than half of the patient samples tested positive for malaria using rapid testing. That's it for this week's world tour. Reporting for world I'm Onizi Odua in Abuja, Nigeria.

[Lindsay Mast]

All Hilda Jackson wanted for her birthday was to dance a little jig. And boy did she get her wish.

[Kent Covington]

For the birthday girl on her 105th birthday. Happy birthday, Hilda.

[Lindsay Mast]

Yeah, you heard that right. 105 years old and her care home in England decided to throw her a full blown rave. A dj, strobe, lights, glow sticks, the whole deal. Jackson grew up nearby, married and ironed uniforms in a factory during World War II. She chalks her long life up to taking care of herself and, of course, dancing. Though she's more of a ballroom fan than a clubber. Audio from the Guardian did you say.

[Kent Covington]

You wanted a rave or. Not particularly, but I've enjoyed every minute of it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hilda says she lives for the moment and it shows. She says she doesn't feel a day over 100.

[Myrna Brown]

A rave review for her party.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's the world and everything, everything in it. Today is Wednesday, March 5th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast and I'm.

[Myrna Brown]

Myrna Brown coming next on the world and everything in it. Turning worry into worship. It's not just a catchy tagline. It's what the Bible tells us to do.

[Lindsay Mast]

And it's often easier said than done. Today, the story of a man who spent much of his life writing and singing about a truth he's finally able to experience.

[Elon Musk]

I've done a lot of therapy work around the first act of my life was actually to be given up.

[Myrna Brown]

Nate Moore spent his first six months in the Indiana foster care system, never meeting his biological parents or his half brother.

[Elon Musk]

You're alone, you're not enough. You know, no one's coming for you.

[Myrna Brown]

Those are the lies he grew up believing, even though a Christian couple adopted him and later gave him a new home in Georgia.

[Elon Musk]

Feels like coming home, coming home.

[Myrna Brown]

It was a home filled with singing.

[Elon Musk]

It was kind of not an option. Once my mom figured out I could sing decently, it was like, oh, you're gonna be in church choir.

[Myrna Brown]

Then one of his church moms turned him on to gospel music from the front seat of her suv and that.

[Elon Musk]

Was the first time I had ever heard anybody sing like that. I remember her, like, teaching me how to run, like, with singing.

[Myrna Brown]

And what does that mean, how to run?

[Elon Musk]

Like, how to sing? You know, like when somebody's like, oh.

[Myrna Brown]

Moore says that backseat vocal coaching helped develop his soulful sound.

[Elon Musk]

I started out leading worship in high school, went on to college.

[Myrna Brown]

While in college, he started attending impromptu gatherings called house churches.

[Elon Musk]

Very organic, similar to the early church that we see in the book of acts. Like, you kind of invite your neighbors, you invite friends from class, and you're just like, hey, come over. You know, we're gonna sing and pray and just eat together. And I kind of stepped up into a new role with artistry and music and leading worship.

[Myrna Brown]

Then came songwriting.

[Elon Musk]

Had no clue what I was doing. Had never taken a course, had never studied it in school. It was almost just like I was writing and singing my prayers.

[Myrna Brown]

In 2013, more and a half a dozen other singers, songwriters, and musicians formed the group House Fires.

[Elon Musk]

We weren't a band. We had no vision. The mission was just like, we want to bless our church with these songs. We had no idea it would go global, and within a year, we'd be opening for bands and arenas all over the world.

[Myrna Brown]

In 2019, he won a dub award and was nominated for a Grammy. But while his musical career was soaring, deep down, he was still fighting rejection. He co wrote the song Watching over me with fellow songwriter and singer Jason Upton heard him running from the past.

[Elon Musk]

Jason's also adopted and we've connected a lot over that. Jesus, you know, man, it's just like talking about that anxiety, like so afraid of the uncertainty of what could come from life and all the unanswered questions and all the what ifs. And we say later in the verse, God, remind me of the promise. And then it goes into the chorus, you know, you're watching over me. You're watching over me, watching over me. But it's just like addressing the deepest wounds in my heart.

[Myrna Brown]

Wounds rooted in rejection from his birth mother and being bullied in school. The pain was so deep. Moore walked away from ministry and I.

[Elon Musk]

I laid music down for a season, for about a year and a half, but through therapy, through prayer, through just inviting God into those wounded places, saying like, God, would you help me reinterpret this?

[Myrna Brown]

The 36 year old says he's learning to acknowledge the uncertainty of life while trusting fully in God.

