About this episode:
When life feels too broken to fix, God’s grace steps in to redeem what’s been lost. In this episode, Dove-Award winner Nicole C. Mullen shares how God turned her pain into purpose and her regrets into songs of redemption. From stories of biblical heroes to her own journey through hardship, Nicole reminds us that the same God who redeemed the past is still rewriting our stories today.
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SpotifyTIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What God Is Doing Through the Pain
02:03 Growing Up in God’s Word
08:43 Lessons from Heroes and Sheroes of Faith
15:21 From Abuse to Redemption
19:33 Freedom, Forgiveness, and the Power of Grace
25:19 Faith and Freedom — The Story of Elizabeth Freeman
The Conversation Continues in our Community:
34:26 What Redemption Means 20 Years Later
From Regret to Redemption
There’s something beautiful about the way God’s grace meets us in our most broken places.
It doesn’t erase the pain, but it does transform it—turning regret into redemption and broken stories into testimonies of hope. In this week’s episode of the Coffee and Bible Time Podcast, Ellen sits down with Dove-award-winning artist and author Nicole C. Mullen to talk about her book It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing—and about the God who redeems every chapter of our lives.
Nicole’s story is one of faith refined through fire. Known around the world for her powerful song Redeemer, she opens up about the valleys behind the victories—the dark seasons of fear, abuse, and heartbreak that God transformed into a message of healing and courage. Through her words, we’re reminded that no past disqualifies us from God’s purpose, and that His grace is greater than our deepest shame.
God’s Grace Gives Us Courage in Our Weakness
Nicole’s love for Scripture began early in her life in Cincinnati, where her family’s faith shaped her from childhood. She recalls memorizing verses as a little girl, even when she struggled with speech:
“Although I was a stutterer and shy, the more I got into the Scripture, the more I received the power of the Holy Spirit… The Word of God taught me to speak.”
Through God’s Word, she discovered courage—the kind that grows from knowing who God is, not who we are. Nicole reminds us that the Bible isn’t just a record of perfect saints, but of flawed heroes and heroines whose stories prove that God still uses imperfect people.
Just as God strengthened biblical figures like Abigail and Jochebed to make brave, faith-filled choices, He can do the same for us. Their examples remind us that courage begins with trusting God’s voice over fear, shame, or pressure.
God’s Grace Redeems Even Our Deepest Wounds
One of the most moving moments in Nicole’s testimony is her account of surviving domestic abuse in her early twenties. When she was told she “had no purpose,” God’s Word whispered a different story.
“He would work all things together for my good—not that everything would be good, but that He would work it together for good if I loved Him.”
Nicole C Mullen
Through years of pain and healing, Nicole learned that God’s grace in brokenness doesn’t just restore what’s lost—it grows something new. Out of her suffering came songs like Redeemer and When I Call on Jesus, written from the very soil of her struggle.
She shares, “He allowed that heartache to become the soil where new songs could grow. He takes our broken pieces and makes masterpieces out of them.”
Nicole’s story reminds us that God’s grace rewrites our broken stories—not by erasing our past, but by redeeming it for His glory.
God’s Grace Empowers Us to Walk in Freedom
Nicole also found inspiration in stories of faithful women from Scripture and history, like Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved woman in 18th-century Massachusetts who fought for her freedom after hearing the words “all men are created equal.”
“If one minute’s freedom had been offered to me,” Freeman once said, “and I must die at the end of that minute, I would have taken it just to stand one minute on God’s earth as a free woman.”
Nicole reflects, “Her courage showed me that it’s never wrong to do the right thing. It’s never wrong to say, ‘I want to be free from bondage.’”
Through Elizabeth’s story—and her own—Nicole reminds us that freedom in Christ is already paid for. But as she beautifully puts it, “Most of the things in the kingdom of God are voice-activated. Unless we ask, we don’t receive.”
That’s the heart of redemption: receiving what God’s grace has already secured for us, one obedient step at a time.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Final Reflection
Nicole C. Mullen’s story is proof that God’s grace is greater than regret. Through every dark night and every wrong turn, His light still breaks through. Whether your struggle is fear, failure, or shame, take heart—your Redeemer lives, and He’s still rewriting stories today.
It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing: Courageous Stories to Inspire Godly Decisions
You don’t have to stay stuck in the shadows of despair and shame. Godly decisions will help restore your heart and direct you to a life of abundant blessings in Christ.
Nicole C. Mullen is known for her success as an artist, winning nine Dove Awards including Female Vocalist of the Year for her hit songs “Redeemer” and “On My Knees.” However, what most don’t know is that Nicole, like everyone else, has suffered from brokenness, pain, and fear of the future.
It was during these trying moments that Nicole drew strength from courageous men and women, who in difficult times trusted God to help them make the right decisions in their darkest seasons. In her new book It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing, Nicole shares the stories of people from the Bible, history, and her life who have inspired her to make changes for the better.
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