Heart to Heart with Deborah Smith: Recent Episodes
Deborah Smith
Conversations with normal every day people who have a story of surrender & hope to tell that will spark and encourage your own journey of surrender.
God Doesn’t Waste Anything!
Today on making Room I'm sharing a personal testimony.
This year has been very challenging for me. I have carried the weight of illness and struggled to find my peace in the waiting for healing and restoration of my body. It has led me to truly understand that even in our darkest time and difficult seasons we can find Him, because God is Always Present.
He gave me a beautiful picture of an eye that was weeping from the corner and below it was a garden growing as the tears fell an watered it..
This has bought deep revelation to my heart that God is always working and never gives up on us. We may give up on Him but he never lets go of us.
God Doesn't Wast Anything!
Paul &Cheryl Smith
Broken, Restored, Healed - When God rewrites your marriage His way!
Today on Heart to Heart my beautiful friends Paul and Cheryl Smith share about the power of connection, the damage of silence and conflict in marriage. Following the breakdown of their marriage and divorce, God led them to Him first for healing and hope, before they were able to find their hearts and lives back together after a 10 years apart.
They share the hard and broken things and powerful tools they learned along the way that changed their lives forever.
Their heart is to see the broken lives healed and marriages restored. Amen!
Aaron & Angela Bullock
It was such a joy to interview this delightful, funny and inspiring couple. Aaron and Angela share their strong faith and conviction to follow Jesus into the mission field in Columbia. Living in the most dangerous area in Columbia’s most dangerous city, they bring to life the joy of serving and leading in a new way. They both have such a joyful, faith filled love for Lord and the lost, it’s contagious! Even in the face of a cancer diagnosis, Ange shares the simple statement that “If I die l will be with the Lord” . I was so blessed but the simplicity of their story and the profound way they have laughed in the face of fear and trusted in the goodness of God. May you be blessed beyond measure by their laughter and joy as they shared their story today.
https://open.spotify.com/show/6G3Z0xPO9qH9xi4ITYXCCH?si=a7a700564e95412a
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/heart-to-heart-with-deborah-smith/id1604296338
My guests on Heart to Heart today is my Co host for this Episode - Jason Albrecht and guest author and photographer David Martinelli. David shares some of his journey of struggling with abandonment after his father left which resulted in subsequent emerging anger issues as he became an adult. His vulnerability and honesty are powerful and raw.
My honest belief is that this is an issue that has plagued our past and current generations and people are desperate for help and answers.
David is also the author of a book called Ordinary Men. This book honours 50 men by photographing and sharing a short testimonial of each of these men who unknowingly or knowingly helped to shape his life by giving love, encourage and teaching him throughout his journey up to today. This beautiful testament should inspires us to see the needs of other, especially young men. There is such a need for them to be challenged, encouraged and modelled what it looks like to be a father and friend.
My prayer is that you will be moved to care for those who desperately need to know the father’s love.
🙏🙌
If you would like to order a copy of David’s book you can find it by emailing David at-
dcmartinelli62@gmail.com
Today on Heat to Heart I was truly blessed by my beautiful friend Tash Wardlaw. She has a wonderful deep and courageous story of Gods faithfulness. We follow her through 7 years of illness and suffering. It never ceases to amaze me how much God Is present in our suffering when we invite him into it.
I pray you are blessed and challenged by Tash’s incredible hope and trust in Jesus even in the darkest of times. What a joy to walk with others who are shining lights in the darkest of places.
My guest on Heart to Heart is the beautiful Felicity Jenkins. She shares from her heart about what love looks like in different season’s of her life. She is a gifted speaker, worship leader and lover of Jesus. Felicity shares parts of her story about looking for love without Jesus, resulting in deep rejection but discovering hope for the future.My prayer for this powerful message of Gods love is to set you free from a need to seek love and acceptance from others as your identity. May you find your identity in the one who knows you and loves you more than anyone else “JESUS” If you would love prayer or a chat please contact66 me via these sites. hearttoheartpodcast50@gmail.comhttps://m.facebook.com/elizakingmusic
Instagra,
@hearttoheart_podcast
Ep// 42. Living out a life of faith in the political world.
