{"store":{"customizeEditHighlightKey":null,"customizeEditingSectionKey":null,"customizeScrollToKey":null,"baseInfo":{"podcastTitle":"The Best of the Story","slug":"jimmears","podcastDescription":"

The Best of the Story is a short daily podcast from Jim Mears featuring uplifting stories with a meaningful takeaway. Inspired by the timeless storytelling tradition of Paul Harvey, each episode offers spiritual insight, practical encouragement, and a few positive minutes for everyday life. Listen to the end for the lesson behind the story—and follow the show so tomorrow’s story is waiting for you.

","podcastLogo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2.jpg","podcastShareLogo":"https://d2bwo9zemjwxh5.cloudfront.net/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_1200x628.jpg?s=6dce0ad03335d9b98783e9270c2437de&e=jpg","podcastUrl":"https://jimmears.podbean.com","podcastCanSearched":true,"feedUrl":"https://feed.podbean.com/jimmears/feed.xml","theme":"vertex","podcastDeepLink":"https://www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-t79kx-14fe8f0?from=usersite","removePodbeanBranding":"no","brandingLogo":null,"timeZone":{"timeZoneId":15,"gmtAdjustment":"GMT-05:00","useDaylightTime":1,"value":-5,"text":"(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)","daylightStartTime":"Second Sunday Of March +2 Hours","daylightEndTime":"First Sunday Of November +2 Hours","timezone":"America/New_York"},"podcastDownloads":null,"totalEpisodes":211,"showComments":true,"iOSAppDownloadLink":null,"customizeCssUrl":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/user-css.podbean.com/22014192/vertex/style.css","androidAppDownloadLink":null,"showPostShare":true,"showLike":true,"author":"Jim Mears","enableEngagementStats":true,"shareEmbedLink":"https://admin5.podbean.com/embed.html?id=pbblog-t79kx-14fe8f0-playlist","language":"en","sensitivitySessionExpireTime":86400,"podcastApps":[{"name":"Apple Podcasts","link":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-of-the-story/id1896788116","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/apple-podcast.png","title":null},{"name":"YouTube","link":"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe9o8M84s7mA","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/youtube_logo.png","title":null},{"name":"Podbean App","link":"https://www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-t79kx-14fe8f0?from=usersite","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/podbean-app.png","title":null},{"name":"Spotify","link":"https://open.spotify.com/show/033e6eD3ZpyQSkH3iouDkB","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/spotify.png","title":null},{"name":"iHeartRadio","link":"https://iheart.com/podcast/333219763","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/iHeartRadio.png","title":null},{"name":"PlayerFM","link":"https://player.fm/series/3720272","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/PlayerFM.png","title":null},{"name":"Listen Notes","link":"https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-best-of-the-story-jim-mears-FvijseMhl8c/","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/ListenNotes.png","title":null},{"name":"Podchaser","link":"https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/real-life-stories-6397955","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/Podchaser.webp","title":null},{"name":"BoomPlay","link":"https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/145521","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/BoomPlay.png","title":null}],"components":{"base":[{"id":"MainStyle","val":"light"},{"id":"Font","val":"Inter"},{"id":"SecondaryFont","val":"Inter"},{"id":"PlayerColor","val":"#D4A72C"},{"id":"PlayerStyle","val":"player2"},{"id":"PlayerWave","val":"show"},{"id":"Favicon","val":null},{"id":"CookiesNotice","val":"hide"},{"id":"CookiesNoticeContent","val":"

Cookies Notice

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies.

