Romans 10:11
For whoever believes in him, will not be put to shame
In this episode we’ll dive into John 21 and take a look at how Peter was possibly navigating his own shame. I just wonder if you can relate to his way of coping…I sure can. And it will lead us to a reinstatement of sorts that helps us to see that what we do doesn’t disqualify us from what Christ has already made possible.
“The past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays.” C S Lewis
After preparing to speak at a high school retreat, I decided that the content was too good to not share in this space as well. Today we’re talking about not only the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead, but the wonder of Jesus presence in the middle of Mary and Martha’s pain.
Our idea of time and our expectations of what God should be like, is far different
than the reality of the truth of who He is.
What if the waiting space we find ourselves in, is actually an invitation into intimacy?
“The presence of pain, doesn’t mean the absence of God”
---unknown
I decided before we move into February with rapid speed, it may do us well to slow down long enough to take inventory of what the last month has been like. I think when we do this, it makes space for us to proceed with a better sense of what we might need. So, in today’s episode I share a bit of what January looked like for me, in hopes you might consider doing the same!
The Lord is your Shepherd, you have everything you need.
Psalm 23:1 MSG
God is not a concept or an emotion, and he’s certainly not a doctrine in a statement of faith or a chapter in a theology book; he is a person, who’s burning desire is to know and be known by you. And like in any intimate relationship, there is a kind of knowledge that goes beyond words——a kind you can get only by direct
persont-to-person experience. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way
We’re almost done with our first month of 2024 and boy has it been a doozy so far. Today’s episode was basically me preaching to myself and letting you in on it. I’m talking about the Psalms, but honestly it’s more about engagement with God than actually reading pages in his book. I make a few observations that felt helpful for me and my hope is that you will go away feeling the same!
The Word of God is powerful against our internal traffic. …It replaces the internal chatter of life—-the criticism, the comparisons, and the shoulds—-with the truth of what God sees and thinks and feels. And that’s a beautiful sound.
Sara Hagerty, Unseen: The gift of being hidden in a world that loves to be noticed
Welcome to the first episode of 2024! Ever feel like your prayer life could use some attention? Today I’m going to share about my desire to grow in this area of my life and the pathway that I’m heading towards to help me move in that direction. I’ll share an excerpt from Eugene Peterson and give you an invitation to join me on this adventure!
The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I’m able to hear the voice that calls me the beloved. And the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world. Henri Noun
In this episode I’ll share a few of the questions that I’m pondering as I look back at 2023 with an honest perspective and look forward to 2024 with hope and expectancy. Now, I realize not everyone likes this type of introspection, but I think it may be different this time than the typical questions of ‘how can I be better?’. Come along, have a listen and let me know what you think!
The real issue in self examination is not that I’m inviting God to know me, since He already does, but I’m inviting God to help me, know me. Ruth Haley Barton
“The sweetest joys and delights I have experienced, have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own estate, but in a direct view of the glorious things of the gospel…I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express….to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy, pure love; to trust in Him; to live upon Him; to serve and to follow Him.”
Our work matters, and yet, its more than just the work. This episode came directly out of my own time in the Scripture write through plan. I was going through a passage that I’ve been through no less than a hundred times and yet God still had some things to give me. It’s the Living Word! Join me today so you can experience some of His encouragement too!
Hey there!
Thanks for coming to this space where honesty leads the conversation. I had no intention of recording this, but after some interaction with people on social media, I decided to go ahead and do it.
So, this is a follow up to a story I shared on Instagram/Facebook about a panic attack I had. There was enough engagement from people wanting to hear how I actually dealt with it, and shared their own stories of anxiety, that I decided to share!
My hope is that if you need it to be, it is helpful, and you'll find that you have another who is walking the same journey as you!
God give us the grace to embrace mysteries we don’t understand,
The cruciform openness to live a tender surrender, into Your ways wiser and kinder than ours, and the deep shalom of simply being with You here, right here, with us.
—-Ann Voskamp
In this episode we’re taking a journey through some passages of Scripture together to see that in all the mystery, there is one who invites us to communion with Him. All the places in our lives that feel like unknown and full of fear and questions, become a pathway for relationship and honesty. A place where our vulnerability is welcome and we have a seat at the table prepared just for us!
Come along with me and taste what God has for you!
1 Thessalonians 5:18…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In this episode I'm having a conversation with some of our long time, dear friends, Joe and Amy Coy. We spent some time talking about what living a life of thanks has been like for them. They shared with me (and now you:), what it has looked like for them in each of their vocational places, in ministry, as well as in their very home as they raised their 5 kids and now live with aging parents.
Joe and Amy are treasured friends and beautiful humans and you'll surely enjoy this conversation with them!