What a privilege it was to have Luke Howarth, the Federal Member for Petrie sharing with us. I was honestly so blessed by this opportunity. It takes a strong and courageous person to live in the spotlight as a politician and a citizen of Heaven.
One of the beautiful and powerful statements Luke shared really challenged my heart, “ Knowing what God thinks matters the most and gives you an inner strength that can’t be beaten out of you and this carries me through.”
He loves to chat to people no matter the race, culture, men, women, old or young. God has given him a beautiful gift of being present in the moment with others. He has challenged me greatly about setting goals in life, family, work, friendships and faith.
I have been blessed by Luke’s genuine ability to listen and show kindness to anyone he meets, no matter the environment including myself.
Thanks Luke, for sharing your story of living out a life of faith in the political world.
I pray you are truly blessed by Luke’s candid and powerful words.
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
I’m excited to kick off the year with the beautiful Sarah Wiseman. Can I say what a privilege it east st hear Sarah share vulnerably about Her mental health Journey. She has a raw yet compelling way of engaging hearts though her story. Sarah loves people and values the anyone god bring accord her path. She loves to share her journey with God and motherhood her family and the prophetic. I believe you will be encouraged by her delightful humour and her compassionate love for those struggling with the silent pain of mental health.
@themummymission
Today on Heart to Heart I interviewed the beautiful Debbie Hurt. Her story of sacrifice and surrender is breath taking. God gave Deb so much grace to walk out this journey through the suffering and pain of loosing her mum to Alzheimers, and then her Dad to cancer. It is so powerful to see the journey of hope that formed over this time in Debs life. She has so much wisdom and courage and expresses how Gods goodness’s and faithfulness is also for us in our season of trauma, surfing and pain.
Ps 9:9-11
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord will never forsake those who seek you.
He is so faithful!!
Today my guest on Heart to Heart is Kylie Castle. It has been a blessing to hear her journey and see Gods faithfulness throughout. She shares of the pain of the IVF journey and the struggle to walk it out with the Lord, and learning how to keep a solid relationship which her husband Simon. Through the years of isolation, fear, control and anxiety caused so much inner turmoil. As she learned to surrendered theses things, a beautiful release and joy has exploded in her heart.
My prayer for you my friends is that you find the joy of surrendering your journey to Him and His peace finds a place in your heart. May God lead you, hold you and carry you through as he meets you where you are.
Blessing Deb xx
Leaning how to hear Gods voice in the chaos of this world can be a challenge. In this episode I share how the past few months of stillness and rest have renewed my identity with the Lord.
My encouragement is that our vulnerability and honesty with our journey digs deep wells and produces fruit.
The days are long and hard when we live with a fear of rejection. Eliza king / Cameron is my new guest on Heart to Heart today.
She courageously shares from her battle with rejection and finding freedom. Her story of redemption and Hope leaves no doubt in my mind of the wonderful power and need for our identity and nature to be forged in Jesus.
Eliza has uncovered deep joy, freedom and unconditional love as she walks out her faith. Worship has become her weapon through writing and producing beautiful music which points to the heart of the one who loves us most. I pray you are challenged and blessed by her spoken words and her beautiful music.
https://m.facebook.com/elizakingmusic
https://www.elizakingmusic.com/
website
https://linktr.ee/elizaking?fbclid=PAAaYyWfY1wFDymDCv2PRSPDtzqPDTFi1N41GApSyxppNWMtbiAAVjIy0SfHA_aem_ATRiHb87n2bz6WIqAsjVFrsigL43xCfc1Rd1O76uAtD_qWgEXF9YVfeK0rx3-nhn-B8
The Miracle of Baby Evi
If anything in todays podcast causes distress please reach put to a friend or Lifeline on 13 11 14
Surrounded by a house full of people who were visiting with Kara’s family, stunned and shaken Kara discover 4 weeks old baby Evi passed away on her bed. This is the story of her MIRACULOUS resurrection!!
