Growing on The Vine

In this insightful episode of Growing on The Vine, host Chris Ryan sits down with Daisy Tate, the Board Chair of the Veteran Supplemental Support Network. Based in Temecula, VSSN has been a dedicated resource for military and veteran families since 2013. Daisy provides a "30,000-foot overview" of the organization’s mission, emphasizing that they do not duplicate existing government services. Instead, they focus on "filling the gaps"—the small but critical logistical hurdles like transportation failures or short-term housing delays that often lead to major crises for veterans.
Daisy shares a powerful "thought map" of the veteran journey, illustrating how uncertainty can lead to isolation and a delay in seeking help. She highlights the specific challenges of the civilian workforce, noting that employment support isn't just about getting a job, but about "translating" military skills so employers understand their value and veterans can retain their positions. The episode also highlights the upcoming "Winter Wonderlane" event on December 11th at the Temecula Promenade, a massive community celebration designed to honor and connect veteran families. Listeners will walk away with a better understanding of how the community can provide a stronger safety net simply by starting with a "hello."

In this episode of Growing on The Vine, host Chris Ryan welcomes Paul Fischer (CEO and Founder) and Chris Clemens (COO and Pastor) of Radiant Mobile to discuss a revolutionary approach to digital safety. Radiant Mobile is introduced as the first-ever Christian mobile plan, designed specifically to address the pervasive dangers of the modern internet. Unlike traditional parental control apps that can be bypassed or deleted, Radiant Mobile utilizes patent-pending technology to block inappropriate content at the carrier level before it ever reaches the device.

In this episode of Growing on The Vine, host Chris Ryan sits down with Julie Noe, the Executive Director of the Rose Again Foundation, to discuss the unique and vital role the organization plays in Southwest Riverside County. While foster care agencies manage the legal and placement aspects of a child’s journey, Rose Again focuses on "filling the gaps" providing the emotional and material support that the state system often overlooks.
Julie highlights the foundation’s "A Book of Their Own" initiative, emphasizing the psychological importance of foster children owning something brand-new rather than a hand-me-down. She shares heartbreaking yet inspiring stories of children who arrive at new homes with nothing but a trash bag, and how the foundation steps in with "comfort stuff" new clothes, weighted blankets, and even birthday cakes. Beyond immediate needs, Julie explains their commitment to long-term success through tutoring programs and the "Thrive" program, which supports youth aging out of the system. The episode also features a powerful success story of a former foster child turned foundation employee, illustrating how the community’s investment creates a cycle of giving back. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of the foster care landscape and actionable ways to support these resilient children.

On this episode of Growing on the Vine, Chris Ryan sits down with Dr. Yuan Hawks, candidate for Temecula City Council, District 5, to discuss an extraordinary journey from growing up under Communist China's one-child policy to serving her community in Southern California.
Dr. Hawks shares how earning a full scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois changed the course of her life. She reflects on discovering Christianity while in graduate school, leaving a successful scientific career to become a full-time mother and homeschool educator, and embracing a life of servant leadership inspired by her faith.
The conversation also explores the differences between life in communist China and the United States, the importance of family, homeschooling, volunteer leadership, and what motivated her to seek public office. Listeners will gain insight into her vision for preserving Temecula's family-friendly culture while serving the community with integrity and compassion.

In this episode of Growing on the Vine, host Chris Ryan sits down with Rudy Cortez, the visionary founder of Próspero, a social enterprise based in Lake Elsinore, California. Prospero operates as a "Center of Prosperity", offering a welcoming, home-like environment where individuals can find support for immigration, business development, and financial security.—all free of charge.
 
He discusses staying open God's promises and plans and how it allows an organization to expand beyond it's human-planned limitations.

TJ Cortez, a worship leader and musician from Menifee, shares his journey in music and ministry and the story behind his song "Every Other Love," a testimony of finding hope and healing in God.He discusses songwriting, struggles with loneliness and depression, his heart to evangelize through accessible worship, and the growing revival happening in the community. Find his music on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram at official1914music.