"},{"id":"EpisodePageListenOn","val":"hide"},{"id":"EpisodePageCustomizeComponent","val":"hide"}],"home-header":[{"id":"HomeHeaderTextColor","val":"#FFFFFF"},{"id":"HomeHeaderBackgroundColor","val":"#0B0B0B"}],"page-header":[{"id":"PageHeaderTextColor","val":"#0A0A0A"},{"id":"PageHeaderBackgroundColor","val":"#f6f6f6"}],"episode-list":[{"id":"EpisodesPerPage","val":15},{"id":"EpisodeStats","val":"show"}],"navigation":[{"id":"NavigationFontColor","val":"#0A0A0A"},{"id":"NavigationBackgroundColor","val":"#f6f6f6"},{"id":"NavigationSearch","val":"show"},{"id":"NavigationLinks","val":[{"id":"Home","type":"Link","value":"/","text":"Home","subitems":[]},{"id":"9fc5935e-efe0-b574-8cb9-268d5861ac34","type":"Page","value":"/p/start-here/","text":"Start Here","subitems":[]},{"id":"3a07ab03-3383-5540-846f-c725140d0527","type":"Page","value":"/p/about-jim/","text":"About Jim","subitems":[]},{"id":"Subscribe","type":"Link","value":"https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/3mdLlNSMoSJx","text":"Subscribe","subitems":[]},{"id":"Profile","type":"Link","value":"https://www.podbean.com/user-8Rg17pF2NIOG","text":"Profile","subitems":[]}]}],"footer":[{"id":"FooterType","val":"Footer2"},{"id":"FooterFontColor","val":"#0A0A0A"},{"id":"FooterBackgroundColor","val":"#f6f6f6"},{"id":"FooterCopyright","val":"© 2026 Jim Mears. All rights reserved."},{"id":"SocialMediaLinks","val":{"facebook_username":"thebestofthestoryjim","twitter_username":"","instagram_username":"thebestofthestories","youtube_username":"@TheBestOfTheStoryJim","linkedin_username":""}}],"customize-container":[{"id":"ComponentText-561844bd-1fbe-ec48-e476-6985fbec56dd","val":{"ComponentFontColor":"#0A0A0A","ComponentBackgroundColor":"#f6f6f6","ComponentContent":"

A Story Worth Hearing. A Lesson Worth Remembering.

Every day, Jim Mears shares a memorable story with a timeless Christian takeaway. Drawing on more than five decades of ministry, music, and storytelling, The Best of the Story turns a few encouraging minutes into something you can carry with you all day.

New here? Start with three listener favorites.

","ComponentTitle":"Custom section 1"}},{"id":"FeaturedEpisode","val":{"name":"Today’s Story","active":true,"type":"latest_episode","activeEpisodeId":"","activeEpisode":{"id":"pb29000858","idTag":"g69az","title":"Carol the Artist","logo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_300x300.jpg","shareLogo":"https://d2bwo9zemjwxh5.cloudfront.net/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_1200x628.jpg?s=6dce0ad03335d9b98783e9270c2437de&e=jpg","largeLogo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2.jpg","previewContent":"Follow The Best of the Story in your podcast app.More stories and ways to listen: jimmears.podbean.com","content":null,"publishTimestamp":1794286910,"duration":449,"mediaUrl":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/flvanzhuzodvs4uc/episode_audio_71EDDC66-67CC-445B-8DF5-C7171D0A33B2_5d6xwz.mp3","mediaType":"audio/mpeg","shareLink":"https://admin5.podbean.com/embed.html?id=pb-g69az-1ba849a","likedCount":0,"deepLink":"https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-g69az-1ba849a","transcriptUrl":null,"permalink":"/e/carol-the-artist/","downloadLink":"https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-g69az-1ba849a?download=1","fallbackResource":null,"fallbackResourceMimetype":null,"downloadCount":7,"status":"publish","hasMoreContent":false,"chaptersUrl":null,"explicit":false},"latestEpisode":null}},{"id":"EpisodeListType","val":"grid"},{"id":"ComponentText-07dd0cea-71aa-2008-d893-855eedaf1aa3","val":{"ComponentFontColor":"#0A0A0A","ComponentBackgroundColor":"#f6f6f6","ComponentContent":"

More ways to listen

Find The Best of the Story in your favorite podcast app. Choose a service below and follow the show for new stories from Jim.