John Bunyan called believing “sweating work”. He once wrote, “He that undertakes to believe, sets upon the hardest task that ever was proposed to man…”
In this episode I’m talking a little bit about what it means to overcome evil. We’ll talk about the reality of the battle we are in, as well as the fact that our Jesus has ultimately bought us victory. We'll talk of the communal nature of the battle and I’ll share a little of my own experience--- I’ll even share a vulnerable piece, with you, at the end that I wrote during a writing exercise.
In this world, you will have trouble…John 16:33
We all experience struggles in this thing we call life. In this episode, I share how my own word battles around my worth led me on a hunt for an answer to this question. I don’t know about you, but I often get quiet and choose to stay alone when things are hard for me, so after a long, hard day I decided to search around for how Jesus had been in the past and thought maybe it might give me some courage for next time I found myself in this space. I also discovered some things through my Bible Study the next morning that expanded my thinking and my heart for God around it all! (Thank you Kristi McLelland for your deep work in your Jesus and Women study:)
I think you might be interested to hear what I found~and if you click play, you can hear all about it!
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Proverbs 4:26
Today my friend and I are talking about steadfastness…what it means, as well as how it is appropriated into our own lives as we live out our days with Jesus and one another.
We share some personal experiences around what it’s looked like to believe God’s steadfastness love for us, even when we blow it or walk in unbelief, and how we’ve found our way back.
Come along with us as we learn to practice this together!
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
This week we’re talking about change…how to navigate it with new lenses and different tools. What would it look like to actually take the time to pay attention to yourself and honor the fact that you’re in the middle of a disruption? I have been through major changes this last year and a half and I share a few of the things that I learned along the way that hopefully will give you a little help as you face your own season of change.
How far can we go? How much is permissible? The Psalms suggest that we can go the whole way, that it is all permissible; the praise, yes, but also the grief, the sorrow, the anger… -Walter Brueggeman
In the Spacious Place, we often talk about freedom and I think in some ways it can get confusing for some---actually it used to be very confusing for me! So today I’m gonna share a little bit about what I mean when I say freedom is layered and hopefully let you in on some of the nuances that I have found helpful in regards to what it means to be a Jesus follower and how that relates to my broken places.
Come with me as I take a few scriptures and expand on what they might mean in their fullness, rather than simply taking them at face value and tossing them out because they don’t feel good. I’ll share some of my own struggles as well as some of the places that I have overcome that I don’t visit quite as often as I used to!
This is a special episode to me! The woman who actually, without even knowing it, inspired me to start this podcast, is a guest on today’s show! Cheryl Scruggs has a new book out called, ’Thriving Beyond Belief’ and we’re talking about this whole concept of thriving…what it is and what it isn’t, as well as some of her own personal stories that included trauma and how she found herself thriving, even in the middle of that!
We also talk about the relentless hurry that our culture not only lives in, but really celebrates, and she shares a few practical ways that we can fight against this idea that being busy means we’re flourishing. Cheryl is also honest and kind and has been so willing to let, even the places I’m sure she’d rather not be mentioned again, be used for the glory of God! It's inspiring to hear part of her story and see how God's using it for His kingdom.
Join me as we spend this time together!
“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” E.B. White
Jesus is not afraid to hang out with messy, unkept, sinners. In fact, that was his very plan from the beginning!
In this episode I am taking you back in time to parts of my story where I can see now that Jesus was there….wooing me, drawing me, even tho I wasn’t ready to say yes. I’ll show you how he was making deposits that would begin to pay dividends later. And my hope is that as I have shared how this going back has drawn me deeper and allowed me to worship in new ways, that you’ll be eager to do the same in your own life, if you haven’t already.
A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.
—Unknown
A spacious place includes all the parts of us. Today I’m having a short chat with my 3 year old granddaughter Winnie that I thought might be fun for you to get in on with me. I mean, who doesn’t love to hear about some of a 3 year olds favorite things?!! If you need to smile today then this one’s for you!
I water you, you water me; we grow together. Brandon Nembhard
How would the Body of Christ look if our shifted from building our own kingdoms, to building His?
This week my friend Laurine and I are having a conversation about the idea of being together. We talk through why we believe it matters, what gets in the way of us practicing it, and how we’ve grown along the way with one another.
Join us as we make our way “together” through this topic:)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
Acts 1:8
The trinity is both mysterious and confusing, comforting and wonderful. Today I’m having a conversation with Laurine from Breathe in Him podcast, about the Holy Spirit. We navigate some of the big thoughts around who He is and why it matters to know the truth about the trinity through God’s word, as well as some of the nuances of walking by the Spirit. Come join us!
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