Kara shares a powerful testimony of baby Evi coming back to life after 26 mins of not breathing. As hard as this story is, she has a brave and heartfelt ability to explore and express Gods goodness throughout this journey. Her raw beautiful heart comes though as she shares different aspects of how this journey affected them individually and as a family. Kara has a delightful heart that calls us to trust God no matter the season of life. And to lean in to the Father daily
What does music, death and life have in common? Ethan shares how these three things have changed his life forever. He has a soft and vulnerable way of sharing how his music journey transformed into a worship one after the death of his mum. With beautiful honesty and passionate courage Ethan tackles the topic of working out his faith, finding his calling and experiencing freedom filled faith through loss. He has says it’s ‘the greatest sadness bought the ultimate gift!’ The Death of his mum ultimately brought him back to life Eternal. What a sweet and powerful statement!
Check out Ethan’s socials @ethanbeer
Connect with me on our socials to continue the conversation, have a chat or just say hi 🙌
- Instagram. @hearttoheart_podcast
- Facebook Heart to Heart Podcast
Links
https://open.spotify.com/show/6G3Z0xPO9qH9xi4ITYXCCH?si=YbSFj1KqT0i5dqPhZ3Qqjg
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/heart-to-heart-with-deborah-smith/id1604296338
35 // Renelle Curtis: Trusting Jesus who Holds Baby Nicky for Eternity - Living with loss.
Renelle Curtis with an amazing outward focus, speaks openly about the loss of their son Nicky at 18 months of age. Her quiet gentle and dedicated love for Jesus is evident as she shares about how the body of Christ came around them ,encouraging and empowering them back to life from that difficult season.
Renelle and Mikes decision to engage in powerful open and connected communication within their marriage was the cord that bound them together. They chose to walk out their pain united with the Lord! What a testimony and courageous grace they carry. Renelle is a beautiful, powerful prayer warrior who allows her heart for prayer to breathe life back into others who may need it.
As a family they have walked out 2 Tim 4:7-8 which says:-
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
I just want to say thank you to Renelle, Mike and family for trusting me with the story of your precious son Nicky.
Enjoy
EP 34 // Tamara Haddon: Gods Creative Power Through Art - As an Act of Worship.
Today on Heart to Heart I have the lovely Tamara Haddon returning to talk about her creative art journey. I love hearing the profound way the Lord has changed and moulded her through creativity as an act of worship, by using prophetic art. You may be wondering what is prophetic art? I invite you to have a listen to Tam's story of encouragement and empowerment for anyone who longs to see God use them for His glory in their creative journey. Whether it’s painting or worship, writing, pottery or photography even sewing, crochet or wood working, Tam shares how God can use any kind of creativity for Gods glory. This inspiring truth creates space for a desire to explore Gods beauty, using our gifting and becoming a blessing to bless others.
Enjoy
Ep: 8 The Beautiful Messy Journey of Motherhood - With Deborah Smith
Today on Making Room, I shared from my heart about the tension between feeling guilt as a mum and seeking Gods grace and forgiveness in the light of eternity. It’s vulnerability and hard to share your failings, but it’s powerful to discover that Gods love and forgiveness is always available. As we draw closer to Mother’s Day I pray whatever the season you’re in that your heart will be drawn back to His. I pray that you will keep Jesus in the centre and let Him breathe life and hope into your spirit. We may make mistakes but God never does, and he is not disappointed in us because of our failings, he is calling us higher and holding us closer. I pray blessing and healing over your hearts today and thank Him for the beautiful messy journey of Motherhood ✨
My latest guest on Heart to Heart is Dan Sweetman, the Senior Pastor from Lifepoint Church Rothwell. Dan has a wonderful pastoral heart and desires to see people grow in love with Jesus more and more everyday. His passion to see others learn how to accept their limits but not neglect the calling God has put on their lives is so restorative. He shares many stories of his own struggles in this area, as well as some beautiful, God given truths he’s found over time. I love Dan’s vulnerability and honesty as he leads, loves and serves Gods people. My prayer is that learning to rest and work from this place will powerfully change your world forever. Change can be hard but often life giving. I pray that you find a deep peace and restored joy, as you learn how to live and work from a place of Rest as you walk out your calling with Gods strength.