","ComponentTitle":"Custom section 2"}}]},"allLinks":[],"mainStylesDefaultSettings":null,"defaultCustomizeComponents":null,"scripts":[],"metas":null,"appConfig":{"package":"com.podbean.app.podcast","app_store_id":973361050,"app_name":"Podbean","scheme":"podbean"},"customizeCss":null,"canEditCss":null,"enableJsCodeInCustomizeContent":false,"enabledIframeCodeInCustomizeContent":true,"sectionMaxCount":10,"enableEditorLink":true,"enableEditCookiesNotice":true,"siteRedirectToFeed":false,"podcatcherRssUrl":null,"showFeed":true,"showTopBar":false,"enableWebSiteLike":true,"organizationName":null,"organizationPageLink":null,"subscribeLink":"https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/3mdLlNSMoSJx","isPrivateChannel":false},"backToListUrl":"/","tinymceLoaded":false,"listEpisodes":[],"userLikedEpisodes":[],"userLikeCheckedEpisodes":[],"topBarIframeLoaded":false,"listTotalCount":0,"listTotalPage":0,"listPage":0,"listType":"all","listValue":"","listName":"","pageLoading":false,"apiBaseUrl":"https://jimmears.podbean.com","apiV2BaseUrl":"","apiCommonParams":{"t":"6af3254a","clientSignature":"117b50ea20bc2ae52392db1669e21598","u":null,"customizing":null},"apiCommonHeaders":{},"comments":[],"commentsTotalCount":0,"commentsTotalPage":0,"commentsPage":1,"commentEpisodeId":"pb28079433-etz8g","episode":{"id":"pb28079433","idTag":"etz8g","title":"Make a difference","logo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_300x300.jpg","shareLogo":"https://d2bwo9zemjwxh5.cloudfront.net/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_1200x628.jpg?s=6dce0ad03335d9b98783e9270c2437de&e=jpg","largeLogo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2.jpg","previewContent":null,"content":"

Follow The Best of the Story in your podcast app.
More stories and ways to listen: jimmears.podbean.com

","publishTimestamp":1779260401,"duration":374,"mediaUrl":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/khuhk75h8ybl04uj/episode_audio_FDA6708B-7B61-4586-851C-12B9212CEC1F_2h6nvn.mp3","mediaType":"audio/mpeg","shareLink":"https://admin5.podbean.com/embed.html?id=pb-etz8g-1ac7549","likedCount":0,"deepLink":"https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-etz8g-1ac7549","transcriptUrl":null,"permalink":"/e/make-a-difference-1779033413/","downloadLink":"https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-etz8g-1ac7549?download=1","fallbackResource":null,"fallbackResourceMimetype":null,"downloadCount":15,"status":"publish","hasMoreContent":false,"chaptersUrl":null,"explicit":false},"episodeShareLink":null,"deepLink":"https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-etz8g-1ac7549","playlist":{"episodes":[],"current":0,"start":0,"stop":0,"playing":true,"playerLoading":true,"playbackRate":1,"playbackRateIndex":1,"volume":1},"toasts":[],"confirm":null,"customizeEditorFormZIndex":999,"lastRequestTime":null,"validateChangesOnBeforeunload":true,"windowWidth":1000,"previewDevice":"desktop","VITE_FS1_CDN_URL_PREFIX":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1","reloadStats":false,"userIdEncrypted":null,"userProfilePicture":null,"username":null,"isVerified":false,"loadUserInfo":false,"loginUrl":"https://www.podbean.com/site/user/login?return=https%253A%252F%252Fjimmears.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fmake-a-difference-1779033413%252F&rts=fd899541886101f5cbdbcdfcaa49bcc3580aa91d","recaptchaV3Loaded":false,"recaptchaV2Loaded":false,"likesLoaded":false,"commentLikeMap":{},"commentOffset":0,"widgetCommentsLoaded":false},"episode":{"id":"pb28079433","idTag":"etz8g","title":"Make a difference","logo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_300x300.jpg","shareLogo":"https://d2bwo9zemjwxh5.cloudfront.net/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2_1200x628.jpg?s=6dce0ad03335d9b98783e9270c2437de&e=jpg","largeLogo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22014192/the-best-of-the-story-cover-v2.jpg","previewContent":null,"content":"

Follow The Best of the Story in your podcast app.
More stories and ways to listen: jimmears.podbean.com