[Elon Musk]

We have no clue and very little control with what happens. And so to trust God, to say, God, I give you my heart, soul, mind, body, all of me as worship.

[Myrna Brown]

It's an ongoing battle.

[Elon Musk]

I still do get lonely. I still can be tempted to get stuck in depression and days where I wake up where I feel more hopeless and hopeful.

[Myrna Brown]

Today, he's thankful for a new season of life. Earlier this year, Moore released his debut single as a solo artist, Simplify.

[Elon Musk]

It just kind of very basically sums up what I've learned the last two or three years is of all right, God, recreate this whole thing, rebuild the house, like reprioritize everything for me recenter me and my focus. And Simplify came out.

[Myrna Brown]

And late last year, another first, he found his brother on social media and.

[Elon Musk]

I was like, gosh, I don't know, I just never want to be a burden. Another one of the lies of my life is that I'm too much. Like, that's the core woundedness. Like I've mentioned several times, I just, yeah, I didn't want to be rejected.

[Myrna Brown]

But he reached out anyway. After a phone conversation and several text messages, Moore and his brother planned their first face to face in Cleveland, Ohio.

[Elon Musk]

He actually said, long time no see. And so I chuckled and I was like, I just thought it was funny. Like we have the same sense of humor. And I just gave him a big hug. By the end of the weekend, he legitimately said to me, I'm not trying to convert or anything, but he's like, man, I want what you have. Like, he's like this Jesus thing is really interesting to me.

[Myrna Brown]

Moore says that's music to his ears and even better than a granny. Reporting for World, I'm Myrna Brown.

[Janie B. Cheney]

AM.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, March 5th. Good morning. This is the World and everything in it. From Listener Supported World Radio, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Up next, World commentator Janie B. Cheney on the quiet redemption of a lifelong vow.

[Janie B. Cheney]

In my experience, when one partner decides to leave a marriage, no amount of persuasion will change his or her mind. I suspect the decision is often made before the other partner even knows anything is amiss. The dissatisfied spouse may agree to counseling, may attend a class or read a book or sit down for earnest conversation with the pastor or the in laws. But it's a pretense or perhaps a going through the motions to erase any qualms of conscience. I did all I could goes to justification. I tried my best, but it's hopeless. Our differences are irreconcilable. I've seen this happen many times, and three times I was involved as a confidant or counselor. Each marriage is its own story that only two people know, and whether to split or stay together is a decision only those two can make. But outsiders can make guesses based on what they've seen and heard. In those three cases, all parties involved were churchgoing Christians. In each case, one partner was the instigator while the other was willing to do what it took to keep them together. In each case, the grounds for divorce were not the biblical examples of adultery or abandonment. One side wanted out. That was the bottom line. Some of their complaints were trivial, others more serious, and some, I believe, were exaggerated. But specific complaints were secondary. As Blaise Pascal observed almost 400 years ago, the heart has its reasons that reason cannot know. My friends were letting their hearts shout down any counsel to the contrary. For them, the matter was already settled, and sooner or later they'd cut off the peace talks and get down to the business of dividing up assets. Am I speaking to anyone who's already decided they're done? Anyone who's building a case for leaving that may lack strong biblical support? Allow me to get personal. Several years ago, I wanted out. My husband was never abusive or violent, but he'd come to believe things about me that weren't true. We had drawn apart while living in the same house, more like roommates than husband and wife. My conscience wouldn't let me leave him, but I wouldn't have minded if he'd left me. At the same time I was praying that God would help me love Him. Sometimes I prayed half heartedly, even reluctantly. I didn't see how it could happen, but prayer was my duty. We should never underestimate God. Not just his faithfulness, but also his creativity and his willingness to act. Who could have imagined that he'd give my husband Alzheimer's and erase all memory of our bad times? Who would have thought he'd give us another honeymoon period of I love yous and you're so beautiful. For us, dementia comes at a high cost, but also unexpected blessings. And the greatest of these is love. So I say to those on the brink, don't close your heart. Open yourself to possibility and give God a chance. You have no idea what he might do. I'm Janie Buccaney.

[Lindsay Mast]

Tomorrow, the response to the skyrocketing prices and limited supply of eggs. And many Ukrainian refugees are waiting for the war to end. From the safety of neighboring countries, we'll hear a few of their stories. That and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, informs, educates and inspires. Jesus said to the disciples after he'd risen from the dead, peace to you. But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Verses 36 through 38 of Luke, chapter 24. Go now in grace and peace.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Sa.