Walking bravely through the vulnerability of infertility
Today on Heart to Heart my guest is the lovely Danielle Pritchard.
She shares her brave and vulnerable story of secondary infertility. This journey has taken her to the deepest valleys and highest mountain tops with the Lord but has bought freedom from idols, resentment, fear and despair. She has learnt to hear the voice of the Lord and sing His song out over her heart as a sacrifice of praise. I loved listening to the tension of wisdom and vulnerability. There is so much power that comes from hearing stories of Gods goodness in the hard places. My prayer is that you are blessed by this no matter what your journey is. He is enough for you my friend, no matter the journey.
Our earthly Father is where we get our identity, our provision, security, protection and our covering! You may have had a wonderful Father and this is awesome! What then happens when our earthly Father wasn’t able to or chose not to provide these things for us?
For many years I was very angry with my dad. I felt he didn’t love me and his rejection of me was hard. I don’t think his rejection was deliberate but It infected my heart none the less. I have had to walk through years of forgiveness and acknowledge that I needed God to re-write the story of my heart. This was to show me my Heavenly Fathers love for me was more than my earthly Fathers love could ever have been. The surrendering of my heart has meant I’ve had to learn to let God love me. I pray you are blessed by this truth of how much your Heavenly Father wants YOU to let Him love you too.
Seasons of Faith
My guest on this episode of Heart to Heart is David Unwin. David brings with him a wealth of wisdom and understanding of staying connected to the Lord through the many different seasons of Faith. I love that David shares from his heart and has a genuine love for people and always looks for the gold in those around him. He shared with integrity and vulnerability of different seasons in and out of church that have challenged his identity and faith. My prayer for all listening is that you will find strength in your journey by hearing the power of humility and faith that has followed David throughout his life.
Have you ever struggled with fear?
Today on Heart to Heart I’m sharing about 2 beautiful testimonies that I have had in my own life over the past year. I have had so many beautiful experiences because of the journey I’m on. We are all a work in progress and I’m no exception. God has had to strip me back and expose some spaces in my life that have been so hard to be free from. I’m so encouraged that he uses gentle beautiful ways to shape us if we let him. This is just the tip of the iceberg but I’m thankful for His goodness and strength he has been building in my heart.
John and Deb Bromley are long time friends who have a unique story of joining hearts and families at the age of 44. They felt Gods call to go to Papua New Guinea and it become a journey of enormous challenges and joys. Uncertain how this would go with 6 kids: with three from each of them they embarked on the journey of a life time. This story challenges me to love people back to life by whatever mean’s available. The Bromley have not only stated an NGO but have begun a child sponsorship program with over 300 children with many more needing sponsorship. My encouragement to you is listen and let your heart be challenged by what god can do when we are willing to answer his call with a resounding Yes. 🙏
https://www.linksofhopepng.com/
A link for the Links of Hope coffee is on their web sight too.
Peace In the Storm - with Karolina Gunsser
Today on Heart to Heart I have the pleasure of sharing this vulnerable conversation with Karolina Gunsser who is the Senior pastor of Citipointe Church Redcliffe. She shares from the heart about the passing of her husband Sam. Karolina is a truly powerful lover of Jesus and has encountered death while letting God be her strength. She is marked with peace and courage as she shares how God breathed new life into her broken heart and passion to keep loving and serving her community.
