{"podcast":{"title":"The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being","slug":"the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324","podcast_index_feed_id":7374324,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/the-story-of-us/feed.xml","website_url":"https://thestoryofusproject.com/","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/the-story-of-us/20250613_070615_55ea5e0531b80d159995304592d3c4fc.png","author":"Jeff Ellison","episode_count":38,"summary":"Tell Us Your Story - A captivating and thought provoking podcast that intricately weaves together personal stories with timeless ancient wisdom and groundbreaking modern discoveries to unlock the profound mysteries of life. Personal stories, special edition episodes, guest hosts and our Next Gen series, celebrating the young voices that are helping make the world a kinder and less divided place. Our conversations, preserved for future generations will send the same message as the oldest known hand stenciled cave paintings made by our Neanderthal cousins over 64,000 years ago \"I was here. My life was meaningful.\" www.thestoryofusproject.com Make sure to check out our blog and social media feeds to get the most out of your enjoyment of our show,","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T00:18:17.352306+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324"},"episode":{"title":"Don’t Hurt People: A Lesson Learned the Hard Way—War, Prison, and Divine Grace with Jack Hager","slug":"don-t-hurt-people-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way-war-prison-and-divine-grace-with-jack-hager","published_at":"2026-03-08T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/don-t-hurt-people-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way-war-prison-and-divine-grace-with-jack-hager","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/the-story-of-us/2608827","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/334131/2608827/the-story-of-us/2026_03_08_01_07_27_4e3a7108-d11a-49c9-a147-9db1357ca266.mp3","summary":"Jack Hager joins Jeff Ellison for a raw, wide-ranging conversation tracing his journey from a transient military childhood and early addiction, to combat in Vietnam, involvement in smuggling and organized crime, and a 10-year prison sentence. In a Texas jail cell—through boredom, books, and an unexpected encounter with the Gospels—Jack experiences a faith conversion that reshapes his worldview and sets him on a decades-long path of prison ministry. Along the way, Jack returns again and again to personal responsibility: “You make your choices, then your choices make you.” The episode explores war’s moral complexity, the scars of coming home unwelcome, what prison is really like, why forgiveness matters, and how suffering changes when viewed through faith. Key Themes / Takeaways The power of choice and personal responsibility in shaping identity and destiny Vietnam’s lasting impact —combat, disillusionment, and the pain of returning home Prison as a crucible : danger, isolation, and the opportunity to “redeem the time” Faith without performance : Jack’s attraction to Jesus’ compassion for outsiders and critique of self-righteousness Forgiveness as freedom : “Unforgiveness builds a prison” Suffering and sovereignty : illness, aging, and how faith reframes hardship Notable Quotes “ You make your choices, then your choices make you. ” “ You can either do time or redeem the time. ” “ Unforgiveness builds a prison. ” “ He never had anything bad to say to the hookers… the only people he blasted were the religious people. ” “ Don’t hurt people. ” “ I’m indestructible until it’s time for me to go home. ” Guest Links / Resources Book: Captured by Grace (available on Amazon and major retailers) Email: jack.hager@gmail.com Ministry work mentioned: Crossroads Prison Ministries; Grou…","meta_description":"Jack Hager joins Jeff Ellison for a raw, wide-ranging conversation tracing his journey from a transient military childhood and early addiction, to combat…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4230,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/episodes/don-t-hurt-people-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way-war-prison-and-divine-grace-with-jack-hager/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/don-t-hurt-people-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way-war-prison-and-divine-grace-with-jack-hager.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}