On this episode of Growing on The Vine, we welcome Caleb Hebert and Providence Baker for a conversation about faith, music, creativity, and using God-given gifts for His glory. Caleb is a young composer and songwriter from Southern California whose work includes film scores, musicals, original Christian music, and the church ministry musical Remember Jericho. Together, Caleb and Providence share the heart behind their creative work, their collaboration in music, and what it means to pursue excellence while keeping Christ at the center.
This conversation reminds us that Christian creativity is not just about talent. It is about stewardship, worship, obedience, and pointing people back to Jesus through the gifts God has entrusted to us. Whether you are an artist, musician, ministry leader, student, parent, or simply someone who wants to live faithfully with the gifts God has given you, this episode offers encouragement to create, serve, and follow Christ with purpose.

Kim-Evinda Lepins of Trench Classes United explains a faith-based, small-group class pathway designed to strengthen relationships by addressing unresolved roots from the past. The program begins with How to Love Who You Love and continues with deeper “root classes” on themes like shame, anger, fear, rigidity, and identity, supported by mentoring and guidance from a licensed therapist. Classes are offered in-person and online, with affordable pricing and a focus on healing through Christ-centered community.

Host Chris Ryan introduces Growing on the Vine and welcomes Cassidy Brewer, a Temecula-based author, to discuss her new book, Blameless. 
Brewer offers an overview of her story as a near-death experience memoir centered on a ruptured brain aneurysm connected to an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that occurred when she was thirteen, followed by extensive hospitalization, multiple surgeries, a stroke, and an approximately four-month coma. 
She describes the event as sudden and largely symptomless beforehand, with only a vague recollection reported by her mother of an earlier “washing” sensation in her head. The acute onset included shaking or vibrating sensations, sweating, posturing, vomiting, and rapid deterioration en route to the hospital. 
Brewer explains that coma recovery did not resemble popular portrayals, emphasizing gradual emergence and prolonged impairment. She recounts early awareness after returning home, noting a meaningful interaction with the family dog as one of the first triggers of recognition, while communication and mobility remained severely limited for months.
The conversation also highlights the burden carried by Brewer’s family during caregiving, including her sister’s decision to forgo much of her senior year of high school to assist with daily care and medical logistics. Brewer frames the season as collectively traumatic and marked by practical dependence, while the family continued to lean on faith.
Reflecting spiritually, Brewer describes a shift from childhood religiosity to a more tested faith in adolescence, and she presents suffering as a context in which God strengthens and reshapes perspective. She argues that “healing” is not always physical but often concerns the mind and the “heart posture,” and she advises listeners to move from “why me” toward “what can I do with this.” 
Brewer explains that the title Blameless conveys that no individual is to be faulted for what occurred and that her story fits within God’s purposeful design. In discussing identity after disability, she embraces the term “survivor,” rejects taking offense as spiritually constricting, and describes authenticity and vulnerability as consistent with belonging to God as his workmanship.
Regarding composition, Brewer notes that writing the book involved gathering perspectives from friends and family to supply details she could not remember from the coma period, comparing this multi-perspectival approach to the distinct Gospel witness accounts.
Brewer closes by directing listeners to purchase Blameless on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com, and she expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share what Christ has done through her story to encourage others. 

Welcome to Growing on The Vine, a community affairs conversation from 102.5 The Vine FM, where we explore how followers of Jesus are living out their faith in the everyday life of Southwest Riverside County. I am your host, Chris Ryan.
In this episode, I am joined by my guest, Melissa Lampert, the owner of Hills of Mercy Counseling in Temecula. We talk about the growing mental health needs of children and adolescents, how faith-informed counseling can serve families, the impact of phones and social media on identity and anxiety, and why simple habits like shared meals and consistent routines matter so much for the next generation.
So whether you are listening in the car, at home, or catching up later on the podcast, thank you for joining the conversation. This is Growing on The Vine.