Karolina truly walks with God as her source of strength, as she leads her family and congregation without her beloved Sam. She gives great insight into facing the storms of life with Gods Peace at the centre. Karolina declares the power of choice, that instead of saying “Why God” He has taught her to say “What now God.”
The journey she has traveled has forged deep rivers of gold in her heart by trusting every ounce of strength to be found in Him and Him alone.
I was so blessed and changed by the profound grace and truth that oozes out of Karolina’s deep wells with the Lord. May you find hope in your suffering and healing in your life as you hear her testimony of Gods faithfulness in the storm.
Today on Heart to Heart I spend some precious time with the wise and courageous Rob and Heather Porter. Pastors of Kingdom Culture Church in Brisbane, Australia, Rob and Heather beautifully share their moving story of 36 years of marriage. It has encompassed pastoral ministry across continents, including seasons of infertility and journeying through adoption, and a deep passion for global mission including the Ukraine.
This powerful couple explore loving Jesus in every season and bringing light in the dark wherever they go. Their passion for youth and young adults has seen them blossom and help raise up a generation of passionate lovers of Jesus.
My prayer is that you are deeply blessed by their honesty and vulnerability today.
Today on Heart to Heart my guest is Tim Maxsted. Tim shares how his life of addiction to alcohol caused him to loose all he new, including his family, his earthly possessions, his dignity and walking a life of depression and despair. He found freedom from addiction after digging a pit so deep and finding Jesus at the bottom of it.
Tim highlights the realisation that you never know how far you can fall and that God leaves you. Through the healing process of rehab he went on an emotional journey of being stripped of who he was, to become the man God created him to be: accepted, free and restored.
link
https://transformations.net.au/
Welcome to another episode of Heart to Heart!
My guest today is Mel Depsey. She shares her astounding testimony of radical healing of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Her story follows the journey of a sudden diagnosis of PCOS and a label of “infertile” followed by a cancer diagnosis. This story will fill your heart with faith that God is capable of anything!
Mel shares how she recognised that she needed a miracle and we serve a miracle working God! She speaks about leaning in and choosing joy and learning not to dwell on the diagnosis. Mel chose not to let her story become her lifestyle but rather leaned into worship and found joy in her daily rhythm of life. She states that getting out of the house and experiencing God in nature, finding fun along the way and leaving her future in His hands.It changed her world forever! Be blessed as you learn to lean in and choosing Gods way in all circumstances today!
Today on Heart to Heart, it has been my pleasure to interview Axel Heineback. Axel has a precious testimony of Gods healing and restoring power over his life. It is one of suffering through spiritual separation and loneliness in church. Axel has had seasons of feeling desperately alone, and carrying the weight of loss of those who have fallen or walked away from the Lord.
Loneliness in church is a real thing and shows the importance of the body of Christ being his hands and feet to each other and the world around us. My prayer is that this encourages you to love because he calls us too, to repent when he tells us too, and to find the joy of walking in the body of Christ.
Today on Heart to heart my guest is Gwen Harrison. She has lived an extraordinary life full of surrender and fulfilment. Her life in the Lord has been poured out in love, service and singleness. Gwen has been on the brink of hopelessness, addiction and desperation to finding meaning and purpose through a life of freedom. My prayer is that as you engage with Gwens story you find hope in the power of Jesus to transfer your story from death to life !
Often we are so busy we can’t hear what God is saying. We might try to connect our self to the right people, the right church or the right job. Things can often become confusing, even frustrating as we push to connect to the “right thing”. However as I discovered with my Air Pods we can be trying to connect ourselves, but are we are trying to connect to the wrong source?
My question is, “what are you trying to connect to? And is it the right place?”
It’s so easy in our hurried world to forget to check with Gods heart for the right place, process or decision.
