encouraging podcast

Dr. Dixon ended up training to be a teacher, where he met Julie, now his wife of 20 years. They are raising their children in Charlotte, NC to be entrepreneurial, kingdom-minded humans.

Living life as a believer means we need to have God’s Word in our hearts. But how does one DO that in these busy times? As Brian points out, we need to get into the Word every single day. It most likely means that we will have to sacrifice something; and, like Jesus, we may have to get up early and “get away.” Brian starts every day reading, praying, listening to the Abide app…doing whatever it takes to get God’s Word into his heart.

Listen in for encouragement to keep on keepin on, friend!

For full show notes, go to: www.wrenrobbins.com/podcast/212

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After the death of their son, Hudson (affetionately known as Buzzy), Amanda and her husband formed an organization in their son's memory called Buzzy's Bees. Initally, the organization was formed with the goal of offering financial support to grieving families. Amanda knew that they had been blessed by family and friends offering support to them after 13 month old Hudson's unexpected, sudden death. She wanted to spread the love by offering help to others going through this experience as well.

Amanda soon realized, however, that financial stressors were not often the primary concern for bereaved parents. All parents want their children remembered and a great fear for many whose children die is that over time they will be forgotten.

How can we keep our children's memories alive? One way is through the gift of storytelling. Perhaps this is why I feel so drawn to Amanda. As all of my listeners know by now, I love telling stories. I feel extremely privileged to help parents share the stories of their children each week on the podcast.

Buzzy's Bees takes this stroytelling to a whole new level in their project, Give Grief a Voice. Even sharing with you the process brings tears to my eyes. First, a writer meets with the family and interviews them about their son or daughter. Then, this person records the child's story in a beautiful approximately 2000 word written format. After the story is completed, the parents pick out an artist to create visual art to accompany their child's written story.

How amazing is that? These parents are blessed with a new memory of their child, and we all know how precious that can be. Ultimately, Buzzy's Bees plans to publish these stories alongside the artwork in a book. For more information, to support or to fill out an application, please visit their website, buzzysbees.org.

When I started thinking about what to write about for today’s guests, Traci and Michelle, a song immediately came into my head. Perhaps it is because both of these women describe their children as ‘old souls’, but an old song came to mind. The song is, ‘You’ve Got a Friend,’ as sung by James Taylor originally recorded in 1971. The lyrics start:

 When you’re down and troubled and you need a helping hand.

And nothing, whoa, nothing is going right.

Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there.

To brighten up even your darkest nights.

This song truly seems to fit what they have become to each other. On the surface, Michelle and Traci are different in many ways. They originate from different parts of the country. They have very different backgrounds, different accents. Even the ways that lost their children are very different. Michelle’s daughter, Rachel, died from an electrical accident at a pool where she was working as a life guard (Episode 70) and Traci’s son, Hunter, died due to an accidental drug overdose. However, the bond of this shared experience of child loss brings them closer than they even could have imagined.

This friendship led them to seek out and attend different bereaved parents retreats across the country. Most recently, they attended an amazing While We’re Waiting retreat (which has been featured on the podcast). Michelle and Rachel loved these retreats and loved the bonds and friendships that were started on these weekends. Michelle says that during these retreats, she really felt like for the first time in a long time, she could truly breathe. She could open up and be herself without fear of judgment.

After seeing the long waiting lists for these retreats, Michelle and Traci had this overwhelming feeling that they should start one themselves. The organization, ‘Pangels’ (Parents of Angels) was born. The goal of their ‘Reflective Healing’ retreats is to help build personal supportive friendships. Their first retreat will be held March 4-6, 2022 at Lake Gaston In their home state of North Carolina, but the dream is to spread them to other parts of the country as well. To learn or and register for this retreat, visit their website, pangels.org.

“There is a difference between isolation and loneliness. Isolation is when you are physically separated from everybody else, but loneliness can be most felt sometimes when you are with other people.” 

As we continue our Q&A series on the podcast, Jenny Hill who lives with cerebral palsy is returning to answer questions about coping with loneliness and finding your hope in Christ.

We all understand the pain of isolation, especially after this past year, but loneliness is more than being separated from friends. The ache is sometimes most felt when you are surrounded by other people. And the pain of loneliness can cut like grief when you realize you aren’t truly known, and you aren’t enjoying the same experiences as others.

But God promises to be with you. So what if in your loneliness you take the first step to create meaningful relationships? What if you look around and ask, “Who needs to be known? Who is not being included? How can we connect?” Listen as Jenny encourages you to look beyond yourself at who else needs to be known and flip the script on loneliness today. 

Resources:

• Learn more about Jenny Hill
• Listen to Disability and Belonging
• Listen to How to Transform a Painful Situation: Being Stared At and Falling in Public
• Read Walking with Tension
• Follow Jenny on Facebook and Twitter

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
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*Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Join us in answering the call in Luke 14:21-23... until his house is full! 

Founded by author and international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care that serves needs and transforms hearts through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways. Joni and Friends also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses and internships through the Christian Institute on Disability. Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on Facebook,  Instagram, and YouTube.

Season 1:  Episode 3 / Release Date:  Friday, 10/2/2020
In this week's episode, we chat about experiences around sharing the mic: being able to shine in your own right, while also learning to celebrate others.  Join us as we collab and experience good vibes, laughter and insight!