The First Priority Podcast

JD Simpson talks about the role that parents and youth workers play in First Priority

Dr. JD Simpson Jr. serves as the Executive Director of FP South Mississippi. He grew up in Louisiana and felt a call to ministry while in college at LSU. He served in ministry for several years before learning about First Priority. He was in full-time ministry and didn't have any intention of trying to work full-time and do First Priority. But God had other plans, and in 1999 he launched First Priority of South Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.

JD has been married to his wife Carol for 33 years, and together they have four children, two boys and two girls. 

Larry Franks: Uniting Churches and Relationship Building

After 25 years of serving on staff in the local church, Larry Franks became the Executive Director of First Priority of Greater Decatur in November 2014. He served as the City Director for Greater Decatur for a number of years before coming on board as the Executive Director. His heart’s passion is to see students come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and for them to realize that there is HOPE. Larry has enjoyed watching God grow First Priority in Morgan and Lawrence counties from its beginning in 2009 on 18 campuses to currently being on 54 campuses. There have been over 4,800 students say YES to the HOPE of Christ on the public school campus over the last 9 years. Larry was recently awarded the Lynn C Fowler Non-Profit Professional of the Year by the Decatur-Morgan Chamber of Commerce. First Priority of Greater Decatur was also awarded the Non-Profit of the Year by the Decatur City School System. Clothe Our Kids received the Non-Profit of the Year by the Decatur City School System in 2019. Larry is married to Jessica (34 years) and has two daughters, Chelsea (28) and Hannah (22). He enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and is an avid Georgia Bulldog fan.

Joel Rowland: Church Crisis

Joel is the Executive Director of First Priority Front Range. His family moved to Denver in January 2020 to organize and lead the Front Range region. He has been in leadership roles for over 13 years including Lead Pastor, Jail Chaplain, Founder of a non-profit for at risk kids, Drug Court Representative, and Executive Director of First Priority in North Carolina. Joel is a Certified Speaker, Coach, Trainer, and Teacher with the John Maxwell Team. He is certified in Apologetics with the Ravi Zacharias Institute and is currently studying to become a Scholar in Biblical Linguistics and the Hebraic Context of the Bible through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has studied abroad in Israel, Canada, and Ecuador.

Joel lives in Denver, CO with his wife Amber and their two kids. 

JT McCraw: Family Crisis

JT is the co-host of the Renovating Masculinity podcast, a John Maxwell certified Life Coach & Speaker, an independent life coach with Stephen Mansfield's GreatMan Coaching team, the Executive & Men's pastor at Bethel World Outreach and is one of the leading men’s ministers in the United States. He has traveled around the globe teaching men what he learned during his dark days of personal crisis.  He now coaches men and helps them build high quality noble manhood into their lives by drawing from his years as a successful custom builder. 

 

He has been married to Shelley for twenty-nine years and has five children. He spends his spare time doing projects around his home, riding motorcycles, hunting, and continuing his ongoing search for the best brisket in the nation. 

Amber Johansen: Identity Crisis

Amber was born and raised in Tampa. After graduating from Leto High School, she attended Florida State University for an undergraduate degree and then the University of South Florida for a graduate degree in Government and International Studies. She is currently completing a graduate certificate in instructional design through Florida State University. Her background includes working with at-risk teens and families, and program development.

Amber has been involved with First Priority Tampa Bay since 2009, when she began serving as a parent partner. In 2012, she consulted with FPTB as a Community Development Director, and in 2013 stepped into the position of Executive Director.

Amber’s primary focus as Executive Director is: vision casting, fundraising, program development, and ministry operations. Amber is available to speak on a wide range of topics including: the role of First Priority in the community, parenting, public education and faith based issues.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

The Landing for students:

https://www.celebraterecovery.com/thelanding

 

Right Now Media

 

Parenting Class:

Living On the Edge by Chip Ingram https://livingontheedge.org/product/effective-parenting-dvd/

 

Books:

 

Safe People: How to Find Relationships that are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren't

by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

 

Boundaries with Teens: When to Say Yes, How to Say No

by John Townsend 

 

Boundaries in Dating: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Relationships

By Henry Cloud

 

Secrets of Your Family Tree: Healing for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families

by Henry Cloud, John Townsend

 

My Parenting Teens and Tweens blog:

amberjohansen.com

Jeff Stanford talks student leadership

Jeff Stanford is the Director of FP Greater Springfield. He has been in student ministry for over 20 years, serving the local church and helping student pastors reach their local public schools. Jeff is a graduate of Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Brandi, and they have two kids, Courtney and Austin.

Is Biblical culture in America possible in this day and age? w/Warren Robold

Warren Robold serves as EVP of Development and Ministry Relations and has over 30 years of experience in political and charitable fundraising, franchise ownership and development, direct and distribution sales, and management as well as marketing both tangible and intangible products and services in the US and internationally. He has also served in Youth Ministry at multiple churches and has served in full-time ministry as an ordained Pastor. His vision and ability to see past the difficult or impossible, has been a powerful asset for the organizations and groups that he has worked with to reach new levels of growth and success.

Can churches work together in a community? w/ Debi DeBoer

Debi DeBoer has been involved with First Priority since 1995. She had planned on going to med school to become a doctor, but God had other plans for her. She began full-time ministry in 1995 as a minister of music at her local church. Teenagers kept coming to her piano bench to talk and seek encouragement, and at the time she didn't see the big picture. She later realized that God was calling her into full-time student ministry. Debi has served in many areas of her church as well as being the Ministry and Area Director for FP Birmingham. 

Debi lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband who she has been married to for 26 years and together they have three children who are all in college. 

How Hannah McKinney became a 19 year old fundraiser!

Hannah McKinney is 19 years old and is the Intern of Donor Development at FP Front Range. Hannah, as a 16 and 17 year old, raised money so that she could do mission work in Haiti, and found a love of fundraising at that time. She spends her time calling potential donors, in person donor meetings, as well as working on social media campaigns. On the side, she works for Uber Eats and Grubhub. 

Hannah shares her reason for doing First Priority and her desire to see FP Front Range grow. 

Amber Johansen and Joel Rowland talk about the 'Why' of First Priority

Amber has been involved with FPTB since 2009, when she began serving as a parent partner. In 2012, she consulted with FPTB as a Community Development Director, and in 2013 stepped into the position of Executive Director.

Amber’s primary focus as Executive Director is: vision casting, fundraising, program development, and ministry operations. Amber is available to speak on a wide range of topics including: the role of First Priority in the community, parenting, public education and faith based issues.

Joel is the Executive Director of First Priority Front Range. His family moved to Denver in January 2020 to organize and lead the Front Range region. He has been in leadership roles for over 13 years including Lead Pastor, Jail Chaplain, Founder of a non-profit for at risk kids, Drug Court Representative, and Executive Director of First Priority in North Carolina. Joel is a Certified Speaker, Coach, Trainer, and Teacher with the John Maxwell Team. He is certified in Apologetics with the Ravi Zacharias Institute and is currently studying to become a Scholar in Biblical Linguistics and the Hebraic Context of the Bible through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has studied abroad in Israel, Canada, and Ecuador.