God just wants us to slow down and ask Him this question, “Where does He want me, what does He have for me, and what Is He He SAYING to me and about me?”
Today on Heart to Heart I speaking with Kimmy Ewart and her story of passion for Jesus despite an acquired brain injury that left her in agony for 3 years. This awakened trauma from her childhood. Kimmy graciously walks us through her resolve to seek out her true identity, which was not in what she does but in who she is in Christ. Kimmy beautifully takes us on a journey of redefining who we are despite what happens to us. She is a shining light of surrender and hope in a broken world.
Today on Heart to Heart the beautiful Stephanie Sweetman is sharing her heart of surrendering her busy life and losses to the Father and the impact this has had for her.
So often we hold on tight to our way and letting go is hard. We can find that we end up in the desert and don’t know how we got there. Steph uses a quote from an unknown source that says “Our desert is not often from a major tragedy but from a thousand little deaths along the way”.
I invite you to experience a beautiful new and refreshingly honest look at surrendering our way to his, by letting go and allowing God to be what you need.
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing my eldest daughter, Susanna, who is a wife, mum and a passionate artist. Susanna shares a deep passion for Jesus and a love for prophetic art and prayer ministry. We chatted about her art journey and her transition into motherhood and what surrender looked like. She opens her heart to expose some of her darker places and how God was always present, bringing hope even when she couldn’t see the path ahead... and learning to see Gods beauty even in the small things.
My prayer is that you are encouraged to seek God in all seasons of life knowing He is faithful and present even if we can’t feel him or see what he is doing. Hope you are blessed today.
Being thankful changes the way we feel and the atmosphere around us. It changes our panic into peace, it cultivates joy out of sadness and gives us courage to stand against fear. Thankfulness is light and life for your heart.
Practice Thankfulness today
Today on Heart to Heart the beautiful Bec White shares her story of learning to choose love in marriage, work and motherhood. She has walked out her surrendered dreams to pick up Gods plan for her changing seasons. Bec explains how choosing truth by setting aside her limited understanding of how this world operates and seeing Gods love and truth has propelled her to overcome her fears, disappointments and anxiety. Bec beautifully shows us how to see the good, lovely and the gracious heart of God in each circumstance. She lives, breathes and loves God with all her being.
She encourages us to let love be your first choice, not your last.
Finding Joy in the Gods calling.
Today my guest is the lovely Jo Thomson. Jo shares her precious story of finding Gods faithfulness as she let her faith carry her to a deep place of trust. This trust in Gods faithfulness led her and her husband, Matt with their 5 children to the mission field. Jo has a beautiful equipping spirit and a joy for sharing how faithful god is,even when you can’t see how. His provision and promises can be trusted .To trust we have to have faith in his ability and believe his ways are higher than our ways.
There have been many times in my life where grief has taken over and I couldn't see a way out. But God promises that he will give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. This is what God showed me in one of the most painful times of my life. If we choose him and his path he will heal our broken heart and renew our strength.
Today on Heart to Heart my guest is Sarah Ross. Sarah shares the most inspiring story of Hope and healing from the implosion of her family and the tragic fallout. With so much devastation Sarah found herself with an addiction problem and was spiralling out of control. By the amazing grace of God she found Jesus, but it took a number of years before she found freedom from her addiction.
Only after hitting rock bottom did she realise that she had been held captive to the lies, pain and trauma which led to an understanding of her deep need for the truth in her identity in Christ. Sarah's journey of identity, hope and healing is a beautiful picture of a life surrendered into the Father's hands.
Sometimes we have to slow down to recognise God's voice and to experience his presence. We are not alone, but sometimes we feel alone. Remembering who we are and who he is, is the key to being at peace with ourselves and our journey in this life.
Colossians 3:2-4 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Today on Heart to Heart my guest is Pascalle Fargnoli.
Together we will be sharing our parallel stories of living with dyslexia along with its challenges and triumphs. There has been so many times where I have felt defeated by this journey, but seeing it through the eyes of Pascalle shows the differences between being seen, understood or falling through the cracks. We share strategies and misconceptions surrounding dyslexia and how to best respond or help others who walk this journey. We have both experienced forms of exclusion but also wonderful inclusion. As the years have past I'm so grateful for the beautiful inclusion in the body of Christ, which does not discredit us but had created a strong resilience and strength found in Him.
"For My grace is sufficient for you and My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9
God created us with different gifts and passions. He is calling us to lay down our fear of what others think and follow that dream he has put in your heart. He longs for us to walk in joy and bring him glory.
Richelle Walker has lived and worked on their family farm in central Queensland Australia and has done so for most of her life. She is an artist and author, mother of 4 and grandma of 7 children. Richelle’s shares her story of loss followed by grief after their homestead burnt to the ground during a very long season of drought and desperate water shortages. She began journaling her grief as away of dealing with her loss. This led to a beautiful narrative which has become her first published book, which was mostly taken from her journal.
What a beautiful heart and honest look Richelle gives us of walking out of this kind of tragedy. Be blessed by her testimony of how wonderful God is in all seasons of our lives.
Dr Lily Myers shares with us how she found joy for the present and hope for the future. She is a brilliant, intelligent and compassionate lover of Jesus. Lily carries a supernatural testimony of God’s determination to save her from herself. Her life is marked with gentle compassion, gracious understanding and love that makes you want to know Jesus deeper than ever before. Be carried away with this amazing story of how she came to know Jesus and his power and grace over her life.
My guest today on Heart to Heart is Matt Wardlaw. He shares his belief that he didn’t feel like he had much of a testimony. He grew up in a Christian home and gave his heart to the Lord at a young age. Because of this he felt that his testimony wasn’t very interesting. This belief is common amongst second generation Christians and beyond. We hear an amazing testimony and then think “we don’t have a testimony like others do”, therefore we don’t have one at all. Matt has since realised his entire life is a living testimony of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Enjoy his warmth, humour and love for the Lord as he shares his story of revelation, discouragement and beautiful restoration.
Dreaming Big with God Episode - Dan Rayner
Episode // 12
My guest today on Heart to Heart is Dan Rayner. He has wonderful vision and insight into the grace of God as we step out in faith to follow the big dream God has placed in our hearts. Dan shares his story of trying and failing but growing in the process, by learning to get up and try again. Dan challenges us to find our identity in Jesus first and how to follow the call God places on our heart. His practical advice and words of encouragement are inspiring as we explore the concept of Dreaming Big with God.
Link in Bio Or Apple, Podbean, and most places you can listen to podcasts.
Today on Heart to Heart I interview my friend Chloe Gray, a wife and mum of a two year old boy. She shares the often unspoken truth about miscarriage and the internal trauma she experienced as she walked out this journey not once, but twice. Miscarriage can be a silent, painful and lonely journey for couples and often goes without the acknowledgment of the trauma and the deep loss they are walking through. Isolation and fear can be a constant reminder of what they have lost. Chloe speaks life into all who have suffered in this space and how God was her refuge and strength. Her belief was that God didn't love her and was punishing her, and it was in this space she discovered the truth and depth of how much He truly does love her and that this love is available for all who need to know it. Chloe leaves us with a powerful statement! “You can’t conquer it if you don’t confront it” May you find hope and healing in her testimony of Gods faithfulness.
What a joy to share this wonderful story of God's goodness and faithfulness. Kare Gurren is a school teacher and an incredible musician / vocalist. She shares how God called her to lay down her dream of becoming a professional artist to follow his call to pursue prayer and worship. The joy of seeing someone trust God in such a tangible way is a sweet encouragement for us to trust the Lord with all aspects of our lives. Kate calls us higher -- to a deeper intimacy and longing to trust the Father in all area's of our lives.. even our dreams!!
@pandwcollective and @kategurren
Jeannine is a beautiful mum of 3 and my cousin who lives in the USA. She shares about her childhood trauma of assault that caused her to build a wall so high her body shut down, and she in turn blamed God for all of it. As she carried her pain into her adult years she ended up marrying a narcissistic man which over time shattered her heart and broke her spirit. Jeannine shares how Jesus can meet us anywhere and how he did for her. This story brings hope to so many who experience domestic violence, abuse and defeat or who feel trapped in depression and anxiety. My prayer is that this powerful testimony will encourage you to see hope for the future and find God waiting to love you through your journey toward finding freedom in and through Him.
David and Nicky French tell their powerful story of choosing hope over bitterness everyday after the losing their 2 year old daughter Emily. They have kept their hearts soft and captured the need we all have for a community of people who loved and supported them while helping them hold onto Jesus and each other. Nicky shares her immediate response to Emily's death was to say to her husband David "our son has lost his sister, he cannot lose his parents too." This powerful statement has been beautifully woven into their love for each other and the Lord. I pray you will find this story full of hope and God's goodness even in hard times of life.
This was a short unscripted spontaneous podcast that Lea-Ann and I did when I was just starting out. It blessed me so much I just really want you all to be blessed.
Lea-Ann is a mother of 2 and is a gifted, amazing worship leader. She has been such a blessing to me by walking with me through the set up of this podcast. Her strong and courageous story of surrendering due to an illness that silenced her voice for a season is inspiring. When it returned she was unable worship God the way she had. From a place of despair she discovered how worship comes in many ways. Lea-Ann learned to sing again by teaching others about worship and encouraging them to use their gifts. By surrendering her gift to the Lord she found encouraging others to find theirs gifts brought a beautiful heart of worship into her spirit. She found her identity was not in what she did but in who Jesus was in her.
Nicci is a mother of 3 and has her own counselling business called ‘Hope 4 you Counseling.’ Her story of courage in choosing to see the big picture of life from God's perspective, is inspirational. Starting as a young child of 12, she was diagnosed with a rare type for multiple pre-cancerous polyps in her bowl, which later in her 30s was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He attitude and grace to see Gods goodness is a precious gift to others who are needing to see their trauma from Gods perspective.
In todays episode we chat to Tam and Mark, who are parents of 2 amazing kids & local church leaders. They share their story of living in defeat, depression and addiction before meeting Jesus. Their stories follow a revelation from God of their individual need for him. We chat about how finding hope in Jesus has bought peace and restoration to their hearts and lives. You will be so blessed by their stories,
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This week I'm chatting to my friend Reuben Vanderduys. He is a 4th year uni student who grew up in Papua New Guinea as a missionary kid. Reuben found life very challenging culturally and emotionally as a child and often battled loneliness. He knew he was loved but struggled to feel loved. He takes us on a journey of how God revealed to him a new understanding about how to walk out of loneliness and into peace and acceptance of himself and others.
In this episode I chat to Heather - a mother of 3 and a grandma. She shares about her earlier years of broken dreams, painful expectations and how God faithfulness has restored peace and brought healing. His has given her new hopes and dreams, by understanding her identity in Christ rather than in what she does or who she thinks she should be. Her story encourages us to let the Father's presence bring Beauty for Ashes.
In todays podcast I interview Jem Harris, an inspirational mum of two. She inspires us to choose God every day and has shown a deeply tenacious spirit as she battles Crohn’s disease. Jem has much to share about her highs and lows and what has kept her heart soft and peaceful. Jem’s story will encourage those that have battled chronic illness. Jem has chosen to live out her life seeing it as a gift from God everyday.
In todays podcast I interview Joel, my wonderful second born son. He has been inspirational in this journey of starting Heart to Heart podcast. In this episode we talk about the beginnings of Heart to Heart, our relationship and the time during Joels university years where he found Gods grace and faithfulness. It’s a joy to share stories of others and especially of my own children.